This is 5-year old Thomas singing the Pokemon theme. I couldn't help but join him on the 2nd verse -- such a fun song to sing. I wanted something simple and punchy, but Thomas insisted the guitar harmonies and outro solo. He also insisted on singing the guitar stabs, which I think is a nice touch. He's tough to work with, but I can't really question his vision for the music.
Thomas and Catherine wanted to make a song about Pokemon. They started fighting over who to got sing more, who got to sing first, etc. So this song is about Pokemon and taking turns.
T & C played the keyboard duet solo in the outro.
This is the first song with my new midi keyboard...and the first rap verse I've written since I was probably 8 years old. :)
Here's my favorite blog post of the year.
2007 Edition
2008 Edition
2009 Edition
2010 Edition
2011 Edition
2013 Edition
2014 Edition
2015 Edition
I saw a friend on the street in Durham this Fall and stopped to chat for a bit. He was about to fly to St John USVI for a few weeks of vacation -- he's had a very successful career and his kids are grown, so he has the time and resources for this type of trip.
The friendly convo drifted into a discussion about time and how we use it, to which I said that when (not if!) I'm in his situation and have time, resources, etc., I plan to write and record a new crappy song every day -- just to have the creative outlet and to have a hobby and a process to share with my kids.
After rethinking the conversation over a few days, I decided that waiting until I was retired to do this would be stupid -- so I fired up GarageBand and started making crappy songs with Thomas:
Beach Time
Twinkle Twinkle
Progressive Metal
Just Be Careful
Fast, Tough, & a Little Bit Mean
Our songs definitely got better with time. Just Be Careful and Fast, Tough are actually pretty decent -- I'm going to work up some new non-5-year-old-soccer lyrics so the Titans can perform the latter.
We don't really have an official name for our "band" yet, but we've been calling ourselves Thumb Toe for a while now. My hunch is it will stick.
My goals for 2017 are to record another ~8 or so decent songs with Thomas (and Catherine) so that we can "release" and "record" and to record a few of my own songs (sans children) that reflect what's knocking around in my head and my heart.
My rock band American Titans got way better and played a handful of gigs in 2016. And they were all soooo much fun.
We had a slowdown over the summer when Barba came along, but had a nice run of shows in Raleigh this fall. 2017 should be a good year for us -- we've got an awfully tight 60+ minute set and a handful of new originals in the works. And I suspect that we'll record a few songs for an EP at some point.
All alt-folk / rock / Americana this year. Don't think I'm getting softer -- still plenty of offensive music in my rotation -- but maybe hitting 36 and 3 kids is making me a bit more mellow.
Fruit Bats -- Absolute Loser -- this was one of those "why haven't I been listening to this band my whole life?" kind of things. My Sweet Midwest is my favorite chorus of 2016 -- I catch myself singing it to my kids all the time.
"None of us has seen it all."
Kevin Morby -- Singing Saw -- I think his best record, simple, clean, beautiful.
"I've got a songbook in my head."
Whitney -- Light Upon the Lake -- this record is a breezy summer afternoon, such a pleasure to listen to start to finish. Guessing that this one is probably on lots of best of lists for 2016. Adore the brass, the jangly piano, and the sweet falsetto.
"I'm not sure I know which way the rising river flows, on the night I lose control. Oh dear -- don't you let me go."
Hiss Golden Messenger -- Heart Like a Levee -- my new favorite band...and based in Durham, no less. Phil Cook, Matt McCaughon, and Tift Merrit play on this record. Lead singer Mike Taylor is around my age, has young kids, and sings the truth:
On the trade-offs of having a wife, kids, and a job that you love:
Do you hate me honey, as much as I hate myself?
On finding joy:
You can't choose your blues, but you might as well own them.
On family:
Take all of the grace
And all of the sorrow
Put it on me
Set it free
For a moment
Just a moment
Can I carry it?
God I love this band so much.
