Now that I’ve stepped down from RescueTime, I’m pondering my next thing (whether it’s a product role at a very early stage startup or spinning up my own for the 3rd time). I figure it’s a good time to be introspective and consider my motivations. Why do startups? For me,…
Product designer & growth hacker. Founded/led two multi-million dollar companies (backed by YC & True Ventures) that are alive and growing today. Served as Interim Head of Product at a Sequoia company. Read my full bio or ask me anything.
Guide to Evaluating Startup Ideas
A great developer I once worked with was kvetching at lunch one day. He’d been working at a well-funded startup for about a year and had come to terms with the fact that the startup was really a pretty dumb idea. He’d wasted a year of his life and had…
Stepping down as CEO of RescueTime
Wow, I’ve felt bad about neglecting my blog. Not guilty-bad (though there’s a bit of that too), but bad because I feel like I have a LOT of stuff I want to write about. I literally have 15 or so blog posts that are pretty much just titles and topic…
A Designer in Support of Design Contests
15 years ago, you couldn’t even BEGIN to look for a house without a real estate agent (who takes 6-7% of the purchase price from the buyer). Today, the internet has changed that. 10 years ago, someone starting a small business had to eat a cost of thousands of dollars…
How to Ask for an Introduction
I don’t know a ton of important people. But as a founder of a venture-backed startup with some amazing investors and advisors, I do know a few. With Nivi and Naval preaching the gospel of social proof (can I get an “amen”?!) and with fundraising posts and articles espousing the…
