Best match

Most recent

How-to

Methodology

Project management

Deciding on the best PM methodologies to use in your business is not a simple task. Here's how your company can determine the most suitable methodologies for successful project execution.

https://www.bing.com/th?id=OVFT.26yhj52eM89HbHvggmK8Zy&pid=News

How to select the right project management methodologies

https://www.bing.com/th?id=ODF.iIj0BXhILAa8fn4e7Ly-qw&pid=news

TechRepublic

Whether you’re a freelancer, student, or entrepreneur, being organized and productive is crucial if you need dependable personal project management software. Plenty of individual project ...

5 Best Project Management Software for Individual Needs

The State

Basecamp is a great all-in-one solution that includes project management, team communication, and file sharing. 4. Microsoft Project Microsoft Project is a powerful project management software ...

Project Management Tools and Software: A Comparison Guide

LinkedIn

If you’re looking for trustworthy personal project management software, regardless of whether you’re a student, freelancer, or entrepreneur, it’s crucial to stay organized and productive.

5 Best Project Management Software for Individuals

The Fresno Bee

However, worry no more! You can optimize your work process and effortlessly meet deadlines by utilizing the appropriate project management software for students. We’ve compiled a list of the top ...

Best Project Management Software for Students

The Island Packet

Idaho Statesman

Education

But fear not, technology has given us a wide range of project management software for education institutes with devices that can help streamline and simplify the procedure. This article will ...

Best Project Management Software for Educational Institutes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The Herald SC

Get the most recent info and news about Basecamp on HackerNoon, where 10k+ technologists publish stories for 4M+ monthly readers.

Trusted by millions, Basecamp puts everything you need to get work done in one place. It’s the calm, organized way to manage projects, work with clients, and communicate company-wide.

Basecamp

and are the true contrarians in the world of entrepreneurship. Jason Fried DHH The thoughts they share on Twitter, in and their books make people think. Other founders think “I wish I could run a company like that” and their employees think “I want to work for Basecamp”. their blog posts I’ve been a follower of their work for years and the latest book, “ “, is another hit. Pretty much every chapter in this book goes against the best practices and the common way of running a business. It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work More ethical, more responsible and people friendly These are not just contrarian thoughts for the sake of being different. They are actually well thought out and tested business practices they have put in place in their own company. More ethical, more responsible and people friendly activities. Actions that are mindful of the employees that work for the brand and the customers that Basecamp is serving. Some of the advice you may already be familiar with if you’ve read their prior work such as “Rework” or “Remote: Office Not Required”. But a lot of it is fresh, insightful and impactful. These lessons deserve to be repeated as the business world and management has been too slow to consider the fresh perspective. It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work: Change Control One chapter I wanted to discuss in this post is titled “Change Control”. The insights in this chapter were particularly relevant to my recent experience. And the lesson is all about emphasis and care about the existing customers. startup Consider my recent experience in a . My startup story is quite common for what most other ventures experience. product-oriented marketing role We had a small, loyal customer base but the norm of a venture-funded startup is to grow fast or die (Basecamp founders have a lot to say about VC-money in their book). We had to act. We started with the content approach first. It was a solid success in terms of gaining social media mentions and links from authoritative sources in the industry. marketing The content that we published , increased the number of trial signups and we saw large revenue growth too. grew our traffic That was not enough. The vast majority of visitors did not want to sign up for a trial. On top of that, the majority of trialists had no interest in converting to a paying customer. Despite the improvements in organic marketing, we were still behind the leading players in the industry in metrics such as website traffic and the number of trials generated. And if you cannot get to be the top (or perhaps the top two or three) player in your field, you may as well not even exist or matter to your investors. Grow fast or die a slow death So what do you do in a situation like this? You take a harder look at everything and innovate. The messaging, marketing activities, and the product itself. The product often gets a revamp or a complete upgrade. New positioning, improved user interface and experience in addition to a boost in the marketing budget. The normal goals in this situation are: Getting more people interested in checking out the site and the product you’re offering Getting more visitors attracted to sign up for a trial Getting more trialists to convert into paying customers The last thing most companies focus on in those cases are the existing, loyal customers. The customers are there, paying for the product and happy with the current service. The number of paying customers is low though and the company needs to grow and get more customers fast. Or it may die a slow death. So you end up taking the existing customers for granted in your chase for bigger numbers and force them onto the new platform too. Perhaps you give them notice well in advance. You may even give them a sneak peek into the new version. But in most cases, they do need to switch over to the new platform on the day you have decided your big launch to be. Sell new customers on the new thing and let old customers keep whatever they already have This is where Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson revert the traditional script. They don’t force any innovation or big change onto their existing customers. For your existing customers, the new, improved and better version of your app doesn’t matter. “Comfort, consistency, and familiarity are higher up on their value chain.” People use your product to accomplish something and that is the most important thing for them. They have their deadlines and a job to do. They don’t also want to learn and get familiar with the new workflow you are forcing them through with your redesign. “This doesn’t mean your new work sucks, just that people are usually in the middle of something that’s more important to them than a change to your product. They’re already invested in what they have to do and they’re already familiar with how they’re going to do it. And then you toss a change at them that immediately makes their life a little more complicated. Now they have a new thing to learn right in the middle of having an old thing to do.” The founders of Basecamp then summarize a core truth about selling: “Sell new customers on the new thing and let old customers keep whatever they already have. This is the way to keep the peace and maintain the calm.” Three completely different versions of Basecamp software And this is where we come to the fact that Basecamp still runs three completely different versions of their software. Every time they release a big redesign or upgrade, they never force their existing customers to go along the ride. Existing customers get an invitation to try out the new version. It is not a demand though. They can go on forever using the version they are familiar and comfortable with. “A significant number” choose to do that. Others at least get to choose a more appropriate timing to learn and make the transition to your latest innovation. “Technology and design has changed. We’ve evolved. But our evolution is at our pace, and new customers today expect something different than new customers did a decade ago. But that doesn’t mean we should force our earliest customers to follow along at our pace.” This is completely the opposite of what the big players do. Google might force you into the new version of Gmail on a Monday morning as you have a long list of emails to respond to. Instagram might suddenly start algorithmically shuffling the content you see in your news feed and make you miss out on updates from people you care about the most. In the days where redesigns, repositioning and innovation is forced on millions of people, it is such a breath of fresh air to see a company that is mindful of its customers and goes out of its way (and reduces the profit potential) to make the customer experience satisfying. Go Basecamp! Originally published at markosaric.com on October 10, 2018.