A Giant Dog -- Pile -- pretty sure I found out about these guys via tweet from Merge. A really fun punk band out of Austin. Sex & Drugs is great -- "can't even remember being young". Also -- plus points for naming a song Jizzney.
DBT -- American Band -- as strong as anything they've released, love the anger, the truth, and the protest. Ramon Casiano is my favorite track...and an unbelievable story. A perfect record for 2016.
Sturgill Simpson -- A Sailor's Guide to Earth -- I remember listening to this the first time and feeling amazed by the unexpected soul/funk turn on the first track. Also love the rhyming Japanese cities and the N64 Goldeneye line on Sea Stories.
Run the Jewels -- RTJ3 -- haven't really given this one a good listen to be honest, included it simply because I know I'll bang it like crazy over the coming weeks. :)
Diarrhea Planet -- Turn To Gold -- was more excited about this record than any other in 2016 and it delivered. Hot Topic and Ain't A Sin To Win are my faves.
SIMO -- Let Love Show the Way -- was home alone and playing this so loud that I didn't hear my phone ring. It was Kelly saying that Cat had tripped her and she broke her ankle on the curb after Thomas' soccer practice. She was not very happy about that. Still -- awesome record!
Planet Creep w/ my sis and bro, the drummer.
Phil Cook with Kelly...and Barba in utero.
Fruit Bats with Zach.
Also Diarrhea Planet x2 -- in Durham with Chad, in Chapel Hill with Chris.
Turns out that newborns and live rock and roll don't really mix. Hoping for more loud music in 2017...and already have Hiss Golden Messenger and Run the Jewels (!!!) on the calendar.
Happy 2017.
Before every soccer game, I tell Thomas to play fast, tough, and a little bit mean. So we made a song about it.
This song is about things that a 5 year old thinks are dangerous. Thomas wrote all of the lyrics himself. The uplifting bridge offsets the ominous tone and lyrics. Just be careful!
My 5 year old son Thomas provided the concept and vocals. I played guitars and bass. Garageband did the rest.
We decided to make a song for Barbara and started out with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. And then I figured out how to auto-tune in GarageBand. This one was fun.
Thomas always sings "You Know Its Beach Time, You Know It, Know It" when we're packing for, going to, or at the beach. So we turned it into a Beach Boys song.
More so that recent years, music has been a central part of my life in 2015. These are my favorite tunes and memories from 2015.
2007 Edition
2008 Edition
2009 Edition
2010 Edition
2011 Edition
I skipped 2012 for reasons I'll write about one day.
2013 Edition
2014 Edition
I had a goal of at least one live show per month in 2015. While I didn't get one in each month, I'm pretty sure I saw 12+ shows on the year...which isn't too shabby considering the circumstances -- kids, work, etc.
The best show of the year was Baroness at Local 506 just a few weeks ago. They're an all time favorite band that I had never seen live. The house was packed and the energy was unbelievable. And of course Baroness destroyed it.
A few other standouts are Hiss Golden Messenger (at Haw River Ballroom, an amazing venue), The Sword (great, great show even though the new record wasn't that great), and Diarrhea Planet.
Kelly's favorites had to be Guster -- after which we had drinks and convo with the band, nice guys! -- and Jump, Little Children, her all-time favorite band that did a short reunion tour this year after a 10 year hiatus.
DBTs @ the Cradle
Jump, Little Children @ Visulite in CLT
Kelly loving Kylesa @ Motorco
DIarrhea Planet @ King's
Pusha T @ Hopscotch
Chatting up John Dyer Baizley of Baroness @ Locat 506
Jason Isbell with Ponzi @ DPAC
Guster with Kelly and Shawna @ Lincoln Theater
Purple -- Baroness
I'm not sure I've ever looked forward to a record quite like this one...and did it ever deliver. The band was in an awful bus accident in late 2012 that left every member of the band with very serious injuries. To recover from something that horrific, re-group the band with new bass and new drums, and then create art this powerful, this epic, this f*cking tight is truly inspirational. Many of the songs speak to the accident and the recovery process. I've loved this band for a long time, since Red in 2007 -- seeing them in Chapel Hill in December was definitely the highlight of the musical year for me.
