Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur
779 episodes - English - Latest episode: 28 days ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsThis podcast is for aspiring entrepreneurs and technologists as well as those that want to become a designer and implementors of great software solutions. That includes solving problems through technology. We look at the whole skill set that makes a great developer. This includes tech skills, business and entrepreneurial skills, and life-hacking, so you have the time to get the job done while still enjoying life.
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Episodes
Avoid Burnout - Give Time To Yourself
December 21, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 26.7 MBThe holidays can be a great time to catch up and get ahead with our hustles, or we can take advantage of the time to avoid burnout. While there is much to be said for the former, the latter can be far more valuable in the long run. We were not made to run at 100% all the time. Just like any machine, we need time to cool down. That is what vacations and holidays are all about. Avoid Burnout To Maintain High Productivity The calculations around continuing to work and "getting ahead" compare...
Defining Product Features - Interview With Bryan Clayton
December 19, 2023 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40 MBThis episode starts a new discussion with Bryan Clayton of Your Green Pal about how he built a business and defining product features for his application. Bryan has a highly educational story about starting a new business. It continues with his approach to push that business to success. He has taken a thorough approach to building his organization and the related community that forms the foundation for Your Green Pal. A Methodical Approach To Defining Product Features There are a lot of s...
A New Approach For Generation Z
December 14, 2023 11:00 - 20 minutes - 28.7 MBWe continued our discussion with Mark Bolton about Generation Z and how they require a new approach to marketing and product development. This newest generation expects a different kind of product and service. They have always had digital products and services make up part of their life and they are comfortable using them. They are quick to adopt and also quick to move on to the next product. A New Generation, A New Approach While much is made about the new generations that are digital na...
Use Metrics For Productivity
December 12, 2023 11:00 - 20 minutes - 27.7 MBWhat gets measured gets managed is a way to look at how we need to use metrics for productivity gains to become a reality. We can go by our feelings or other squishy methods. However, those are easily led astray. We need a stable way to measure how we are doing when compared to how we were doing last week or last year. That is where metrics and measuring become invaluable. Find Your Metrics For Productivity Measuring However, this is one of those areas where it is easier said than done. M...
Gen Z Traits - An Interview With Mark Bolton
December 07, 2023 11:00 - 27 minutes - 37.3 MBWe shift gears and start a discussion with Mark Bolton about Gen Z traits and how this generation is changing and will continue to change the landscape. His focus is on the financial aspects of Generation Z and how they see things differently from prior generations. The different perspectives will impact our workplace and the business climate as we see a shift in how products will be marketed to these newcomers. The Good And The Bad of Gen Z Traits Everyone likes to judge the Gen Z trait...
Plan To Get Things Done
December 05, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 27.4 MBOne of the recurring themes from our discussions is a need to plan to get things done. We do not become successful by accident. Instead, we need to have a plan and find ways to execute that plan regularly. Often, that means daily progress and attention to our goals. When we keep our objectives in our focus we will advance towards them. On the other hand, a lack of focus often makes it almost impossible to get things done. A Plan To Get Things Done Adds Accountability We can set goals all ...
Know Your Audience For YouTube Growth
November 30, 2023 11:00 - 37 minutes - 51.1 MBWe continue our discussion with Andrew Murdoch and delve into how you will grow best when you know your audience. He mentions the well-known avatar approach. However, he mentions the level of detail we need to have. This is not a synopsis of a few sentences. Instead, it is a multi-page character and lifestyle assessment. Once we know our avatar enough to write a short biography (or e-book), we are ready to work with him. The growth will be worth the effort. Our Target Grows Once We Know Ou...
Be Intentional In Choosing Tasks For Career Growth
November 28, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 27.1 MBWe fill much of our free time with projects and side hustles that can be tasks for career growth. However, they require us to be intentional. We should have a career roadmap to guide us through the skills and experiences we see as important to us. The fun tasks will often be on our list of things to do. Nevertheless, there are tasks we need to see as stepping stones to success that should be in the back of our minds when choosing that next project. The Best Tasks For Career Growth In the...