Why Basecamp still runs three completely different versions of their software

Most of the exceptional and remarkable content pieces throughout the history of content marketing seem to have a few things in common: – plus they are always created with the purpose of educating and inspiring. they are the result of mastery, collaboration, strong ideas, and are data-informed Content and its needy fellow, marketing, have taken center stage in the digital space for the past decade, but they have often ended up being the by-product of a love-hate relationship between their consumers and creators respectively. The actual term has become the internet villain for good reason. There's simply so much content out there that it gets easy to be distracted by clickbait articles and boring ol' best practices. content marketing Look, we live in a world where everyone wants to have an opinion about something (and share it), but with the volume of dubious content increasing, readers want to know that what they’re reading online is authentic and brings value. So here it goes. If we want to stand out, then to create more meaningful content and relationships. this will be the decade where we need to shift our attention towards simplicity, quality, and purpose Mastering the art of content that attracts organic readers is not a quick route to success. This level of expertise and command can take decades to achieve and that's perfectly fine – but there are a few elements that can be the guiding light for creators and brands alike. Let's dig in. All Hail, Purpose In the HBR article , the writer suggests to use Kipling’s “ ” to kickstart a content strategy. Your Content Marketing Strategy Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated serving men "While all of the five (and one ) merit attention, focusing on why, who, and what is a solid foundation. It also helps us ensure that our content is both business-centric and customer-aware." Ws H When we write stories, we need to develop a clear sense of who we are and how we create value through a comprehensive, communicated, and contextualized framework that empowers readers to connect with us. Without a clear sense of purpose, it’s impossible to write stories that change hearts and minds. When Medium’s founder, he was first driven by the decision to move away from an ad-supported business model, because “people who write and share ideas should be rewarded on their ability to enlighten and inform, not simply their ability to attract a few seconds of attention.” Ev Williams, laid off one-third of his staff in 2017, The decision seemed radical in 2017. It was driven by an original quest to find a deep sense of purpose for the publishing platform, an early instinct to focus on the content over the advertising. Upon further reflection, it’s clear that the broken system is ad-driven media on the internet. It simply doesn’t serve people. In fact, it’s not designed to. The vast majority of articles, videos, and other “content” we all consume on a daily basis is paid for — directly or indirectly — by corporations who are funding it in order to advance their goals. And it is measured, amplified, and rewarded based on its ability to do that. Period. As a result, we get…well, what we get. And it’s getting worse. – Ev Williams The opportunity we have is to shift the stance that producing more content is better. More isn’t always better, nor is it effective. We need to revise our  principles of content creation to create real connections. We would start with these principles: Writing to Inspire The word comes from the Latin word that means or . When you inspire something, it is as if you are blowing air over a low flame to make it grow. inspire to inflame to blow into Think about or . how leaders inspire change how people getting together ignite movements A powerful example is , a Swedish teenager who made headlines by starting a solo climate protest by striking from school. The young activist has been joined by thousands of school and university students around the world in climate strikes that have become regular events. Greta Thunberg The biggest event up to date gathered Her sense of purpose and dedication inspired millions around the world to do the same. more than 4 million people. Companies also have the power to inspire. is one example that has been constantly for decades. Basecamp influencing people to stick to simplicity and quality And it's not only their software that inspires but also the way they are channelling their , ideas, and experiences to help others succeed. We personally think should be a compulsory read for anyone who works in the tech space. knowledge Rework When our content inspires, we are creating it with the sole intention to motivate readers to be and do better than they were before reading it. To inspire, we always fall back on , personal experiences, knowledge, and the ability to curate stories that build a wholesome, shared narrative. the power of storytelling Writing to Educate To educate others in an area that is relevant to the product or service we're trying to sell or promote, we need to do so in a way that it adds value to their lives in the form of knowledge. But first, we need to think like learners ourselves and put our skin in the game. We can do so by and gaining clarity to share our thoughts and ideas with our peers. learning better Are you running a company? Do you have subject matter experience in a certain field? Sharing experiences and documenting your failures and successes as well as giving people the tour behind-the-scenes of how things are done are the starting points to shape up our content. When content educates, we are teaching people something they did not know. Speak Data to Me It's all about data and how we use it to discover what people are looking for. Data in content marketing can be used in two ways: • As facts and statistics curated to make references in the writing process • To analyse what works and what doesn't after having published a piece from our articles. But there's a sweet spot for doing this.  When we're too data-driven, we risk creating something dry and formulaic.  When we're too opinionated, we start ignoring valuable cues that could help us improve our content. We use data to create a deeper understanding of what value readers get Our ideas and opinions might be part of the big picture but content that’s rooted in research, data, facts—not just our own opinions—becomes more credible. Companies that are successful with content execute consistently, but they also use the gathered data to identify what works and what doesn't and then use the information to go back and reiterate. For example, take , which tracks the performance of each article to find the sweet spot for making their blog more helpful. The data they gain is super valuable because it helps the team create future stories by analysing metrics and feedback from readers. Airtable Airtable also has a great way of segregating their into three stages such as: . content marketing pipeline preparation, production, and publication While the first two stages are helpful for content managers to brainstorm and keep track of what’s in the works, the last stage informs all strategic improvements. This creates a loop in which every new article is another piece of data on what works and what doesn’t. Without data, it can get difficult to figure out if a problem is real or not. Many times, the decision simply ends up not being solved when things cannot be properly measured. is the best way to rethink the fundamental blocks of a problem to decide what’s the best way forward. First principles thinking The Devil in the Details How we write is continuously evolving to reflect shifts in needs, sensibilities, and technologies, so it’s important to write in such a way that reflects the people we write for. is one example that has . Mailchimp clear guidelines for writing about people with compassion Whether you’re writing for an internal or external audience, it's important to write for and about other people in a way that’s compassionate, inclusive, and respectful. – Mailchimp Content Style Guide that can show up in the smallest word choices. The company takes extra care to be conscious of the impact their language has to make people feel seen, valued, respected and welcome. Sprout also emphasizes the need to be careful about the bias about language and ways we can use conscious words, portrayals, framing, and representation to empower instead of limit. We need to promote critical thinking throughout the writing process. Ask readers. Not only will readers show us what they need, but they will help us look beyond our own abilities and biases when creating a new piece. Involve people from different communities By involving stakeholders and peers, we are able to . Without involving peers, our stories would likely reflect our own abilities and assumptions about practices and ideas that we think should be the norm. identify and test assumptions and biases Go Cross-Functional or Go Home It’s a common myth that collaboration is difficult across teams. But as teams become more homogenous, tools, frameworks, and mental models open up doors for new ways of thinking, working and collaborating. In the case of content, it's imperative to focus on tools that augment collaboration and help us reach new parts of the organisations we work in. Our most foundational level of collaboration is . access to knowledge For instance, at , we create editorial cohesion by working with applications, such as Notion for organizing ideas and setting up our editorial calendar. And because we work remotely, we are considerate of the asynchronous aspect of our collaborative efforts so we use Slack to share ideas and give updates without caring so much if our schedules overlap (we all need longer periods of time to work deeply, without being interrupted). GrowthTalk Ensuring we are all comfortable with these tools and way of working means we can easily share knowledge, without working in the same office. Likewise, while we all have individual approaches to writing, having a shared system — a style guideline and common values —offers cross-team understanding that informs all the other layers of the editorial collaboration. and tools that accommodate this flexible process are essential to foster creativity. Content creation requires trial and error, Build Empathy at Scale comes from the Greek word pathos, which means . There's an old saying that goes "walk a mile in someone's shoes" which describes the process of first understanding someone else's experiences before judging them. Empathy feeling Before we do anything, we need to learn how to show empathy, letting people see that other perspectives are as valuable as theirs. and so, collaboration occurs. Showing empathy makes others more likely to ask us for our perspective But there can be no empathy without vulnerability. In her famous TED Talk, , researcher says that . The Power of Vulnerability Brené Brown vulnerability lies at the very foundation of authentic connection with others Being receptive to the views of someone we disagree with is not easy, but when we approach the situation with a genuine wish to understand our differences, we always get a better outcome. In successful collaborations, each person assumes that everyone involved, regardless of background, has something important to voice out. That mindset makes participants want to understand why others have differing views, which allows them to build constructive conversations. . Great writing is like a great conversation. There’s give and take. There's showing empathy. There's understanding who you write for. In writing, empathy is equally important It's all an exchange, a flow of ideas. Remarkable content prompts people to share their thoughts, comments, and feedback. It’s an exchange. Writers share. Readers share. And pretty soon, we feel that we have a connection. When we show empathy, people tend to relate and connect to us more. This unleashes a cascade effect of true connections, candor, and collaboration. "If we reject vulnerability, we kill curiosity hence we cannot reflect and pivot to a better solution." Story Time The ability to tell stories that inform, persuade, and inspire is at the heart of every aspect of the content strategy. Storytelling doesn't mean you have to fluff up content. Storytelling plays an important role in this marketing ploy because, essentially, humans have been telling stories for millennia — so for evolutionary reasons, storytelling has remained ingrained in our DNA. Our brains are wired to look for stories, which is why . content remains the best medium to connect with people According to First Round Review, is needed when founders pitch for the next big startup idea or when sales reps create , or recruiters tailor company pitches to attract top talent. building a compelling narrative scripts that win customers When writers craft a story, we should be honest with the reader, back up our facts, and deliver on promises to build long-term value and trust. Show readers “what could be” as opposed to “what is” currently. Take Nancy Duarte’s example of using the same techniques as great storytellers. writing powerful stories The power of a story relies on how much the storyteller exemplifies the message, and how we carry it through actions beyond the content itself. to readers and incorporating their views into your writing. Storytelling is the key to keeping readers engaged and excited about what we have to say. Stories also nurture the importance of listening In the end, what makes good stories lies in the creative quality that makes humans, well, human. Quality Trumps Quantity Too much of what we consume these days is the mental equivalent of junk food. Quality matters more than quantity. – Farnam Street Success is often built on the habit of saying “yes” to anything that comes our way. We’re eager for any chance to prove ourselves, and when we’re presented with one, we quickly take it. This is also the case when we accept to write content that ends up being a number in a monthly quota. When it comes to writing, we should start from the premise that So saying no is crucial if we want to focus on quality. writing is a slow process . Just like , so do writers spend hours constructing and deconstructing ideas, researching, creating a narrative, illustrating problems and solutions, rewriting, and then rewriting some more. top chefs spend hours perfecting a recipe Being a better writer means you always have to write. It's the compounding effect that makes anyone just a bit better than they were a day before. Reading a lot matters. Learning from experts helps. Studying how writers are mastering their craft is crucial. Taking a step back and learning how to be a better learner is also key. But what makes a ? We create something qualitative when we lay the right foundations (knowledge and experience) and stick to our principles. quality article for what quality content is. Clear guidelines help us set expectations for those who are creating content and also help readers be on the same page with us. It’s important to set concrete guidelines and principles Creating guidelines and principles help us build consistency and this is the key to simplifying what we need to do. Connecting the Dots To round this up, we're just going to leave you with a quote from Basecamp's : Jason Fried If you have something to say, say it. If you have something to share, share it. Don’t invent things to say or to share just such that you can package up that pink slime as a golden nugget of truth to trade for someone’s contact information. That's it. Find your own voice. Master your craft. Keep learning and unlearning, and think twice before hitting publish. If you enjoyed reading this article, come say hi on Twitter and Medium . 👋🏻 Andreea has an immense passion for storytelling and how it drives change in the tech space. When she's not busy typing away, you will always see her reading a good book.

Lessons in Authentic Content From Thunberg, TED, Sprout, and Basecamp

We were pretty late to implement Slack — We implemented it something like a year ago, and it’s been working pretty well, up until now. Before I go on about why we ditched Slack for basecamp, maybe it’d make sense if I shared a little bit about who we are, what we do and how we do it. We’re a small SaaS company of about 12 people and thousands of customers. We have one product (http://helpjuice.com), that we sell, and make around 7 figures in annual revenue. We’ve been doing “this” for exactly 5 years now. Throughout the years, we tried (when it was just me, sending myself emails as to-do items), (when we hired ~2–3 contractors), , , (roughly when we were ~6 people), then + (~8 people), and now I’m honestly quite sick of it. email basecamp Trello Hipchat Hipchat + Trello Slack Trello Here’s how we’ve been working so far; Once someone joins a company, we devote maximum attention to bring them up to speed with everything, and then start assigning them a bunch of tasks, and use Slack to communicate. The problem with Slack is: you’re always hearing this noise. Yes, there’s a snooze button, but it’s really a lot like Facebook Messenger. Sometimes it’s easier to chat about a problem, yes. The problem is, you end up ‘tricking’ your brain (due to all the notifications pouring in, most of which are irrelevant & blabber) to constantly check Slack, and end up using it instead of Trello. You end up messaging people instead of checking the status of tasks on Trello You check it more than Trello — While this is a lot less likely to happen on Basecamp, the real issue with Slack is that it encourages conversation, which is great for team culture building, but not for getting shit done. With Slack the conversation ends up slipping away as it’s a free form conversation, rather than being tied to a specific subject, as it’s the nature of chatrooms. Everyone has a tendency to check-in and provide their thoughts — — Yes, you could say that Slack doesn’t solve this problem, and I’d agree with you. However, when using Slack, you’re so close to people that you do have a tendency to talk to them and understand what they’re working on, but you generally have a vague picture of what’s going on, from a project-stand point (how much progress is being made towards launching the redesign? what’s left to do? what’s next?). You have no clue what’s going on in your company While a lot of my points may sounds silly to someone using Slack, I think the beauty of Basecamp 3 is that it solves all these problems so well that you end up totally resonating with the viewpoint of having Project Management tools also be a place where: you can understand what’s going on in your company, have 1–1 convo’s re. specific topics, aswell as have a general chat & talk to your team mates. I really like the idea of having mini-projects (e.g.: we have one for our ‘knowledge base’, where we talk about what content we’re going to write, how we’re going to structure it, design it — and actual work gets done there, rather than just talk) Goodbye Trello, Goodbye Slack. Hello Basecamp 3. is how hackers start their afternoons. We’re a part of the family. We are now and happy to opportunities. Hacker Noon @AMI accepting submissions discuss advertising &sponsorship To learn more, , , or simply, read our about page like/message us on Facebook tweet/DM @HackerNoon. If you enjoyed this story, we recommend reading our and . Until next time, don’t take the realities of the world for granted! latest tech stories trending tech stories

