I just fucking did it

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Dan Monsieurle

That’s right. I took the plunge.

For the first time since this crazy journey began I’m working on my startup wholly. No contract work, no nine-to-five, no side projects, and as I’m quickly discovering, no free time to think/write about anything! I started writing this post on 22nd June and only just got time this evening to proof read it and click Publish.

justFDI began with an email, from me to Spode. It took about 20 minutes of digging around old inboxes, but I found it, dated 26/04/2009:

Hey,

Another sleepless night got me thinking- we should really start getting these ideas / products off the ground.

Here’s what I propose: justfdi.com

JustFDI seemed like a good name for a company at 4.30am. By registering as a proper company, we have limited liability, can pour different amounts of equity & debt funding in, be paid by it as staff, and add/ remove people (including ourselves) with relative ease.

JustFDI would start services, launch products, build websites, consult on other projects, whatever.

Thoughts?

And just like that, we started. The name, short for Just Fucking Do It, marked my intention that we bootstrap a company and approach each project with the attitude that we would deliver or die trying.

It’s now 2012 and I’m finally working at justFDI full-time. The time it has taken to get this far is easily double what I anticipated, but I’m thankful for the journey here and the lessons I’ve learnt. And I cringe at how cheesy that last sentence reads.

Joel wrote about ways to bootstrap a startup on the side which I think is a pretty accurate description of what that path looks like.

I have not seen anyone talk about the immediate shock of having all your time to coordinate for yourself. For at least the first two weeks, I had this sick feeling in my stomach, which I guess was guilt. I felt like I was skipping work and I feared a phone call at any stage from my former employer asking where the hell I was. My mind and body both craved that routine to the extent that it felt very similar to when I quit smoking.

Next came a wave of uncertainty about what I was actually supposed to do with my time. To go from spending evenings and weekends on my startup, to having all hours of the day and night to pour my heart and soul into work – this was a massive change. I needed a whole new approach to time and task management.

What saved me was getting set up with a proper office that wasn’t in or near my house. Working from home isn’t something I could adjust to. I either found myself completely distracted, or unable to separate myself from my work, and really anti-social to the extent you could say I had cabin fever.

I am pleased to say that for the first time – I feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

Challenges of building a web service

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Dan Monsieurle

Go to getmerated.com/silke and make a quick list of the immediate problems you spot.

Done that?

Update: the profile has gone, so here’s a screenshot from Google’s cache of what it used to look like

Let’s see how our notes compare:

First thing I noticed when I started using the site was the URL structure. I didn’t like that the profile name forwards to something ugly like /Profile.aspx?mid=3263

I didn’t see the URL: getmerated.com/silke in the left sidebar immediately, so I was left wondering if my username would be my URL.

Also why does it say “URL:” instead of “Profile address” or similar? You can tell that has been implemented by the developer, it should be replaced by a mass market friendly expression.

If you try to interact with anyone on the platform, your only option is to message publicly with comments and a system like @replies on Twitter. A private inbox / direct messaging system is on the development roadmap, but more on how I know this later.

What probably struck you first was that the girl is naked.

Use Google Image Search for almost any term and you’ll find porn within the first half dozen pages of results. On GetMeRated, I saw nudity within the first half dozen entries in the live feed.

It really doesn’t take much effort to discover content that you’d probably want users to flag as inappropriate on this particular platform.

That’s a little worrying. There are a lot of young people on this platform. I don’t want to sound like a member of Momsnet, but how long before there’s trouble?

The terms of the site state that users must be 18 years of age or older, and that if the platform owner suspects users are under age then they may face the profile being deleted.

Policing this is really tough, and there’s no real incentive for it to be enforced. The metric presented to stakeholders and potential investors will be based around user numbers – this needs to be as high as possible.

What other reason might there be for someone to contact the platform owner?

My guess is you’d receive communication in the form of a take down notice from a model, or a photographer, because their images have been posted without permission.

But here’s something cool – I was contacted by a member of the GetMeRated team.

I was private messaged on Dailybooth asking if I would mind trying the platform out. And not in a spammy way -

her: Random favor to ask you (that you can totally say no to!!!! just thought I would ask…)
me: go on…
her: So I am REALLY not trying to be annoying, so all you have to do is say no…
Here goes….

So me and my friend are interns for a company that just made a new photo sharing site called www.getmerated.com.
http://www.getmerated.com/ It is kind of like a DB (but with a twist) Could you pretty please try it out and tell me what you think (we are in great need of beta testers!). Its my job to get peoples reviews of what they think of the site. Its actually pretty fun! ( and you’ll make me very happy!)