Thankful Over Worry
November 23, 2023 11:00 - 8 minutes - 11.6 MBIt is Thanksgiving in the States and a good time to talk about the benefit of being thankful over worry. This may seem like just another positivity pile of crap. However, it is not. There is a lot to be gained by taking this approach, and it has more to do with overall health than confirmation bias. Real Benefits of Choosing Thankful Over Worry We can all point to how anything we think becomes what we are more attuned to. A simple test of thinking of a blue car and then suddenly feeling l...
Prepare For Your Retrospective
November 21, 2023 11:00 - 22 minutes - 31.1 MBIt is time once again for our Thanksgiving special. Yes, it is that time of year when we pause and reflect a bit on how to prepare for your retrospective. This year, we will start the week with an admonition to assess the year gone by. We are dwindling down to the end of 2023 and now is the best time to review what we accomplished during that span of time. Thankful For A Retrospective? You may ask why we would use the week of Thanksgiving to talk about how to prepare for your retrospecti...
Leverage YouTube For Marketing And Brand Growth
November 16, 2023 11:00 - 29 minutes - 41 MBWe start a new discussion in this episode and look at how Andrew Murdoch teaches us to leverage YouTube for marketing and brand growth. This is a channel for content that can not be ignored. It is too big and too valuable for our pursuit of customers. It is built to draw in like-minded viewers. Therefore, a consistent message and useful content from us can skyrocket our growth. Lessons Learned About Using YouTube For Marketing And Brand Growth Andrew has personal experience as a user of Y...
Consistency And Momentum: Keys To Success
November 14, 2023 11:00 - 21 minutes - 30 MBIn this special topic episode, we examine how consistency and momentum are foundational attributes for success. Neither of these items is listed at the top of the keys to success. However, we see them pop up time and again in examples and processes to march towards success. Therefore, it is worth exploring how we can get them in place for our project, brand, or company. A One-Two Punch Of Consistency And Momentum Expectations are an essential part of any relationship. We have discussed in...
Better AI Prompts For Improved Efficiency
November 09, 2023 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBWe continue our discussion with Ali Abassi and dig into the value of better AI prompts and how they helped him turn a toy into a tool. Chat GPT is something many have experimented with. Ali did the same and used it to help him generate copy for his marketing blurbs. However, it was not much help. He still spent roughly the same amount of time putting his content together. Better AI Prompts Improve Your Results That is where he started to work on building better AI prompts and asking for r...
Commitment And Consistency In Building Your Brand
November 07, 2023 11:00 - 24 minutes - 33.8 MBWe look at how commitment and consistency are critical factors in the eventual success of your product, service or brand. It is not uncommon for someone to start on a new endeavor only to bail out before they see any of it pay off. That is the same whether you are embarking on a new diet or a new business. There have been discussions on past episodes that highlight the kind of time and planning that must go into your side hustle and business launch to give them a chance of success. Avoid B...
AI For Work - Ali Abassi Interview
November 02, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 35.1 MBThis interview has a focus on using AI for work. We chat with the founder of the site, aiforwork.co, Ali Abassi, and cover the latest hot topic. The story begins with how he got the idea for the site. It is a classic story of someone who had an itch they scratched. They then turn that solution into something others can benefit from. The Genesis Of AI For Work The beginnings of his site can be found in the common use of AI for content generation. He used it to help build copy for his marke...
Answer Or Solution - Serving Your Customer
October 31, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 34.9 MBThis episode of the podcast turns to how we approach our customers and whether we are providing an answer or solution. There are important differences between these two. In the first case, we are just providing a starting point. There can be many answers and even correct answers may not be feasible. That means they are not useful to your customer. Are You Providing An Answer Or A Solution A solution is more than an answer. It is an answer that the customer can use to solve their problem. ...