Southland Mission -- Phil Cook
I knew of Phil Cook via Megafaun and Hiss Golden Messenger, but didn't know that he released solo stuff. This record he put out in the Fall is so, so, sooo good. Definitely an Americana throwback feel and great songs.
Run the Jewels 2 -- Run the Jewels
I listened to a TON of rap in 2015 -- probably no band more than RTJ, but also Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill, Future, Pusha T, Chazz French, Action Bronson, J. Cole, and others. Not really sure why the sudden re-interest in hip hop -- maybe because it is a Durham thing or maybe because it scratches the same itch as metal or maybe because I'm just a badass. Looking forward to RTJ3 in 2016. :)
Good Graphics -- Rozwell Kid
Much like Diarrhea Planet, these guys are a 90s guitar pop throwback. Catchy hooks, great harmonies, and clever lyrics. Not sure if they'll ever be a national act, but I highly recommend this EP and their 2014 record Too Shabby.
Honorable Mention:
I played in the band for the first time since business school in 2015. My friend Joe called me, asking if I knew of a bass player interested in jamming. I replied that I own a bass that I can reasonably play -- so we got together and it all got started.
The American Titans are a three-piece -- Joe (vox, guitar), Mark (drums), and me (bass, vox) -- that plays high energy guitar pop, punk, rock. It has been amazingly fun for me to play bass -- which I've never played in a band. It actually took me a while to stop playing bass like guitar and figure out how to lock in with Mark and actually serve the song. And it has been incredibly therapeutic to have a once-a-week ~2 hour outlet where I strap on my bass, forget about everything, and just shred.
We've played a couple gigs in 2015. I'd like to play several more in 2016 and maybe record a few of our songs. And I'd love to bring a song or two of my own to a rehearsal in 2016. I've got zero time to put into the process, but I've got plenty of pent up confusion, anger, love, hate, joy that needs to find its way out somewhere -- might as well be a 2 minute explosion of drums, bass, and guitar. :)
This is a live recording from a rehearsal -- a decent take, not the best quality, no monitor, so the vocals are a bit off. But you get the idea. :)
Here's to more great music in 2016. Happy new year!
These are my favorite tunes from 2014. And this is the obligatory tip of the hat to Chaz Felix for introducing me to the "annual greatest hits" format many years ago.
2007 Edition
2008 Edition
2009 Edition
2010 Edition
2011 Edition
(Guess I skipped 2012)
2013 Edition
Think I'll make Spotify playlists out of the legacy editions. Kinda funny to read these to see how much easier it is to share music online these days...
Unlike last year, I saw quite a few live shows in 2014. Here are a few of my favorite pics:
Don't need no coffee, don't need no coal. This mother f*cker runs on rock and roll.
Will Hoge. Snapchat from Kelly.
Mastodon at Hopscotch.
Straight Teeth at Lincoln Theater.
Weezer worship.
Ev living the dream.
So much beer.
Haim. Another caption from Kelly.
Valient Himself.
DBT in Raleigh with Erin and Evan.
Tom Petty from box seats.
Basically a mid-30s white people karaoke concert. So much fun.
Here are a few of my favorite new jams from 2014. Brief notes below the Spotify playlist.
Diarrhea Planet -- Aliens in the Outfield
DP is modern bro rock at is finest -- tough vocals, gratuitous guitar wankery, moments of unexpected musicality, offensive band name, etc. Spooners is my favorite from this EP. My #1 concert goal for 2015 is a Diarrhea Planet show.
Sturgill Simpson -- Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
Probably my favorite record from 2014. Turtles All the Way Down offers a complex religious / identity question couched in a golden age country music sound. A Little Light sounds like a song my grandma might have liked. Sturgill blew it out as an opener for Jason Isbell at DPAC this fall...and arguably stole the show. Seeing him at the Lincoln in Raleigh in February -- I'm excited because he's going to be playing very big stages going forward.
