009 : Speaking Tech, the required language of the future with Vinay Trivedi

Vinay headshot When you come from a non-technical background, listening to developers speak can sound a lot like FDJKFJ CJ KCDJK REJISJ KLSSJ K SKD.

Fortunately, my guest this week is here to help. Vinay Trivedi is the author of How to Speak Tech: The Non-Techie’s Guide to Technology Basics in Business. In this episode, we talk about specific things that non-technical people should learn in order to remain relevant in the workforce.

When you’re a novice, sometimes you don’t even know what questions you should be asking. Vinay helps lay a solid tech foundation so that you’ll be able to use where ever your learning takes you in the future. If you’re ready for developers to stop sounding like they’re speaking in tongue, it’s time to listen up.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:11 — 40.4MB) | Embed

008 : Securing your startup’s foundation with Nihal Parthasarathi

Nihal Headshot In this week’s episode of the podcast, I talk to Nihal Parthasarathi, the cofounder of CourseHorse, an online marketplace for finding and taking local classes. He shares the story of how CourseHorse came into existence, step-by-step, from idea to rapidly growing company.

Nihal’s story is extremely inspiring, because he follows all the right steps and is reaping the benefits. He shares how he came up with the idea for CourseHorse as well as all the work he and his cofounder did before even looking for a developer.

There are a ton of valuable insights in this podcast, you’ll definitely want to listen.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:06 — 39.2MB) | Embed

007 : Getting The Verge to take notice with Dan Seifert

NNL Podcast When you’re launching a new product or service, getting press on a website like The Verge can really be the deciding factor between massive success and slipping into obscurity. Yet entrepreneurs still make the same mistakes, over and over, when emailing and pitching journalists.

Dan Seifert is a Reviews Editor at The Verge and his email inbox is constantly full of pitches from both solo entrepreneurs and professional marketing companies. In this week’s episode of the podcast, we talk about which emails get replies and which get instantly archived. He also shares the common marketing tactic that comes off as insulting, and how to best build a rapport with journalists before pitching.

After listening to this podcast, you’ll be able to write pitches better than 90 percent of your competitors. And that’s not an exaggeration.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:56 — 33.5MB) | Embed

006 : Screw the Queue with Gabe Velez

NNL Podcast Waiting in line sucks. It sucks so much that many people are willing to pay to avoid lines. Whether you’re dying to be the first with an iPhone 5S (without waiting 100 hours in line) or you want to make your trip to Disneyland a little less tedious, those who have the means will do anything to jump to the front.

My guest today is Gabriel Velez, a graphic designer and co-creator of Linesnapp, a mobile app focused disrupting the line. Gabe met his cofounder, Rafael Maya, at a hackathon and the two have been working on rethinking queues ever since.

I really respect what Gabe and Rafael are doing, because they’re not just blindly following their ideas. Instead, they’re talking to users and constantly changing their approach in order to find the version that sticks. You’ll definitely want to hear what Gabe has been doing.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:01 — 50.1MB) | Embed

005 : Fostering good design when you’re artistically inept with Mike Blea

NNL Podcast I first met Mike Blea (of Michael Blea Design) when I worked at LAPTOP Magazine. He was part of the magazine’s design team, building the magazine’s layout, mocking up covers, and helping with graphics for web. We’ve remained friends even after both of us left that job, and Mike even helped me design the cover for 8 Things to Learn Before Making Your App.

I wanted to bring Mike on the show to have a fresh perspective on building products. I, personally, am completely design challenged — a glaringly apparent fact when looking at the first version of my first app Reader Tracker. I’ve learned a lot about the value of good design since then, and Mike has definitely helped me out along the way.

Mike gives some insights into the life of a professional designers and shares some tips for hiring a freelance designer of your own. If you work it right, you won’t end up spending a fortune.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:28 — 38.6MB) | Embed