Master Fulfillment To Create The Happiest Customers
October 26, 2023 10:00 - 24 minutes - 34 MBWe dig deep into customer satisfaction as we continue a discussion with Drake Nightenhelser and look at why we should master fulfillment. When you think about it, that is the step that is most critical. That is where we deliver on our promise, whether it is a product or a service. The customer will be most attuned to how they feel at that moment or at that time. Master Fulfillment And Find Success It is surprising how often a business or vendor ignores this critical moment. How would yo...
Embrace Coaching To Advance Your Career
October 24, 2023 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31 MBOf the many tools we have discussed, one that can not be overlooked is how to use coaching to advance your career. This option is one where we must sometimes embrace how little we know. Likewise, use a coach as a way to find guidance and someone to walk with us through our career journey. They provide a second viewpoint and one that is experienced and critical in the best way. Invest In Coaching To Advance Your Career We can not learn if we do not put ourselves in a learning environment ...
Avatars And Best Buyers - Interview With Drake Nightenhelser
October 19, 2023 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.5 MBWe start a conversation with Drake Nightenhelser to offer timeless advice about avatars and best buyers and their role in an ideal business. Every business has a niche of ideal customers and does best when those are the ones it serves. However, we can get side-tracked by a desire to increase revenue without fully considering the consequences. Avatars And Best Buyers There are several names for the process of defining who our target market is. That often is limited to avatars and best buy...
Overcoming Adversity On Your Way To Success
October 17, 2023 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.1 MBEvery story of success often appears to have a point where overcoming adversity was a key to that eventual success. In this episode, we review lessons learned through past interviews and how we can all become that story of success despite the obstacles. Perspective is critical when we try to compare the challenges faced by ourselves to those seen by others. Overcoming Adversity Is Something We All Do We can be a glass half-full or glass half-empty person. That attitude can be the differe...
Ramping Up Your Skills Through Broad Experience
October 12, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes - 35.9 MBWe continue our discussion with fractional CTO Brian Childress and dig into his career journey for tips on ramping up your skills. He did not start out with that goal. However, his journey included several key positions and roles (as well as decisions) that helped him advance. We look at how sometimes that step into the uncomfortable is the one you need to advance to the next level. Quick Paths For Ramping Up Your Skills If there is one, the shortcut for advancement is to push yourself c...
Take Your First Step - Start Today For Success
October 10, 2023 10:00 - 23 minutes - 33 MBThis episode is a look back at some of the best advice for being successful, and we focus on taking your first step. The best plans are still just plans until you execute them. Therefore, every project and goal must move from the planning to the implementation phase. Yes, thinking about your steps can be a step in itself. However, one must ensure that an action is progressing towards the goal, not simply marching in place. Determine Your First Step When you are unsure of how to proceed a...
What Is A Fractional CTO? An interview with Brian Childress
October 05, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 38.5 MBWe start a new interview and sit down with Brian Childress to answer the question, what is a fractional CTO? Well, we cover far more than that. However, we start at the beginning and look at what he does as a fractional CTO, why it matters, and the benefit of bringing one aboard Sounds Great! What Is A Fractional CTO? In short, a fractional CTO (or any fractional position) is not much different from being part-time. The benefits of bringing on a C-suite role part-time are covered in our ...
It All Starts With Your Why
October 03, 2023 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.8 MBWe start a new season and format with a look back at the interviews where we discussed your "why" and its importance. That has been a theme in several podcasts and blog articles over the years. However, it is one that we need to keep in mind at the beginning, middle, and end of our pursuits. We need to answer this question about our products, careers, brands, and relationships. Your Why Is Essential To Almost Every Decision It can seem so simple. However, we often skip ahead or forget th...
Embrace FeedBack For Better Teams
September 28, 2023 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.5 MBThe second part of our discussion with Phil Alves takes us into designing an environment where we embrace feedback and use it for growth. Communication is often key to successful teamwork, and feedback is the most important thing we can communicate. That is how we learn that our approach is wrong or can be improved. We can sit back and watch others. However, the active participation of feedback takes out the guesswork. Improvement Follows When We Embrace Feedback Our discussion takes us ...