Mastodon -- Once More Round the Sun
While this isn't even close to Mastodon's best record, I really like it -- if only based on the strength of the first four songs. The Motherload is the most mainstream-ready song they've ever done...and it is my favorite from the record.
Hiss Golden Messenger -- Lateness of Dancers
Love MC Taylor's voice and the easy delivery on this record. They did a great version of Southern Grammar on Letterman a couple months back. These guys are based in Durham -- hopefully I can buy 'em a beer in 2015.
DBTs -- English Oceans
The strongest DBT effort in several years. The Cooley songs are especially good. Shit Shots Count sounds like an Exile On Main Street b-side.
Getting Cat started early.
Here's to lots of good jams in 2015. Happy new year!
These are my favorite tunes from 2013. And this is the obligatory tip of the hat to Chaz Felix for introducing me to the "annual greatest hits" format many years ago.
2007 Edition
2008 Edition
2009 Edition
2010 Edition
2011 Edition
(I skipped 2012 for some reason)
Sadly, I didn't attend any memorable live performances this past year. I actually bought a ticket to see The Sword in Raleigh back in the Fall but ended up flaking out because I was so damn tired. This is what happens when you have 2 young children and you're working your guts out to build a new business.
I did, however, start jamming with some guys a couple months ago and suspect that we might turn into a "band" that plays a "show" at some point. We're working up some 90s era alternative covers and I'm the lead singer -- it is hilarious and fun.
Here are my 2013 jams. All the links go to Spotify or YouTube.
Flying Over Water -- Jason Isbell
I've loved Jason Isbell for a long time -- see here for a blurb I wrote about Dress Blues, which I think is the greatest anti-war song ever written. I'm glad that his 2013 record Southeastern and his new-found sobriety are helping Jason finally the attention he deserves. He's easily one of the best songwriters in the business today. Flying Over Water is one of my favorites, though the entire record is more or less perfection.
No Strings Attached -- Valient Thorr
VT's Our Own Masters record was a strong effort, much better than the band's previous record Strangers. No Strings Attached is actually quite a bit different than everything else on the record, but I love that it is such a positive and uplifting song. It is a strong reflection of a great band that has been in the trenches for many years and has developed a hard-core following.
Not much I can say about Haim that hasn't already been said. They've got lightning in a bottle.
Me & You & Jackie Mittoo -- Superchunk
I'm not quite old enough to be in the Superchunk demographic, though I remember people talking about them in high school. I never actually followed up on the recommendation in part because I was too busy trying to learn to play Jimmy Page licks on my Fender Squire at the time. (It is actually a little embarrassing to publicly admit this considering my personal connections in Durham/Chapel Hill and my shared acquaintances with the members of the band.) I Hate Music prompted me to listen to the rest of the back catalog, so I'm up to speed now...just several years late.
I can't remember how it happened, but I was addicted to Harry Nilsson for a couple months this year. I started listening to him in college but never really ventured beyond the greatest hits. Digging deeper into his catalog is well worth it.
I listened to this record a lot driving back and forth from Cary. I'm pretty sure that this is the only song in history based on The Secret of NIMH. I only realized after the fact that Colossus is from Raleigh -- they're a great classic metal band.
The Mighty Machines Theme Song
Thomas LOVES Mighty Machines, a CBC show that we let him watch on Netflix. He sings the hilariously over-the-top theme song all the time. And he goes bananas when I sing it for him in my best Creed voice with a rousing guitar accompaniment.
Daughter -- Loudon Wainwright III
My daughter Catherine was born on May 14. I listened to this song quite a bit before she was born -- its a beautiful song about a father and a daughter. It moved me to tears more than a few times, including once in a Holiday Inn in Akron, OH when it happened to pipe through the lobby music.
