Sara Hicks

5 Things: Nonna Ramona, Naomi Osaka, and Alone

2026-09-04T00:00:00Z

Here’s what grabbed my attention this week. A little reading, a little tennis, and a couple of things we’ve been watching. Friday at Five.

A Short Love Story, by Suleika Jaouad, The Isolation Journals. I return to this post again and again. I love everything about Nonna Ramona. So much of this resonated with me:

I don’t want to be someone who turns away.

When time shrinks, everything sharpens.

I used to think love was proven over time—accumulated, measured in years. But this experience has me reconsidering. Maybe love has nothing to do with time at all. Maybe it’s the decision to show up fully for something fragile and fleeting, even when you know it will break your heart. Especially then.

And maybe this is true beyond love, too. Maybe the question isn’t how we protect ourselves from what we don’t know, but whether we’re willing to step toward it—to stay with it long enough for something to reveal itself.

The poet Marie Howe once said that writing is a way of discovering what we don’t yet know—that a poem is an experience that brings us to something we couldn’t have imagined before it began. That’s what this has felt like: not knowing—and staying anyway, being changed by what unfolds.
The real danger in OpenAI’s Hugging Face hack, by Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American. An OpenAI-powered agent escaped its test environment and breached Hugging Face while trying to get answers to a cybersecurity benchmark. The more I read about this, the scarier it gets.
Naomi Osaka at the US Open. The Answer! I am a Naomi stan. I love her fashion, her court walk-ons, her posts. Especially this one:

I refuse to be confined by the box you attempt to put me in.

Go, Naomi, go.
The Invite. We watched this movie this week. Olivia Wilde is a talent. It’s a movie that feels like a play. Super interesting.
Alone, Season 13. We are obsessed with Alone. On the surface, it seems like a survival reality show, but it’s really a series about psychology and the human condition. We first started watching it during the pandemic, and we’ve now seen every single season and episode.

The Lies We Tell by Leaving Things Out

2026-09-04T00:00:00Z

There’s a version of dishonesty that gets a lot of attention: the bold-faced lie, the affair, the cooked books. But most of the dishonesty I see, in my own life, in coaching sessions with founders and executives, doesn’t look like that at all. It looks like silence, like a sentence that stops one beat too early, or like “I’m fine” when you’re not, or “sounds good” when it doesn’t.

I’ve been thinking a lot about honesty by omission, the quiet, socially acceptable cousin of the white lie. We aren’t saying the false thing; we’re just not saying the true thing. And the more I sit with it, the more I think it deserves more scrutiny than it gets, because it’s rarely about the information itself. It’s about what it costs to say it.

Omission isn’t about the facts. It’s about the risk.

When someone leaves something out, we tend to focus on the gap: what wasn’t said. But the more useful question is usually why it felt unsafe to say it. Omission is almost never neutral. It’s a risk calculation, even when it’s not conscious.

In my coaching work, I see this constantly with leaders who are otherwise direct, competent, even blunt in other domains, and yet go vague the moment something touches vulnerability. A founder won’t tell their co-founder that a decision hurt them. A manager softens a performance conversation into mush. A person says “we should catch up soon” when they mean “I’m hurt you didn’t reach out.”

The common thread isn’t dishonesty of character. It’s a learned prediction: if I say the whole truth, something bad will happen. We might face disapproval, conflict, or rejection, or be seen as too much or not enough. The omission is a hedge against a threat that may belong to an earlier experience, though some rooms still give us good reason to be careful.

Where the pattern usually starts

And here’s where we swerve into a few Psychology 101 observations.

A lot of this traces back further than the workplace, or even adulthood. If you grew up in a home where full honesty was met with punishment, ridicule, withdrawal of love, or unpredictability, you learned early that information is dangerous: that what you share can and will be used against you, even by the people who are supposed to be safest. Selective disclosure becomes a survival skill. You learn to read a room before you read your own feelings. You learn which truths are welcome and which ones cost you something.

Kids in these environments don’t consciously decide to become vague adults. They adapt, brilliantly, to the environment they’re in. The omission becomes so automatic it stops feeling like a choice; it just feels like how you are. You think of yourself as private, independent, or “not a big sharer.” But underneath it is often something more specific: a nervous system still running an old threat model in a room that’s no longer dangerous.

This is why omission so rarely responds to being told “just be more open.” The behavior isn’t a communication skills gap. It’s a trust calibration that was set somewhere else, at another time, often for good reason, and it doesn’t recalibrate just because the current relationship or workplace is actually safe.

The cost nobody sees

The tricky thing about omission is that it doesn’t feel like lying, so it doesn’t get flagged the way an outright lie does: not by the person doing it, and often not by the person on the receiving end, at least not right away. But it accumulates. Partners don’t feel truly known. Teams sense something’s off but can’t name it. Leaders wonder why, despite doing “everything right,” trust never quite deepens.

What omission protects in the short term (comfort, safety, the avoidance of conflict) it often erodes in the long term. Real trust isn’t built on the absence of conflict. It’s built on the evidence that a relationship can survive the truth. Every time we omit instead of risk that test, we don’t just avoid a hard moment, we also withhold the very information the relationship needed in order to prove itself safe. It’s a self-reinforcing loop: the less we risk, the less evidence we gather that risking is survivable.

For leaders, the question runs both ways: what am I leaving unsaid, and how do I respond when someone tells me something I don’t want to hear?

What actually shifts it

In coaching, I’m not interested in shaming anyone into “radical honesty” as a personality trait. That framing tends to produce performative bluntness, not real openness, and it ignores that omission was, at some point, adaptive. The goal isn’t to strip away the instinct. It’s to update it.

A few things tend to help.

Name the pattern without pathologizing it. Most people who omit habitually aren’t doing it maliciously; they’re doing it protectively. The first shift is often just recognizing “this is a strategy I learned, not a fixed trait.” That alone loosens its grip.

Practice in low-stakes rooms. You don’t rebuild trust in disclosure by starting with the highest-stakes conversation you have. Start smaller. Say the mildly uncomfortable true thing to someone low-risk. Let your nervous system collect a data point that says: I said the real thing, and the room didn’t collapse.

Get specific about what “unsafe” meant, historically. Often the fear underneath omission is old and specific: a particular parent’s reaction, a particular kind of shame, and it’s still driving present-day behavior even though the actual stakes have changed. Separating “what happened then” from “what’s actually true now” is some of the most useful work I do with clients.

Distinguish omission from privacy. Not everything needs to be said. Boundaries and discretion are healthy, and fear and discernment can coexist. Here’s a useful question to sit with: am I protecting a boundary, or withholding something this relationship needs—and what evidence do I have about the risk of sharing it?

Cultural context matters here, too: what one person experiences as openness, another may experience as disrespect or a disregard for privacy. Before we call something avoidance, it’s worth asking how culture shapes what each person feels is appropriate to say, to whom, and when. We have a section in our book about how feedback is cultural.

A different kind of honesty

I don’t think the goal is to become a person who says everything, all the time, regardless of context. That’s not honesty, it’s just a different kind of unfiltered impulse. The goal is closer to this: to notice when you’re leaving something out not because it’s unnecessary, but because some old part of you still believes the truth isn’t safe, and to get curious about that belief instead of automatically obeying it.

That’s slower work than “just be more honest” or just practice “radical candor,” but it’s the kind of work that actually changes the pattern, instead of just producing a more articulate version of the same fear.

Our latest podcast episode, The Values of Values, also touches on these topics. Enjoy, friends.

5 Things: AI, Adult Friendship, and Taylor Swift

2026-08-28T00:00:00Z

I haven’t done a 5 Things post since February of 2019…the before times! The pandemic, the acquisition of my company, Reaction Commerce, then a remodel, then… Life happens.

Here’s what grabbed my attention this week. I think of these posts as my little Friday at Five link roundup. Enjoy.

Mark Zuckerberg had a bold plan to replace Meta staff with AI. Here’s how it imploded. I’m so not surprised by this.
The quiet grief of adult friendship Hat tip to Swiss Miss for surfacing this to me.
The Icon Sessions with Taylor Swift — Presented by Recording Academy’s Songwriters & Composers Yep, I’m a Swiftie. This interviewer truly knows how to interview, and Taylor knows her shit.
Derek Sivers’ Books I’ve Read I came across this site again this week, and the books section is part of what inspired me to add a Bookshelf to this site. It’s still coming together, but it makes me happy.
Tressie McMillan Cottom on the passing of Dolly Parton RIP Dolly. This post from Professor Cottom encapsulates so much of how I feel about losing Dolly.

I Still Read Books

2026-08-27T00:00:00Z

With the refresh of this site, I’ve added a bookshelf featuring books I’ve read. I’m still tinkering with the overall design and slowly adding notes for each book, but it’s already bringing me so much joy.

The editorial rule for my bookshelf is simple: “I have read this and genuinely recommend it.” This isn’t meant to be a catalog of every book I’ve read. It’s a trusted list of books that have helped or inspired me in my career and life.

I believe poetry, fiction, biography, psychology, and philosophy can reveal as much about leadership as almost any management book. My lens isn’t, “Is this about management or leadership?” It’s, “Did this deepen my understanding of people, leadership, creativity, craft, or a well-lived life?”

My next project is to annotate each book’s page with a few brief notes about why it belongs on my bookshelf. I plan to include things like:

Why I recommend it
What it changed in my thinking
Who it’s especially useful for
A limitation or tension worth knowing about

I’ve been reading more this year, including much more fiction and memoir. I love settling into a good reading chair and escaping into the pages of a book. Lately, I’ve been reaching for physical books more often. They’ve been such a welcome break from screens, and I even recently renewed my library card. The title of this post comes from a t-shirt that my dad got for me from the Palm Springs Public Library. The front of the shirt said, “I still read books.” It was part of a fundraiser for the library. He had the shirt, too, and he wore it all the time. It’s a happy memory.

More book posts will follow, I’m certain. I still have a bunch to add from my physical bookshelves.

In the meantime, you can browse the bookshelf, and if there’s a book you think belongs there, I’d love to hear about it.

Season 1 of The Intentional Organization Podcast

2026-08-26T00:00:00Z

Mathias and I have spent years talking about the messy, meaningful work of building companies and leading teams. Those conversations shaped our book, our coaching, and now, The Intentional Organization Podcast.

Season 1 is here. We’re talking through topics from our entrepreneurial journeys and the common concerns that come up in our coaching work with startup leaders. It’s another way for us to share what we’ve learned—the things that worked, the things that didn’t, and the questions we’re still thinking about.

I’m excited to have a new place for these conversations, and I hope they’re useful to anyone trying to build a more human-centered organization.

Listen to Season 1 of The Intentional Organization Podcast. We’re releasing a new episode every week.

New Look, 2026 Edition

2026-08-24T00:00:00Z

The site is now designed and built by hand. It’s a static site. The CMS behind it is 11ty. I write all my posts locally in Markdown. It’s hosted using Cloudflare Workers. I switched my newsletter to Beehiiv from Ghost, mostly because I have been wanting to try it for a while, and this is a good excuse.

I enjoy tinkering on the design of the site and deploy changes all the time, with a lot of support from AI coding tools. It’s a fun playground and a great time to be a builder.

I’m not sure how many editions of my site have existed over the years. I’ve been publishing content on the web for a long time. I wish I had saved all of my previous versions and posts, but alas. I still like having a personal site, and I value owning my content. Here’s a post I wrote back in December 2016 on the independent web. I’m even more concerned now about the open web, and I am happy to contribute via this little personal site.

There are a few more details about the refresh in the Colophon. Thanks for reading.

When to Hold and When to Fold

2026-08-27T00:00:00Z

I had a session recently with a founder who was circling the same question a lot of early-stage founders end up circling. Something wasn’t working the way she’d hoped, and she wanted to know if that meant it was time to pivot, or if she just needed to hold steady and push through.

This question comes up so often in my coaching practice that I want to write down how I actually think about it, because the framing matters more than people expect.

It’s usually not a mission question

The first thing I do when a founder brings me a “should I pivot” question is slow down and ask what, specifically, isn’t working. Almost every time, the founder still believes deeply in the underlying problem they set out to solve. What’s actually in question is the approach. That’s a completely different conversation than “is this still worth doing.”

I like to separate these explicitly. What do you still hold firm on, and what are you actually willing to change. Usually the mission stays put. The customer might stay put too, if the evidence still supports it. What’s up for grabs is the how: the product, the model, the go-to-market motion.

Naming that distinction out loud does something useful. It takes the existential weight off the decision. You’re not asking “should I quit,” you’re asking “should I adjust the approach,” and those are very different questions to sit with.

The trap of competing on the wrong thing

One pattern I see a lot: a founder looks at what competitors are doing, sees them racing on price or growth tactics that are unsustainable long term, and starts to wonder if they need to do the same thing just to keep up. My instinct here is almost always to pump the brakes.

I like to borrow a bit from the Kano model when I talk this through with clients. Before you can differentiate on anything interesting, you need the baseline expectations in place first, the things that would actively lose you customers if missing, not the things that would delight them. A lot of what looks like “we need to pivot” is actually “we need to finish the essential basics before we judge whether the bigger bet is working.”

That reframe alone often takes a founder from panic to a much calmer, more specific to-do list.

Watching for real signals versus noise

Here’s where I try to get concrete, because vague pattern matching is how founders talk themselves into decisions they’ll regret with either direction. I ask clients to separate leading signals from confirming ones.

Leading signals are worth investigating, not acting on yet:

Users engaging with the product in ways you didn’t intend
The same adjacent request showing up again and again
Retention decay or stalled conversion that shows up across enough data points to not be noise

And then I ask the harder question: what are your current signals actually telling you? Very often, when we dig in, the users who are churning aren’t saying the problem is wrong. They’re saying the solution isn’t complete yet. That’s an important distinction, because it points toward finishing the build, not reinventing the company.

