027 : Growth hacking Guides.co with Franco Varriano

Franco Varriano The growth tactics you use when your company is just starting out are different from when the company is a few months old. They change even more as the company grows to handle more and more users. Applying the wrong growth tactics, at the wrong times, can be just as bad as not acting at all.

Today, I have Franco Varriano of Guides.co on the show. He shares how Guides.co started as a company called Startup Plays, and the exact moment when it grew into its current form. As the company gained momentum, Franco has been there to guide its progress — fostering communities of both guide authors and users. He shares some of his insights on this week’s episode.

Even if you just have an idea, Franco has insights about how to collect the most valuable feedback. This is a great episode for entrepreneurs of all levels.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:45 — 41.6MB) | Embed

The reason why you haven’t made an app yet

I had the idea for my podcast long before it actually launched. In fact, I even had “launch podcast” on my to-do list for months, but it just kept getting pushed to the next day, and then the next day. It never actually got done.

But while I was procrastinating, I started thinking about the actual logistics of creating a podcast. What would I need in order to launch this project? I’d need basic things, like a microphone, and guests.

Eventually, I changed my to-do list. I took off “launch podcast” and added a small simple task: get a microphone. That one was easy — it took just five minutes on Amazon.com.

The next day, I added “find guest for podcast” to my to-do list. I shot out four emails to potential guests that afternoon, inviting them on the show. It took about ten minutes. Check.

Then, I figured out all the other individual steps I’d need to get my podcast published. I thought about things like audio recording software, editing tools, and a podcasting plugin for WordPress. My to-do list filled up with items such as “write podcast description,” and “get intro music.”

Two weeks after my microphone arrived, I launched the Novice No Longer podcast.

So why did it take me so long to get started? Was I just being lazy? Continue reading →

026 : How to hire a coder without learning code

Dann Berg You have an idea for an app. Maybe you’ve even made some sketches or you have the full wireframes done. Now it’s time to hire a developer…but you don’t have any idea where to begin.

In this episode of the podcast, I share exactly what you need to do to get an app in the app store. We start with your mockups then move into finding a developer, communicating with that developer, and submitting your app. This is the entire process.

If you’re ready to finally get that app in the app store, listen in.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:32 — 28.6MB) | Embed

Why massive web traffic is mostly worthless

The other day, I was browsing Reddit when I stumbled upon a question in r/blogging:

reddit-blogging-question

I got this! I got this! — I thought. I shared my story: how I managed to use my old personal blog to escape the retail world and get a staff writer job at Laptop Magazine.

I got a few upvotes out of it…but more importantly, there were a lot of great questions. One of the things I saw asked, time and time again, is how bloggers can get more traffic to their website.

The problem is: this is the wrong question to be asking. Continue reading →

025 : From Crash Bandicoot to a smarter inbox with Dave Baggett

How many unread emails do you have in your inbox? If you went all the way back to the very oldest unread email, do you think you’d actually need it? If not, why is it still there? When are you going to do something about it?

Email itself first came on the scene circa 1993, alongside Windows NT 3.1 and massive brick phones. Since then, our computers have evolved substantially — and just look at our smartphones — but our email inboxes remain mostly just a big dumb bucket.

Dave Baggett is using machine learning to bring your inbox up to speed. He’s the founder of Arcode, creator of Inky email client (iOS, OS X). Dave shares the interesting story of how Inky came to be, starting with working on the first two Crash Bandicoot games and then joining a travel startup that would end up taking over the industry (and eventually get acquired by Google).

He’s got an interesting story and a fresh take on email. It’ll make you think about your own projects differently.

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