Why We Ditched Slack For Basecamp 3

This Week on Planet Internet: Big Dictator Energy

Photo by on Marcos Luiz Photograph Unsplash Here’s a quick tip if you’re looking for a way to reduce unnecessary real-time chat at work: Set up a shared called Q&A. todo list When you want to ask a coworker or another team’s lead a question, create a todo with the question as text. Add any extra information as a note, and assign it to the appropriate person. When you get your answer, mark the todo as done. (And make sure to give thanks!) This works great as a channel of communication between teams too. At , we came up with this pattern while discussing how to moderate our use of real-time communication. For example, when our Marketing team has a technical question, they post it on the Q&A list on Engineering. Semaphore Asynchronous first: people in Semaphore team asking & answering non-critical questions I’m showing Basecamp here, but you can easily apply the pattern to other apps. A nice side effect of this approach is that knowledge gets recorded in a place that is easy to find, instead of evaporating in chat history. If you keep a chat window open at all times, it’s very tempting to write out every question that pops up in your mind. You might as well @-mention a person, or even ping the whole channel. And this may be fine in a very small team where everyone is working on the same problem. As we scaled work on to many autonomous teams, we’ve found that the asynchronous approach works better. When you take the time to write down the question, you are more likely to share everything that the other person needs to give you a complete answer. There’s no back and forth. Best of all, you don’t immediately interrupt them in what they’re currently doing. It might be that you’ll also . Semaphore get your answer faster

Remote Work Tip: Q&A Todo Lists

172 Stories To Learn About Ruby

373 Stories To Learn About Learning To Code

324 Stories To Learn About Development

The brands we associate with "startups" are no longer startups. Dropbox is 16 years old, Airbnb is 15, and Pinterest is 13. At this point, they have either transformed into large enterprises, been sold off, or ceased operations altogether. The future of product development is defined by a newer generation of companies launched in the 2020s. Let's explore what sets them apart. Emphasizing joy When comparing the original Twitter for iPad or Facebook Paper with the most recent versions, it is evident that flat design made it easier for developers to create decent-looking apps, but sacrificed playfulness. Larger companies build unified, scalable design systems for multiple platforms. Achieving playfulness is hardly their goal now, and the craftsmanship . doesn’t scale well https://youtu.be/MsmPjQfsdO4?embedable=true https://youtu.be/Ne2uHFi_e_M?embedable=true However, small design details, such as the shredding animation in Passbook, the audiotape in Apple Podcasts, or the page-turning animation in Apple Books, contribute to the overall identity of the app and evoke certain emotions. Although some may view these details as over-the-top, they make the software more than just a tool and elevate it to the realm of art. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRxlFr5gQy0&embedable=true https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPaPg222tf4&embedable=true As John Gruber , recently put it Either you know that software can be art, and often should be, or you think what I’m talking about here is akin to astrology.” Steve Jobs in 2011: echoed this It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing. Some of my favorite apps lately are ‘digital toys’ with fun, quirky features. Examples include , a fresh take on browsers, , a calendar that mentions joy at the landing page, intimate social apps like and , and , a geo-based messaging app. Arc Amie Airbuds Locket Zenly https://twitter.com/darylginn/status/1549720866316902402?s=20&t=AcqlbFB4-QS_UIpFfMAufg&embedable=true Even though Snap announced the shutdown of Zenly last August, it still hasn't found a popular replacement. Its attention to detail still seems unmatched by the competition: it’s how the team prioritized the ‘wtf’ factor from the beginning. curious to read Another example of fun design is ‘chaotic redesigns,’ a recent trend. This trend appears to be a useful thought exercise in considering people's emotions about modern software and how the concepts that popular products use can be taken to the point of absurdity. Twitter https://twitter.com/theshanelevine/status/1619743752029114368?embedable=true Generative design is likely to have a significant impact on the UI space. The world only needs so many takes on the checkout or login page, and neural networks can review more references than a designer can in a lifetime. Would craft and the ability to evoke emotions from the user become a differentiator once again, along with the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes? https://www.usegalileo.ai/?embedable=true Building in public Yuhki Yamashita, ’s CPO, wrote an article on how , thanks to the open collaboration in Figma and Docs and constant iterations. It's crucial to ask for feedback on prototypes and create community betas to adapt to ongoing feedback. Figma ‘work in progress’ is now the norm Google https://twitter.com/jakub_swiadek/status/1636160133393956866?embedable=true The Browser Company is an excellent example of embracing this philosophy by sharing sneak peeks into their thinking process via , , and voice memos podcasts. Similarly, the Nothing Technology team shares and even do . YouTube TikTok their thinking competitor reviews https://youtu.be/Xy7FQM10wF4?embedable=true Generative content could replace current forms of content marketing, such as customer stories and blogs. To stay relevant, companies must , connect with their audience beyond support requests and forums, and iterate even before the first version of a feature goes live. This can include direct Twitter chats or public Discord and Slack groups. build in public https://youtu.be/Qct6LKbneKQ?embedable=true Smaller teams, or no team at all In recent years, there has been a trend towards increased accessibility of building blocks for products: open-source libraries, hosting solutions, and easy-to-integrate payment processors. Companies like Notion and Mojang with 50 employees or less. achieved billion-dollar valuations Generative content can further simplify things for small and one-man teams. Pieter Levels launched multiple profitable products without the need for large teams. He even documented his learnings in a book that he published and sold without the help of a team. https://youtu.be/6reLWfFNer0?embedable=true If the trend continues, work may become a means of self-expression for many. Work and play will become even more intertwined, as by Packy McCormick: predicted in a recent essay I predicted that “Within two decades, we will have multiple trillion-plus dollar publicly traded entities with just one full-time employee, the founder.” If you believe the AI accelerationists, or even the AI safety folks, I may have been too conservative. We live in a world in which fewer and fewer people need to work to meet humanity’s basic survival needs. (...) I get to spend my days reading, having conversations with really smart people, making “art,” and writing. (...) It’s a modern aristocratic life, wrapped in a work game. Companies could also reduce their teams to increase productivity. This approach by 37signals, the makers of Basecamp and Hey. If a project cannot be completed by two people, they will simplify it until it can be. In addition, team members , with designers capable of developing the prototypes themselves. is currently being tested wear multiple hats Being more flexible, and more opinionated With a smaller team and a niche focus, businesses can prioritize values such as sustainability, zero carbon emissions, privacy, tracking-free solutions, or charitable donations. Examples of such products include , a podcast client for iOS, and . Overcast Offscreen Magazine Companies can have unique working styles as well. and wrote entire manifestos to describe their processes, and Gumroad took , using just the async communication, and allowing their team to combine multiple jobs or projects. Arc 37signals another unconventional approach https://youtu.be/Nw9b1epsu9Q?embedable=true As building products becomes easier, more people can launch their own products, leading to a greater variety. Consumers will be able to choose products that align with their values, driving companies to become more transparent and better reflect the principles of their founders. Even large corporations will have to become more agile and adaptable to keep up, reducing their sales and operations departments to focus on innovation and quickly adapting to user needs. The one-size-fits-all approach is no longer effective, whether in fashion, content production, or workplace design. By delegating trivial tasks, people will bring more flexibility into their lives, providing more time to reflect on what is important for them.

Embracing Uncertainty: Creating Resilient Products for a Changing World 

It was February 24, 2022, when Russia began its brutal attack on Ukraine. The Ukrainian people were caught off guard, with little to no time to escape the violence that had erupted throughout the country. Bogdan, a enthusiast and hipster from Kyiv, was visiting Bucha at that time and quickly found himself in the midst of it all. crypto Bucha – once a magnet for young families due to its well-developed infrastructure, green spaces, affordable homes, and good schools – turned into a living nightmare in March as Russian troops stormed the region. The invasion sparked fear and panic in the population. People rushed to flee their homes, leaving everything behind. The war took a heavy toll on Bucha's civilian population: countless lives lost, thousands injured or disabled, and families torn apart. One day, when a humanitarian corridor was announced, Bogdan and dozens of other Ukrainians decided to use this opportunity to evacuate from the occupied city. Having once again violated agreements and international law, Russian soldiers fired on “green corridors.” They shot Bogdan in the leg despite a white stripe wrapped around his arm. He collapsed, and the next thing he remembered was a room with white walls that turned out to be a medical ward in Kyiv. Here reality crashed down on him in full force – his leg had to be amputated. He was heartbroken and lost hope for his future. Meanwhile, Daryna, a QA engineer from Lviv, bravely ventured off to the front lines as a volunteer, delivering supplies such as food, first aid kits, and military equipment. While going on these humanitarian missions, she was deeply impacted by the atrocities she experienced. Planes roared overhead while explosions echoed through trenches filled with soldiers – just like something out of a movie scene but much more real than ever! Besides Russian bombs, Daryna and her fellow volunteers also faced a much different type of enemy – exhaustion, fear, and despair. Alex had been working remotely as an AI software engineer from his home in Odesa when the war broke out. His job was to help a US-based gaming studio build new features for their best-selling AI game. Still, he knew he couldn't just sit by and do nothing once the full-on invasion began. While keeping his full-time job, he joined and dedicated all his spare time to undermining Russia's cyber infrastructure, hacking their sites and fake news resources, and fighting back Russian cyber attacks. Ukraine's IT Army The months went by as Alex completed mission after mission, but one day in April, everything changed. A Russian missile struck his parents' house, just a stone's throw away from his own place; they were killed instantly. Distraught at his loss and filled with grief and anger, Alex wanted revenge. Without hesitation, he joined the Armed Forces. After a short military training at the base camp, he was sent to one of the most dangerous war zones near Kherson. There he faced unimaginable terror: he saw needless deaths of innocent civilians and children, watched as his comrades died on the battlefield, and could feel death breathing down his neck. Every day was a struggle for survival, but Alex persevered. He learned to rely on his teammates for strength and courage and worked hard to complete each mission. It wasn't long before tragedy struck: during an ambush, Alex got hit by shrapnel that damaged one of his eyes and left him partially blind. Bogdan, who was now dealing with immense physical and psychological trauma, had a hard time coming to terms with his disability. On top of that, the phantom pain was becoming too much to bear. That's when he heard about AI technology being implemented in Germany to help military amputees get back to normal. Seeing no other option, Bogdan decided to give it a try. The doctors at the medical center in Berlin presented him with an AI-powered prosthesis that featured motion sensors. These sensors allowed continuous real-time feedback to be sent to an AI algorithm, which then adjusted the stimulation level needed to block out phantom pain signals from his missing limb. With this technology, Bogdan was able to finally get some relief and move on with his life. After returning home, Daryna found herself in a spiral of anxiety and depression due to her PTSD. She was advised to participate in an experimental program and have virtual sessions with an AI therapist in combination with traditional therapies. AI simulated a human counseling session like no other. It was extremely supportive and understanding, making Daryna feel safe to open up and talk about her experiences and nightmares. During these sessions, an avatar of a woman listened to the content of her speech and scanned her facial expressions, tone, and voice for cues that hint at meanings beyond speech. Ultimately, the AI was able to accurately diagnose Daryna's condition and suggest effective treatments. With this innovative technology, Daryna slowly but surely began to heal from the trauma caused by war. Although she still struggles with bad memories from time to time, she developed better strategies to cope with them by recognizing her triggers and managing stress more flexibly. Desperate to restore some normalcy back into his life, Alex resorted to using Artificial Intelligence technology again – this time to help improve his life quality with tasks such as reading text or identifying objects around him without having full sight. Through a former customer from America whom he still kept contact with, Alex got connected with the robotics startup there, which sent him a prototype version of their breakthrough product –a robotic arm designed specifically for people who have lost partial vision due to illness or injury just like himself. The AI-based robotic arm utilizes motion tracking, object and voice recognition, natural language processing, and other computer vision technologies to assist users with visual impairments. It can easily identify objects in its environment by using a camera or laser rangefinder. It also uses speech recognition software and NLP to interpret spoken commands from its user and execute them accordingly. The robot has multiple control modes, including a joystick, touchpad, speech commands, hand gestures, head movements, or even eye movements via an eye-tracking system. Moreover, the robotic arm has many advanced features, such as tactile feedback, allowing Alex to feel vibrations when touching particular objects. Alex uses it for daily activities like cooking, computer typing, and chores. It also helps him explore his environment more effectively, as he can use it to detect obstacles on his way and navigate around them safely. His experiments with AI didn't end there. Volunteers helped him get another gimmick from abroad – AI-enabled smart glasses that could help him see better. The glasses have an array of cameras that capture the environment and then stream the data to powerful AI algorithms, which detect objects in a user's field of view and highlight them with a special color or pattern. Thanks to this technology, Alex can now make out shapes and read the small text again—a blessing for someone who had spent months living in darkness. Alex may not have regained his full sight, but he was able to chip away at the limitations of his disability with the help of AI. He has since become an advocate for the use of AI in post-war rehabilitation, tirelessly campaigning to bring this technology to more war veterans in Ukraine. These three stories show how advances in AI can be used to improve lives and mitigate disabilities caused by war traumas. Not only do they provide much-needed hope for those affected, but they also remind us that no matter how bleak things seem, there is always a way forward—AI technology being one such path. With further , AI can likely revolutionize how we approach post-war rehabilitation and change many more lives like Alex's, Daryna's, and Bogdan's. research and development This story manifests AI tech's power to rebuild broken lives. It is also a shoutout to all Ukrainians courageously fighting and sacrificing their lives for their freedom, future, and peace in Europe. This fight has already been devasting our country for almost a year. Please stand with Ukraine and support its defenders with your ! donations Featured image credit: Sirens Gallery