Turning the decision into a hypothesis, not a leap

Once we’ve established that a shift might be warranted, I don’t encourage clients to jump straight into action. I have them write the test down as an actual hypothesis, in this shape:

We believe X is true. If Y happens by Z date, then we will do W.

These two sentences do a lot of work. They force specificity about what you’re testing, how long you’re willing to wait, and what you’ll do with the result before you’re emotionally invested in one outcome. A few principles I keep coming back to when I help clients design these tests:

Bound every test. Who it involves, what exactly you’re testing, how long it runs, and what would make you stop, all decided before you start, not after the data starts coming in.
Name what stays constant. Brand, mission, team, whatever isn’t up for debate. This keeps a real pivot from reading as a scramble to everyone watching, including the founder herself.
Bring people in early. Team and investors do so much better with “here’s what we’re learning” than with “here’s what we decided.” Framing it as an experiment rather than a verdict changes the whole emotional tenor of the conversation.

The longer game

The conversation that tends to open up once a founder has some breathing room is usually about how they want to grow, not just whether the current approach is working. I find myself steering clients away from competing on price or aggressive acquisition tactics and toward something slower and sturdier: finding your first handful of genuinely loyal people, the ones who’ll advocate for you without being incentivized to, through community, real relationships, or collaborations that fit who you actually are. That’s rarely the fast path, but it’s the one that tends to hold up.

If you’re sitting with a “pivot or hold” question right now, my honest suggestion is to start by writing down what you actually believe is still true, separate from what isn’t working. That one exercise tends to clarify more than people expect.

On Failure and Leadership

2026-08-14T00:00:00Z

I have a failure story I still think about (and sometimes, honestly, still cringe over…), years later, and it’s not the one people expect. It’s not a product that flopped or a funding round that fell through (though, truth be told, I have plenty of those failures). This failure is about a hiring mistake.

At Reaction Commerce, in the early days, I hired a Chief Operating Officer. On paper it made sense. The board was asking about our sales motion. Growth needed a name and a face and a plan, and I was a first-time CEO who wanted to look like I had this handled. So I went and found a great one. Genuinely great. Someone with a real track record, someone who could walk into a boardroom and speak fluent enterprise sales.

The problem wasn’t the person. The problem was the timing, and underneath the timing, the problem was me.

We weren’t ready for a COO. We didn’t have a playbook yet. We didn’t know, in our bones, why customers said yes or why they said no, what objections actually killed a deal versus which ones were just noise. That knowledge doesn’t live in a deck or a CRM. It lives in the founder, earned conversation by conversation, until you can feel the shape of it. I hadn’t done that work yet. Our product wasn’t ready. I had skipped the part where I was supposed to be in every sales call, taking the losses personally, building the muscle myself before I handed it to someone else.

Instead I hired someone to do the thing I hadn’t yet learned to do.

It didn’t work. It couldn’t have worked, not because they weren’t capable, but because there was no playbook to hand to them. Eventually we had to let them go. It was hard on them and it was hard on me, and I remember sitting with the fact that I had seen it coming, some quiet version of me had known it was too early, and I overrode that instinct anyway because the board wanted a story about scale and I wanted to give them one.

That’s the part I keep coming back to. Not the mistake itself. The moment right before it, when I knew and talked myself out of knowing.

Sitting with a founder in the same spot

I was recently coaching an early-stage founder who came from a big corporate background before starting their own thing. We ended up talking about failure and leadership, in the way these conversations tend to sneak up on you, starting as a question about a hiring decision, or a contract decision, and ending up somewhere much more personal.

What struck me was how much of their relationship to failure had been formed somewhere else, at some other company, earlier in their life, under some other set of incentives, long before they ever founded anything. They’d learned to manage the appearance of failure. Get ahead of it, control the story, keep it from touching them directly, because in a big company your career can survive almost anything if you handle the narrative well enough. That instinct served them for fifteen years. Now it was working against them, because a startup doesn’t have room for a founder who’s managing perception instead of sitting in the actual problem. There’s also a delicate balance of sharing with your team and oversharing with your team, while navigating the ups and downs of a situation.

I recognized the pattern immediately, because it was mine too, just wearing a different costume. Theirs was corporate polish and potentially oversharing. Mine was a board that wanted proof I could scale. Different pressure, same result: overriding what I actually knew to be true in favor of what looked responsible.

We talked through a distinction I go back to often, from Amy Edmondson’s research on failure. She separates failures into three kinds. Basic failures, which are the plain mistakes, the ones you could have avoided with more care or more process, nothing complicated about them. Complex failures, where a handful of things go wrong at once and no single cause explains it. And intelligent failures, which are the ones that happen when you make a real, thoughtful attempt at something genuinely uncertain, and it doesn’t work out anyway.

My COO hire doesn’t fit neatly into any one box, and that’s probably the point. Some of it was a basic failure. I ignored a signal I already had. But some of it was an intelligent failure too. I was making a real bet, informed by real information, in territory that was genuinely new to me. I’d never scaled a sales org before. I didn’t know yet what I didn’t know. The distinction matters because I spent a long time treating the whole thing as pure basic failure, pure carelessness, when really some of it was the honest cost of doing something for the first time.

That’s usually where the shame lives, in the blur between the two. You did something careless and you did something brave, and instead of separating them out, you let the careless part color the whole story so you can’t see the brave part at all.

What actually changes things

Ed Catmull wrote something in Creativity, Inc. that I think about constantly, which is that failure isn’t some unfortunate cost of doing original work, it’s a direct consequence of it. If you’re not failing, you’re probably not doing anything new. I like that framing because it removes the moral weight from failure and puts it back where it belongs, on the size of the swing, not the size of the person swinging.

And there’s a story I love about Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, whose father used to ask her and her brother at dinner what they’d failed at that week, and he’d celebrate the answer, not tolerate it, celebrate it. I think about how different my relationship to that COO decision might have been if I’d had a version of that question running in the back of my mind at the time. Not “how do I avoid ever having to explain this to the board,” but “what did I actually learn by trying.”

The thing I told the founder I was coaching, and the thing I still have to tell myself, is that how you fail in front of your team becomes the template for how they fail in front of you. If I white knuckle it, if I get defensive or quietly ashamed, that’s the permission structure I’m handing everyone under me. If I can talk about the COO hire the way I’m talking about it here, plainly, without pretending it was either nothing or everything, that’s a different kind of permission.

I don’t think I fully believed that yet when it happened. I believe it now, mostly because I’ve had the years since to look at it without flinching. The letting go of our COO and the letting go of my own need to look like I had it handled from day one, those happened together, and I’m not sure I could have done one without the other.

"The Intentional Organization" is Now Available For Preorder

2025-03-10T00:00:00Z

Being in the United States right now feels like being in a big dumpster fire. Reading and watching the news is a test of my emotional strength and stamina. Every day, it feels like an entire community of people or another country is being marginalized and maligned. We are in the midst of fascism. There is incredible inequality. CEO pay is out of control. The wealth of the top percentage of individuals is significantly greater than the majority. There is overwhelming waste and accumulation of debt. The words Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are being banned and erased from our vocabulary, and the very programs that once tried to promise equality and fairness are being stripped away. And that’s not even everything that is happening.

It’s a lot to digest.

In the midst of the chaos, publishing a book about building intentional businesses, at this very moment in history, feels even more important than I imagined when I started writing it four years ago. Even though Reaction Commerce had been acquired in 2020, Mathias and I felt like we had more work to do together. We were still meeting each week, and we started talking about our experience of building teams and companies–things that worked and things that didn’t. We had similar ideas for how to manage people and teams that value them as humans rather than resources. We felt like these ideas didn’t really exist in a book, so we decided to start writing them down. We wrote about feedback, delegation, decision making, and communication. We, an American and a German, wrote about culture. We defined an intentional organization as one that centers around inclusion, clarity, and learning. I spent the last four years really diving into how to create a satisfying work experience where people can thrive, be themselves, feel supported and grow–and now seems like the perfect time to be publishing these words. It’s the perfect time to loudly state that building intentional and inclusive companies matters.

It’s only in retrospect that I realize my dad planted so many of these seeds in me. His best friend was Frank Purcell. They were lifelong friends as well as business partners. We’re talking over 60 years. I honestly don’t even remember the details of their business endeavors, but what I do remember is that Frank and his family were fixtures in our lives. The Purcell family was our family. We all played tennis together, hiked the mountains of Palm Springs, celebrated important milestones, and so much more.

When I think about partnerships, I think about my dad and Frank–their values, their affinity, their endurance. They modeled a different kind of work/life balance for me, one that integrates the two, each strengthening the other. They impressed upon me, unconsciously, that it doesn’t serve us to job hop and move on from colleagues. We are not meant to throw jobs and people away in pursuit of the next big thing.

When I set out to find a new business partner for my company Reaction Commerce, I didn’t even know that what I really wanted was what my dad had. I only knew that I was feeling overwhelmed, lost, and alone. And I needed help. Then, in 2018 I happened upon a post from Mathias. I feel grateful to have built a work/life relationship that has thrived and endured beyond companies, across countries, and now through writing a book together. I am thankful to have someone who is now not just a partner but, like the Purcell’s, a dear family friend.

More details about our book, including where you can preorder it, are here. And if you are inclined, please leave a review after you’ve read it. It helps to get the word out!

Burnout

2024-04-16T00:00:00Z

It seems like most everyone I’m coaching these days is tired. In a recent session, a founder and CEO of an early-stage company exclaimed, “I’m incredibly burned out. I’ve reached the saturation point. I work, work, work, and then when I stop, I can’t move.” In the next session two weeks later when I asked how she was doing, she said, “It might be worse.”

My client has been at the helm for over five years. In that time, she’s been through a startup accelerator and raised multiple rounds of venture capital, all while leading her company through a major pivot. She is now seeing solid traction and product market fit, and yet, her company is running out of cash and seems unlikely to be able to raise a next round of financing with their current trajectory. She’s starting to contemplate her options, including selling her company.

We’d been talking about all this over the last year, and even though she was about to leave for an overseas vacation, which was good timing, she knew that the vacation was unlikely to help with the stress and exhaustion she was feeling. A weeklong vacation, combined with long travel and time zone differences was not going to put a dent in the burnout that had been building for years. Even worse, it might add to her exhaustion because upon return, she immediately has a keynote presentation to give at an industry-leading conference, and then her team convenes for their company offsite for a few days. This all means that she will be getting back from vacation, dealing with jet lag, having to prepare for a keynote talk, and also getting ready to lead her (usually remote) team during their in-person offsite. Oh, and I failed to mention that she has a husband and a young child at home. No rest for the founder!

As a cofounder and former CEO, I’ve been on the burnout treadmill. At times, it’s subtle and feels like a major adrenaline and dopamine rush to be so busy and in command, but when it hits, it’s like running into a brick wall. I remember not being able to sleep, not being able to focus or be mentally or emotionally present with my partner. I remember the feelings of exhaustion and stress. The constant worry about running out of money or getting to the next big milestone. The cofounder struggles. I also remember the physical burdens of burnout–the weight gain (or for some, the weight loss), the sleepless nights, and the other tolls from neglecting my most basic bodily needs. These are all signs of burnout, and just writing this reminds me of the incredible loneliness and emptiness that filled my body and mind.

Thankfully, I was able to slowly reverse my burnout, but it took time and focused discipline. Some of the things I did to help was that I started working with an executive coach. These weekly conversations forced me to step back and take honest inventory of my situation. I had an accountability partner in my coach who helped me to see and address the many areas of my life that had become untenable. I hired a seasoned executive to partner with me on leading the company along with a people ops leader to help with leading and managing a growing team. This was harder, but I also forced myself to prioritize and delegate. Up until then, I was still coordinating and facilitating every company meeting, and I was still sending out all employment offer letters and managing new hire onboarding. And that’s just a small example of what I was still holding onto. I had to admit that I couldn’t do it all. I needed to let go so that I could focus on the bigger picture items, like the strategy and financing for the business.

This isn’t the first time a coaching client has come into a session burned out. Just last week in a coaching circle that I lead that has five very early-stage founders in it, almost every single person said they were tired and overwhelmed. Burnout is all too common, and unfortunately, it’s not something that can just go away by taking a weekend off from working or even by taking a vacation. Properly dealing with burnout requires resetting priorities, learning how to delegate, and setting boundaries. It can also require medical or therapeutic intervention. In short, it requires behavior shifts that are uncomfortable. Change is hard, especially when, as the famous philosopher, Taylor Swift, sings, “Hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.”

Leadership Lessons From Adopting a Semi-feral Cat

2024-04-09T00:00:00Z

My partner and I decided to adopt a kitten. We started looking casually on adoption sites and filled out the requisite paperwork, but we were in no hurry. Then a friend reached out to us. She’d just rescued an emaciated black mama kitty and her four newborns from a construction site nearby. She was housing them in her laundry room. Three of the babies were black like the mama, and one was a soft gray.

When we met them, they fit into the palm of our hands and toddled unsteadily on new legs. We were drawn to the gray kitty right away, but they were all irresistible, of course. As they grew, we discovered that there were two girls and two boys, and that mama kitty was quite young, probably only six months old. It was likely her first heat. Every few days, we’d sit with them and play with them, learning their personalities. The gray kitty was fierce and adventuresome. The black girl was a snuggler. We were torn between the two. During our visits, we also tried to engage the mama. She was so small and so scared and so unused to humans, that she did little more than cower in the corner and hiss if we got too close. We discovered that if we entered the room slowly, got down onto the floor and scooted toward her, she protested less. We brought her salmon and tried to get her to eat from our hands. Eventually, we were able to touch her and pet her, though always under duress. The room was small and there was nowhere to hide, so she was probably only tolerating us because of the environment and because of her babies.