Saw that you were a techie kinda guy… so thought you might be a good person to ask

Here is my profile if you are interested… [Link]

No pressure though…. just had to ask

What followed was a couple of lines back and forth as I submitted the feedback you’ve been reading in this blog post.

I haven’t returned to the platform yet because I was not truly feeling it met a need that resonated with me. But I will check periodically to see what progress has been made.

The engagement I have witnessed between users, plus the impressive level of attention that the platform’s team of interns are paying to users, leaves me feeling confident that there are companies out there equipped to meet the challenges of building web platforms.

Best of luck Difference Lab and GetMeRated

That's different

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Dan Monsieurle

How do you choose your next mobile handset?

It’s an important decision – smartphones have become a part of us, much like smoking can. How the choice is made varies.

For folks who live in areas with specific network coverage availability you sometimes hear loyalty develop out of necessity or frustration.

You might expect loyalty to the handset manufacturer – some people worship at the church of Apple, while others swear by the reliability of HTC or Samsung handsets.

Newly established loyalty can spring from a killer deal. Now that porting phone numbers has been simplified it’s easier to take your contract elsewhere if the price is right.

But the last thing I would ever expect to hear about is loyalty to the retailer.

Yet that’s what I overheard explained recently. Two commuters were discussing a purchase decision and the question was asked – “Who do you go to? Carphone Warehouse?”

What followed was a detailed account of the amazing customer service that was experienced in the store, and how it was substantially better than the rival outlet across the street.

I was shocked. I still am.

I listened carefully to the entire conversation: the service given during the short minutes that the sale took place in ranked of higher importance for this person than factors like price, functionality, or network coverage.

Context matters. I know and understand that. I also believe (and hope!) that this must be an edge case.

How significant is this?

The Gathering – hosted by Etherlive

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Dan Monsieurle

I was asked to appear on a social media panel as part of The Gathering – a morning of discussion hosted by Etherlive.

Topics included:

- Giving your event longevity through online channels and capitalising on intellectual property
- Protecting your intellectual property and corporate knowledge for internal and externally facing events
- Improve conference networking through social media, local apps and content alignment whilst on site
- IT’s place in today’s live corporate event sector; what to look for and what to avoid

All sessions were run as open discussions, with one or two invited thought leaders asked to get the conversation kick started by presenting their experiences and best practices.

My contributions and advice to organisers mostly focused on social media utilisation during an event, with some named examples of technologies and brands that had successfully run awareness building campaigns.

Technology MUST help the attendees to be present, to get more from the event. If it becomes a distraction – because it’s too absorbing or too poor at its task – then you are wasting time and money.

Playing devil’s advocate – in the corporate world you are tied to email and phone calls, and constantly producing electronic documents. Is the whole point of attending an event not to get away from those things and actually have some face time? People do business with people.

Assuming an organiser has a solid case for technology during their event, what works? We have achieved success with ThinkWall in B2C because it’s exactly what the brand wants – buzz online generated by enthused event attendees.

In terms of technologies that deliver a positive onsite networking environment focus on what can be delivered reliably that will add value. Figure out what your event is there to achieve, then decide what technology works around that. Do not fall into the trap of assuming your basics are covered – like power and wifi at the location.

Access to the internet will soon become a basic human right. Are you just going to frustrate your attendees if they can’t get access to remote content and communications easily? It helps on many fronts. People can bring extra information with them and contribute to your event. If your wifi fails, you’re going to hear about it very quickly – bucket loads of negative feedback online.

I advised that organisers look at smartphone apps which connect users with each other, inform each user about other users, make recommendations, and provide useful event information.

Soon event goers will be able to have a personal assistant experience in the form of an app that guides them through the event and makes sure they meet with the best possible contacts.

Technologists are close to a real break-through with audio content available in the ideal context, but we’re not quite there. GPS can’t pin-point our locations precisely enough and quickly enough. Siri on iPhone is a step in the right direction – you have a personal assistant of sorts – imagine what it might be able to tell you in your ear about who you’re meeting.

Look at the future of AR technology too! Being able to hold your smartphone up to the world around you have extra layers of useful information appear is hugely powerful. Layar offers a great platform to get developers started.

Back to focusing on what’s available now, technology can help attendees during events through appointment scheduling and driving discussion.

Mixing up content availability can be a nice touch, for example pushing the speakers slides to mobile devices at the same time as they appear on stage. This has to be handled right else you add to the noise and put huge strain on your network connectivity.

Actually the meta (extra) data is of more use to the attendee and far more interesting. What about seeing what other people in the audience are thinking? Is that not useful to know? ThinkWall provides a great way to encourage and review feedback. It’s also a great ice breaker and conversation starter for your attendees when networking.

