The way to go far and go fast when setting strategy
There is a saying that has been incredibly formative for me in how I think about teamwork:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Whether I was coding, selling, or launching something, I could do things fast by myself. …
Product Market Fit is not a destination, it is a journey
About a decade ago, I used to host food tours. This wasn’t a business, it was just a hobby that started with a bet with a friend and his food blog. …
The difference has a meaningful impact on your startup
I attended my first live, in-person conference in 18 months this week, SaaStr Annual 2021. I was on the fence about attending such a large gathering. On one hand, it’s an event that brings the best and most accomplished leaders in the SaaS industry together to share actionable advice and…
SaaS is not just a massive business, it is the future of business
What if you had a complete book of the history of all sports results, and then went back in time? …
The invisible, yet critical, work of developers needs its own name
I have to admit I was late to the world of DevOps. Having been in startups for several years, the idea of shipping code fast was simply how things got done. There were no approval processes, fixed deployment schedules, or hundreds of steps to release code. …
Is the grind good, bad, or more complex than we imagine?
My first project in the tech industry was to create a sales system. It did not seem complex at first. It was a bunch of tables that had customers, companies, deals, and activities. The idea was to help the reps keep track of their deals and customer activities more efficiently…
The journey is part of the goal, make sure to enjoy it
I remember the day clearly. It was a huge demo, the biggest I had ever participated in. This one was bigger though since I was the one leading the charge. The deal rested solely on this one demo, this one moment, going exceedingly well. …
Are you persistent enough to turn ideas into reality?
Founder stories are a fascinating study in persistence. I was watching The Founder the other day, a biopic about Ray Kroc of McDonald’s fame, reminded me of this truth. You see, the story of McDonald’s is not about one, but two distinct founder stories.
Though Ray Kroc is the person…
Pizza is delicious, and also the key to faster decision making
How much pizza can you eat? On a normal outing, I eat two slices. If I am feeling hungry, I might go for three. When I was on the wrestling team in high school, I could polish off an entire large pie myself after making weight. …
Are you managing your day, or is the day managing you?
One of the most jarring and lasting memories of my youth happened on a cold January morning in 1986. I was in science class and our teacher had brought in a TV for the class to watch the space shuttle Challenger launch. …
DEV.BIZ.OPS
Thoughts on developers, digital transformation, enterprise agility, community building & software engineering culture. Author 👉 https://twitter.com/marksbirch