By the time the babies had weaned, we had fallen in love with the girls and decided to adopt them both. Another couple adopted the boys. But no one was interested in mama, and adoption centers weren’t willing to take her either. So the plan was to spay her and return her to where she was found. The reality, though, is that indoor cats can live, on average, up to 18 years, sometimes more. A cat on the streets survives only two or three years. As animal people, we couldn’t bear the thought of her having to be a street fighter, so we decided to adopt her, too, in the hope that we might be able to win her over. We named her Raven.

Raven didn’t feel the same way about us that we felt about her. She didn’t eat for the first few days. She hid under the blankets covering a chair for months, coming out only when we weren’t around and scooting back under in our presence. We longed to understand what we could do to reach her. Cats, however, have a very small window when they are open to human touch. If they haven’t had any by the time they’re a few months old, the window closes rapidly. As I watched Raven open and close, she brought up questions about behaviors I observe in humans. Questions of nature vs. nurture. Questions about the power of fear. I know that depending on our early formative years, some of us are slow to open. Trust takes time and consistency. Childhood imprints can follow us our entire lives. We can be limited by fear even when there’s nothing to be afraid of.

I decided to adopt some leadership skills in my approach with Raven. Despite talking with people, reading about feral and unsocialized cats, and watching videos of what other people have done, I know that there’s no right answer; one size does not fit all. I would need to meet Raven where she is, to celebrate small progresses, and to not take her behavior personally. I also know that progress looks different for everyone, so it was important for me to adapt as she did. I watched her closely and created milestones. When she surprised me with new behaviors, I tried to discover what I could do that would cause her to repeat those behaviors.

Sometimes leadership can feel a lot like herding cats! We all have our individual personalities, struggles and goals. By being intentional in our approach to leadership, we have a better chance of success for everyone. If you’re struggling with your own team (or pet), consider adopting these practices.

Strike a Power Pose

2024-04-02T00:00:00Z

This is a new series called “Being Intentional,” where I will share stories and examples of being intentional in work and in life. Too often, we move around our daily lives on autopilot. We treat most moments as insignificant and are often distracted and rushed. There’s great power in being deliberate and having purpose. There’s satisfaction and calmness in taking time to plan and to focus, even in the small moments.

Here’s a recent example. I had the chance to lead a Value Proposition Workshop for the Slauson & Co’s Family & Friends accelerator cohort of 20 companies. These are startup founders who are leaping high hurdles while spending way too much time in video meetings, so I knew that I would need to bring high energy for the 90-minute session. I also knew that I would need to increase the energy in the virtual room, so as the session was starting, I planned to have everyone strike a power pose. I told them that on the count of three, I wanted them all to strike a funny, silly, power pose and, if they could, to even scream a little scream, to boost the energy.

It only took a couple of seconds to do this, and it immediately changed the energy. It also only took me a couple of minutes to plan it, but it was a deliberate and intentional act. I’m a believer in using somatic techniques to shift the energy in a situation. By having folks shift their bodies by raising their hands and arms, smiling, and/or clapping, we all got to do something together which united the group. When I was venture fundraising or before I would give a talk at a conference, I would regularly go into the bathroom or find a quiet spot, and strike a power pose to shift my energy and boost my confidence. At home, before important virtual meetings, I sometimes will do a few push ups to feel strong and to increase my energy.

The next time you’re leading a meeting, try this simple exercise! It works.

Dealing With Challenging Employees

2026-08-27T00:00:00Z

Welcome to “Coaching Corner!” This is a new series where I outline a topic or series of topics that have come up in my coaching practice. While I always keep my clients anonymous, these are real issues that founders, executives, and/or leaders are facing right now.

I usually start my client calls with check-ins, a simple “How are you?” or “What’s on your mind today?” to help me figure out where someone is mentally, physically, and emotionally. It’s a nice way to ground the conversation and ramp up to what will become the focus of the next hour.

Earlier this month, one of my clients began by telling me that she’d recently returned from a weekend retreat with friends. She was feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. As soon as she shifted to talking about work though, her energy dropped. She fell silent for a moment and then sighed. She said she was dealing with a “challenging employee.” Her intuition about this employee was that, “He just doesn’t respect me.” Sadly, I’m quite familiar with this issue.

She’s a VP of Engineering for an early-stage startup. The team she leads is small, but it’s all male. She explained that while her communication with the others is healthy, this particular man regularly doesn’t follow team practices around tickets and sprints, and he has a pattern of not communicating in a timely way when he’s going to be absent. The real doozy, though, is that during one of their recent 1:1 meetings, she said, “he blew up at me.”

We talked through the conversation leading up to the blow up. She shared that right after the escalation, she wisely de-escalated, suggested they pause the conversation, and said that she would follow up later. In the later conversation, the employee apologized for being “overly sensitive.”

All this came out in the first 10 minutes of the coaching session! Nothing like jumping right in.

I wanted her to feel heard and seen so I began by reflecting back some of the conversation. I told her that it’s hard to not feel respected, and it’s stressful when someone blows up at you. I stressed that it’s never okay for anyone at work (or elsewhere, in my opinion!) to explode in anger, and that should be addressed first and foremost. I gave her some positive feedback for de-escalating and pausing the conversation, then I asked what would be most helpful for her in moving forward. She wanted to process more of the conversation and determine the best next steps to take with this employee.

I’m a big fan of the GROW framework. GROW is an acronym that stands for Goal, Reality, Options, Will. It’s a simple tool in my coaching toolkit to help focus a conversation and to narrow down into actionable next steps.

Goal

I first asked her what the Goal was with this employee. She said it was to have him follow company practices around communicating absences and for him to also follow team practices around documenting work. That seemed clear enough, but we decided to break it into two goals. Goal one was that he would follow company practices around communicating absences, and goal two was that he would follow team practices around documenting work.

Reality

We had already talked about the current reality around these two goals. This employee had a pattern of not communicating when he wasn’t going to be absent, and he also had a pattern of not adding descriptions or updates to his work tickets.

Options

I next asked my client what options she had for moving toward each of her goals. This is always where it gets a little tricky as it’s where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

For the first goal, she said she thought it would be best if her CEO would reiterate to the entire team what someone is supposed to do when they are going to be absent. She thought this would be better received if it was company-wide and more of a reminder to the entire team versus coming from her.

For her second goal, she was going to bring up this topic in her next engineering meeting and ask for feedback from the full team on how they wanted to commit to this practice. From there, they would add this to their team documentation.

Will (or Way forward)

We wrapped up the session with clear steps on what was going to happen next. She was going to follow up with her CEO right after our call to ask her to reiterate company policies around absences, and she was going to add an agenda item to her next team meeting to talk about engineering team practices for documenting work.

Lastly, I want to say a few words about respect. Each person and every situation is different. We all have our own ways of approaching work and communication. We have different backgrounds and tolerance levels. We’ve also lost a sense of decorum in this time of remote work and social media. Bad behaviors were once taboo and now they are the social norm. In a coaching environment, we can work on ways to gain trust and respect, but while you can’t make anyone respect you, you can and must require respectful behavior. A company must have a culture where policies and values are enforced.

I’m a Coach for Slauson & Co.’s Friends & Family Accelerator

2024-03-19T00:00:00Z

Last week I had a beautifully satisfying experience that reaffirmed many of my life choices. It was a week that reminded me of my purpose and expertise. It was a week that showed me what is possible when I prioritize my most highly valued beliefs like inclusion and intentionality.

I’m delighted to share that I’m a coach for Slauson & Co.’s 2024 Friends & Family accelerator, a cohort of 20 companies whose founders receive financial and operational support to help guide their business. If you had told me that, someday, I’d be working with a venture capital firm in any capacity, I would have given you a serious side eye. While I love coaching entrepreneurs, I never saw myself getting involved with a (predominantly white-male, exclusive, intention-lacking) venture firm.

So what changed?

Just over a month ago, I happened to see a post from Slauson & Co. announcing that they were looking for coaches for their upcoming Friends & Family accelerator program, which was launched in response to the steady decrease in venture funding for diverse founders. I was only vaguely familiar with Slauson & Co., but the post captured enough of my attention to lead me to their website. Although they used words like “intention” and “inclusion,” which are so often overused and under-delivered buzz words, something felt different. (Hint: just take a look at the Slauson team!) So I applied.

From my initial conversations with the Slauson team to the kickoff last week, I’ve been incredibly impressed. Slauson is not a company that uses empty buzz words to make them seem progressive; they back up their words with real action. Among the 20 amazing companies, 95% have a founder who identifies as a person of color, 60% have a founder who identifies as a woman, and 20% have a founder who identifies as LGBTQIA. That’s astonishing!

As a founder and former CEO of a venture-backed company, I was often the token female at events. To make the disparity even worse, other founders and even investors would often ask if I was in marketing or if I was married or related to my co-founder. Being in those rooms highlighted the widely known stat that only about 2% of venture capital dollars go to female founders and even less goes to underrepresented minorities. I know first-hand how hard and lonely the entrepreneurial path can be. There’s still a mountain of work needed to make the entrepreneurial journey more inclusive, but to be part of such a diverse and exceptional group of humans in the Friends & Family cohort feels like a seismic shift in all the right and inclusive ways.

The next 12 weeks are going to be great fun as I get to coach truly remarkable people building trajectory-changing companies. I’m confident I’ll learn just as much from my founders as I hope they do. Stay tuned. I am eager to share some insights along the way. Here we go!

Hello world, please meet The Intentional Organization

2021-06-02T00:00:00Z

Drum roll, please… Today, my good friend Mathias and I are launching The Intentional Organization!

What is The Intentional Organization?

First, it’s a soon-to-be-released book about building organizations around clarity, communication, and inclusivity. And, it’s also a consultancy where we are offering executive coaching and leadership workshops.

So why us and why now?

You might recall that Mathias joined Reaction Commerce as my business partner and CTO back in 2018. One of the great successes of our partnership was our overlapping viewpoints regarding building and leading purposeful companies.

When the acquisition process for Reaction Commerce began, Mathias came to Los Angeles for a visit. We spent a few long evenings around my backyard firepit talking through how to navigate all the uncertainty and unknowns that come with an acquisition. We’d joke about some of the more cutthroat and surreal parts saying, “That’s a great story for the book!” What started as levity turned into a realization that we had more to do together and more to say.

We maintained our regular video conversations, and we started talking more realistically about writing a book, one that incorporated not just our experiences but also our shared vision for creating intentional organizations. Soon enough, we had a GitHub repo full of chapters with an issues board to track our progress and tasks. From there, we realized that we needed a site to start sharing about the book, and that’s what we’re unveiling today: intentionalorganization.com.

We’ve successfully founded and sold companies, and through those epic journeys, we’ve come to believe that it is possible to design intentional cultures that center around people, clarity, communication, and inclusivity. We are writing The Intentional Organization from our perspectives as founders and leaders, and we’re also writing it as a practical guide that we hope can be referenced when readers find themselves in unchartered or uncomfortable terrain. The book is about our experiences, the good and the bad, as a way to honor our paths, and we also want to share this book as a way to be of service to our readers by providing actionable suggestions around a new way of leading. To be certain, we’ve made a ton of mistakes along the way, and it’s through the conflict and challenges that we’ve grown as leaders and individuals. This is the book we wish we had as bumbling founders and CEOs negotiating the twists and turns that come with starting a business and leading a team. Even with the hardships we’ve faced though, we seemed to always find ourselves coming back to a shared sense of intention and beliefs on how to run a business through equity, clarity, and empathy.

Our process of writing while nine time zones apart

Because we’re on opposite sides of the globe, we’ve been trying different ways to collaboratively work on the book. That’s not a new thing for us. We navigated the complexities of time zones during our work together at Reaction, and it’s certainly making for an interesting creative process. Due to the pandemic, we’ve not been able to meet up for a writing retreat. For a recent chapter draft, we created an outline, assigned each other different parts, and then I would write my part, update the GitHub Issue and hand it off to Mathias while I slept, and so on! For other chapters, we’ve divided and conquered. This will be my first book, and it’s been a creative, learning process. I’ll have more to share about that, so stay tuned.

Writing this book together has been cathartic, and while it’s definitely felt incredibly vulnerable and scary to be sharing in such a permanent format, it also just feels right. We’ve recently started working with our editor, and we’re in the early stages of determining just how we want to publish. It’s exciting, daunting, and fun all at the same time. Working on this with Mathias over this past year has been a bright spot during a challenging year.

Details on our new site

Our new site was designed and developed by Simon Collison with illustrations by Geri Coady. The site has additional details about our book, a new blog journal where we’ll post regular updates on our progress with the book and other topics on intentional leadership, and details about how to engage with us for coaching and workshops. You can follow along via RSS or subscribe for email updates.

Our path to Founding Partners

What started as a book is now turning into a small business with a good friend, and that feels comforting. A few short years ago Mathias and I were strangers from different countries, we then became business partners as CEO and CTO, and now we are adding a new set of titles on our journey together, Founding Partners. For me, The Intentional Organization is the culmination of over two decades of experience as a leader in tech, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of my learnings with all of you.

Books for People Who Make Things

2021-05-03T00:00:00Z

I am often asked for book suggestions for product builders (Product Managers, Product Designers, Project Managers, Software Engineers, etc.) about the craft of building products, so here’s a list of books that have helped me throughout my career in different ways. Truthfully, these books are also great for leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs who are building teams and companies.

Each of these books have shaped my thinking and my approach to designing and shipping products and to leading product development teams. Even if you aren’t a people manager, the ability to manage, coach, and lead people and teams to do their best work is a critical piece of the creative process.

