Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

Our new conversation focuses on how we can improve security awareness as Tyler Ward shares the mistake that launched his career. He starts with a cautionary tale and walks us through his progression into security and eventually into consulting. Use Experience To Improve Security Awareness While Tyler's story is a good one to teach us a lesson, there are many others. Hacks and security breaches are...

Our conversation with attorney Richard Gearhart continues and moves from trademarks to an introduction to the software patent process. I find this is often an intimidating concept for us as developers. We know the value of a patent, yet we feel the process is too complicated or difficult. An Overview Of The Patent Process The whole process of deciding to apply for a patent and what is even possibl...

We start a new conversation with attorney Richard Gearhart about copyright and trademarks and how we need to be aware of them. This is an area of software development I often hear discussed but without any good answers. Our discussion provides the legal answers we look for. Software Copyright And Trademarks Are Important We all bump up against legal issues at times including copyright and trademar...

We continue our interview with Samuel Drauschak and discuss how to improve data capture during our processes so we can measure them. We need metrics to assist us in assessing the value of any process and provide a measure of changes. That allows us to score our changes as good or bad and the level of impact they have. It Starts With A Need To Improve Data Capture There are many similarities across...

This interview with Truvle's Samuel Drauschak explores the science of processes and how to leverage that to improve ours. Our discussion takes us into process science and how we can gain a better view of the steps we take. Every process is different. However, there are similarities that Sam's work and company have noticed in an attempt to help us improve no matter the process. There Is A Science O...

We continue our interview with Donna Dube and focus on her power hour approach to simplify and improve productivity. This approach is an essential step for success for a CEO or anyone else who has a schedule that often blocks them from planning. There is a limit to how long we can go in a fire-fighting mode of reacting all the time. We need to be able to step back and do some planning. That is whe...

We start the new year with a look at moving forward from our past mistakes. There is value in a retrospective and learning from mistakes. However, we can then drop those past burdens. There is no need to keep returning to them or have too much fear of repeating them. Our goal is to learn and advance, not get mired down in the past. Moving Forward Requires Change There is no phrase more indicative...

We start a discussion with Donna Dube of the CEO Amplify podcast and how to be a better CEO whether you are a company of 1 or 1000. It is easy to get lost in all we need to do as a CEO or even as an entrepreneur. Donna talks to us about ways to be better by avoiding common pitfalls. Your Company Deserves A Better CEO Every company deserves a leader that is focused on the things that help it grow....

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic recently and we take this special focus episode to look at how we can leverage AI. There are some very popular ways to use this new tool that have to do with content generation. However, there are so many fuzzy logic problems out there to solve it seems that is a logical focus for better gains. Think Out Of The Box To Leverage AI A new technology provides us...

Our interview with Chris Barkhurst concludes with how he has built a company you would work for in a heartbeat. It is one he would want to work for. There are benefits that make the company one that forces a work-life balance. However, they also make sure they get the job done. He has created a perfect example of how healthy and happy employees can do more in less time. Why Build A Company You Wou...

One of the things we have seen through many interviews is the idea of success through perseverance. It is more than not quitting; it is driving forward. Obstacles are a part of life, and we can either let them stop us or find a way through them. It is an over-simplification to focus on not quitting. We also can not succeed by simply treading water.   We All Stumble But Can Find Success Through Per...

Our interview with Chris Barkhurst is one of those that everyone needs to hear as it delves into use cases for AI. This field has so much buzz and conjecture that it can be overwhelming. However, Chris breaks it down so that you can understand where his companies apply this new technology. New And Unique Use Cases For AI It should not surprise us that some incredible use cases for AI go beyond the...

The start of a new year can be the best time for cleaning your task list. Nothing says a fresh start like an entire new year ahead. However, we need to make sure we complete those year end tasks that can easily be forgotten. Some things on our to do list are too important to forget, but maintenance and accounting tasks can be glossed over. That can cause problems big and small. Cleaning Your Task...

We wrap up our Bryan Clayton interview with his stories and suggestions for building and vetting your team. He has built up an organization by overcoming a lot of obstacles. Those may seem unique to his company. However, there are a lot of common problems faced that he has addressed to build a trusted community of resources. Learn From Others For Building and Vetting Your Team Running a business c...

We can leverage some times of the year to create longer vacations and mini-retirement experiences. There are fixed holidays and slow times that can provide a foundation for our time off, and then we tack on a day here and a day there. Likewise, we can work partial days and get things done. That can free up our days to get more things done we enjoy. You Have Earned Longer Vacations And Mini-Retirem...

The 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 Main...

This 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 foundatio...

We 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 Ne...

What 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 Pr...

We 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 t...

One 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 impos...

We 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...

We 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 th...

It 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 wha...

It 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 as...