We had a class of 6 new sales people start at Argyle last week. In addition to the usual sales, product, company training, we're doing some interesting things to get this class of (very smart, very eager!) noobs up to speed:
1.) Just as I do with all new hires - I spent a couple hours with the new folks sharing the history behind Argyle and our mission/purpose/values. I'm a big believer in mapping the day-to-day to the bigger picture as much as possible, so I like to make sure that new team members get a very clear picture of who we are and what we believe at Argyle.
2.) The reps earn small wins every day based on their performance and level of activity. The first rep to complete an assessment call earned a $50 AMZN gift card. The first rep to complete 5 assessment calls earns a $50 AMZN gift card. And so on. Our Dir of Sales Vimal Patel is great at using games and/or small incentives to encourage the right behavior.
3.) The reps level-up based on performance. We have a few lead sprinklers that assign leads to sales associates. Reps earn access to the "better" sprinklers based on their performance. Reps start out cold calling and dumpster diving in Salesforce. They will eventually (hopefully!) earn their way to the most desirable sprinkler, which allocates the "I'd like a demo of Argyle, please!" leads. These leads close more quickly and more frequently, so the they have a very strong incentive to work up the food chain as quickly as possible. This idea came from Tristan, our Dir of Ops.
I bought fresh collard greens from Elder Bond and his mother Lela on my way home from work. I asked if I could take a picture. Mr. Bond said yes and asked me if I would put the picture on the Internet for him. So here it is!
Happy Thanksgiving!
My business partner Adam and I spent a few days doing business in San Francisco last week. All business and/or relationship development, no fundraising.
I've been to San Francisco multiple times, but this was my first visit as the CEO of a start-up. (If you're new to this blog - my company Argyle Social is based in Durham, NC.) It was an eye-opening experience. Turns out that a lot of what they say about the Valley is true.
1.) Everyone very genuinely wanted to help us out. We met with 8 companies - some big companies that you may have heard of like Twitter and some smaller companies that you will probably hear of soon. Every conversation was incredibly transparent and collaborative, even though Adam and I were complete strangers for the most part. A case in point of start-ups (and former start-ups made big) helping each other out.
2.) Everybody knows everybody. The UserVoice guy went to a beer night at Klout. The Klout guy's brother is the API guy at Twitter. The business development guy at Twitter went to UNC. (You get the idea.) No different than any other start-up community...except that the Valley connections are with the most important companies in the world. Adam and I made great connections on this trip and I'm confident that these great connections will yield even more connections.
3.) Start-ups are everywhere. Adam got the great idea to start using Foursquare on the trip...and he convinced me to join the effort. It was amazing - and, frankly, frustrating - to do a Foursquare check in at Klout and find that GitHub, EventBrite, EngineYard, a laundry list of other interesting companies are within a 100 yard radius. There are a handful of start-ups in Durham, NC that I consider peers. There are a handful of start-ups in every building south of Market in San Francisco. And we didn't even venture out to Mountain View, Palo Alto, etc.
I'll be making trips like this (at least) once a quarter going forward and I strongly recommend it to any other CEO of a web start-up. It is useful to get away from the office so that you can think, helpful to build relationships outside of your geography, and energizing to get plugged in to the epicenter of the business.
Book a few meaningful anchor meetings that actually warrant the trip and then work your network to fill up the rest of your time with spec meetings.
Argyle presented at Tech Jobs Under the Big Top last week. Big Top is a very cool, circus-themed job fair put on by Durham start-up instigator Chris Heivly.
The event was a lot of fun and we met quite a few interesting candidates that I suspect we'll phone screen over the next couple weeks. We also met an endless stream of unemployed people - some recently, some more-than-recently - that had spent their careers at big companies like IBM, Cisco, etc.
Many young professionals and graduating students look to these big companies as the "safe" place to work. You can get experience, you can move up the ranks, and so on.
