Listening to public radio this evening and On The Media had a story on the word "hacker." Going back to the earliest use of the word, how it has morphed into different meanings to different people. So you think you're a l337 H4X04? It's still worth a listen!!1.
Going solo can be tough, especially if you struggle with time management and prioritization. Being sidetracked is a common problem because things often appear to be very important or urgent simply because there's nobody else around to handle the problems.
All teams (even "solo" ones) need good tools for time and project management, CRM, and solid infrastructure, so that you're not constantly putting out fires where there shouldn't be fires. I've tried adding "more people" to the mix without good tools in place, and just found out that I had two more people to manage rather than helpful human resources.
BTW, you have a wife -- so you're not flying solo. She can be one of the best members of your team. She's probably the most trustworthy, reliable, honest, biggest supporters you have. You should leverage her for her opinions and advice, whether or not she is technically inclined.
I've been doing net startups since 1994, and one of the best pieces of advice I can give is to think about marketing before you build anything. Hopefully, you can build on top of a platform for which marketing directly to the platform consumers is intrinsic. For instance, building apps/tools that can be offered directly to consumers in a venue or manner that they're expecting it, thus, increasing their trust in your product/service and meeting their needs/interests immediately. So, it's no longer "if you build it, they will come".. it's more like "if you build it, position it in the right place, they will already be there waiting."
Very interesting article, and indeed, a meta experiment in itself in the context of it being a New Yorker piece (traditionally long form) in the today's popular "gotta-have-it-this-instant gist" CNN blurb format.
Mischel's focus on context would probably explain why I had no problems finishing this article -- I am a father of two young children that is interested in their development and well-being. If you were to present me with this article in the past, I'd probably be in the same boat as /fhe/ and bail 33% of the way through.
So, HN experiment to those that have bailed part way through the NY article (and possibly most other long-form pieces): Assume that it IS worth reading this entire article, because it's not just about the marshmallow experiment at childhood, but has useful context to YOU as an adult that could positively affect your life and those around you forever. (carrot) In that context, is it enough for you to switch from the short-delay satisfaction of a "profound" Twitter quotation, to the long-delay satisfaction of reading through an entire thought-provoking and well crafted New Yorker long-form article?
This reminds me of the demise of the brick and mortar chain Egghead Software, which was coincidentally adjacent to the Blockbuster in the town where I grew up. I realize it's not exactly the same because it's not like broadband/streaming/Netflix killed Egghead; however, Egghead and its contemporaries were the only way, at one point, to really see (and salivate over) the latest and greatest software titles. How many standalone software stores do you see these days?
Definitely, the days of the blue-chip brick and mortar movie rental operations are over. Blockbuster has attempted to enter the RedBox kiosk market.. but IMHO, it's too little, too late. Even that market has a very limited life expectancy.
"The first rule about [WePay] is you don't talk about [WePay]." <sucker punch> Take that.
In Rich's blog, he has the fight part right. You have to fight for what you want and what you believe in. True entrepreneurs know this, because if you don't fight for it, what you get in return is near nothing, or zilch. You get railroaded and sidetracked.
A tech start-up that would encourage a balanced lifestyle and create more digital downtime? It does sound paradoxical.. however, I am currently developing a start-up right now that will literally move (physically and emotionally) you offline. Never say never. :)
I recently stated this in another comment regarding payment systems.. I wouldn't rely on just one. A merchant account through a bank CAN get suspended or put on hold if you trip any risk ratios (e.g. inquiries, chargebacks, refunds). So, indeed, PayPal does have its share of stories of accounts being suspended without explicit reason; however, merchant banks have the same power and believe me when I say that they can lock/suspend your account, and hold your funds for 6 months without ANY detailed explanation and without interest.
Secondly, PayPal does have a new API called PayPal Adaptive Payments. It's very flexible.. pre-approved payments, distributed payments (refunds also mapped backwards), chained payments (multiple source accounts for making payment). Full details on their API PDF docs (easy to understand):
So, even if you don't feel all warm and fuzzy about PayPal.. you should have an account handy, and think about having it as a payment option on your site. Some users swear by it because they don't have to share any sensitive credit card information (including CVV coddes) with the merchant.
Oh, nostalgia. I started coding out of curiosity back when I was in 4th grade (back in 1983). It was a helluva lot less main stream than it is today, so some of the things that I wanted to code back then mostly had to do with whatever I was into at the time.
So, in your case, you sound completely not familiar with programming at all. That's an awesome place to be, believe it or not. You sound like you're into mathematics, so think about hacking something trivial in a field that you're passionate about.