Code Reviews Make Better Developers - Interview With Phil Alves
September 26, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes - 37.1 MBWe start a conversation in this episode with Phil Alves and cover a lot of ground, including why code reviews make better developers. Phil has a unique development approach as a self-made developer who grew a software development company. His experience and personal growth, as well as translating that to a company, provide us with many improvement gems. This is one of those episodes where it is helpful to take notes. Code Reviews Make Better Developers We can always start with a statemen...
Online Communities and Marketing
September 21, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 37.3 MBWe continue our discussion with Anne Laffin and cover big-picture topics like online communities and marketing. The suggestions and impact often blur into building a brand. However, that is an essential step in getting your message to the correct people. She shares her experience with us so we can reach our ideal customers and those who most need our product or service. The Value Of Online Communities And Marketing Consistency and message are critical pieces of the brand establishment pu...
Introduction To Market Research - Interview with Anne Laffin
September 19, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 37.4 MBThis episode is an interview that is also an introduction to market research. Anne Laffin takes us through several recommendations and common misconceptions. We start our discussion with some background and then quickly get into the meat of the conversation. She has an extensive experience with start-ups that is a perfect match for your next venture. An Introduction To Market Research For Non-Marketeers Our discussion is not only an introduction to market research but one that anyone can...
Organization Security Tips and Tricks
September 14, 2023 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32 MBIn this episode, the conversation with Evgenihy Kharam continues into more detail, and he offers several security tips. You can often take these actions today, personally, or in your organization. They are easy-to-understand recommendations that will probably sound familiar. That is the frustrating part of cybersecurity. The most effective ways to approach security are well-known and quick to enact. Security Tips That Are Easy To Enact We have a larger footprint than we generally think i...
Secure Your Organization - Interview with Evgeniy Kharam
September 12, 2023 10:00 - 19 minutes - 27.2 MBWe start a new conversation with Evgenihy Kharam and look at how to secure your organization. He has spent decades refining his approach to security and counseled countless others in that area. We start with his journey to his current position and then discuss how he has seen security awareness and the related areas change over the years. Use Common Sense To Secure Your Organization There are many ways for hackers to go after your organization. However, it does not require technical geni...
The Value Of A Good Morning Routine
September 07, 2023 10:00 - 31 minutes - 44 MBWe continue our discussion with Shaunna Lee and self-care by diving into her morning routine and how it helps her start the day right. Her morning tasks are not surprising when you look at high-performing individuals. However, we explore them and how to embrace them as our own. In particular, we talk about journaling and how to start that daily writing habit. These activities have many benefits, and we touch on them as well. Start The Day With A Strong Morning Routine Each day, we get to...
Self-Care For High Performers - Interview With Shaunna Lee
September 05, 2023 10:00 - 30 minutes - 42.1 MBOur interview with Shuanna Lee explores her story and touches on self-care for high performers. However, the self-care tips and suggestions work for anyone. You need not be a high performer to benefit from this discussion. On the other hand, Shaunna's story is an excellent example of how even someone "too busy" can (and should) take time for self-care. Self-Care For High Performers Is Critical It is no secret that higher-performing people and machines must focus on the details. A slight ...
High-Performing Culture
August 31, 2023 10:00 - 32 minutes - 44.1 MBWe continue our interview with Tanika De Souza of High Octane Teams and discuss how she has created a high-performing culture. Meanwhile, she provides many excellent ideas that have served her well in building out an organization comprised primarily of remote and off-shore workers. Some say culture is impossible in such a situation. However, she proves them wrong and gives us examples we can follow. Building A High-Performing Culture The core piece of Tanika's approach is respect for tho...