There are certainly reasons to work for big companies, but I believe that this "safety" is a fallacy in large part because one has very little control of their own destiny at very large organizations. A fluctuation in the share price or a decision from on high or a mistake four times removed from one's role might end up in cancelled projects, missed promotions, or worse. The unemployed big company people I met at the event seemed perfectly capable, just unfortunate.
Sure - start-ups are risky...and risky beyond comprehension in the very early stages. But one's scope of influence is much larger and the distance between input and output is practically zero. Plus, one can actually eliminate risk at a start-up. Most of my day-to-day actions at Argyle are focused on making our business more predictable, repeatable, and scalable.
To bring this full circle, imagine the irony when one of the larger companies that participated in the Big Top event "pitched" the audience by showing a video that featured its employees gushing about their job security and peace of mind. I couldn't help but laugh to myself just a little...
Argyle closed a $1.24M Series A a few weeks ago. You can read about it on our blog.
Though we ended up opting to raise an internal round, I spent lots of time interacting with several prospective investors. I learned some lessons along the way, mostly by making mistakes. Here are a few mistakes/lessons fit for public disclosure:
1.) Don't waste time following up on unsolicited emails from Junior Associates. It was pretty exciting to get pinged by prospective investors the first few times, but I quickly caught on to the schtick. The pitch is always the same - We've heard a lot of great things about you, we're interested in the space, let's spend some time on the phone. It only takes a couple of these phone calls to realize that these emails usually come from a 24 year-old Associates that just got out of an investment banking job, knows absolutely nothing about your business, and has next to no influence at their firm. They're just prospecting for deals.
2.) Don't waste time talking to funds that don't invest in early stage deals. Everyone says that they're an early stage investor, but that's certainly not always the case. Many mid/growth stage investors will spend time with early-stage companies just to get a close look at the business/team in hopes of building a relationship. Make sure that you understand the fund that you're pitching - both in terms of deal stage and fund stage - otherwise you'll spin your wheels with someone that is 18 months away from even thinking about writing a check. Most VC/PE funds detail the characteristics of a typical deal on their site...or they'll simply tell you if you just ask.
3.) Don't discount the power of the network. Several people helped me kickstart the fundraising process by making email introductions to prospective investors that I didn't know. At the time, I was a bit surprised by how many of them turned into significant conversations. Looking back, it makes a lot more sense. The network is everything when it comes to putting a deal together. Once I made a connection with an investor, it was very common for them to introduce me (via email) to a portfolio CEO or another propsective investor as a part of the shakedown process. It really is a game of who knows whom and who thinks what - a game make all the more interesting because everybody knows everybody else.
These are the tip of the iceberg lessons. I'll share the rest in my memoirs. Or perhaps over drinks if you buy me enough beer. :)
...happens again this fall. Details below.
--
The Bull City Startup Stampede is back! After a very successful spring season that brought 15 companies to downtown Durham for 60 days of free office space, the Stampede will be running again this fall. Participating companies receive free space complete with furniture and a 50:5 wi-fi connection and access to a wealth of startup experts.
A few participants will also be eligible for free startup law packages from Hutchison Law and Morris, Manning, Martin. Previous Stampede companies have used the initiative to garner media attention for their software or product, raise a seed financing round, and build a top flight network in the Triangle.
The application process is very simple and only requires a one-pager on your concept, team, and market opportunity. Applications close Friday, August 12 at noon.
To apply or for more info, visit www.startupstampede.com. The Stampede will begin September 16 and end November 18.
This post started as a comment on David Cummings' blog - he wrote a great post about his brief experience as a sports memorabilia dealer when he was in high school. His subsequent ventures have been much more successful...and his blog should be required reading for SaaS start-ups.
I've written once before about my childhood obsession with professional athletes - their autographs, their statistics, and - of course - their trading cards. I had a great time as a kid soliciting autographs via fan mail, which was often ghost written by my dad.