Organisers need to be addressing ROI much more rigorously. What is your ONE objective and how do you measure delivering it? Social media comes with a series of metrics baked in. Learning about those will help you find something that informs decision making and represents awareness raising effectiveness.

Leadership

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Dan Monsieurle

I went to the Talking About Business seminar on Leadership hosted by Deborah. There I met several keen minds, each with an experience or two which had helped sculpt a definition of a leader.

My favourite analogy for a ‘good’ leader was that of a chariot driver. The horses powering the vehicle are out in front, while the guy driving is at the back nudging the chariot’s precise direction with the slightest of touches to each horse.

This supported my understanding of leadership. I believe that there is a difference to be realised – leading from the front versus leading from the back.

Anyone can be appointed or nominated to be in charge of a group or situation. Are they actually someone that can lead? Leading is doing. Whoever takes responsibility and begins to act effectively takes up the leadership role.

Those who have been assigned the title of “leader” are leading from the front. The immediate action that person takes is to say, “Great, I’m in charge, follow me!” – but how often does that really transpire as a success?

Leaderless situations, so-called because they come about without an ‘official’ leader chosen to take charge and responsibility, will sometimes stutter until one person begins to work. Others will follow the example that person sets and ask what they must do to contribute. This is leading from the back – being the chariot driver.

Look at the military. Western armed forces typically have a hierarchy split into two tiers. Commissioned officers begin their careers at Second Lieutenant and are appointed in charge of a platoon. In support, and to lead from the back, is a Sergeant Major – a Non-Commissioned Officer whose experience and ability commands the respect of everyone in the platoon.

Do we need appointed leaders?

Three dimensional

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Dan Monsieurle

I went to The Gadget Show Live last week in Birmingham – it was awesome!

Without a doubt the highlight was the discovery that I CAN, in fact, see 3D. My optician had warned me that I was unlikely to be able to enjoy this latest evolution of viewing on account of a lousy left eye. I had resigned myself to that misery because I’ve tried the red and blue glasses in the past and not really seen anything mind blowing.

We were working with nVidia, showcasing the contribution that the amazing chips like the Tegra 2 can contribute to performance – notably in Android tablets. Most of the equipment on show required the public to wear 3D glasses to take in whatever game or movie was being shown.

The centrepiece was a short film shown entirely in 3D which I decided to go along with and watch, mostly because the girl handing out the glasses was cute. I had my mind BLOWN by the most incredible scenes from games, plus clips from the new Resident Evil movie which I should definitely make an effort to see in 3D.

I’m unbelievably happy and completely sold on 3D. Selfish and stupid, perhaps, that I was set to overlook this technology. I shall definitely be open minded and give new product iterations a shot in the future, even if the earlier releases didn’t work for me.

Worrying

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Dan Monsieurle

Recently I’ve noticed two health related phenomenon that I thought I was clear of have crept back into my life.

The first I call “Battle Calm”. I used to take part a lot in airsoft mock battles and spent a lot of my childhood in the Scouts and Army Cadets. During a few particularly heated battles, I would hit a level of stress and mental exhaustion that brought on a deep calm where nothing seemed to phase me. I imagine it as a similar experience to being in the calm eye of a tropical storm. With work lately, there have been days where the pressure has piled on and then I’ve suddenly reached that same feeling of battle calm.

Second is a practice I used to participate in during my Freshers year at uni. I would take disco naps. These were amazing, you could sleep off the drowsiness that your evening meal can bring on and make sure that you had enough energy to party on into the early hours of the morning. Now I take evening naps. These help me digest my food, regain some energy lost during my day, have a clear head when I wake up, and fight off any groggy feelings that I am no doubt suffering as a result of working too late into the night.

When I next take a short break, I’m going to research some health hacks. Maybe there are other things I can be doing to feel better and work more.

Journey vs destination

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Dan Monsieurle

No one cares about how you got there, just where you got to, as though all that matters in a story is a happy ending. Apply that notion to sexuality and that’s like saying all that matters is the orgasm. I am certain that getting there outside of the norms of your sexuality would bother you.

The journey matters to the individual involved. Deborah showed me a book at Talking About Business called something like Make Millions By Being An A$$hole. The blurb explained how the author used to be the world’s nicest guy but was broke, then the moment he became selfish and bitter to others the money came pouring in.

Ultimately the journey can take a long time so you have to feel comfortable about it. If you feel comfortable doing good or bad that is up to you.

I would be interested to know how many successes have been scored by people that went about their business in the purest of good ways.

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Dan Monsieurle's blog – "for-life, liberatedness, and the pursuit of eclecticism"

Category Archives: Startups