Using Offshore Teams and Resources - Interview With Tanika De Souza
August 29, 2023 10:00 - 28 minutes - 39.9 MBOur focus shifts to using offshore teams and resources as we start a new interview with Tanika De Souza of High Octane Teams. The first part of our discussion goes into how one can embrace offshoring. Then, we follow her journey into creating a company that specializes in that. We talk about some of the concerns, and she answers questions often asked about whether offshoring is good for you. Using Offshore Teams and Resources - A Crash Course Tanika takes us quickly through the pros and ...
Build The Life You Want And Never Work Again
August 24, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.9 MBWe wrap up our discussion with Jay Aigner with a deep dive into how you can build the life you want. Yes, it is within reach. His schedule is packed with what he wants to pursue and a full-time job. However, the secret to all of this is managing time so the full-time job does not eat up every minute of every day. Thus, there is intention required as well as an understanding of your likes and dislikes. Build The Life You Want Starting Today There are activities in everyone's life that can...
Starting A Project-Based Business - Interview With Jay Aigner
August 22, 2023 10:00 - 31 minutes - 43.3 MBWe start a new interview with Jay Aigner about launching a project-based business. He started with a need to earn some extra money and grew into a multi-million dollar organization. A form of modern-day rags-to-riches story. Except, it is real life and not some children's story. A Project-Based Business From Scratch The promise of using a site like Guru.com or Upwork.com to build a business instead of just a side hustle may not seem achievable. However, Jay walks through his early days a...
The 5-Star Success Blueprint - Building Your Business
August 17, 2023 10:00 - 33 minutes - 45.5 MBWe wrap up the interview with Beate Chelette by discussing how to grow a business and her five-star success blueprint. The discussion explains why you should have a system and how it can make you more likely to win clients. There is more than having a system. You also want it to be seen as valuable. Your System And The 5-Star Success Blueprint We can create very complex systems and solutions. Those can even land us in the territory of "geekspeak." That is where we provide too many techni...
The Growth Architect - An Interview With Beate Chelette
August 15, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 34.8 MBWe start a new conversation with the growth architect, Beate Chelette. We dive right into reasons to launch a business, and she shoots down traditional fears for taking that step. This is not an episode for those that want to rest on their fears. We quickly show how your biggest fear should be staying where you are instead of pursuing that dream. Wisdom From The Growth Architect Beate offers us several reasons why we should launch a business and the values it brings us. This is more of a...
The Voice Of Your Brand
August 10, 2023 10:00 - 31 minutes - 44 MBWe wrap up our discussion with Naomi Gora with a look at how multiple founders can make it a chore to find the voice of your brand. Each founder may have a strong personality type or a presence that makes it hard to pick which one truly leads the company in this area. It is not likely to be a mix of the personality types and instead will gravitate towards one of the founders and their style. Finding The Voice Of Your Brand We started the discussion by focusing on matching a business pers...
Your Business Personality Type - An Interview With Naomi Gora
August 08, 2023 10:00 - 30 minutes - 41.6 MBWe start a new conversation with Naomi Gora about how your business personality type needs to be a match for the founder or founders. Everyone has a personality type, and we talk about how businesses and brands do as well. This can be challenging when your business has a personality that does not match yours. Even success can lead to discomfort and a sense of being trapped rather than joy and contentment. Yes, There Is A Business Personality Type When you hear an advertisement or announc...
Remote Team Building
August 03, 2023 10:00 - 33 minutes - 45.8 MBOur conversation with Annelise Worn concludes with a deeper look into remote team building and how to make sure you get the right people. The world has gotten smaller. Thus, it is now possible to hire across the globe, no matter the size of your business. That has good and bad for someone starting out. There is a need for skilled workers, but they can be challenging to interview and assess. We discuss some great ways to determine whether a prospect is a good fit for your team. Be Intention...