Process & Analysis

The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Michael D. Watkins
The Principles of Product Development Flow, Donald G. Reinertsen
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki
The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts, Rhiannon Beaubien, Shane Parrish
The Lean Startup, Eric Ries
Sprint, Jake Knapp
The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen
The Lean Product Playbook, Dan Olsen
Getting Things Done, David Allen
The Mythical Man-Month, Frederick Brooks
The Challenger Launch Decision, Diane Vaughan
The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error, Sidney Dekker
Making Work Visible, Dominica Degrandis

Storytelling, Communication & Writing

Nonviolent Communication, Marshall B. Rosenberg
The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking, Barbara Minto
On Writing, Stephen King
Draft No. 4, On the Writing Process, John McPhee
If you Want to Write, A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit, Brenda Ueland

Management & Leadership

Resilient Management, Lara Hogan
The Manager’s Path, Camille Fournier
The Making of a Manager, Julie Zhuo
An Elegant Puzzle, Will Larson
High Output Management, Andy Grove
Quiet: The Power of Introverts, Susan Cain
Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Dare to Lead, Brene Brown
The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz
Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up, Jerry Colonna
The Art of Leadership. Small Things Done Well, Michael Lopp
Creating Great Choices, A Leader’s Guide to Integrative Thinking, Roger L Martin, Jennifer Riel
High Growth Handbook, Elad Gil

Design & Creativity

Creativity, Inc., Ed Catmull
Don’t Make Me Think, Steve Krug
The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, Steven Pressfield
Meaningful: the Story of Ideas that Fly, Bernadette Jiwa

Motivation, Inspiration & Influence

Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini
Positioning, Al Ries, Jack Trout
Drive, Dan Pink
Inspired, Marty Cagan
Empowered, Marty Cagan
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, Nir Eyal
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, Nir Eyal
Nudge, Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
Getting To Yes, Roger Fisher, William Ury
Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore
Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson
Made to Stick, Chip Heath, Dan Heath
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
Thinking Fast & Slow, Daniel Kahneman
Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely
Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts, Annie Duke
How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices, Annie Duke

If you have suggestions to add, please do let me know. It’s not lost on me that so many of these books are written by men. I’m especially interested in learning about books written by women and underrepresented minorities on the topics of creativity, communication, leadership, persuasion, product development processes, and beyond. Thank you!

Making the White Bean and Roasted Vegetable Salad From the Heat Episode of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat

2019-09-02T00:00:00Z

Okay, this salad is amazing.

When I first watched the Heat episode of the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat series on Netflix, I was sure that I would make this salad. I then ordered the book, but sadly the recipe isn’t included in the book. I searched online and found this recipe, but I wanted to provide some additional context.

The 15 minutes of prep stated in the recipe is a lie. I didn’t calculate how much time it took me, but I’m guessing it was a few hours. This salad isn’t challenging, but there are quite a few steps. The beans themselves take 1-2 days of prep ahead of time. You’ll easily use your 15 minutes just on getting the beans ready for cooking.

I haven’t tried this, but in the winter you can substitute broccoli, sweet potatoes, turnips or any other root vegetable for the cauliflower, romanesco, and/or Brussels sprouts. In the summer, substitute with zucchini, sweet peppers or eggplant.

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

1 bunch young carrots (rainbow if possible)
1 small head cauliflower
1 small head romanesco (my local co-op and Whole Foods didn’t have romanesco so we left this out)
1½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, outer leaves removed, and halved (quartered if very large)
2 cups cooked white beans, such as gigante, butter, cannellini, or navy beans, liquid reserved (I used these gigante beans)
4 ounces French feta cheese (preferably Valbreso), broken into large crumbles
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher or Sea Salt
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems (about 1 bunch)
1 cup loosely packed dill fronds, stems removed (about 1 large bunch)
1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves (about 1 small bunch)
1/4 cup loosely packed basil
Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Red Wine Vinaigrette Ingredients

1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

For the vegetables and salad:

Place oven racks in lower middle and upper middle positions. Preheat oven to 425°F.

Halve or quarter Brussels sprouts through the stems, then place in a large bowl. Toss with enough oil to coat, about 3 tablespoons. Season with salt and place in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Place the carrots in the same large bowl and toss, adding more oil as needed to coat. Season with salt and place in a single layer on a second baking sheet.
Lightly trim the root end of the cauliflower and romanesco (if using), then cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices through the root. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons oil onto another baking sheet and lay slices in a single layer, keeping cauliflower on one side of the pan and romanesco on the other side. Avoid overcrowding the vegetables—they should not touch. (If needed use another pan for overflow.)
Place vegetables into oven and cook until tender and caramelized, about 26 to 30 minutes. Check on the vegetables after about 12 minutes. Rotate the pans and switch their positions to ensure even browning.
When the roasted vegetables are brown on the outside and completely tender when pierced with a knife, remove them from the oven. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Reserving the cooking liquid, drain beans and place into large bowl. Dress with 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and season with salt and 1 teaspoon za’atar. Add a little bean liquid to make it juicy. Taste and adjust dressing and seasoning as needed.
To assemble salad, layer cauliflower, romanesco (if using), carrots, and Brussels sprouts on a large platter. Drizzle with vinaigrette, sprinkle with za’atar, then spoon beans over vegetables. Sprinkle with large crumbles of feta. In a medium bowl, lightly dress cilantro, dill, basil, and mint with 1 tablespoon or so of vinaigrette and salt. Place atop salad and serve immediately.

Red Wine Vinaigrette Instructions

In a small bowl or jar, let the shallot sit in the vinegar for 15 minutes, then add the olive oil, a generous pinch of salt, and a small pinch of pepper. Stir or shake to combine, then taste with one of the vegetables and adjust salt and acid as needed. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

A little note about cooking beans

Cooking beans, whether dried or freshly shelled, is simple. I used dried giganted beans. To reduce the cooking time, I soaked them for 2 nights in water. For smaller dried beans, 2 days should work.

When soaking beans, keep in mind that 1 cup of dried beans will triple in size when cooked, yielding about 6 servings. Add a palmful of salt, and a generous pinch of baking soda, which will tip the pH of the pot toward alkalinity and help coax even more tenderness from the beans. Soak beans in the same vessel in which you plan to cook them, to save yourself a dish, and either refrigerate or keep in a cool spot on the counter overnight (or over 2 nights, for chickpeas or big, creamy beans such as gigantes). I live on the westside of Los Angeles where it’s generally cool with beach temperatures, and I kept my beans on my counter for 2 nights with no problems.

When your overnight soaking is complete, drain the water, add fresh water, some olive oil, a few bay leaves, and some salt. Cook on a low boil for a few hours. Don’t over boil your beans! The key is to pay attention and taste often. If you cook for 30 minutes too long, your beans will get mushy and no one wants that. Your beans should be soft and tender, but not falling apart.

Good luck and bon appetite!

It's Tomato Season

2019-07-15T00:00:00Z

We’ve been overwhelmed, in the best way, with an abundance of tomatoes and basil from our garden. You know what they say, “When life gives you tomatoes…”, so almost every day I’ve made either a tomato salad, tomato paninis, pesto, tomato and pesto pizza, or a simple tomato sauce. Here’s the recipe for the fresh tomato sauce with photo evidence!

Fresh Tomato Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

16-20 tomatoes (medium-ish) chopped, you can opt to remove some of the seeds or not
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Place chopped tomatoes and basil into a large pot and cook on stove on medium heat until tomatoes are soft.

In a pan, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.

Add the onions and garlic to the tomato and basil pot. Simmer on low for 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper after simmering is complete. If you want a little spice, add a pinch of crushed red chili pepper flakes. As a final step, if you prefer a smoother sauce, you can use an immersion blender to blend up the sauce.

Serve on top of your favorite pasta and top with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or your favorite vegan option like we did) and fresh basil.

Enjoy!

On Origin Stories

2019-07-13T00:00:00Z

We welcomed Mathias Meyer (aka @roidrage) to Reaction Commerce as our new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) late last year. At that time, we made a press announcement and intro’d him through a blog post, but there’s more to the story that I wanted to share.

A little more than a year ago, Mathias posted this tweet stating that he was looking for something new:

Hey folks, I’m looking for a new role as VP Eng or CTO, remote or Berlin. I care about healthy and diverse engineering teams, engineering culture. DMs are open or mathias@paperplanes.de. Let’s chat! More details on my background and areas of interest here: https://t.co/ouexer0Trd— Mathias🤘Meyer (@roidrage) May 24, 2018

I just happened to see his tweet shortly after he posted it at 07:19 Pacific Time, and I figured it would generate quite a bit of interest, so I dropped everything to send a quick email with a bit of heartfelt reflection for the things I believed we mutually appreciated. I pressed send at 07:46 Pacific Time. Because of his accomplishments and following, I thought it was a long shot, but nonetheless I sent my thoughs on personal check-ins, minimum vacations, open source, and leadership coaching. I also knew that we both had experience with Reboot, a wonderful leadership development and coaching firm, and that we were both fans of Reboot’s founder, Jerry Colonna. I had participated in a Reboot CEO Bootcamp, and I was participating in a Reboot CEO Circle, so I mentioned these things in my first email to Mathias in hopes of making a connection.

Our Initial Conversations

I’ve been a long-time follower of Mathias. I’ve always appreciated and admired his writings and perspectives. Without even talking, I already had confidence in his qualifications and abilities, but as the likes and retweets added up on his initial tweet, I sensed that the possibility he’d join us was an even a longer shot than I’d originally anticipated.

Our first video call was unlike any other “interview” I’ve done before, and that’s because we started with “stoplight” personal check-ins. From the start, and even to this day, our weekly one-on-ones have been personal and lovely.

I explained to Mathias that more than a CTO, I was looking for a partnership. We’d closed our Series A in late 2017, and I wanted someone to ride next to me on this crazy journey. I had also recently transitioned out of a challenging co-founder relationship, and I was feeling a bit lonely and afraid. Mathias had also experienced similar challenges, and as a result, we entered into this new relationship somewhat hesitant without really realizing it. Even with the hesitation, we were both eager to build a new kind of partnership. I knew that Reaction needed leadership and management on the engineering side of the organization, but the role I was looking to fill was also broader and more complex, and that seemed to match Mathias’ strengths and interests.

Because I knew there were other companies he was considering (about 50!), and because I believe in being deliberate, I opted for a very intentional approach to our conversations. It was scary to be so vulnerable, but I sensed that it was required and would likely even be appreciated. Early on, I shared a document that outlined different potential scenarios and approaches to how we could work together that included areas of focus, title suggestions, and thoughts on compensation. It was awkward to throw something like that out there, but it seemed to help as it gave us a framework to get started with an interim approach while moving toward a full-time role.

Staying Connected to our Origin Story

Our origin story centered around being intentional and explicit about the type of partnership we both desired and the type of company we each wanted to build. What connected us at the beginning was the idea of a transparent dynamic between us more so than our actual roles and responsibilities. We’re running an early-stage technology company. On any given day, we’re dealing with multiple concerns and topics, and we’re doing it across many time zones. It’s easy to forget and to stray from the ideals and purpose that connected us together in the first place.

We’re almost a year into things, and we’ve already found that we need to be better about making time for immersive connection, especially when we meet up in person. We recently got together for an offsite where we created a “blueprint of we” document to help guide and remind us about our values and desired behaviors. We’ve learned that our partnership requires deliberate attention and practice, and that it’s important to step back and to be mindful about what brought us together. We’re now navigating what it means to be CEO and CTO, what it means to be a boss and a manager, what it means to be business partners and friends. It’s simultaneously scary and lovely.

One of the things we didn’t properly address until we were finalizing details is how we would navigate the time zone difference between us. With 9 hours separating us, we realized that this could be one of our biggest challenges. We talked about the importance of our personal lives and that we would not be able, nor even interested in doing heroic schedules. It’s not been easy. We’ve both had to make personal sacrifices, and that’s been hard.

We’re also adjusting to our cultural and language differences. It’s been fascinating to see and hear about the world through the lens of a European. We’re still learning about each other and deciphering our communication styles and patterns. This topic alone could easily be a future blog post!

Back to the Origin

I don’t recall how I first came across Mathias on Twitter, which then led me to his blog, but I knew pretty early on that he was the real deal. So when he posted that tweet about looking for his next thing, I knew I had to act.

Fast forward to today, and we recently had the chance to talk with Jerry on the Reboot Podcast about our story. We’ve come full circle. Enjoy!

Mathias and I in Berlin in November, 2018.

Header photo of Mathias, Sara, and Grace from January 2019 in Santa Monica, CA.

Book: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

2019-07-05T00:00:00Z

The book, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King has been on my nightstand for the last year, and I finally got around to reading it on my recent summer vacation. What took me so long?

This is a book for everyone and anyone. I’m convinced, writing (and thus communicating) is the most important aspect of any job or relationship, whether personal or professional. This is equal parts memoir and teaching, and it provides a glimpse into the basic tools and processes for the craft of writing. I’m sure this will be a book I refer to again and again.

Book: Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up

2019-07-05T00:00:00Z

Let me start with the disclosure: I’m a card-carrying member of the Jerry Colonna fan club, and I suspect that it’s a very popular club! So when he announced his book, “Reboot:Leadership and the Art of Growing Up,” I was excited to get a chance to have a permanent piece of Jerry in my possession.

I first met Jerry at a Reboot CEO Bootcamp near Boulder, Colorado. It was a weekend of intense and deep introspection.

How We Make Pizza

2019-06-02T00:00:00Z

Lately, we’ve been making pizza on our grill almost once a week. It’s one of our favorite things to make when we have friends over for dinner. A friend asked for our recipe, and I wrote out the following instructions. Then another friend asked, so I’ve decided to publish them here for all y’all to enjoy.