How AI Helps Rebuild Lives In War-torn Ukraine

Cómo la IA ayuda a reconstruir vidas en una Ucrania devastada por la guerra

Comment l'IA aide à reconstruire des vies dans une Ukraine déchirée par la guerre

कैसे एआई युद्धग्रस्त यूक्रेन में जीवन के पुनर्निर्माण में मदद करता है

戦争で荒廃したウクライナの生活再建に AI がどのように役立つか

Como a IA ajuda a reconstruir vidas na Ucrânia devastada pela guerra

AI giúp xây dựng lại cuộc sống ở Ukraine bị chiến tranh tàn phá như thế nào

人工智能如何帮助重建饱受战争蹂躏的乌克兰的生活

Growing a company is tough, and it can become even more difficult if entrepreneurs don’t ask the right questions. I often ask myself how can I grow my company without adding more employees? Sounds counter-intuitive, right? But this question often led me to great results. Let me explain. Let’s take an agency, for example. You can imagine any type of agency, like web development, marketing, recruiting, and so on. An agency’s business model is quite simple: the more employees they have, the more hours they can charge their clients. To grow, an agency needs to increase its number of employees so it can sell more hours. In reality, this is not always so easy. Hiring new employees often comes with unexpected challenges, like higher management costs or organizational issues. It’s also hard to hire at the right time—hire too early, and you may find yourself with resources you don’t fully use. You may also simply face another issue: hiring is too expensive for your business’ current financial situation. So, how do you keep growing a small business when hiring is not an option? Asking the right questions could help. The techniques I will describe don’t require developing new revenue streams or taking a huge bet on new projects. I’m focusing on increasing growth by freeing up a part of your team's time. In other words, . do more with less Recognize what drives your growth If you added more employees to your company, would you immediately unlock your growth potential? Answering this question can be confusing. Most entrepreneurs think that with more employees, a company automatically grows. This is far from the truth. It’s quite common to see companies breaking apart after they reached a certain number of employees. But smart companies know that their success doesn’t have to be linked to their size. Take Basecamp, for instance—a popular project management tool. Basecamp is used by millions of users, but the company behind it, 37signals, only has 60 employees. While its user base hasn’t stopped growing in recent years, the same small team managed to maintain the required quality of its product without having to hire concurrently. Basecamp’s founders recognized very early on that they didn’t need to raise a ton of money to build a great software company. Their growth was never bound by the number of employees. Instead, they focused on creating a scalable product that can be updated and maintained by a small team. The founders also spent a lot of time creating a culture that prioritizes healthy growth. Your company growth doesn’t have to be linked to your headcount. There are many ways to do more with your current team. I believe in the Pareto law (80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes), and I’m sure every business can find new ways of doing what they do best if they ask themselves good questions. 4 ways to do more with less Here are some tricks I learned over the years from my own experience. They’re not your only option for growth, but exploring even one of them could be a great opportunity for your business. Use asynchronous communication The average middle-level manager spends around . But the worst part is that ! That’s a huge waste of time if your company needs to get things done. One of my working principles is asynchronous communication. I could (and I will) write a whole post about it, but I’ll share the basic principle here. 35% of their time in meetings 37% of those meetings are valued as unproductive Asynchronous companies use strong communication rules to protect their employees' time. For instance, asynchronous companies agree that instant communication is not a good practice and favor delayed response. With asynchronous communication, employees are expected to answer instant messages, emails, and messages from other channels in the coming hours instead of the next minutes. Meetings are also the last-resort tool in asynchronous companies and should only be used when other communication channels are limiting. For instance, if a colleague sends you a Slack message, it should be agreed that you need to answer in the next 4 hours (or more) and not the next 4 minutes! This may seem inefficient, but it’s actually the opposite. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that the typical office worker is . And it can take more than 23 minutes just to get back to where they left off! When people are not constantly disturbed by notifications, emails, and meetings, they can find time for deep focus, and this is the best way to get more things done. interrupted or switches tasks, on average, every three minutes Map your processes I like to see small businesses as machines. If the cogs are well implemented, the machine will run smoothly. This metaphor applies well to small businesses. The cogs are the different processes that make your business run (or Standard Operating Procedures, as they are often called). If you look closely at these processes, you may identify hidden bottlenecks that can be removed and save you a ton of time. I often think of an example from the book by Basecamp’s two founders I mentioned above. In the early days of their company, they were frustrated by the amount of time it took to report to clients (the company was originally a software agency). They progressively reduced the size of the report, making sure along the way that the client was satisfied. Their reporting material changed from a long PDF document to a simple page. This change saved a ton of time on each project without damaging client relationships. It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work Similarly, they looked at how fast their customer support had to reply to users’ requests. They tested different hypotheses, answering tickets as fast as under 5 minutes to several hours or even days. In the end, they discovered that it didn’t matter for their users as long as they answered in the next few hours. So instead of trying to be as fast as possible, they were able to build customer support that was not constantly rushing to be the fastest. I’ve often seen in my own company how outdated processes can waste a lot of time. And for employees doing these tasks, it’s not always easy to realize that they are wasting time (we are always biased by routine). If you want to reduce bottlenecks in your company, look at how your processes work and question them regularly. You may discover that you can save hours of work each week with a simple question: Why are we doing this task? Cut the superfluous Another part of your business to examine are “side projects”. By side projects, I mean all the features, collaborations, or initiatives that are not linked to the core business. In my company, for example, we used to spend a large amount of time negotiating media partnerships with event organizers (this is quite common for B2B media). This was great to give us credibility and a presence on the event scene in the early days of the company, but nowadays this doesn’t bring us as much benefit. To change this, we simply looked at the pros and cons of having regular event partnerships and concluded that the time investment was not worth it. We are now focusing on a very small amount of partnerships, selected for their high relevance to our business. This gives us the opportunity to focus even more on our core operations. You may have similar opportunities in your own business. To identify them, look at the different projects or tasks that are not directly linked to your main business. Or more simply, identify the parts of your business that don’t bring you money! Once it’s done, ask the tough question: Should we still keep doing this, or stop it altogether? You can’t imagine how much headspace your team can gain if you leave behind some low-priority projects. Hire external experts My last advice to help your company grow without hiring more is to use external help. Platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr are a great place to find experts that can help you with occasional tasks without creating too much complexity for your business. For instance, SEO, web development, and graphic design are areas that don’t necessarily need a full-time employee. Many companies ask their employees to become experts in many areas, but this is obviously very difficult and can’t compete with a true expert. So instead of trying to do things yourself, let a real expert help you. You may be surprised by the costs you can save. One hour of expert work is very often more efficient than weeks of trial and error. The ultimate question: should you grow? Sometimes, no growth is the best answer to your problems. This may sound very strange (or stupid depending on who you ask) but some businesses may do better without the constant struggle to grow. Being content with what you have already built as an entrepreneur could reduce your stress. At some point, it may be more interesting for managers to stop adding projects and instead focus their energy on providing a healthy work environment for their team. I may be swimming against the current with this philosophy, but I’m proud of owning a small business that supports the lives of a tiny team. Trying to grow at any cost would automatically bring consequences in our organization and way of doing things. I’m always preaching for a calm and relaxed workplace, even if sometimes it means doing less or doing things differently than most of the competition. So what can you do for your own business? The ultimate answer lies in questioning everything you and your team do on a regular basis. It’s not an easy task, and it can lead to heated discussions (nobody likes change, after all), but asking simple questions about what you do could bring extraordinary results. Photos by , , and Joe Green Austin Distel Luke Ow

