lessons from the front lines of a startup.

Hello Doublewide Labs...and Blinksale baton accepted.

(from the blinksale blog)

Let’s Build A Better Blinksale

Well, hello there. I’m Brian Oberkirch, the new Managing Director of Blinksale. I’m new because Doublewide Labs has acquired Blinksale. What does this mean for you? It means you have the chance to help us build a better Blinksale, starting now.

I was one of the first users of Blinksale when it launched back in the day. I’ve used it since then to run my own consultancy, and, like you, I appreciate how simple it is to just get down to business. But, I’ve got ideas! I’m sure you do, too. I want to hear them. Together, we can build on the great work Josh, Scott and the great team at Firewheel did to make Blinksale so loved.

So, let’s get started. Feel free to shoot me ideas at brian@blinksale.com, or give me a call at 214.580.2001. You can still always use support@blinksale.com for an everyday support issue. And see that little feedback tab over there at the right? It goes right to our page at Get Satisfaction, where we are going to be gathering all the know how from our community of Blinksale users. We think it’s going to be a great place for all of us to share ideas about making Blinksale even more awesome. Oh, and I’ll be pumping out more frequent updates at our Twitter page.

In crappy times: Get better at writing the spec.

So, maybe I will write a few posts on “crappy times”…not to be jumping on the bandwagon of complaining about how bad things are, but just in recognition that things are tough. Anything we can do to work smarter, faster, more efficiently, lets do it.

I have become a huge fan of Joel Spolsky’s blog, “Joel On Software”.  It contains some of the best and most practical lessons for both coders and product managers who long to crank out better software.

As a non-coding manager, I am often stuck in the middle of debates around often “agile” sounding methodologies that launch developers and designers immediately into building mode and more planning-heavy ones that cause you to stop and write some things down before you begin.

Joel does a great job of helping you see the light on these issues. Punchline, you don’t have to measure 5x to cut once, but you do have to measure.

If you are involved in the building of any web business, a web site, or a web-based product, his writings on the topic are invaluable. He even gives you a downloadable sample from one of their projects.  Great stuff.

In crappy times: Get really close to where the money changes hands.

If you were sitting back wondering what to do next, I would tell you to go where the transactions are.

Most of my life I have been more of a creator than a transactor. I love the process of building—products, companies, teams, whatever. Often this gets in the way (or clouds) my focus from the more lasting business element of money changing hands.

It is not an uncommon ailment. I have counseled many young entrepreneurs to not get overly enamoured with an idea, and instead, get enamoured with building something that a customer wants, and will pay for. Sometimes, I have to be reminded too.

So, go find the transactions. Can you be a part? Can you speed them up? Can you reduce some friction?

In tough times, you dont need more clicks, or more impressions, or more FB friends, or more followers…you need to be where the action is.