Shit, I can’t even spell it.
Do one thing every day that scares you. Eleanor Roosevelt Every day, I think about quitting. Some days more than others. And every day, statistically you should probably quit. And I have quit a bunch of times. I know that, as I continue this journey, my biggest competitor is the risk-averse human psyche, always wanting to retreat to a safe zone. But now, every time I question my faith in my...
The question is not how far. The question is, do you possess the constitution, the depth of faith, to go as far as is needed? – Boondock Saints As I think about the primary success factors in the first year of Contactually, and how it differs from previous ventures I’ve undertaken, been a part of, or witnessed as a third party, staying motivated is one of the most crucial factors...
I was given the chance to speak at TechCocktail about relationships last week, along with Rohit and Scott. It was a great night talking about how relationships are so crucial for an entrepreneur. I stumbled across a few mentions of “luck surface area”, and it instantly resonated with me. Go read it now. As I think about Contactually and my role as CEO, one of my biggest directives is...
It’s been a little over a year since we held the first DC Tech Meetup, and a little over a year and a half since we launched ProudlyMadeInDC, which can be considered a catalyst for the Meetup. One can confidently say that everything has been up and to the right with all aspects of the greater DC startup ecosystem; more startups, thriving startups, investments, acquisitions, M+A, etc. For...
On May 15th, 2011 was the day I first wrote down in Evernote (where I collect all my product ideas) an idea for a Proactive CRM The failure in CRMs is that YOU have to actively decide to put a contact into the system. Lame. Google Apps hook-in It monitors your email, then when you reply to an email from someone, or send someone an email, it then knows that it’s someone who should be added...
We’re mere hours away from the new JOBS act being signed into law. While it’s an all-around awesome bill for entrepreneurs, the fact that it will legalize crowdfunding in startups by non-accredited investors will revolutionize the way startups are built. Take where we are at this moment with Contactually. We have thousands of users. A large portion are heavy users. Our paid user...
the year I got a dog. the year I asked Alex to marry me. the first year I went to SXSW. the first time I visited Europe. the year I hired my first employee. the year that the DC startup community blew up. the year I got involved in community building. the year I spent way too much time in airports. the year that I finally dropped everything to pursue a grand vision. the year that I first raised...
One year ago today, we launched ProudlyMadeInDC. I sent out this message to our mailing list In the wee hours of the morning, on December 2nd, 2010, the two of us started throwing together a simple WordPress site, after a dinner discussion with other entrepreneurs about improving the scene in DC. We posted a list of startups that we knew about (a total of 40!), and shared it with a few close...
I had an idea. (repeat 1,000,000x) I had an idea. I wrote it down. (repeat 86x – based on Evernote usage since August ’09) I had an idea. I wrote it down. I talked to a lot of people about it. (repeat ~30x) I had an idea. I wrote it down. I did a basic landing page, or mockups. (repeat ~20x) I had an idea. I wrote it down. I did a basic landing page, or mockups. I told everyone I know...
It’s legend* that Cortez, upon reaching Vera Cruz, burned his ships so there was no way for him and his crew to retreat. It was all-or-nothing from then on out. My last post (back in July, #blogfail) was about the challenges we faced consulting while building our startup (then called Enforcery, now renamed to Contactually). We were starting to get into a pretty good rhythm of ensuring...