4 Ways to Grow Your Business Without Hiring

“You have a meeting to make a decision, not to decide on the question.” —Bill Gates This quote perfectly summarizes all my frustrations about meetings. Many studies have highlighted the inefficiency of meetings at work. Still, meetings keep increasing in length and frequency, to the point where in them (it was less than 10 hours in the 1960s). It would not be a bad thing if meetings were all useful, but we all know how inefficient most of them are. I’ve been experimenting a lot with meetings in my company and have learned how to make the most out of them—here’s what I’ve discovered and want to share with you so you can use your time well and hold productive, effective meetings. executives spend around 23 hours a week Meetings are bad for your productivity We usually work on two different schedules: the maker's schedule and the manager's schedule. This concept was first described by Y Combinator's founder, Paul Graham, in . In this essay, Graham explains how makers are task-oriented and need a long stretch of time to focus (programmers or writers are typical examples). On the other hand, managers use mainly communication and meetings to make things progress. What’s interesting is that most of the time, we all need to combine the two schedules in our work life. his 2009 essay When you are in the maker’s schedule, a single meeting interruption could be a hard hit on your productivity. The maker’s schedule is most efficient when you are able to enter , a state of deep focus where your concentration is at its maximum and time seems to flow by without you noticing it. Going back to the flow after an interruption can ! Trying to mix your maker’s and manager’s schedule is always an indicator of inefficiency. the flow cost you up to 23 minutes The problem can also come from outside. Managers are more likely to disrupt the maker’s schedule due to the nature of their position. Because of hierarchy, managers also have the power to decide when meetings should happen. This power comes with great responsibility ( quote alert). Spiderman Interrupting the maker's schedule with a meeting is a big waste of their time. A good manager should recognize this and adopt meeting practices that let makers maximize their time. Managers should also realize that they could have fewer meetings and create more maker’s time for themselves. Paul Graham—a highly solicited person—keeps only the last hours of his day dedicated to meetings. The rest of the day is dedicated to getting things done. In modern companies, most of us need to adopt a dual schedule. So, how do you implement this in your daily work life? Recognize which type of meeting you are in In his bestseller, , Andy Grove (former chairman and CEO of Intel) describes two kinds of meetings: process-oriented and mission-oriented meetings. To make the most of your meetings, it’s important to recognize in which type of meeting you are. High Output Management Process-oriented meetings Process-oriented meetings aim at sharing knowledge and exchanging information. They usually take place on a regular basis. Classical examples of process-oriented meetings are one-on-one meetings, staff meetings, or project reviews. Most process-oriented meetings can be avoided (I will exclude the one-on-one from this affirmation). Take staff meetings, for example. It’s very common for companies to organize regular staff meetings to exchange statuses or project updates. The underlying goal is often to gain a bigger picture of how tasks are advancing in a team or company. It’s quite common nowadays to have daily standup meetings at the beginning of the day. The problem with these meetings is that most of the time, they’re an interruption for makers. Even if organized early, the meeting will always disrupt someone’s plan. And when you take this interruption company-wide, the loss of efficiency is very high. In general, process-oriented meetings can be replaced by digital updates. A written update has more value than one shared in a meeting. It can be read at any time, removes micromanagement, and builds trust across the company. Take daily or weekly updates, for instance. Apps like Basecamp or Range.co include features dedicated to eradicating daily status meetings. Every day, these tools invite your staff to enter an update. They can choose when to write it and avoid being interrupted by a meeting when they are in their maker’s schedule. The updates are shared with colleagues so they can also read them whenever they want, without being interrupted in the middle of a task. These systems keep all the benefits of a meeting while avoiding the drawbacks. Process-oriented meetings are not all bad, though. I mentioned the one-on-one as an exception because the main benefit of those meetings is the personal relationship they create between managers and team members. You can of course make the one-on-one more efficient with some techniques I will describe below, but trying to avoid the social interactions of these meetings would be an overkill. Mission-oriented meetings Mission-oriented meetings aim at solving a specific problem or producing a decision. Unlike process-oriented meetings, they are usually ad hoc and can’t be predicted in advance. The inefficiency of mission-oriented meetings comes from the fact that spontaneous decision-making involves many cognitive biases. The , for example, stipulates that when we’re in groups, we start to think the same as other people in the group. Another one, the , is very likely to happen in meetings and shows that we are more likely to listen to information that confirms our preconceptions. bandwagon bias confirmation bias The best way to remove cognitive biases from mission-oriented meetings is to go through a long preparation phase in written form. When a manager organizes a mission-oriented meeting, it’s better to not rush into it and to take the time to collect arguments, feedback, or questions beforehand. Creating a written discussion around the problem to solve it could lead to a better decision process. Rushing into a meeting as soon as a problem occurs is the best way to trigger cognitive biases. It also creates false urgency and disrupts other people’s schedules. Once all parties are well informed through preliminary documentation, a short mission-oriented meeting can happen and conclude the decision process. This is a good way to make sure that all parties agree to the decision, or at least commit to it. It could also be helpful to organize this type of meeting in case of conflicts or escalation in the decision process. Recognizing which type of meeting you are in will help you understand how to implement a better practice. In the case of process-oriented meetings, try replacing them with digital updates. For mission-oriented meetings, diligent documentation prepared in advance will help reduce the bias linked to decision-making. 7 meeting rules to live by Some meetings can’t be avoided. When this is the case, meetings should always follow the seven rules below: : A meeting without a goal is the best way to waste your time. Whether it’s a mission-oriented or a project-oriented meeting, all meetings should have a goal that is clear to all participants (for instance, a one-on-one meeting aims at reviewing the performance of an employee). Predefined goal : A meeting is not open-ended and must respect an allotted time. The shorter the allotted time is, the more efficient the meeting will be. If you plan a four-hour meeting, you can be sure that participants will find a way to fill in the time. You could reduce it to 30 minutes and have the same output if the meeting is well-prepared and includes all five other rules. Timeline : No agenda means no meeting! A meeting without agenda is just an excuse to lock people in a room (or Zoom call) for a specific period of time. Always start a meeting with an agenda of what will be discussed. Agenda : The meeting agenda should always be available in advance (at least 24 hours) so all participants can prepare their thoughts on the topic. The best practice is to engage in a written conversation before the meeting so that the issue can advance as far as possible without face-to-face interaction (and thus remove the problem of extrovert personalities taking over the discussion in meetings). Preparation : Each meeting must have an appointed leader to keep things moving along. If it’s a mission-oriented meeting, the leader should also be the one having the last word in case of indecision. Leader : Always appoint a scribe to take notes in a meeting. For fairness, the scribe should not always be the same person. Without notes, there is no trace of what’s been decided in the meeting. Notes help you in case of future memory lapses or to share the content of a meeting with people who didn’t attend. The scribe should also clean up the notes after the meeting to make them fully understandable to readers. Scribe : Jeff Bezos has a famous rule for meetings: no meeting should be so large that two pizzas can’t feed the whole group. Participants in a meeting should always bring value, otherwise, they can simply read the meeting notes and get an update on what’s been discussed. Adding more people to a meeting is a good way to slow down the decision process or just waste time that could be spent somewhere else. No more people than necessary Using this set of rules across your company will ensure that all your meetings are efficient. Still, you could find yourself being interrupted by well-organized and efficient meetings. On top of good organizational practices, healthy personal rules can also help your productivity. Reduce the time you spend in meetings Following the rules mentioned above should already reduce meetings to the most efficient ones. However, if meetings keep interrupting your maker’s schedule, they will still be a hindrance to your productivity. Below are some personal tips to help you regain your maker’s time. Written conversation is a huge time saver. Imagine the number of meetings that could be solved by a written (and detailed) conversation. I’m not talking about chaotic Slack threads, but real, in-depth details about projects, issues, and decisions to take. I’m regularly writing 200-300 updates I share with my team in our project management software. This lets me put my thoughts in order before I share them. These updates can be read at any time, so I don’t constantly interrupt my team with meetings. I would literally kill the productivity of my team if I constantly shared my thoughts in meetings instead of by writing. Write more, talk less: Calendar invitations are a good place to add metadata like the location, a call link, notes, and an agenda. This is especially true with people outside of your organization. Giving context and information to external parties is even more important, as they may have less knowledge on the topic of the meeting than your colleagues. Include metadata on calendar invite: We have all seen those people who start texting while they are in a meeting. In addition to being disrespectful, it also shows that the meeting is not relevant to them. To increase participants’ attention, you can introduce simple rules like having only one computer in the room or forbidding smartphones during meetings. It’s also important to stay focused on the agenda. Going off course is the best way to make a 30-minute meeting last hours. If the agenda needs further discussion, prepare a follow-up meeting instead of locking up your colleagues in a room for too long. Stay present and focus on the agenda: When you need to stay focused, the last thing you want is an interruption. However, some workplaces are more subject to this, and sometimes it’s your own responsibility to stop the interruptions from others. A simple method is to be transparent with your colleagues. For example, if you need long stretches of time to focus, communicate clearly with your team that you will not check emails or messages regularly. If you work in a crowded office with a lot of interruptions, you can also wear headphones to show that you are busy. Stop spontaneous interruptions: This is the most radical option, but often the best. Saying no to meetings is the best way to regain your maker’s time. You could, for instance, block your calendar with a “no meeting” event so that people can’t hijack your schedule. I regularly refuse meetings that don’t have a clear goal or agenda. Don’t forget, when you say yes to a meeting, you automatically say no to other tasks on your list. Say no to meetings: Like tasks, meetings can be batched together. This is especially useful for people with a hybrid maker’s/manager’s schedule. If all your meetings are batched on one or two afternoons per week, you totally free up the rest of your time for deep focus. Allocating a specific time window for your meetings also allows you to keep time spent in meetings to a decent level. For those who have a lot of spontaneous interruptions, you can also create “office hours” (like what professors do in universities). With office hours, you open a specific window of time in your calendar to answer questions. This is particularly helpful for people who need to regularly answer questions. Batch your meetings: Most calendar apps create one-hour events by default, but meetings don’t always have to be that long! Keep in mind that a 30-minute conversation can cover a lot of ground if the meeting is well-prepared. Ditch the one-hour slot and start having shorter meetings. It will also force participants to get to the point more rapidly. Don’t make it too long: Organizing a meeting can be complicated. It’s quite common to end up with a long email back and forth when trying to find a time that will fit all parties. One easy way to avoid this is to use tools like Calendly (it’s free). This app lets you share open time slots with external contacts. The organization process is totally automated, and you simply need to share a link for others to find a time that fits into your own agenda. Thank you, technology! Facilitate meetings with tools: The social benefits of meetings Each company is unique and has different needs when it comes to internal communication. Even though I’m convinced that most companies would benefit from reducing meetings to a strict minimum, I also acknowledge the social benefit of meetings. Sometimes, you have to let bad meetings slip through the gaps. In my company, we do one of these every week, voluntarily. Once a week, we organize a short all-hands meeting (as we are less than 10 people, this is still manageable). This meeting is dedicated to sharing two short weekly highlights, one professional and one personal. Even though this could be completely replaced by a written report (and we actually have one in parallel), the benefit of this meeting is to gather the team and have a relaxed discussion. The personal highlight also helps us bond, and quite often, laugh together. Sometimes, you have to recognize the benefit of a simple talk. But we can allow this meeting because we know that all other meetings are efficient. If you follow the advice in this post, you could easily reduce your time in meetings to a few hours per week, even if you are managing a team or a company. You don’t have to hate meetings if they are all relevant.