David's post inspired me to jot down a few business lessons I can recall from my incredibly nerdy time trading ball cards with my equally nerdy friends in the late 80s and early 90s:
Ask for what you want. I was obsessed with collecting Wade Boggs cards because we share the same, unique last name, because we both batted left-handed, and because we were both doubles hitters - which was code for "too weak to hit for power" in my case. I knew what I wanted and I made the trades to get it.
Know what the other guy wants. Similarly, I knew what my friends wanted. Drew liked Joe Oliver and the Cincy Reds, Joel was a sucker for Jose Canseco, Justin went for any trade involving a Washington Redskin, etc. I made some great trades exploiting these weaknesses. I fleeced my (admittedly younger) cousin for a Jerry Rice rookie card with a crusty Art Monk card that he didn't have - just because he was obsessed with the distinguished Redskin. (Of course, I'm sure I gave up the farm to get an elusive Wade Boggs card on several occassions.)
Understand value. I remember verly clearly chirping to my father: "This card is worth $10!" And he would invariably respond: "Worth $10 to who?" His response infuriated me when I was a youngster because I never had a clever retort and because I knew that the card was worth something to someone besides just me - but I didn't really understand how or why, that is other than it was listed in the Beckett Baseball Card monthly as worth $10. Turns out that the market defines the value - not me, not my dad, and often not even the hallowed Beckett.
Take care of your childhood toys. My father had several thousand dollars worth (in 1991) of baseball cards from his childhood - Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Willie Mays, etc. He just made the mistake of clothespinning them to his bicycle so that his spokes would make a cool noise while he rode around the farm. :)
I've had people ask me this question several times over the past few months. My usual answer is customer acquisition...but my new answer is Thomas Ferdinand Stowe Boggs:
My wife Kelly and I welcomed Thomas - our first child - on July 3, 2011. He's a happy little guy. And his mother and I are having a great time learning how to parent.
The Boggs Blog will resume its regular programming as soon as I'm able to figure out my new day-to-day programming.
I've been switching in and out of quarterly planning mode for the past few weeks. So I thought I'd share a few thoughts on the matter:
SWAGs are fine at first. Our Q1 2011 plan was our first ever official "quarterly plan". I put it together an hour before I presented it to the team.
I pulled most of the quantitative goals out of thin air and spent 30 minutes running through the product plan by Adam. It really wouldn't have made sense to do much more at the time. We were still in survival mode at the time, so the plan really boiled down to "ship product, get customers, as fast as possible".
We moved around some of the product priorities, but we otherwise did just about everything that we said that we were going to do - including hit the number. Execution against a plan builds credibilty with the team and the board, so this was a big win for us.
SWAG planning falls apart fast. I did the Q2 plan in the same fashion and it burned me a little bit.
My board called me out on one of the numbers that I lazily forecasted. (We were very fortunate to have numbers that actually started to matter!) And our Director of Operations called me out for not including him in the process, rightfully so I might add.
At this point, we had enough moving parts to warrant a more thoughtful plan around top priorities. In retrospect, I think this transition snuck up on me a little bit. When you're slogging it out every day, it becomes difficult to look up and recognize that you're actually starting to make progress.
Survival mode becomes habit if you're not careful. And a potentially a dangerous habit if you don't poke out of the weeds from time to time. It is imperative to make sure that the team is marching towards the same objective, even when you're in the process of figuring out the direction.
Minimum Viable Planning. The Q3 planning process has been much more collaborative and much broader. That said, the process remains fairly lean. We're using the same planning template as the past, just with a clearer story and more supplementary content.
Instead of dictating the goals and plans, I've tried to set a direction and the top priorities - in conjunction with Adam - so that the team and I can collaborate on the plan. Every functional area has provided P1s (short, memorable phrases like "Build Machinery" that represent the "priority one" for the quarter) and a few quantitative goals that align with the strategic theme for the quarter.
We have a plan and it is a smart one. And we're going to execute the sh!t out of it.
That said, there are definitely some things that I'll do differently when we start planning for Q4. I suppose I'll write about it then.
