September 24th, 2009
The Build-up:
Modern websites use a lot of javascript to do all sorts of things that used to be reserved for flash; such as carousels, lighbox effects (actually called modal dialogues), fancy menu animations and other such things. We naturally spend a lot of time implementing these features as javascript adds yet another layer that has to be developed, debugged, tested, tweaked, etc. Not to mention having to make it all work in the various browsers, particularly the different flavours of IE. Every development team has a different set of tools that they use when building websites and thankfully there are a miriad of readily available tools out there starting with javascript frameworks (we use JQuery), to the effect libraries and the modules/plugins built on top of them. These packaged tools are a godsend when you need to get something done and don’t have the time to figure out how to do it from scratch. Read the rest of this entry »
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September 24th, 2009
I kept thinking that the entrepreneur is like an artist, only business is the means of his expression… He creates [a business] from nothing, just a blank canvas. It’s amazing. Somebody goes into a garage, has nothing but an idea, and out of the garage comes a company, a living company. It’s so special what they do. They are a treasure
– Bernard A. Goldhirsh, founder of Inc. magazine.
(From the final chapters of Small Giants, an incredible business book by Bo Burlingham. )
Sometimes we get so caught up in what we are doing, we forget what we have done.
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August 24th, 2009
One of the highest traffic sites we have created got a substantial update today; the site I am talking about is Vancitylofts.com. We inherited this site in 2003 in the form of a massive plate of PHP 4 spaghetti code and went through a complete rewrite in 2006. As part of the rewrite we ported the site to perl and the Catalyst web framework. Since then the site has gone through a number of random updates and feature additions and as of today, has finally been brought into the web 2.0 era. Read the rest of this entry »
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August 10th, 2009
the front of our business card
A great business card is absolutely essential to set you apart and it is often the first peek a potential client gets into who you are and how you conduct your business. A sloppy card will speak just as loudly as a stunning one. If you want to leave a lasting impression, you need a great business card (not just a good one).
The fact that most people have very ordinary, familiar business cards works in your favor. As soon as you hand someone a unique card it will almost always lead to a positive reaction, and hopefully a positive working relationship. They will also most likely hold onto the card even if they’re not planning on doing immediate business with you, this could lead to future business or a referral. You are in fact conveying a feeling, establishing your brand and transferring crucial information in one efficient unit. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Business | 5 Comments »
August 9th, 2009
Some of the best business advice I have ever received was also some of the simplest. I came across it when Ramin and I attended the 2009 Interbourse in Whistler BC. We spent a week surrounded by the world exchanges elite and soaked up as much insight and wisdom as possible. What truly stuck were the words offered by Gustavo Montero, “stick to your core business, especially when your business is in its infancy.” This has had profound effects on the way we conduct our business and which directions we take. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 21st, 2009
Why is it that it often takes external validation before you listen to what people have been telling you for a while? Our incredibly talented lead developer Thorsten Drobnik, has been telling me for ages to keep things simple, launch quickly and frequently, just get something out there, less software is better software, etc. etc. I kept brushing it off and not really paying attention. It is not that I didn’t agree, I just wasn’t taking it seriously or really listening. About 2 weeks ago I started reading the fantastic book, Getting Real by 37signals, which is all about these concepts. Since then I have taken these themes to heart and started to embed them into everything we do; you could say I have started to ‘Get Real’. We would have been much stronger as a company had I listened to Thorsten 6 months ago. It’s not even that Thorsten is just a random person, he has heaps of programming and development experience and is more then a decade older then me.
What else can I learn by simply listening to those around me?
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July 17th, 2009
I think I have tried to get blogging going for our company about half a dozen times. It’s not as if the rest of my team is against blogging, it is just hard to justify taking the time out of a day that already has too few hours. We all read blogs and even rave about how useful and cool the posts can be, but as soon as we have to bite the bullet and get down to the big dirty, we just don’t.
To answer my own question, yes it does make sense for us. But just like many things we should be doing, it is going to have to become habit.. one of those “teach an old dog new tricks” sort of things. Lets call this my mid-year resolution, to be consistent and turn blogging into a habit. Here is my plan:
- Blog
- ???
- Profit
Now all I have to do is keep my own word.
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