How to Do Meetings You Don't Hate

Cómo hacer reuniones que no odies

Comment faire des réunions que vous ne détestez pas

ऐसी बैठकें कैसे करें जिनसे आप नफरत नहीं करते हैं

嫌いじゃない会議のやり方

Como fazer reuniões que você não odeia

Làm thế nào để tổ chức các cuộc họp mà bạn không ghét

如何召開你不討厭的會議

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a persona is “the particular type of character that a person seems to have and that is often different from their real or private character.” This term is also used in marketing when talking about a fictional character for a client segment. In other words, a persona is a fictional character representing a particular personality and behavior. Entrepreneurs also have different personas that define how they manage their companies. Knowing your entrepreneur persona can help you better understand your personal goals, your management style, and your personality. The personas I describe below are voluntarily stereotypical, but this list gives you a blueprint to ask questions about your entrepreneurial style. By knowing your strengths and weaknesses, you can become a better entrepreneur. 7 types of entrepreneurs : They like to start new things all the time and can even run several businesses in parallel. This multifaceted focus gives them an advantage in how fast they can learn from multiple businesses, but it can also spread their attention too thin. Kickstarters have a good vision of the future but can also rapidly lose interest and jump from one project to another without realizing the projects’ full potential. The Kickstarter : Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, founder of The Boring Company, Neuralink, and OpenAI Famous Kickstarter : Launching new businesses Strength Available attention Weakness: : They excel at selling and pitching their business. They usually build service-based businesses like agencies or consulting firms where they spend a lot of time with clients. They also understand the value of networking and spend a large amount of their time creating new relationships. Their network is vast but also tends to spread in many directions, which can make them lose focus or energy over time. Hustlers are very energetic and charismatic, but this high energy can also lead to burnout if it’s not kept under control. The Hustler : Oprah Winfrey, host of Famous Hustler The Oprah Winfrey Show : Sales and networking Strength : Tendency to burnout Weakness : They usually have a technical or research background. Their knowledge is the backbone of their company. Engineers are great at building technology companies, but they can be overwhelmed by the business side of entrepreneurship. It’s sometimes in the best interest of Engineers to find a co-founder that will complement their lack of business sensitivity. Their management style is also more mechanical, and they tend to see people as machines that they can program. The Engineer : Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Famous Engineer : Technology Strength : Emotional intelligence Weakness : They spend a lot of time crafting a strong personal brand more or less attached to their company. They are usually perceived as thought leaders or influencers, and they are great at attracting new talents to their company. They are also quite often spending time on creating a unique company culture that matches their personal brand. The risk for Gurus is going too far and creating a sect-like environment (remember Adam Neumann?). It’s also difficult for a company to lose its Guru, as its branding is attached to the individual. The Guru : Tony Hsieh, former CEO of Zappos and author of Famous Guru Delivering Happiness : Company culture Strength : Confusion of personal and company brand Weakness : They focus on the big picture and can often detect trends before they become mainstream. Innovation is the keyword for Visionaries, and they tend to build technology-focused companies. However, their constant focus on long-term vision can sometimes create a disconnection with the real day-to-day operations. Visionaries can sometimes distort reality around them so that it can match their idealistic vision. This increases their resilience but can also hide problems they’re facing in the present. The Visionary : Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Famous Visionary : Disruptive innovation Strength : Reality distortion Weakness : They prefer to build their business organically, focusing on revenues to grow instead of external capital. Bootstrappers are real Jack-of-all-trades, capable of single-handedly building a solid start for their company. They are usually very patient and could wait for years or even decades before their business takes off. However, their high involvement with the day-to-day business could prevent them from delegating tasks to someone else and restrain the company growth. The Bootstrapper : Jason Fried, founder of Basecamp Famous Bootstrapper : Broad skillset Strength : Delegation Weakness : They do everything to grow their company as fast as possible (a pure opposite of the Bootstrapper). They are usually looking at disrupting an established industry thanks to a new technology or business model. This fast-paced growth can also harm their team members, who are usually asked to sacrifice their personal life for the company. Company culture can suffer if Scalers push too hard for growth. The Scaler : Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon Famous Scaler : Business expansion Strength : Team happiness Weakness How to find your persona? Finding your persona can help you understand the reason you are an entrepreneur. Trying to live in a persona that doesn’t fit you will only bring frustrations and decrease your motivation. Some introspective work is never bad when you are an entrepreneur. To figure out which persona you are, ask yourself these questions: Who do you admire the most? Asking which entrepreneurs you admire the most is a good way to discover what motivates you. You don’t need to be inspired by extremely successful people; entrepreneurs who have managed to create a strong work-life balance can be a great source of inspiration. The people you admire the most will tell you a lot about which life you want for yourself. What type of culture do you want to build? A company’s culture is always linked to its founders. This can change over time, but the founders are always building the first bricks that will shape the company in the long run. Knowing your persona will help you analyze how you impact your company culture. A culture focused on growth will be different from one focusing on innovation or well-being. Asking yourself in which type of company you’d like to work could help you be more consistent with how you build your company culture. What sacrifices are you ready to make? Building a business always takes some sacrifices, but it’s important to ask yourself where your limit is. Some entrepreneurs are ready to put the threshold of personal sacrifice very high, and they will naturally tend toward more demanding personas, such as the Hustler or the Scaler. This doesn’t mean that they will succeed more easily, though. Well-balanced work-life ethics are often the sign of a long-lasting career. You must decide which sacrifices you’re ready to make before it’s too late to go back. How do you measure success? Success is a subjective metric. Success can be measured in many ways: money, free time, benefit to society, client happiness, employee happiness, etc. Knowing how you measure success is critical if you want to feel content with your work. Focusing on the wrong metric will only push you toward an entrepreneurial style that doesn’t match your personal values. What does your persona say about your business? Knowing your persona can teach you a lot about how you manage your company and your personal ambitions. Your persona can also change over time or become a mix of different personas. I personally feel best in the Bootstrapper persona. It matches my way of working, my skillset, and my personal values. I’m quite sure I will keep this persona for some time, but it has not always been like this. When I started my entrepreneurship journey, I had more of a Hustler persona until I realized that it didn’t fit with how I wanted to work. It took some time to shift to a more adapted persona. This switch of persona also brought a change in how I managed my company, but I feel way more in sync with my business nowadays. It’s important to constantly question yourself about what you want for your company. The personas I mentioned in this article are templates to help you discover your strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, each entrepreneur is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. Constant experimentation and personal development will help you become a better entrepreneur. As philosopher Alain de Botton said, “anyone who isn’t embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough.” Is it time to change your persona? Originally published . here

What's Your Entrepreneur Persona?

If you are anything like me, Pricing might be the first thing you navigate to on a website. And as a developer, Manager, Designer, founder or even customer, it’s important to understand how these pricing models work. This is especially true if you're looking to start a side hustle, working on pricing strategies or designs, or even building your own business from scratch. I would like you to imagine yourself as a founder of a SaaS business startup. The task in front of you is to price your product. How'd you do it? You may take some inspiration from your competitors in the same niche, right? But what if your business is not there yet or your business is a little more unique than that of your competitors, but competes in the same niche? If you are scratching your head, that is totally okay! Prices can make or break any business. That is a harsh truth! But what if the model you're using for your product is leading people away from your product instead of attracting them? That's where this article comes in handy. We've compiled a list of 5 pricing models that will skyrocket your conversions! Flat Pricing The flat pricing model is the most basic and easiest to understand. It's basically the one-size-fits-all pricing model, where every customer pays the same price for your product or service. It works great for simple products with no significant variations - like a pair of socks, for example. But it doesn't work well for more complicated products with different features, such as a smartphone or laptop computers. Some SaaS businesses are doubling down on this pricing model. Can you guess why? It makes it super-easy for a customer to make a decision. One such business is Basecamp. They are an all-in-one tool that provides everything from Project Management to communications to storage. check out their pricing mode Tier based Pricing Tier-based pricing is a type of pricing model where the cost of an item is determined by the number of units purchased. For example, if you want to buy a car, you can choose to purchase an economy car or a luxury car. The price of each unit differs based on its features and specifications. For most businesses, it provides stack-based pricing, in simple words, it’s just additional features stacked over the previous tier. You may have come across this model many models I'm sure. has adapted this perfectly with crisp and concise points on features and offerings. Also, a neat little psychological nudge that Framer has adapted is to nudge users to the free model to try out the product before they opt-in for the paid version. Framer pricing model Usage-based pricing In simple words, Usage based pricing model is just paying for what you use. It really is as simple as that. There are several advantages of using the usage-based pricing model for your business. It encourages people to buy more rather than less. If people have to pay per item then they will be more likely to use fewer items than if they had one fixed price per month or year. For example, if you sell online storage then people will be less likely to buy 1TB when they only need 5GB or 10GB if they have to pay per GB rather than having a flat rate per month/year regardless of how much data they upload or download. There are many businesses that come to my mind that follow this pricing model and have crazy conversion rates and they are (let’s see if we think alike) Cloud-based businesses. But here is a SaaS business I like called . They have this neat little feature on their that help prospects to choose plans based on their usage. Personally, I think it’s simple yet powerful. ChartMogul pricing page Usage + User-Based Pricing Combining the Usage-based pricing model with User based pricing model is powerful. If you combine these two models, then you can charge your customers based on how much they use your product/service and how many users are using it. I am sure there are plenty of examples but here is one that comes to my mind. is a tool that assists with managing projects. Clickup has deployed this so seamlessly and flawlessly to their pricing model. Clickup pricing model Moreover, ClickUp has this neat little feature that allows you to make deals with them, where if you as a customer think that your requirement would not fit in any of the pricing groups, you can justify your usage and team size, and will cut you a deal that fits you and your team better. Personally, I think It’s so clever yet so powerful and effective. Clickup Lifetime Value/One-Time Pricing What if I ask you to imagine an era where you don't have to track one more recurring subscription for a product? It’s just a “pay one time, and use it however you'd like to for its lifetime, forever” scenario. The best example of one-time pricing is when you buy a piece of software and then use it forever. It's similar to paying for a subscription, where you pay one price and then get access to unlimited resources. The main advantage of one-time pricing is that it allows you to focus on the value instead of focusing on the price. This makes it easier for customers to see what they're getting out of each offer without having to worry about how much money they're spending on it. is a software marketplace where you'd find lifetime deals on a product. It’s like but for applications and software. So SaaS businesses would come here and sell lifetime deals on this platform, hence a marketplace. Check out the pricing for one such product on Appsumo Gumroad Appsumo. Conclusion Did you feel that? The sudden urge to look up prices on a few of your favorite websites? That's the power of pricing psychology. By making your potential customers more aware of the price of what they're looking at, you can subconsciously influence them to make a purchase. In other words, if you want to skyrocket your conversions, it's a good idea to use one of the above pricing strategies. There are two takeaways here: 1. We must understand the reason why customers buy from a business 2. Understanding the psychology of pricing is crucial to converting more customers. Pricing done wrong may cost a business a lot of profit. For this, businesses must consider the buying process customers undergo before making a purchase and price their products accordingly. In other words, products must fit into that buying process. Also published here. If you're still here, I really appreciate your time and efforts. If you feel like I've added any value to your knowledge or experience, why not consider a follow or just leave a react? 🥳 👍🏼