My first thing I programmed was a BBS (bulletin board system) on the Apple IIe computer. Called it Warphactor. Fell in love with the fact that I could make my computer's modem ANSWER a phone call, send and receive data. Just kept on building from there.
I code in a bunch of different languages (for recreation and profession) not because I'm some genius, but for two reasons. First, different types of projects demand different languages or platforms. Second, once you've been programming for a while, you realize that there's a LOT of crossover between languages. So don't get too hung up on one language, because once you start doing this stuff in the real world, you'll be pretty flexible and able to pick up new languages without much effort.
Don't run out and buy a bunch of books. You'll find plenty of resources online to learn concepts, and my favorite, BY EXAMPLE. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most importantly, if you feel like there are concepts that you just can't wrap your head around -- POWER THROUGH until you understand them.
There's always someone out there that has explained it better than the resource you currently have in hand.
One neat resource that, in my opinion, stands above its contemporaries, is stackoverflow.com. Stuck? Compose a well written question, get some very well written answers.
I love the idea of meditating, which often comes to me when I'm experience outrageous levels of stress. It's like a pre-meditation.. just the THOUGHT of actually taking some super isolated quiet time, on the ground, in a sitting yoga pose is enough to bring me back down to earth. But the actual ACT of meditating -- doesn't happen that much.
Great question and tips. Just reading it has already put my mind at ease. :)
I recommend getting yourself setup with multiple methods of payment, including Google Checkout, PayPal, as well as your own merchant account. Having a single point of payment failure (e.g. your only payment account gets frozen or shut down) is a recipe for disaster. If any type of risk management ratios trip alarms (e.g. inquiry, chargeback and refund rates) they shut you down first, and ask questions later (or don't ask any questions at all).
The patent process can be grueling, but don't be discouraged. Even if you think you've found a prior art, don't be discouraged. Improvements upon existing patents are patentable.
Just be sure to document all of your work. And do try to build a prototype and document that, too. As for the actual filing of the patent -- there are awful ways to do it, and there are brilliant ways to do it. So, finding a good attorney is key, and you'll have to ask around.
My personal experience was on closer to the "awful" side of the spectrum, wasting about $20K on an attorney that didn't have a grasp/experience on the type of intellectual property (IP) I invented.
I predict that it's only a matter of (short) time before one or more of the larger airfare search engines start to clone the output visualization. I understood it the first moment I looked at it.. just made sense, really. Great job, Hipmunk.. logo is cuddly adorable, too. :)
I agree that popping pills isn't always the best answer; however, if the anxiety is dysfunctional and causing problems (possibly far beyond the scope of a job interview), it may be worth consulting a therapist and psychiatrist.
1. Practice interview with others. Even if they don't know what the hell you're talking about, rehearsing in front of live person will help you become more comfortable.
Checking in, in terms of social interactions, is like a deconstructed form of interacting. I've been thinking about how we've deconstructed personal interactions, and how we've arrived at these one-button-click/automated communiques:
Meeting in person > talking on phone > sending an e-mail > sending an SMS > posting on someone's wall > creating a general friend-syndicated update > [<poke>, <like>, <check-in>]
While I'm no 4sq/gowalla fanboy, to say that Facebook pwns all location based checkins, and "that's a wrap" is a bit premature. Facebook also hosts photos and has made it incredibly easy to upload them, tag them, and share them. However, it is absolutely no replacement for Flickr. Flickr does it better, and continually makes it better.
Foursquare and its contemporaries are very clever on how they get users to use their service. Foursquare has opened up APIs to keep it simple, and their user actions are already syndicated to the Facebook/Twitter. Foursquare has built game and reward mechanics that are genuinely engaging.
My newest startup is in the events/activities space. Facebook also has an events app/module, and it's second rate and barely scratches the surface on both the consumer and provider end of events. I fully plan on leveraging Facebook events to compliment my product. It doesn't have me running for the hills.
This is herd journalism.. the demise of [x] because [Y] has entered the market.
But you can validate and curate the uploads. In fact, that can be part of your community/crowd-source model, too. If someone else within your community comes along and rates/tags/categorizes the photograph, he can make a little slice of the pie.
Hell, get everyone involved in the process.
Solve chicken and egg problem first. Then maybe you can start thinking about cage-free organic eggs, second. ;)
Tap into the amateur photographer with cameras on their mobile phones. Convince her that she can simply point her phone at things around the world, snap a shot that's auto-uploaded to your service, and she can make cash.
You and your team handle the categorization and tagging. And/or, the photographer can come back later on her PC and categorize/tag her photos resulting in a higher profit share for anyone licensing that photo.
On most smartphones, sharing/uploading photos via e-mail and applications is intrinsic to the mobile device. Handle uploads via your own mobile application or simply e-mail uploads.