Launching Your Business - Annelise Worn Interview
August 01, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 38.4 MBWe start a conversation with Annelise Worn to help you with launching your business based on her story and lessons learned. Her story is not unlike many others. She realized she needed to avoid spending so much time on her work. Likewise, she wanted to escape the trap of trading time for money. Her time was worth too much. Launching Your Business Requires Confidence You can take many nuggets of wisdom from her story for launching your business. However, you should not miss the point that...
Work Balance And Trading Money For Happiness
July 27, 2023 10:00 - 28 minutes - 39.5 MBOur discussion with Michaell Magrutsche transitions into the area of work balance and whether more productivity really leads to more happiness. The whole concept of working faster and better does not seem to be leading us to worthy results. We are not seeing vast amounts of free time and instead often are chained to our desk of phone. The promise of freedom has become more chains. Return To The Focus Of Work Balance That is where we have to go back to square one and look at the "why" of ...
Human Based Systems - An Interview With Michaell Magrutsche
July 25, 2023 10:00 - 32 minutes - 45 MBWe start a new interview and delve in to the topic of human based systems. This topic is one that should be a common one as AI grows. Our discussion with Michaell Magrutsche goes a bit off the beaten path as we look at the road less traveled. This journey leads into examining what makes a system useful and a focus on why we should build one in the first place. The Basis For Human Based Systems This is going to shock you, but humans are the most common user of a system. However, there is ...
Government Work Resources - Find Your Niche
July 20, 2023 10:00 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MBOur discussion with Ricky Howard continues with a dive into all of the government work resources for finding and landing a contract. We talk about sites like usaspending.gov. It is where one can see where the money goes. That provides an insight into what departments are a good starting point for your research. There is a lot of research and groundwork to do to win a contract. However, he provides resources to help you on that journey. A Wealth Of Government Work Resources While the gove...
Land Software Development Government Contracts - Interview with Richard Howard
July 18, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 37.5 MBWe start a new discussion and new topic of how to land software development government contracts—in short, working for the government. Ricky Howard takes us through the ins and outs of finding opportunities and winning a contract. While this can be a lucrative and steady line of revenue, it does take an investment of time. Nothing worthwhile is easy, and our discussion shows how this path follows that rule. The World Of Software Development Government Contracts Our discussion stays gener...
Dress For Success - Better Dressed Developers
July 13, 2023 10:00 - 38 minutes - 52.8 MBWe change gears and talk about how to dress with success with Robyn Balsley. Yes, even developers benefit from a first impression. Furthermore, that is important for remote and work-from-home employees. Professional dress is not just for those in the office. We can adjust those Zoom calls, but we still need to make a good impression. Even Developers Need To Dress For Success There is often a view of developers as poorly or casually dressed people that live in closets and crank out code. ...
Create A Better Resume - Land Your Dream Job
July 11, 2023 10:00 - 21 minutes - 30 MBWe continue our discussion with Neha Naik and talk about how to create a better resume. We look at how to make yours stand out. There is more to your work history than a list of skills and titles. However, those are also essential steps in getting seen by the right people. We include topics like certifications and degrees for those wondering how to navigate the world of job searching. Create A Better Resume With Your Approach There is value in including the right keywords on your resume....
Recruiter Options - Interview With Neha Naik
July 06, 2023 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32.3 MBYou have several recruiter options when you are looking for a job. While similar, each has strengths and weaknesses. We start our discussion with Neha Naik with an introduction to the recruiting world from the recruiter's perspective. Many of us see recruiters as a means to an end when we want to land that perfect job. However, that is just a piece of what they do and how they get the job done. Neha provides us an insight into the challenges recruiters face and how we can help them help us. ...
Getting The Most Out Of A Mastermind
July 04, 2023 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32.4 MBWe continue our conversation with Liz Scully and explore getting the most out of a mastermind. Spoiler alert, it is engagement. This is one of those areas in life where you get out what you put in and (hopefully) more. While we talk primarily about what makes a good mastermind group, we keep pointing to the goal of making it worth the investment of each member. The result at the end of a group is not to give the members advice. The goal is to have each member walk away more accomplished and ...