Most people don't fully understand how difficult it is to write with your left hand, especially in school.
The first and most obvious problem is created by right-handed desks, forcing us lefties to reach across our bodies to write with no support for our arm. Now, granted, there are usually one or two desks in a classroom for left-handers, but with 8-10% of the population being lefties, that leaves a shortage of left-handed desks in every classroom in America.
The fact that the English language is written from left to right creates an even bigger disadvantage for left-handers though, because it forces us to push the pen across the page. This is in stark contrast to all those righties who get to effortlessly drag the pen across the page while resting their arm on that comfortable right-hander desk of yours.
Fortunately for us lefties though, we're inherently smarter than our right handed counterparts:
Let me be the first to point out that this article is almost two years old. However, not two months after it was published, they received $27M from Accel Partners, and in the 18 months since additional funding, they have continued to expand and flourish.
Can you elaborate on Y Combinator's definition (or scale) of techie -> non-techie?
Is someone with a knowledge and understanding of the tech landscape and years of experience in the industry considered a techie...even if they're not hackers? Or does Hacker=Techie?
Another wildly successful example of simplicity dominating an industry can be found at Plenty of Fish, where they are doing the same thing to the online dating world.
"Today, according to the research firm Hitwise, his creation is the largest dating website in the U.S. and quite possibly the world. Its traffic is four times that of the dating pioneer Match, which has annual revenue of $350 million and a staff that numbers in the hundreds. Until 2007, Frind had a staff of exactly zero. Today, he employs just three customer service workers, who check for spam and delete nude images from the Plenty of Fish website while Frind handles everything else."
Another wildly successful example of "What We Can Learn From A Mess" can be found at Plenty of Fish, where they are doing the same thing in the online dating world.
"Today, according to the research firm Hitwise, his creation is the largest dating website in the U.S. and quite possibly the world. Its traffic is four times that of the dating pioneer Match, which has annual revenue of $350 million and a staff that numbers in the hundreds. Until 2007, Frind had a staff of exactly zero. Today, he employs just three customer service workers, who check for spam and delete nude images from the Plenty of Fish website while Frind handles everything else."
The Burrito Bowl with Black and Pinto Beans, Veggies, Chicken, Pico de Gallo and Corn Salsa. Skip the rice, cheese and sour cream and it's possibly the healthiest lunch you can get in a fast food or fast casual restaurant.
I recently read a book called "An Absolutely Outrageous Adventure" written by two travel mates who visited every WHO recognized country in the world in one year.
It was one of the worst books I've ever read because most of their experiences revolved around airport hopping from country to country.
Give me a month in any given country and I'll be satisfied. It takes that long just to settle in and learn enough culture not to look ignorant.
I will say that 30 days on a plane does increase your chances of joining the mile high club though...(I digress)
Top travel choices for next destination - Argentina, Thailand, Bolivia.
Many sales people will attempt to act as a middle man between their customers and the company they work for. The reason they do this is because the first questions most companies ask a potential sales hire is "who do you know?" or "what's your rolodex look like?"
When the only relationship of trust is between the sales person and customer, s/he is able to bring clients along with them to whatever new company they migrate to...and show immediate success with new employers in doing so.
By creating a relationship of trust between you and your sales team, you are able to break down barriers between the client, and create and more fruitful long term relationship among all parties involved.
The other question you should ask is "why do sales people leave in the first place?" Again, this gets back to the root of the problem, where most companies create their own coin-operated sales teams. "Today's records become tomorrow's quotas" is something that all top performing sales professionals are keenly aware of.
If a sales professional hits 2X of their quota two or three years in a row, and those record sales become next years quota, the resulting book of business is unsustainable in the long term. Because of that, most top sales professionals will stick around just as long as they are able to maximize their earning potential. When the inevitable "down" year comes around, it's time for them to reassess and start looking for a new opportunity.
By setting reasonable expecatations with your sales team year after year - by that I mean set a quota that provides a reasonable rate of return on your investment in their salary - you will no doubt create an environment that "Group Three" sales professionals want to be a part of. Good luck.
As a top performing - and top earning - sales person for many years in Fortune 500 tech hardware, software, and services businesses, I can attest to the fact that it's the company that usually creates their own problems, namely a coin-operated sales force. I found it laughable when company XYZ paid members of their sales team (including myself) 5X - even 10X - what they paid more experienced engineers, product developers and even executives.
When looking to add a new sales professional, be sure and keep an eye out for Norm's "Group Three" salespeople. They will add immeasurable value, insight and personal equity into your business for many years to come.