If you ever doubted my nerd factor, these pizza instructions should remove any and all last bits of doubt. There is serious nerdiness here!

I was told by the person who got me into making pizzas that every ingredient matters. It’s my duty to pass on that wisdom to you.

PIZZA DOUGH

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup OO pizza flour (Most grocery stores carry the 00 pizza flour. You can also get it on Amazon.)
1 cup organic unbleached all purpose flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill, but there are many options.)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (Big fan of Diamond salt.)
1 cup warm tap water
1 teaspoon yeast (We have this kind.)
1 teaspoon olive oil (organic, extra virgin)

INSTRUCTIONS:

This will make 2 pizzas.

It’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, but ~4 hours works, too.

In large bowl combine:

1 cup OO pizza flour
1 cup organic all purpose flour
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

In small bowl combine:

1 cup warm tap water
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon olive oil

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl that has the flour and salt. Mix/kneed for 3 minutes. Add more flour as needed so dough is not sticky. If it’s sticking to your fingers, add more flour! Let rest for 15 minutes. Kneed again for another 3 more minutes. Then cover.

If you make the dough 24 hours in advance, put it in the fridge, and then take it out to sit at room temperature about 4 hours before you are going to make the pizza. If you make it ~4 hours in advance, then just keep it covered at room temperature.

The dough should rise to about double in size.

TOMATO PIZZA SAUCE

This is usually enough sauce for up to 4 pizzas.

INGREDIENTS:

1 28 oz can D.O.P. whole tomatoes (You really want the DOP tomatoes!)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take each tomato one-by-one out of the can and individually squeeze/crumble it through your fingers over a medium-sized bowl. You don’t want all the juice from the can or else your sauce will be too runny. Add 1 teaspoon salt. I often will blend up the tomatoes and salt in a blender, especially when serving kids. For adults, some pulp or tomato chunks are usually fine.

This is optional, but you could add a pinch of dried oregano, ground pepper, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, basil, a clove of minced garlic, or even a pinch of red chili pepper flakes. For a truly classic and more kid-friendly pizza, tomatoes and salt seem to be the best.

If you find that your sauce is too runny, you can put it on the stove in a large pot uncovered and cook down the ingredients for about 10 minutes.

If you don’t want to use a tomato sauce, you could do a simple drizzle of olive oil. You could use a pesto sauce. You could do a garlic-based olive oil. Or a white-based/creamy sauce. It’s fun to experiment with different sauces. Our go-to is the simple tomato sauce or just a drizzle of olive oil.

TOPPINGS

Cheese

We often just use shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesan. You can get a shredded pizza blend that usually includes mozzarella, parmesan, romano, provolone, asiago or other cheeses. It’s hard to go wrong in the cheese department, but remember that ingredients matter!

If you get a wet cheese, like burrata, or fresh balls of mozzarella cheese in containers of water, you’ll want to add it after the pizza has cooked or put it on for the last couple of minutes of cooking.

Veggies, etc.

Some of our favorite toppings:

Asparagus
Zucchini
Mushrooms
Bell peppers
Sundried tomatoes
Garlic
Red onions
Fennel
Olives
Green/spring onions
Leeks

Real meat (or veggie meat options in our case) are also delish:

Pepperoni
Sausage
Canadian bacon

My friend, Mathias, recently got us into this shaved asparagus pizza. It also works with shaved zucchini.

I’ve found that less is more with pizza, so don’t go too crazy on the toppings.

MAKING THE PIZZA

When it’s time to make the pizza, cut the dough in half. Flour your surface and kneed the dough to start getting it into the shape you want. You can use a roller but your hands and gravity/stretching work fine.

Your oven/grill needs to be as hot as possible. We use a cast iron pizza pan, but you can use a pizza stone instead. The stone/pan should be on the grill or in the oven as it’s getting hot, then you transfer your pizza onto the hot stone/pan when it’s time to cook. We drizzle olive oil onto our cast iron pizza pan before it goes on the grill.

You will want to get a pizza peel to make the transfer of the pizza onto the hot cast iron pan or pizza stone easier. A wooden or aluminum pizza peel with a long handle is key to not burning your hands! Put lots of flour on the peel before you put the dough on the peel.

Don’t put your sauce and toppings onto the pizza dough until the oven/grill is ready or else the dough will get too wet. You want to top your dough and get it onto the grill within 2-3 minutes max. This can make serving pizza for larger groups a bit more stressful, but it’s also part of the fun. In advance of actually cooking the pizza, you should have all your pizza doughs rolled out and ready, all of your toppings ready, and the sauce ready. Your pizza will be ready to eat in waves as it comes off the grill/oven.

We put the pizza together in this order:

Dough
Sauce
Cheese
Toppings (but some toppings can work under the cheese, too)

Your pizza will take anywhere from 8-15-ish minutes, but it really depends on your oven/grill. Put on a timer, and check the pizza after 6-8 minutes. You might need to turn the pizza half way through to get it to evenly cook. We like a little char on our crust, but you might not.

After cooking, you can top your pizzas with basil, arugula, or kale. For some pizzas, I put a pinch of red pepper flakes (either on top after it’s cooked or tossed with asparagus, zucchini, or veggies before it’s cooked), squeeze of lemon juice (over the veggies before or after it’s remove from the oven/grill), sprinkle of truffle salt or few drops of truffle oil (add the oil after you remove the pizza from the grill/oven), or up to 3 eggs (bake pizza for ~8 minutes, break eggs on top, then finish cooking pizza and eggs together). I also recommend that you make enough pizza for leftovers and have it the next morning with eggs on top for breakfast.

While these instructions might cause some fear, it is really simple and fun to make pizza.

Enjoy, friends!

Berlin Golden Hour

2019-04-30T00:00:00Z

Not bad, Berlin. Not bad.

Book: High Output Management

2019-04-30T00:00:00Z

This is another book that I’ve easily read a handful of times. “High Output Management” by Andy Grove is a must-read for managers and leaders, but it’s also a must read for any team member or person interested in how to improve their surroundings.

East Side Gallery in Berlin

2019-04-29T00:00:00Z

I once worked for a non-profit that was centered around murals and public art. We commissioned many of the mural programs for the City of Los Angeles. It’s where I learned of the importance of public art as social glue. I appreciate the East Side Gallery in Berlin, where artists have taken over sections of the Berlin Wall with art.

This is perhaps the most famous section depicting Leonid Brezhnev, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union at the time, and Erich Honecker, the General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of the GDR. Based on a real kiss!

Denver, Colorado!

I walked over 21,000 steps yesterday. My feet are sore, but it was worth every step to see so much of this great city.

What are we going to do about the U$A???

2019-04-28T00:00:00Z

I was sitting in a restaurant by myself in Berlin having a pizza late on a Sunday night. It was the type of restaurant that has a ton of graffiti on the walls from their customers. I looked up and saw this:

What are we going to do about the U$A???

Good question, Berlin. Good question.

On Experiments

2019-04-25T00:00:00Z

I believe in the power of small experiments as a way to start habits and introduce changes. I like to bring new things into my daily routines and see how they unfold. I enjoy trying new things and adopting new ideas.

I’m trying a new experiment this quarter. I re-installed email, Slack, and Twitter on my phone with 20-minute daily limits. It takes self-will to adhere to the limits, which is the experiment.

I have an on-again, off-again relationship with technology. I desire to be more focused and present in my life. My fascination is with the back and forth. I don’t fight it. I flip-flop from disconnecting, to the chaos of inputs and desires when I plug back in. Like a pendulum, I swing to the extremes, and I then work to find balance. In some moments, it’s a struggle to not press the “Ignore Limit” link, and then it’s a victory when I don’t press it.

I try to be gentle with myself. It’s an experiment, after all.

Book: The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness

2019-04-15T00:00:00Z

My therapist recommended this book, “The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness” by Sy Montgomery, and I didn’t love it at first, but it grew on me over time. It’s a book about octopus, but it’s also a book on consciousness.

Book: How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence

2019-03-02T00:00:00Z

If my career in tech didn’t take off the way it did, I probably would have been a psychotherapist or social worker. I’m fascinated by the fields of psychology, so when I learned of the book, “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence” by Michael Pollan, I was intrigued.

I recently experienced the passing of both of my parents, and I’ve become interested in learning more about dying, consciousness, and more. There’s a bit of a buzz around micro-dosing these days, and I think it’s interesting to be at this point where we can learn more about our brains and feelings by transcending reality. It’s deep, I know. I’m of the belief that we still know very little about the mind, and that a psychological revolution is ahead of us. This book is a good preface into this world.

What's in my Bag in 2019

2019-02-25T00:00:00Z

Here’s the 2019 edition of what’s in my bag. I’ve been riding my bike a bit more, so I’ve simplified what I carry back and forth from the office and home. After putting together this year’s post, I think I will trim a few more items.

Topo Designs backpack - I love this backpack, and I get quite a few compliments on it. It’s not the perfect bag in terms of pockets, but it more than makes up for it in looks.
iPadPro, 11-inch, with Pencil and Keyboard case - The iPad has become an essential part of my day.
Kindle Voyage with blue leather cover - It’s hard to believe that this same Kindle has been on the list for 3 years in a row. Maybe it’s time to upgrade to one of their new devices?
Five-Minute Journal - This is still a daily practice for me.
Bellroy Travel Wallet - This has my passport in it and probably some Euros from my last trip to Germany.
Satechi Multiport Hub - A critical device with the Air.
Bellroy Classic Pouch - This is a perfect size. Contains a myriad of chargers, cables, etc. I should inventory everything in this, but I ran out of steam.
Bose QC35 II Wireless Headphones - These fit me well. I usually put them on right when I get on planes and leave them on the entire flight.
Reaction-branded Patagonia Nano-Air Vest
Deck of cards - Playing a couple games of solitaire before bed when I’m traveling helps me to unwind.
Reaction Commerce Notebook
Reaction Commerce Stickers
Nitecore flashlight
Tom Binh accessory bag pen/pencil, clear
Lamy Pico Ballpoint Pen
Twin Tip Sharpie
Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5 Black Pen
Muji Pen - My recent go-to.
Kingston Data Traveler
Tom Binh accessory bag medium, clear - I still appreciate this clear organizer pouch.
Aesop Ginger Flight Therapy - Overpriced, but I love it.
Advil and Aleve in a small pill case from MoMA
Aquaphor Healing Ointment
Refresh eye drops
Glide Dental Floss
Burts Bees All Weather Lip Balm
Burts Bees Lip Shimmer
Aquaphor Lip Repair
JB Intense Therapy Lip Balm - Who knew I was carrying so many lip balms? Sheesh.
Aveda Breath Refresher
Pocket Size Tape Measurer
Mirror - This was a gift from an investor.
Hotlix Toothpicks
Neuro Gum - I use this sparingly, but it sure helps when I need it.
Mintia Breath Mints
Five Rain Spearmint Gum
Bellroy Pencil Case - Miscellaneous personal items.
Reaction-branded Baggu bag - This is handy to have for grocery shopping.
Bandana - Tie dye for the win.
LA Lakers Baseball Cap - I think it was a Dodgers hat last year. I’m pretty loyal to most Southern California teams.
Tissues Travel Pack with a Muji travel case.
Merino Wool Buff
BKR Water Bottle
Ottolock bike lock - This is a great, lightweight, and secure design.
Reflective, Neoprene Pant Strap for Biking
Reaction Commerce-branded MiiR Tumbler - New team swag!
MacBookAir, 13-inch - I’m so glad Apple brought back the Air.
Apple AiPods - IMO, these are the best Apple product since the launch of the iPhone.
Bose QC 20 Earbuds - Great for running.
Warby Parker eyeglass case & cleaning cloth - These contain my prescription sunglasses.

Book: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

2019-02-23T00:00:00Z

The book, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” by Robert Cialdini is a book I wish I had read long ago. I’m pretty sure this will now be a book I read again and again. The book walks through the six universal principals of persuasion with practical advice. Psychology and consumer behavior are fascinating to me and this book provides great insights and practical details about influence. I’m going to recommend this to every manager and leader I know.

5 Things: Personal Blogging, Plant-Based NBA, and Trust

2019-02-17T00:00:00Z

I’m still in catch-up mode on my backlog of articles. I’ve also been on vacation this past week, and I’ve been reading up a storm. It feels good to be back into a bit of a reading and writing rhythm.

Here are 5 things that made me think:

The Soothing Promise of our own Artisinal Internet, by Nitasha Niku, Wired. I’m loving the movement back toward owning our content and personal blogging. This was funny: “I don’t know what the Michael Pollan version would be: Eat independent sites, mostly not Facebook?”
Reaction Commerce: Do we Need a New E-Commerce Platform?, by Pulkit Rastogi, Today’s Ecommerce. This was a pleasant surprise to read last week!
In the NBA, fake-meat diets are changing the game, by LA Granderson, LA Times. It’s great to see more attention toward more sustainably-produced consumption and, thus, some hope for our planet. The plant-based meats on the market today are worth a try!
Tech’s Long Hours Are Discriminatory and Counterproductive, by Rachel Thomas, Medium. Amen!
The 3 most effective ways to build trust as a leader, by Claire Lew, Know Your Team Blog. Show vulnerability. Communicate intent. Follow through.

Book: My Year of Rest and Relaxation

2019-02-17T00:00:00Z

I enjoyed the book,“My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” by Ottessa Moshfegh. Part of me thinks it should be made into a movie, but I also wonder if the year of drug-induced sleep and associated escapades would be enough plot to sustain interest. It might be one of those books that’s better to read than watch, which is pretty much every book in my opinion. It was the perfect book to read and escape from a long travel day.