Increase Your Conversions with these Pricing Models 

Not a single person on the internet in 2022 can deny that we're living in the age of content overload. Businesses are pumping out email funnels and blog posts faster than anyone can consume them, and the vast majority of it is falling on deaf ears. But there's something we're missing here. What happened to building a community, rather than simply blasting your content out into the void? Where did the element of human connectedness go? Sometimes, content creation just doesn't cut it. Sometimes, we need to bring our business tactics back to the basics; connecting with our clients and consumers on a real, human level. In today's newsletter recap, we'll be discussing all things community – why your business needs one, how to build one, and why churning out content will never get you the connectedness you need to thrive. Let's dive in. Following Vs. Community – What's The Difference? There's a trend running through many of the businesses you see and interact with today. I'll describe it to you, and I think you'll find it familiar. I'm talking about the business that sends out at least a few emails a week, often with conversational language and 'relatable' content. Their social media is sleek and on-brand, with posts that are either educational or aspirational. They might even have a blog. You might even like it. But despite all of this, they feel...somewhat one-dimensional. You have no concept of the person running things behind the screen. Even though their blog posts all start with "Hey there!" and their social media bios tout how much they love connecting with others, you don't feel an iota of authenticity coming through. Why? Because they're not actually connecting with you. They're following a content strategy that's been shown to work, and they're hoping it will result in customers coming to them instead of the other way around. What you're looking for – the part that feels missing – is something most businesses are unwilling or unequipped to provide: a community. Business Can Be A Two-Way Street In 2021, Sprout Social posted their . It gave incredible insight into how social media users want to connect with businesses; in fact, the study found that 64 percent of consumers want brands to connect with them. #BrandsGetReal study What's more, almost half of surveyed consumers want brands to a) bring people together, and b) unite people from different backgrounds. If that doesn't scream community, I don't know what does. Sprout Social even titled one of their subsections 'Connection Is The New Currency'. In other words, we're no longer content with one-way interactions with businesses. We want to feel like we're a part of something, that we belong. We want to be able to talk to the people behind the business and have those conversations feel authentic. That's what community provides: a two-way street where businesses can connect with their consumers and vice versa. And it's a totally doable shift in this day and age; we have greater access to social platforms than ever before. What Do Business Communities Look Like? When I say community, I don't just mean a group of Instagram followers who watch your business stories and leave nice comments. I'm talking about a real-life community where people can gather, share experiences, and support one another. There are all sorts of businesses out there that have built thriving communities around their work: launched the Harley Owners Club, through which the company organizes social gatherings, special events, and more for its community of motorcycle enthusiasts. Harley-Davidson In the fitness world, has built an incredibly tight-knit community of people who share a love for working out hard and supporting one another. actively welcomes design concepts for new products from its community, and works closely with the designers to bring their ideas to life. CrossFit LEGO has an incredibly engaged community of DIYers who share tips, tricks, and product reviews on the Creator's Studio website. The company runs special challenges and activities through the community site and engages directly with its users. Rust-Oleum What all of these businesses have in common is a genuine desire to connect with their consumers. They've realized that it's not about blasting out content and hoping people will stick around – it's about creating an environment where the community can thrive. The businesses that truly stand out here are the ones who understand that their consumer base is humans with feelings and interests beyond the products they sell. They go above and beyond to create a community that feels welcoming, supportive, and engaging. Daniel Kwak, Founder at Motti Partners Capital Today's newsletter is brought to you by an I shared with Daniel Kwak, real estate investing extraordinaire. enriching conversation Daniel Kwak first immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 5. By the age of 20, he had a negative amount of $187.65 in his bank account – and this, combined with an entire life of financial hardship up until that point, prompted Daniel to learn about Real Estate Investing. By age 23 he had 83 rental units, along with millions of dollars in capital. At age 26, Daniel founded Miotti Partners Capital, a core-satellite fund that has introduced the equities fund management model into the Real Estate space for the first time. He has also traveled across the country training and mentoring hundreds and thousands of aspiring real estate investors. Daniel and his brother currently run an online financial education company, along with a YouTube channel (The Kwak Brothers) that currently has over 200k subscribers. Needless to say, Daniel is the epitome of a success story. He's one of those truly talented individuals who has managed to take a life of hardship and turn it into success. One of the reasons for his immense success – among many, many others – is his commitment to building and investing in his community of followers. Why Community Is Important, According to Daniel Just after the one-hour mark in our Success Story podcast conversation, I asked Daniel about his personal brand strategy and how he weighs up the importance of building a community. "Someone once told me that people never transform based on what you do, but on who you are. And nobody can truly know who you are unless you spend time and sit down with them." This brings us back to the idea that, above all else, your consumer base are just people. They are human. And, as humans naturally do, they crave authenticity. They want to see that you're real, that you have a human side, and that they can connect with you on some level. Obviously, we can't sit down with every single client or potential consumer and have a conversation. It's just not feasible to share a deep and meaningful connection with that many people. But it's about building a community where you can. Whether that's through a Facebook group you actively moderate, or a Twitter chat you host on a monthly basis, community is key. Daniel's Strategies for a Thriving Community As it turns out, interacting with your clientele in person isn't totally out of the question – and Daniel makes it happen. Here are a few of the strategies he's actively implementing as part of his online financial education company, The Kwak Brothers. 1. Retreats Daniel explained to me that, because of the nature of conferences – i.e. a few speakers doing all of the talking – it can be difficult to truly get to know people. So, he hosts retreats instead. "I hesitate doing a conference, but I will do retreats. I have this retreat coming up in November where I'm hosting 35 to 40 entrepreneurs. We just get to dive deep and talk about our businesses individually, and do life together." While there will be some speakers present, Daniel emphasized that the getting together aspect was more important. "I'm bringing in some pretty cool speakers, don't get me wrong. But [doing life together] is what it's gonna be all about." 2. Free Meetups Because the Kwak Brothers are all about educating and equipping people with the tools they need to be successful, meetups are a great way for Daniel and his brother to motivate their community members as they continue their journey to success. "I do a free meetup; I do it twice a month, and if people want to join, they can just go to TheKwakBrothers.com." Meetups are such a simple and effective way to show your audience that you are real, you've got their best interests at heart, and you're willing to take time out of your busy schedule to connect on an authentic level. 3. Giveaway Resources What I picked up from our interview is that Daniel is a totally generous guy. He wants to help others, and he's not shy about giving as many free resources away as he can. "We just released a free course – we call it Basecamp – and it's 50 hours' worth of material on real estate investing entrepreneurship. We have a productivity course on there. I'm filming a mini raising capital course to put on there, and we just give it for free. I try to give as much as I can away, content-wise." While this doesn't directly build community, it does help to show your audience that you care and want them to succeed. 4. The Kwak Brothers YouTube Channel The Kwak Brothers have a YouTube channel with almost 300k subscribers. And, while the brothers don't actively produce videos every day, they do make sure to pop in a few times a week. YouTubers are another example of excellent community builders. You'll find that the most popular channels have a tight-knit community of subscribers who feel like they know the YouTuber on a personal level. They take requests, they ask for input, and they genuinely seem to care about their viewers. On top of all of the other community-building he does, Daniel's YouTube presence is really the cherry on top. It helps to keep people connected with him and his company, and it's a great way to show off the personality behind the brand. What Else Can You Do? I was super appreciative of the conversation I had with Daniel, and it was awesome to hear the many ways that he's fostering a strong community within the business. If in-person retreats and meetups isn't an option for your business, however, what are some other things you can do to foster a sense of community among your customers and followers? Let's take a look. Livestream, Livestream, Livestream! I mentioned it previously, and I'll say it once more – you need to show your consumer base that you are a real, living, and breathing human being. Livestreaming is one of the most powerful ways to do this. You can answer questions, give sneak peeks at new products or upcoming features, and even just have a casual conversation with your viewers. Especially for small businesses, this is a really efficient way to build trust and rapport with your customers. And it's not just one-way either. Ask your viewers to submit questions or ideas, and reward the best ones with a shout-out or even a prize. A Podcast, Perhaps? This is one I can personally attest to. Podcasts rock! I've been able to meet so many incredible people, learn new things, and even score a few business opportunities as a result of my podcast. Not to mention, it's been great for my brand awareness. If you already have a podcast, make sure you're using it to its fullest potential. Are you doing interviews? Are you soliciting questions from your listeners? Are you repurposing your content into other formats (like blog posts or social media)? Get Creative My mind always drifts back to Lego when talking about community engagement. It's incredibly cool that the brand asks its biggest fans to submit designs for new sets. Not only does this create a sense of ownership and belonging for fans, but it also results in some insanely creative designs. What kind of contests or challenges can you come up with? Can you feature customer stories on your website or social media? Is there a product you can get customer buy-in on before releasing it? Start a Side Group Like the Rust-Oleum example I mentioned earlier, some businesses lend themselves perfectly to the formation of an inside club or group. This could be a Facebook group – but a branded website is even better. Think about it – this is a captive audience that's interested in what you do. You can foster a sense of community by sharing exclusive content, discounts, or sneak peeks at new products. You could even go so far as to hold live events (like webinars) or offer group coaching sessions. It also gives your community a chance to self-regulate and interact with one another. They can help answer questions, bond over your products or services, and get lively conversations going. Whatever you choose, the basic element of connectedness and two-way communication is key. Be personable. Be willing to spend the time it takes to build a community around your business. Give generously, like Daniel Kwak – and watch your business thrive. Final Thoughts If you resonated with the very beginning of today's newsletter, know that you aren't alone – and you aren't a bad businessperson, either. It takes a lot of time and effort to create a community around your business; we don't always have the bandwidth to spare for bells and whistles. What I'd encourage you to do is make one small change toward community engagement this week. Create a Facebook group for your customers. Do a 20-minute livestream and introduce yourself. Post a poll on Instagram Stories to get customer buy-in on a new product. Eventually, though, the goal should be to create a thriving community – not just an email list that receives mediocre engagement metrics at best. Build a community, and success will follow. If you were intrigued by Daniel's story, I highly recommend giving his interview a listen. We spoke about his origin story, how he got into real estate investing, the role that religion plays in his business life, and of course, how he's been able to create a thriving community around his business. You can find it . here Have a great week! Also Published Here

