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Whenever I join a new team, or start a new project, I really like to ensure good-process is in place.
Having just joined Hiilite I got a chance to play with some great new tools. Some make really good sense, and others will make sense after I start using the religiously. I will post updates as I go.
Producteev – Task Management Software (Web and Desktop)
This is a great tool for tracking and assigning tasks.
Producteev Pros:
- Ability to share tasks with a team
- Reminders
- Labels
Producteev Cons:
- Cannot assign sub-tasks to people
Toggl – Time Tracking Software (Web and Desktop)
This is an awesome tool for keeping track of billable tasks. Heck, it is even really good at timing tasks like this. I started this blog post 4 minutes and 16 seconds ago and will know exactly how long it takes me to write a quick update.
I just downloaded the desktop app, and will write a brief review later.
Toggl Pros:
– Super easy
– Super quick
– Continues even if you close down your browser window
Waveapps
For those of us on Macs that have been using Parallels or VM Ware to virtualize Windows, just to run Simply Accounting or Quickbooks.
Waveapps Pros:
- Web based
- Integrates with a bunch of other systems
- Fairly easy to understand
- Complete accounting package
Waveapps Cons:
- Does not do recurring automatic payments (this is a big fail)
I need to add more posts, regularly.
A number of interesting events have happened since my last post in 2012. If this trend continues I may have a handful by the time no one blogs any more. On the web side we help people increase their online profile and drive more traffic to their site; I really should follow my own advice.
Memorable things since the last update:
- Got into a partnership with Dylan -> Company grew a lot.
- Got out of the partnership with Dylan -> Growth continued.
- Sustained 200% growth for 4 consecutive years.
- Sold ITSKelowna.com to Northern Computer.
- Traveled around Canada; Traveled more in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua on a motorcycle.
- Watched “Motorcycle Diaries” and I now understand all of the references.
- Merged with Richard Taylor at Hiilite.com.
- Scheduled a reminder to regularly add blog post updates.
Also, I cannot stress this enough, when making a website, get a real photographer. It makes a huge difference.
We started with what seemed like the right approach. We are really good friends, and both inspired to create a revolution. We tossed around ideas, and settled on what was clearly a winner.
We started.
Quickly we began testing and floating the idea. Was there something there? Did you have a question any market needed an answer for. All signs point to a resounding ‘YES’.
The idea:
It is a very simple problem, and everyone agreed that the traditional method of sharing business cards was ready for an overhaul.
The method:
We began by isolating what would be the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test our idea and solution. What would people want the product to have? How would it work? What is, at the very base, the part of the idea that would get people excited about. What do we need to build to get started.
The split of responsibility:
We both have different ideas on how this should be run, so we decided to split according to the amount of time we have to dedicate to the project, and the skills we want to apply here. Mine is the business end. Get people interested in the project. Get “early adopters”. Look for funding.
Jacob is to build the prototype.
We both hit the ground running and really, in no-time we have a number of people excited about the idea. We have a name, “Card Tap” (maybe in the hopes of NFC coming to the iPhone). We have prototype #1, #2, #3… #20. Jacob was fast, and motivated to make this work. It was impressive to see progress go so quickly.
My most recent experience of motivating people through employment had produced far slower results.
The slowdown:
Suddenly we started talking about different ways of how the project should rollout. We both realized that we need to reconcile our differences to move forward. Discussion started very happily ended with both saw eye-to-eye. Happy days.
The struggle:
We ended up bringing another partner, Dylan. Someone who was motivated to the marketing and very excited to do the social media. He was well-connected within the business community. We had the perfect partner.
We started showing application to many people. The feedback was almost unanimously positive. Everyone loved the idea, but, we did get some critical feedback. The implementation of the prototype and the technology behind it was really interesting to everyone. The one place where application seem to fall short is the ease of which sharing of the business card was to transpire.
I will take responsibility here, the name and the prototype were disjointed. The name “card tap” implied that tapping would be involved in sharing the business card, after all we did specify in the original conversation that it was supposed to be a “ridiculous easy way of sharing cards”.
The breakdown:
We started arguing amongst ourselves on what the best next step was. We had clearly elected a leader, a developer, and the marketer. Suddenly the idea of moving forward had three different opinions and three different solutions. Design by democracy!
In my opinion we needed to go back to the drawing board and come up with a whole new way of sharing that would fulfill that initial promise of a “ridiculously easy way of sharing cards”. In Jacob’s opinion we need to stay the course and get feedback from more from users. In Dylan’s opinion we needed to go back to the drawing board on the name “Card Tap” was clearly communicating the wrong product.
The split:
We argued about what the next set step should’ve been while we really should’ve just acted. We did select a new name for “Card Tap”, it was rebranded to Cardma. However Jacob and I could not agree on the next step. We both managed to find people who would support our opinions.
After days of agonizing about what the next step should be. I decided that the project could do just as well without me. Clearly my leadership role was not respected. Jacob felt like his input wasn’t implemented. Dylan felt like the brand was falling apart and the project lacked direction.
The conclusion:
We decided to shelve Cardma until a future date. Maybe we will come back and regroup. Maybe one of us will take over the project. Maybe someone else will build the application exactly the way we had imagined.
June 22nd, 2012 – TEDxKelowna
It was a fantastic event, and definitely something on my ‘bucket list’. For years I have been following and watching videos from the TED series. They are educational, informative, and motivating. This one was no exception.
The speakers included a filmmaker Jan Vozenilek how devastating our own garbage can be. We have now committed to no longer using paper cups at coffee shops.
11 time Iron Man competitor Crystal Flaman, who told a series of stories about perseverance and persistence. It was exactly what I wanted to hear.
A video of Shawn Achor who talked about happiness. This was absolutely amazing and I’ve forwarded this along to others.
… and many others. This is definitely a day that will define me. I wanted to thank the group who organized it.
My name is William Walczak and I am a Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada based engineer. I run an IT company, and web/mobile development studio and I am constantly learning, not only through experience, but from the gurus of the industries I work in.
I will post life events and stories here so my family and friends can see what I’ve been up to. Everything from career successes, to culinary achievements. I will also post information on tech, marketing, and business, trends that I find interesting.
Contact me via Twitter @WilliamWalczak or find me on Facebook.