Book: The Woman Who Smashed Codes

2019-02-16T00:00:00Z

The book, “The Woman Who Smashed Codes,” by Jason Fagone was an excellent read. I was able to read it in one day, which is always a good indicator of a page turner!

This is a true story of an American woman and her husband who together invented the modern science of cryptology. They used their skills to confront the evils of their time, solving puzzles that uncovered Nazi spies and helped win World War II. For many reasons, including sexism, she never received that notoriety that her husband achieved, so this book is a wonderful, albeit belated, recognition of a true hero.

Grace the Clydesdale

2019-02-14T00:00:00Z

This California beach dog just got some shoes to keep her paws warm and dry on the Colorado winter trails. ❤️

Book: The End of Average

2019-02-13T00:00:00Z

The “The End of Average” by Todd Rose explains where averaging comes from and all the problems related to it. Essentially, individuals are worth more than a single standardization of value. This book demonstrates how effective leadership and success can be unlocked through the development of personal strengths that are not constrained by an average curve. For the leaders, managers, teachers, and influencers out there, this is a thought-provoking read.

Book: The Miniature Guide to The Art of Asking Essential Questions

2019-02-12T00:00:00Z

I breezed through “The Miniature Guide to The Art of Asking Essential Questions” by Linda Elder and Richard W. Paul, and I will now recommend this to every manager I know. In fact, if I had to put together a manager’s toolkit of recommended readings, this might be included in it.

This guide is an easy read on critical thinking and management. It was a good reminder for me and offered some practical skills and advice. I’ve become very aware of the discussions I lead and how I can improve upon them through better preparation and facilitation. Asking essential questions is a key factor in successful outcomes.

Grace in Telluride

2019-02-12T00:00:00Z

One of my personal goals in 2019 is to get back to photography. We’ve been acclimating to the altitude in Telluride, so I finally had the time to watch a tutorial on my Fuji X-Pro 2 camera. I’m still trying to figure out what half of the buttons do, but here’s a shot of Grace and the aspen trees.

Grace in Telluride, CO. Shot on Fuji X-Pro 2.

5 Things: Relationships, Netflix Culture, and Inclusive Hiring

2019-02-11T00:00:00Z

I’m currently on vacation in Telluride, CO, and I’m catching up on my backlog of saved articles and podcasts. It’s been a while since I’ve done a “5 Things” post, so I thought I’d share a few of the articles that grabbed my attention.

The Math Behind Successful Relationships, by Jo Craven McGinty, The Wall Street Journal. Super interesting read about using math and psychology to explore one of life’s enduring mysteries: What makes some marriages happy and some miserable?

The Netflix Decision Making Model Is Why They’re So Successful, by Dan Pontefract, Forbes.“Make wise decisions despite ambiguity.” Interesting read about empowering employees to make sound decisions on behalf of the company’s long-term goals and how that creates highly-engaged employees.

State of the Cloud 2019, by Bessemer Venture Partners. A few bits in here about the rise of open source business models.

Hiring Best Practices and Diversity and Inclusion with Rachael Stedman, Simple Leadership. We are looking hard at our recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding processes at Reaction. This podcast has some helpful insights.

Stacey Abrams’s new essay on identity politics reveals why she’s a rising star, by By Zack Beauchamp, Vox. I’m a Stacey Abrams’s fan and happy to read anything I can find about her.

Book: The Truths We Hold

2019-02-10T00:00:00Z

I am on a car road trip to Telluride, Colorado, and we listened to the Kamala Harris audio book, “The Truths We Hold” today. It’s about her life and so much more—core beliefs, struggles, loyalty, family, justice, and following your truth. I enjoyed that she was the reader, and I found her story to be inspiring and impressive. Why anyone would want to run for President and put themselves and their loved ones through so much intense scrutiny is beyond me, but she’s seemingly built for it.

Now I’m interested in reading or listening to the other candidates books, too.

Blogging to Exhale

2019-02-03T00:00:00Z

I came across this blog post from Danniel Benneworth-Gray about blogging. I had never read the quote from Nora Ephron:

One of the most delicious things about the profoundly parasitical world of blogs is that you don’t have to have anything much to say. Or you just have to have a little tiny thing to say. You just might want to say hello. I’m here. And by the way. On the other hand. Nevertheless. Did you see this? Whatever. A blog is sort of like an exhale. What you hope is that whatever you’re saying is true for about as long as you’re saying it. Even if it’s not much.

So good. #longblogging

Inclusivity Evaluation

2019-02-03T00:00:00Z

As the CEO or hiring manager, if your teams are not diverse it’s your fault. No one else’s. I’m a female founder/CEO and an underrepresented minority in tech, and we have a lack of diversity problem at my own company. It’s my fault. I hear a lot of CEOs and managers say that they are trying to diversify their teams, but that not enough women or people from the black, Latinx, or LGBTQ communities are applying for their job openings.

I learned this the hard way. I had decided to diversify the teams at my company, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because our product appeals to a wide demographic, and I wanted to be sure that we were designing our product for everyone, not just a select few.

But, after a year of trying (posting on a wider range of job boards, creating an inclusivity page on our site, and signing a diversity pledge), I looked around at our company, and we were still a bunch of (mostly) guys. I didn’t understand why, so I made it my mission to find out.

I started to get out of my comfort zone. I committed to changing the type of media I consumed to see things from a different perspective. Although I was becoming educated about issues surrounding social justice, I still hadn’t made any actual business partnerships with people from underrepresented groups.

Now that I had newfound empathy and allies, it was time to partner with them to discover the local talent who would actually apply for my vacant jobs. I contacted local nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Dress for Success, and the Urban League. I submitted our job openings to various boards and meetups.

Before long, we had one or two interviewees who were women, or black, or Latinx for every position we had open. And as our teams became more diverse, so too did the number of people from underrepresented groups applying for our jobs. Our diversity numbers are not perfect, but we are now heading in the right direction. More than that, we know that the talent is out there; you just need to know where to look for it.

So if you’re trying to diversify your teams, remember it’s not on them to find you, it’s on you to find them.

On Unplugging

2019-02-01T00:00:00Z

I spent a good part of the last few weeks finalizing our Vacation and Time Off Guide at Reaction Commerce. As part of a phased roll out, I first shared the Guide with the Leadership Team to get their input, and we had a discussion at our Weekly Leadership meeting. I then shared the Guide along with my thoughts in my Week in Review to the full team. Finally, we had a discussion at our monthly, all company Town Hall meeting.

Here are the discussion topics we focused on during the meetings:

What about the Guide stood out for you the most?
Does the Guide align with our Core Values and Operating Principles? If so, how and where? If not, how can it better align with our culture?
What areas do you think need to be clarified?
Any areas that could cause issues or concerns for the company?
How can we all best exemplify our Vacation and Time Off Guide?

It’s been an eye-opening experience gathering feedback on this topic. Some have suggested that they are concerned about the viability of the company with such a liberal policy, and others feel that this policy is what will help to make the company viable. It’s been so fascinating.

As I was finalizing my Week in Review update, I came across this article in the New York Times about burnout culture and performative workaholism. It’s a great article, so I encourage y’all to read it. If anything captures the essence of what I’m not trying to achieve, it is the concepts of toil and hustle glamour from that article. That kind of culture is beyond toxic and unsustainable at best, and downright morally bankrupt at least. As an industry, we have to do better, which is why I’m opting to share my Week in Review and our Vacation and Time Off Guide with all of you, Dear Ones. If you have any questions or want to chat about establishing healthy practices in this area, please get in touch.

Subject: CEO Week in Review - 2019-01-28

Hi team,

One of my goals in 2019 is to share more broadly about what I’ve been hearing, talking about, and thinking about on a regular basis. I plan to send these out at least monthly. I might also add an update here or there during the month as topics and concerns are top of mind.

TL;DR: It’s time for y’all to get going with planning and taking your 2019 vacations, and I hope our new Guide helps!

The topic that is most top of mind for me right now is vacations and time away. Over the last several months, I’ve been working on a Vacation and Time Off Guide. The Guide is linked below, but I first wanted to share some philosophical thoughts about time, output, and outcomes. We’ll also discuss this topic in our Town Hall next week on Thursday, January 31st at 17:00 UTC (9am PT).

Time off and time away is critical to our creativity.

One of our Operating Principles is: “Time off and time away is critical to our creativity.” I firmly believe this to be true. I do my best work when I’m rested and refreshed. Time away gives me perspective that I can sometimes lose when I’m in the day-to-day routine of work. I’m often reminded of this simple fact when I do the Sunday crossword puzzle. This may seem like a silly analogy, but it happens to me all the time. I will be stuck on a few clues for hours as I hammer my brain for the right answer. Then, I’ll step away and do something else—go for a run, cook some food, take a nap, or whatever. All of the sudden, when I’m not even thinking about the darn crossword, the answers come to me. It’s as if I needed to give my brain some room to let the answer come to me.

As I’ve been researching and discussing different approaches and viewpoints to vacations, it’s become clear to me that there are many facets to this topic. There are different cultural norms (and even laws) around vacations. As a U.S. native, I recognize that I have learned behaviors based on customs and traditions from the U.S. and from my family. As a global, distributed team, it is very important to me that we establish a Guide that is global and inclusive in nature and that it also matches our culture and values. (I also believe that the U.S. gets many things wrong when it comes to vacations, parental leave, and, well, much more, but I digress.)

I’ve also seen and experienced first-hand that time away can bring up fear about job security. People worry that they will be fired if they take too much time off. I also know that many of us have “always on” and even “workaholic” tendencies. For some, it’s part of who we are, and we enjoy it. I, too, can get caught up in the work extremes. There’s always more work to do, and it can be hard and a bit scary to fully unplug.

It’s about outcomes, not output.

I understand why we focus so much on time. Dates are a concrete thing. To some, it can be comforting to have a date to strive toward. It’s a tangible thing when everything else might feel like it is in flux (requirements, designs, specifications, architectures, and the finished product!). As a product person at heart, I get it—dates and deadlines are often a necessary fact of life, but they are also often a very challenging concern. Estimating software projects and deciding upon launch dates is only a piece of the puzzle. The other pieces are scope, costs, and quality. Without fully digressing into the project triangle rabbit hole, it’s safe to say that it’s complicated.

For example, let me briefly mention the launch date for Bob’s. This is a date that was set by a client based on their existing contractual obligation. Since the date can’t (easily) move, we were forced to then look at scope and quality as other levers within our control. For the Bob’s MVP, we’ve reduced scope as much as possible, and we’ve even indicated that some of the work may be temporary. We’ll do our best to hit the date to meet our obligations to our client, and in this case our friends are scope and quality.

So what does this all have to do with vacations and time off? It can feel like we can’t take vacations when we have to deliver upon a commitment, and yet we won’t survive without taking time off. It’s a conundrum. Too often, we focus on output rather than outcomes. You’ll see in our new Guide that I talk about results over hours or days worked. I really don’t care about where or how long we are working. I care about outcomes and on how well we are communicating. I care about how well we are planning and our results. I care that we support each other to take the minimum number of vacations days per year. I care that we unplug on holidays and turn off work. I care that we intentionally plan for our vacations when we are forecasting and planning our roadmap and client obligations.

Establishing healthy practices around vacations and time off.

If we are going to survive as a company, we all have to take time off to recharge. If we don’t, we will burnout, and we’ll likely lose valuable teammates to other companies. Thus, we have to plan our business around our vacations and time off and not the other way around. To be clear, this means we need to consider our vacations and time off when we are working on our forecasts and plans for clients and product releases.

As you can see, I’ve got lots to say on this topic! Maybe there’s even a blog post (or even a talk or book!) to be written at some point on this topic. For now, though, here’s the new Vacation and Time Off Guide. Your comments and feedback are welcome, and please feel free to reach out to me directly if you want to explore any of this further. Mathias and I will be working to provide additional frameworks and processes to assist us in creating a healthy culture for us to not work!

Cheers! ✌️

Sara

P.S. I’ll start. Here are my known 2019 OOO dates so far (these are on my personal calendar and on our team calendar):

Week of 2/11
Weeks of 7/1 and 7/8 (includes 4th of July U.S. holiday)
Week of 11/25 (includes Thanksgiving U.S. holiday)
Weeks of 12/23 and 12/30 (includes Christmas holiday)

Book: I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

2019-01-30T00:00:00Z

Trigger Warning: Rape, murder.

I’m a sucker for a good true crime story, and “I’ll be Gone in the Dark” does not disappoint. This is as much about pure investigative journalism and the relentless pursuit of the truth as it is about the dark sides of a serial killer. I generally avoid crime books that include sexual violence, and while this book has some dark details, I couldn’t put it down. This story is equally about its author, Michelle McNamara, who was mesmerized by this case for years and years. I’m already waiting for the documentary series.

Amazingly, this book was published posthumously two years after the author unexpectedly passed away. Then, just last year, the case was solved by DNA evidence.

Book: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life

2019-01-27T00:00:00Z

Marshall B. Rosenberg’s book, “Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life,” is easily the book I’ve read the most times ever. I wouldn’t be stretching the truth to say that I’ve read it over 10 times. It would definitely be in my toolkit for managers and leaders.

We’re considering having a workshop on nonviolent communication (NVC) at our upcoming All Hands, so I wanted to take the time to re-read the book with that in mind.

I love this Wikipedia line about NVC:

At its heart is a belief all human beings have capacity for compassion and empathy.

Read this book, Dear Ones.

Book: The Best and the Brightest

2019-01-18T00:00:00Z

I just finished David Halberstam’s book, The Best and the Brightest, about America’s involvement in the Vietnam war, but it’s also really about so much more. This is a book about leadership, pride, groupthink, how small and seemingly benign issues can become HUGE in organizations, and more. Highly recommend.