Why Communities Are the New Business Currency

Por qué las comunidades son la nueva moneda de negocios

Pourquoi les communautés sont la nouvelle devise commerciale

समुदाय नई व्यावसायिक मुद्रा क्यों हैं

コミュニティが新しいビジネス通貨である理由

Por que as comunidades são a nova moeda de negócios

Tại sao cộng đồng là đơn vị tiền tệ kinh doanh mới

为什么社区是新的商业货币

Getting to the top of Kilimanjaro is often a challenge filled with many dynamics that few ever see as the work is often put in during hours of darkness, extreme conditions, and outside of one’s comfort zones. Those sleeping and eating comfortably in the safety of their lives have no clue how mentally, physically, and spiritually involved it is to climb. Most often than not, strangers and people on similar quests to their peaks form our critical support team, as though the mountains may be different individually, the climb is always identical. It is often our bodies, the mortal parts of us that give in first until their masters, the brain takes over and conquers them to rise beyond the pain and be disciplined enough to take instruction and keep going. Self-discipline and sacrifice are therefore important virtues that teach our systems the importance of mind over matter and allow the flesh to succumb to the mind and not the other way round. In simple terms, teaching yourself to do what you do not like or want to do, is a key factor for success. This may be in small things like reading a book, rising early to put in a gym workout, or eating the right things and not the ‘nice’ things… As you gain altitude, the air thins. This is symbolic of the lessening resources available the higher you go and this is when some on the journey will either stop or fall back. The stopping is not always a sign of failure but often a symptom of inadequate preparation for the journey. As if to test you further, this point is often where additional external factors will come in to harden the climb. The cold symbolizes the personal rejection and criticism you will get from your own environment as people who once held you close will distance themselves from you and feed negatively into your mind. Personal relationships suffer, the good people saw in you are never mentioned and it becomes very difficult to breathe the way you have been accustomed to. Know yourself, know your body A climbing guide, mentor, or coach is always someone who has been on this journey before and seen and observed different people. By looking into your eyes, and checking a few vital signs, he will tell if your mind is still in the condition to climb or if you have reached your limit. He will check if you have enough to feed the now weak body for the terrain ahead and will know if there is value in you ascending greater heights where the risks are even greater. Regardless of your guide, you often will have the ability to know what you are and not capable of as no one can take you beyond your own dreams and strengths. Part of this process involves prior altitude training, endurance exercises, extended fasts or diets, multi-day overnight camps in unfamiliar areas such as simulators, exposure to rain, cold, and darkness, and using your climbing gear before the actual climb. No formula 1 driver even wins a race in a new car he has only driven for the first time on a course he has never driven before. Practice builds habits and habits build characteristics that add up to build a climber's character. It is this character and pedigree that then becomes your internal compass and fueler when the air thins out and the cold sets in…in the darkness of the final ascent. In the darkness of the final ascent, there are no friends or observers. As you build up your life towards the final peak, you will rise and fall in many different areas of your life as you acclimatize. This will be on areas like church leadership, social club positions, networks of friends, business ventures, and interests. You will make money and lose some. In all these, you will always have people on similar paths to cheer you on and others to criticize you. It will be an ongoing interactive growth process where lots of feedback will be available as many will be watching you and many have a lot to say. On the mountain, however, as the hour hand strikes midnight, darkness engulfs the skies and the cold blanket takes over the peak, it all goes quiet and even the torches of those ahead of you are not visible. Learn to act alone, learn to find true depth and meaning for all actions within your heart. You will not find observers and you will not find followers in the darkness so get yourself used to being in situations where you are alone and not reacting to the words of counsel of people. Be a proactive person and not a reactive one. This is a unique skill that will keep you stepping forward and listening inward. Few ever make it to the peak and the peak though beautiful is for a limited time only and not built to sustain may and for long: It is therefore vital to have a clear vision and purpose for your climb before taking on the journey as many perish along the way, not because of only foolishness, but a lack of clarity of purpose, climbing strategy, and pure ignorance. The climb will consume you as the top is hostile and not designed to accommodate ordinary people in their ordinary course of life. There is no food growing at the top, Mo restaurants, and no waiters…you live off what’s inside you already and the light snacks you carried along. Your water bottle will freeze, your candy bar ice out and ordinary tasks like going to the toilet will not be possible. Know what you are getting yourself into when you take than pinnacle office. Don’t expect to love the same life you lead at base camp and have the same luxuries. Expect change, anticipate crisis and have a plan for all possible scenarios you will face at the top. The view will be stunning and you will see the world in ways you never imagined and in ways, few will ever experience. However stunning it gets, take your pictures, absorb the moments, learn something, leave your mark and make your way down in time to avoid the burn of the rising sun that will blind you with the snow glare and dehydrate you further. Everything has a season and time and when the season changes, those that don’t adapt will die. So as the sun rises, make your way down with a plan in mind and a pace that takes you back to base with the wisdom of a climber and not the arrogance of a politician. You did not ascend to be worshiped nor are you now any better a person than your fellow brother…however the wisdom you gained must now be a tool that guides and feeds the minds and souls of those youngsters who aspire to climb and see the world too in positions you have achieved. There will be more mountains to climb and higher ones each time. The locations and timings will differ and so will your purpose and vision each time. In some you will climb as a guide, in others as the main climber … the formulae don’t change. Your heart and mind are what will affect your approach. Finally climbing is not for everyone, just as the top is not for every climber. At base camp will always be cooks, porters, medics, cleaners, assistants, and a whole lot of crew that far outnumber the climbers. These dedicated men and women feed off knowing their work has contributed to your successful climb and ignorant and weak as they may seem, a smile, a word of thanks is all they need to keep doing what they do. It must be accepted that base is where they are good and the base is where their peak is and it’s not for lack of vision that they do not climb…..it is for you that they do what they do. You bring back pictures and experiences that keep their spirits content!! Keep climbing and keep learning!!!

Lessons from Kilimanjaro

Lecciones del Kilimanjaro

Should Online Platforms Have Unions?

¿Deberían las plataformas en línea tener sindicatos?

Les plateformes en ligne devraient-elles avoir des syndicats ?

क्या ऑनलाइन प्लेटफॉर्म में यूनियन होनी चाहिए?

オンライン プラットフォームにはユニオンが必要ですか?

As plataformas online devem ter sindicatos?

Nền tảng trực tuyến có nên liên hiệp không?

在线平台应该有工会吗？

There are numerous projects on the market. Despite coming in different shapes and sizes, each requires a certain amount of funding; for a successful launch. Outlier Ventures is a accelerator that helps NFT projects go to market, investing in the best projects to help them make that easy transition. NFT metaverse Jonathan Pullinger is the token marketing manager at Outlier Ventures with vast experience in NFTs and blockchain-related technologies. Originally starting at a bank, Jonathan, alongside his colleagues, began his web3 journey as a humble bitcoin miner. “I thought I should check it out at the time. I realized Bitcoin was interesting. We agreed to put some money together, buying a bitcoin miner. We started doing basic mining and having a little play. We realized that we were on to something and then decided that we should scale it.” Speaking fondly, Jonathon also explained how he set up Thorne Capital alongside his colleagues, buying more miners and mining bitcoin for over a year until they realized mining would not be fruitful.” We bought and built more miners, and we mined Bitcoin for 18 months, upgrading our mining equipment until we realized it was not profitable. We had some funny stories.” From Mining to Tokenisation Like many miners, Bitcoin mining became nonprofitable for Jonathan and his crew. But that didn’t stop him. Knowing the space well, he quickly switched his focus toward token creation. He began working for a company known as a Tatatu, seeing great results. “I then got involved with a company called Tatatu, creating tokens. I worked as their CTO, building their tokens out. And then we went on the crazy journey that was Tatatu on the ICO. We had the fourth largest fundraising of 2017, raising $575 million.” Of course, such a large amount of money also requires a great deal of responsibility. Something Outlier Ventures knows all too well. Diving into details, Jonathan explained the metaverse accelerators schemes for raising money for projects. Credit: Outlier Ventures “We have two schemes, and we have the base camp. Then we put them through our base camp accelerator. We teach them about branding and PR, and we put them in touch with our tokenomics team to make sure their tokens will work.” Currently, Outlier Ventures is looking to work with over two hundred NFT projects this year. Standout projects helped by Outlier Ventures include Crypto Walkers and Digital Dogs. Likewise, the platform also wants to invest in the wider web3 space, not just NFTs. “ said Jonathon. We’ve invested in multiple different projects in the metaverse, We’ve got some property plays with sandbox. We’ve got a lot of tokens going through token launches. I think that will be a massive thing for the NFT space over the next twelve to eighteen months because it’s one of those challenges to get non-crypto native people into crypto is quite difficult. “ “We’ve also got some web security projects, like Interlock. I mean, they’re fantastic. They’re just fantastic because they’ve got a browser extension that will identify if you’ve got a fake version of a website.” Jonathon continued: “We’re recruiting for projects for outlier ventures; we’re looking to put 200 projects through our accelerator this year. Please go to our website, outlier.io, if anybody wants to be considered. Or reach me on Twitter @ ApeLate “ This article was also published on the Metaverse Insider by Jack Boreham

Basecamp News on
HackerNoon and Around the Web

basecamp.com

37 employees

Since 1999

1245 at Alexa

Basecamp Story Mentions

Articles Around the Web

Read More Tech Stories Related to #Basecamp

Basecamp News on HackerNoon and Around the Web