The quick startup – done with a mind map

We are well into the Techstars Seattle season and I have been spending lots of time with many of the teams. As part of our discussions, we have been talking about how to simplify the pitches as well as capture all the different ideas and put them into context. One

The Future of Work

Recently, with the help of Mike Folden, I recorded this video on the “Future of Work” in an attempt to capture many of the things we have learned over the last few years both building Gist and interacting with many of the key thought leaders in the space. Another key

A more efficient toolset (part 1 of n)

I really like software tools that make me more efficient. Over the last few months I have really come to love and rely on Text Expander and Mind manager. Text Expander helps me quickly insert text blocks, mostly into emails. I have a few scripts that I use all the

building a big idea = lots of very small updates

At Gist, we have a team of just north of 20 very productive people, investors and advisors. We run an Agile development shop and try to apply Agile to everything we do. A fundamental value/activity of Agile is the lowly “status report”. Status reports are critical to keep everyone

RIP – Rosemary – August 23, 2010

MacMail is pretty damn good….and makes me more productive

I have used almost every mail client there is. At Gist, we are a Gmail Apps shop, and I use and like the Gmail interface, especially now that we have Gist integrated with our Gadget. That said, I also using MacMail again as it gives me 2 key features, a)

Great friends…

I am fortunate to have great friends and family. I experienced so much of this over the long weekend. First, we had a wonderful Korean dinner party, hosted by Rich and Susie. This was an auction item and included a smorgasboard of fine dishes prepared from local sources. My favorite

Tim Ferris is one smart guy…

I’ve watched and given lots of presentations, but I had to share this one specifically because it is really good. Tim Ferris, author or “4-hour work week” does everything right in this presentation. Here is what I really like; – great headline that is easily remembered, shared and tweeted – “How

What I should have said about raising money…

On Saturday, I was given an opportunity to speak to a room full of entrepreneurs at the Startup Day, put on by Marcelo Calbucci and the crew at Seattle 2.0. My topic was “raising money from angels and VCs”. I think my presentation was flat and mis-targeted, so here

Flight of the Conchords rock the Paramount

I was lucky to see FOTC last night at the Paramount in Seattle. They were great! Funny, energetic, original, authentic… just rockin’. Here is the playlist, which I was fortunate to get; Go see them if you have a chance. http://www.flightoftheconchords.com/tour/tour.php