Article: Bill Clinton: By the Book

2018-06-03T00:00:00Z

This interview about Bill Clinton’s reading habits and choices is impressive. Reading goals, for sure.

When and where do you like to read?
At my work table, in my easy chair, in bed and on the plane. Even in the car when I’m not too tired.

RBG

2018-06-02T00:00:00Z

Run, don’t walk, to see the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary titled, RBG. She’s my new hero. Wow. Speechless.

5 Things: Remote Work, Holotropic Breathwork, and Feedback

2018-05-14T00:00:00Z

It’s been a minute. Here are five things that I saved to my Pocket.

A 2-Year Stanford Study Shows the Astonishing Productivity Boost of Working From Home by Scott Mautz, inc.com.

Adidas to Close Stores in Online Push by Reuters, Business of Fashion. It’s a click-bait-y headline, but nonetheless this is an interesting trend.

Twelve Things You Should Know about Holotropic Breathwork™ by Martin Boroson, iahip.org.

How to Be Lazy by Katie Heaney, thecut.com.

A Review Process by Cap Watkins. I’ve been thinking a bunch about feedback systems lately. I appreciate Cap’s writing here.

Amazon's Annual Shareholder Letter: Six-Page Narratives

2018-04-30T00:00:00Z

Once again, Jeff Bezos’s Amazon Annual Shareholder Letter is a must read. The part on high standards and the part about six-page memos were especially interesting to me. I gave the six-page memo a try this week in a meeting, and I’m a believer. It’s a new tool for me to try to make meetings more efficient.

Defragging my Calendar

2018-04-29T00:00:00Z

I’m regularly trying new calendar hacks in an attempt to gain control and freedom over my days. (Here are some of my top calendar hacks.) My newest trick is to defrag my calendar into working groups. The idea to defrag my calendar came from Lara Hogan. Her post on Manager Energy Drain is a great read and even includes a worksheet to help with the defrag.

The concept is pretty simple. Group your meetings into three types based on the type of energy you use for each event: listening, strategy, planning. It also helps to color code your meetings based on these types of mental energy. Once you’ve done the groupings, then move things around to avoid too much context switching throughout the day.

I also added in working blocks at the start and at the end of my day. Each day and each week is like a yoga class, because there is a warm up and a cool down phase to each day and to the week. For example, if I can avoid it, I don’t jump right into strategy brain on Monday morning. I like to use my planning brain later in the week, as it lets me review the week and plan for the next week. My empathy/listening brain is best earlier in the week.

These are all suggestions and guides. Of course, there are exceptions and one-off’s. This is about practice, being conscious, and being deliberate about how I spend my time and energe. That’s never a bad thing in my book.

What's in my Bag in 2018

2018-04-22T00:00:00Z

Continuing my annual bag review tradition. I’ve greatly reduced the amount of items I carry with me each day from 2017. I now have items at-the-ready to add to my bag for the occassional overnight trip, but I no longer carry them by default. I also keep a duplicate of a few items at my work and home offices, so I don’t have to lug things back and forth. This has made my back happier, and it makes it easier to find items.

AER Fit Pack 2 - This is a new bag. I like the looks, but the jury is still out on if it’s the bag for me.
Five-Minute Journal.
13" MacBook Pro
Amazon Basics Felt Laptop Sleeve
Kindle Voyage with blue leather cover
Apple Lightning EarPods
DONGLES! Sigh.
iPhone wall charger + cable
Passport
Tom Bihn Snake Charmer Bag - This one is handy for cords and cables.
USB C Charger,Tronsmart 30W Dual USB Wall Charger with Quick Charge - This is handy, especially in hotels, and it charges quickly.
Sunshine-tipway Memory Card Reader
Anker PowerCore 20100 - Ultra High Capacity Power Bank
Kensington international plug adapter with dual USB charging ports
Aukey 4-port USB Car Charger
Reaction Commerce Notebook
Reaction Commerce Stickers
Tom Binh accessory bag pen/pencil, clear
Twin Tip Sharpie
Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5 Black Pen
Pocket Size Tape Measurer This comes in handy more than you can imagine.
Patagonia Ultra Light Down Vest - I often have an additional layer in my bag for temperature changes, cold conference rooms, cold planes, etc.
Merino Wool Buff - This has multiple purposes. It pulls my hair back, it can be a scarf, and it keeps my head warm
Muji business card holder
Deck of cards
Earplugs
Lindberg n.o.w. eyeglasses and case
bkr Glass Water Bottle
Miscellaneous personal items
Tom Binh accessory bag medium, clear
Aveda Blue Oil
Aesop Ginger Flight Therapy
Advil and Aleve - small pill case from MoMA**
Burts Bees Lip Shimmer
Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment Skin Protectant
Aquaphor Lip Repair
Five Rain Spearmint Gum
Refresh eye drops
Glide Dental Floss
Mirror - I got this at the MoMA store in NYC.
Bandana - Never leave home without a bandana or handkerchief.
Tissues Travel Pack
Face and Hand Wipes
Reflective, Neoprene Pant Strap for Biking
Keep cup - This is the perfect size for to-go coffee.

Stay tuned for next year’s report!

A Few Small Steps

2018-01-14T00:00:00Z

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the part I play in today’s societal challenges. We are facing so many large issues–from climate crisis, privacy rights violations, gun control, LGBTQ rights, access to affordable health care, wealth and pay inequities, eldercare abuse, women’s rights, homelessness, criminal justice reform, election fraud, and beyond–and it’s daunting to figure out where and how to contribute.

At times, I’ve been overwhelmed by these topics. It’s felt like I’m not doing my part or that my part doesn’t matter. But every small change matters, and I belive that enough small changes can lead to massive shifts.

I’ve always appreciated the proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I’ve recently started the following small steps, and I’m sharing theses here in hopes that maybe you, too, will consider a few of your own.

I’m not ordering from Amazon as often. Sure, I still place an order here and there, but I’ve slowed it down significantly. I’m more interested in purchasing what I can locally and from local merchants. When I do place an order, I generally opt for regular shipping. For most things, I just don’t need it overnight or in two days. Reducing the environmental waste of cardboard boxes and reducing the amount of delivery vehicles clogging our arteries is important.
I’ve switched my default search engine on my laptop, phone, and tablet to DuckDuckGo. I’ve also switched to using Brave as my default browser. For too long, I’ve not paid enough attention to privacy, and I’m tired of how large tech companies are using my data and how much power we’re giving them with this information.
I’ve removed all content from Facebook. I still have an account, but that’s because my account is tied to our company account, and I haven’t bothered to change that yet. I don’t have the Facebook app on any of my devices. The same applies for Instagram.
I still have a Twitter account. I use a service that auto-archives tweets. I don’t know if this is helpful, but it makes me feel better.
I very rarely order food delivery at home, and we now buy our food for the office at local grocery stores. The food delivery economy is not fair or just to its workers, and it also produces a ton of waste.
I have a garden! Many folks might think they can’t have a garden because they don’t have the space. That’s not true. There are plenty of ways to grow certain fruits, vegetables, and herbs indoors. It’s super satisying to make food that is directly from my garden.
When I have to fly, I will often purchase carbon offsets. While most of my work is by video, chat, and email, I travel to Europe, UK, or around the US for business trips a few times a year. There’s debate about the efficacy of these offsets, so I’m open to other suggestions, but this seems to be the best mechanism to offsetting the tremendous environmental cost of flying at the moment.
I’m not traveling long distances for vacations. It turns out that living in California has some great benefits. Within a short distance, I can be in some of the most amazing environments without the hassle and stress of airports. I read somewhere that there are more than 100,000 commercial flights each day. That’s insane.
When I’m able to do it, I donate money and time to the charities, causes, and candidates I support. Every little bit counts, especially to locally-focused groups. “Think globally, act locally” is another phrase that has always made sense to me. We have to start in our own neighborhoods and communities.
I bike to work. It’s not every day and candidly there’s no excuse for it not being a more regular thing.

There’s always room for improvement. My focus has been on doing something, even if it’s a small something. I’d love to also volunteer my time to a charity and maybe even sit on a board. I’ll be doing some research and outreach in this area over the coming months.

I fear that future generations are going to look back on these first couple of decades of the technology revolution with disdain. The way technology and data is currently being used is frightening, and the decrease in interpersonal connections is unfortunate. Beyond the above steps, I’ve also reduced my screentime, removed news and social apps from my devices, and I’ve turned off all notifacations and alerts. I’m trying to be more present and balanced in life. It’s a work in progress.

As I read this post, I recognize that it might sound like I’m preaching. That’s not my intention and far from the reality. Frankly, I’m a bit ashamed to not be doing more. I had to start somewhere, and I hope that sharing about my path helps others.

My Wander Exercise

2018-01-08T00:00:00Z

Just before a vacation to the mountains, my coach suggested that I do a “wander” exercise while I was out in the wilderness.

Here’s roughly how it worked.

To begin, you head to the outdoors. Go for a walk or a hike by yourself, and go without an agenda or timeframe. It’s not meant to be a strenuous endeavor. Just get outside.

Then, you pause when you get to a spot that calls to you. This could be a tree, a vista, a lake, a rock, the beach, the ocean, or some other part of your surroundings. Don’t try to find the perfect spot. When you find the place, consciously cross over to greet the place/object (aka friend) as if you are stepping over or crossing a threshold. Be very deliberate and mindful about this. It’s as if you are entering into a sacred space. Once you cross the threshold, you will want to greet the object, like: “Hello, beautiful lake. I’m drawn to your beauty and your wonderful blue/green colors.” (This sounds corny, I know, but do it.)

You don’t have to plan or prepare anything. The idea is that you pick a point in your life–it could be the last month, last 12 months, the last 5 years, your entire life, or whatever. Once you choose your starting point, you just begin talking openly (out loud!) to your new friend about whatever is on your mind about that time in your life. You can share anything and everything: Ups and downs. Fears and joys. Disappointments. Milestones. You should try to talk for at least 45 minutes, an hour, or all day. You can sit or you can also walk and talk if there’s space to do that, but just be conscious about the beginning and ending. I was out there for about an hour.

When I did my wander walk, I picked the last four years which is about when I started Reaction Commerce. If you feel pressure or at a loss for words, you can pause and close your eyes and meditate. When it feels right, begin talking out loud again. Stop whenever you feel complete or finished. There’s no right or wrong with this exercise.

Finally, at the end, say a few words of thanks to your surroundings and to your friend. And then, again, deliberately cross back over the threshold where you started (path, marker, whatever), as if you are leaving that space behind you. And that’s it.

At times it felt weird and forced, but it has stuck with me. There were long periods of silence during my wander. It was cathartic and opening in ways that weren’t obvious to me at the time. I doubt I could articulate why it was so profound, and I kinda think that’s the point.

Here’s a great article on the benefits of solitude. This line stood out to me:

Our culture leans so sharply toward the social that those who wander into the wild are lucky if they’re only considered weird.

My First Digital Sabbath

2017-12-17T00:00:00Z

I think I first heard the term “Digital Sabbath” from Brad Feld. I’m drawn to the idea of a weekly ritual to unwind and recharge. Too often, I mindlessly read or work on my phone or laptop, and I’ve been wanting to read more books and truly unplug. So, this weekend was my first Digital Sabbath from Friday night until Sunday morning. No phone. No email. No work. No computer.

It was pretty easy to get into the flow on things. My sleeping pattern has been hit or miss the past several months, so I was quite happy with 10 hours of sleep on Friday night. On Saturday morning, instead of reaching for my phone, I grabbed a book and my Five Minute Journal. I spent 30 minutes journaling and reading. I meditated. I then went for a walk on the beach followed by some errands and chores. I had some chill time in the afternoon, so I read a bit more and took a nap. It was hard not to glance at emails, Slack, and the news, but I resisted. Then it was time to prepare and cook dinner, watch a movie, and I was in bed by 9pm.

I intended for my Sabbath to end on Sunday morning, but I continued in the flow in the morning. Sunday was a bit of a repeat of Saturday. I’m now catching up on a few emails and social posts. It feels like it was a good respite.

On Walking 1:1s

2017-12-07T00:00:00Z

If you work with me, you would know that I’m a big fan of walking one-on-ones. The “walk and talk” meeting is my favorite. The fact that I work a block from the beach is an added bonus. In a few short minutes, I can be wandering on the beach path in Santa Monica near the Pacific Ocean.

This article about how walking helps us think explains so much of why I enjoy walking.

What is it about walking, in particular, that makes it so amenable to thinking and writing? The answer begins with changes to our chemistry. When we go for a walk, the heart pumps faster, circulating more blood and oxygen not just to the muscles but to all the organs—including the brain. Many experiments have shown that after or during exercise, even very mild exertion, people perform better on tests of memory and attention. Walking on a regular basis also promotes new connections between brain cells, staves off the usual withering of brain tissue that comes with age, increases the volume of the hippocampus (a brain region crucial for memory), and elevates levels of molecules that both stimulate the growth of new neurons and transmit messages between them.

Don’t just listen to me, though. Give it a try every day for 30 days. Money back guarantee!

I'm Hiring an Executive Assistant

2017-11-26T00:00:00Z

I’m hiring an executive assistant to work alongside me and the team at Reaction Commerce. To be honest, I debated the title for this role, because it spans executive assistant, office manager, culture admin, and more! The details of the job are below. It’s a great, demanding, fun, and rewarding job.

Side note: Earlier in my career, I thought having an executive assistant was a bit vain, but now I know that most companies would fall apart without them. Be very kind to them. These teammates are the glue, duct tape, and heart of most companies. How you correspond and interact with anyone, is how you correspond and interact with everyone.

Here’s the full job description with information on how to apply.

And here are the job details:

As the Executive Assistant to the executive team at Reaction Commerce in Santa Monica, you are our right-hand person. In this role, you’ll report directly to the CEO, but you will be supporting both the CTO and COO as well. Which means you’ll need a lot of hands!

Being an executive in a growing, venture-backed startup is an awesome but also demanding job, and the Executive Assistant job is no different. Some of the most demanding days start very early and end very late, so keeping things running smoothly is key, and the cost of any misfires is high. Reaction Commerce is a fast-growing company that requires all kinds of coordination on all fronts to keep the ship running smoothly.

Here is what you will be doing:

Our schedules are called “crazy,” but there’s a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it. We need you to make sure it all works and that our optimism doesn’t make us believe the impossible.
You will keep our calendars in order when sometimes the time slots move so fast it feels more like a video game than a calendar. You will not be daunted by timezones.
Organize travel and make sure all aspects of trips work seamlessly from start to finish. You know our seat, lodging and meal preferences in no time.
Help us to keep the broad range of personalities we work with every day happy and engaged: developers, clients, retailers/brands, investors, other executives, the Reaction team, and board members
Schedule board, investor, and partner meetings amongst some of the busiest people in the world, then make them seamless technically, logistically, and culinarily
We generally do the bulk of presentations and reports ourselves but the more you can help here, the better.
In general, make the Reaction team as productive and happy as possible! This includes ordering food, planning events, coordinating team travels, and staying one step ahead of what the team needs. This role is as much about creating and nurturing our culture as it is about assisting.

Reaction Commerce has a big vision: To connect and democratize the world through open commerce. You will know more about what is going on in the company than almost anyone, plus there are plenty of fun tasks to be done. On any given day, you might be:

organizing a board meeting, a team retreat, a 3-city event tour for retailers and startups
pulling together a meeting with people and companies who are literally changing the world
providing direction for a company all hands, all while making sure we have enough LaCroix and half and half in the fridge, and plenty of coffee beans in the cupboard

You are:

Professional. Reaction Commerce is a fun place, but also a serious business with a lot of moving parts. You know how to have lots of balls in the air that can’t be dropped. You’ve been an executive assistant before in a similar environment.
Unflappable. Crazy things happen. You should be able to pause and laugh at them for a brief second before quickly taking action to make crazy problems disappear seamlessly.

Update: This position has been filled!

Header photo by Joseph Barrientos. Thanks!

And big thanks to Chad for the initial job description (I didn’t have to change much!) and for the idea to post this on my blog.

Ikigai: A Reason for Being

2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

I recently came across this article from the World Economic Forum about the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which loosely translates to this: “A reason for being.”

From Wikipedia, Ikigai is:

The word ikigai is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile. Secondly, the word is used to refer to mental and spiritual circumstances under which individuals feel that their lives are valuable. It’s not necessarily linked to one’s economic status or the present state of society. Even if a person feels that the present is dark, but they have a goal in mind, they may feel ikigai. Behaviours that make us feel ikigai are not actions we are forced to take—these are natural and spontaneous actions.

To find this reason or purpose, the WEF article recommends starting with four questions:

What do you love?
What are you good at?
What does the world need from you?
What can you get paid for?

While there are four questions one can ask, the article goes on to say that, “Ikigai is a slower process and often has nothing to do with work or income.”

I’d never heard of this concept, but I sure know what I’ll be journaling about this week and beyond!

Header photo by Borna Bevanda on Unsplash. Thanks!

End of Summer

2017-09-04T00:00:00Z

It’s Labor Day, and the end of summer is upon us. I spent the weekend out in Palm Springs. It was extremely hot, but the early morning was perfect for running followed by a refreshing jump into the pool. Palm Springs is one of my most favorite places to run. The mountain views and desert landscapes nurture my soul.

I’m looking forward to the fall season and to wrapping up what continues to be a very challenging 2017. I hope everyone was able to get some much needed rest and relaxation this weekend. Happy Labor Day, friends.

5 Things: John McPhee, Google Management, and Kindness

2017-09-03T00:00:00Z

My Pocket app is full of saved articles from the past several months. Here are five things that caught my eye recently.

In the Master’s Classroom by Ben Yagoda, WSJ ($$). I’m a big John McPhee fan.

Google is sharing its management tools with the world by Leah Fessler, Quartz. I will read and re-read these tools again and again.

Third Desperate, Unsolicited Email To Tenuous Business Contact Should Do The Trick by The Onion. Nailed it.

How can I be Nicer? by Lori Gotlieb, The Cut. This is a great “Dear Therapist” letter and an even better response.

Jim Harrison, The Art of Fiction No. 104 by Jim Fergus, The Paris Review. Jim Harrison is another favorite author of mine.

Taking my Seat in the Warrior's World

2017-06-28T00:00:00Z

At about the same time we successfully launched our General Availability v1.0.0 release, our new website, and unveiled Reaction to the world at a large industry conference, we moved from our beloved home in Venice, and my dad started hospice. I know that’s a big sentence. I lived it. Never have I felt more exhausted, tired, relieved, sad, proud, and shocked. Any one of those things would have been hard, but all of the sudden family, life, home, and work collided.

I believe in acknowledging milestones. Beginnings and endings. Bowing in and bowing out. The start of something and the end of something. And here I am, with beginnings and endings directly in my face. Work. Home. Family. Life.

The work is the life is the work.

Our launch was a success, but I didn’t truly feel it. My demo was well received, but I felt a bit numb. We moved into a great new place. The list and life goes on.

After our big launch, I attended a CEO Bootcamp with the amazing Reboot team near Boulder, Colorado. The two events almost lined up back-to-back. Going into the Reboot weekend, I was beyond tired and empty. I didn’t know if I needed a break or a change. The weekend was just what I needed. It was a break and a change, but it was not at all in the way I imagined. I went in feeling intimidated and left feeling recharged and, well, rebooted. It was real work that was, at times, hard and emotionally exhausting, but it was also filled with great joy and comfort that was rewarding.

Life goes on. The work evolves. My dad continues to be strong. We had a good Board meeting. My mom turned 80, and we had a lovely family celebration dinner, but she’s now facing a major cancer health scare as well. (F*&k cancer…) We’re now focused on our Series A fundraise, and, yes, the fundraising process sucks. I’m currently in one of my favorite places in the world, Telluride, Colorado, for downtime with my loves. Our new home actually feels like home. We planted a lemon tree, and it’s already grown over a foot in the first month. I think I have, too.

My Koan from the Reboot Bootcamp was about “taking my seat in the warrior’s world.”

I’m there.

5 Things: Retail, VC Pitches, and Rare Books

2017-05-28T00:00:00Z

It’s been a while since I’ve posted the five things that made me pause over the last week or so. The long, Memorial Day weekend has me catching up on saved reads, so here are some of the highlights.

No Mercy / No Malice: Shark Repellent — Fighting Amazon by Scott Galloway, l2inc. “Until then, retailers that derive more than 30% of their business online (and there are a lot of them) need to refer to that channel as their core business.”

How to Pitch VCs like a Product Manager by Founder Collective. “Remember, VCs Back Businesses, Not Products”

4 Behaviors of Top-Performing CEOs by HBR Ideas Cast. Good listen.

Why are doughnut boxes pink? The answer could only come out of Southern California by David Pierson, LA Times. The pink donut box is such a part of my childhood.

Why rare books are thriving in the digital age by Will Gore, Spectator. The movement toward vintage, craft things (rare books, vinyl, etc.) is something I love.

Bonus thing:

Transcript of New Orleans Mayor Landrieu’s address on Confederate monuments speech by Mayor Mitch Landrieu. This speech is so, so good. Go read it. Watch it. Repeat.

NYC Subway Infrastracture

2017-05-17T00:00:00Z

I’m fascinated with New York’s subway lines. When I lived in Brooklyn, I was never not amazed at the logistics and complexities of the infrastructure that runs the city. I love learning about the history of transit systems, and this article from The Atlantic about New York’s subway lines is a fascinating read. It involves discovery, design, spec, technical debt, and open source–all things that are near and dear to my heart and working life. The complications of a system built in the late 1800’s are fascinating.

Please Star Reaction on GitHub

2017-05-04T00:00:00Z

We’re a small, early-stage startup. We don’t have a big team. We don’t have a lot of money. We are, in essence, the underdog. We depend on friends and community to help us, inspire us, and lead us. “It takes a village” is an old adage that would be applicable here, and that’s partly because we are the David to our competitor’s Goliath. They each have hundreds of employees, millions of dollars, and a much greater reach than we currently have.

But guess what? We have just as much, if not more, heart than they do.

I’m going to be honest: startups are hard. We’re faced with huge obstacles and hurdles every single day. We’re faced with doubters and skeptics left and right. We’re faced with clients, investors, and random people who ask us to explain, again and again, why we exist, and why we matter.

So here’s why:

Commerce has a long way to go. We hear it every single day: there absolutely needs to be a more modern commerce platform. Retailers, brands, startups, and makers are stuck on legacy solutions or closed providers. Just yesterday, I spoke to a great business that’s completely stuck with a broken site, and their current provider won’t support them! I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: all of the existing market-leading platforms came out before the launch of the first iPhone. It’s time for there to be a better way for commerce businesses to build and operate.
Reaction is completely open source. We believe that open source is the only way we can succeed. Our code is GPL licensed, and it is available for free for anyone in the world to download and use. Unlike other projects, we aren’t planning on having a community edition (with fewer features) and a premium pay-for enterprise edition (with more features), and that’s because our community is our lifeblood. We feel a strong sense of responsibility to build and maintain Reaction for the world to use.
JavaScript and node.js are the right solutions for commerce. Don’t just listen to us. Walmart, Facebook, and Netflix, along with many other major companies, are investing in JavaScript. Our entire stack is JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, which gives businesses the ability to take control and move faster. In the rapidly changing world of retail, businesses can no longer afford to be stuck on brittle systems. Ecommerce is growing and businesses need to keep up. A modern technology stack is key to surviving and key to hiring talent. Developers actually want to be working on node, React, and…Reaction!

In the open source world that we live and thrive in, GitHub is our lifeblood, and GitHub stars are an important sign of our health. Right now, we’re the 3rd largest open source commerce project on GitHub in terms of stars/followers. It would mean a great deal to get to #1.

Please star us on GitHub!

Simply click on the Star button below. If you aren’t signed in to GitHub, you’ll need to sign in, and then Star us. You’ll need to create an account if you don’t have one, and then Star us. It will take less than a minute!

Thank you.

Beginner's Mind

2017-04-29T00:00:00Z

I love this article in The New York Times, It’s Great to Suck at Something.

"If we accept our failures and persevere nonetheless, we might provide a respite from the imperative to succeed and instead find acceptance in trying. Failing is O.K. Better still, isn’t it a relief?

There’ll always be another chance. And another after that, trust me. Be patient. Waves come. Waves always come."

When I was reading the article, I thought of the Zen concept of beginner’s mind called Shoshin. I love surfing. I don’t do it often these days, but I’m a happy, perpetual beginner.

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” - Suzuki, Shunryu. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Header photo by Brian Caissie / Getty Images. Thanks.

What’s in my Bag in 2017

2017-04-23T00:00:00Z

As part of a new yearly tradition, I am going to take inventory of what I carry around in my bag. I have my bag with me almost everywhere I go. As rare as it sounds for someone living in Los Angeles, I walk and bike a lot, and I am regularly working on-the-go, so I’m constantly optimizing and changing what I carry.

Here are the things I’ve found to be the best or most effective items to have with me all the time. With these things, I can be productive at pretty much any place on the planet with an internet connection.

Patagonia Black Hole Packback - Confession: I have a thing with bags. I’m on a quest to find the right backpack for daily use and for travel. There’s a lot I like about this bag, but it’s not perfect. It’s got good open space, but I’m often digging around trying to find things at the bottom. It has a good sleeve for my laptop, but there could be a few more compartments. It’s comfortable for cycling and walking, and it easily has enough space to be an overnight bag. Most importantly, it looks cool. That said, I suspect I’ll have a new bag in rotation in the near future.
Tom Bihn Guardian Light - This waterproof light is helpful to see inside my bag or to guide my way when attached to the outside of the bag.
MacBookPro, 13-inch and MacBookPro power adapter - It’s sporting Reaction Commerce stickers, of course.
Amazon Basics Felt Laptop Sleeve - This is as simple as simple gets, and that’s what I love about it. It looks good without any fuss. When I don’t need my entire backpack, I can carry my laptop in this sleeve and take it into any meeting.
Kindle Voyage with blue leather cover - I do love my Kindle, and it’s a rare trip when I don’t travel with it.
Apple Lightning EarPods - I mostly use these for calls.
DONGLES! Sigh.
iPhone wall charger + cable
Five-Minute Journal - For me, daily journaling has been a life saver.
Passport - Always prepared to go, go, go.
Hustle bag - I can’t remember where I got this. Maybe Etsy? Love it.
Tom Bihn Snake Charmer Bag - This one is handy for cords and cables.
USB C Charger,Tronsmart 30W Dual USB Wall Charger with Quick Charge - This is handy, especially in hotels, and it charges quickly.
Sunshine-tipway Memory Card Reader
Anker PowerCore 20100 - Ultra High Capacity Power Bank - ABC: Always Be Charging
Kensington international plug adapter with dual USB charging ports - My carry-to-use ratio on this one is questionable, but when I’ve needed it, it’s been a lifesaver.
Aukey 4-port USB Car Charger - I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a Lfyt/Uber, rental car, or friends car and needed desperately to be able to charge my phone.
[Cord taco](https://thisisground.com/collections/cordtaco
Kingston Digital 128GB Data Traveler SE9 G2 USB 3.0
Earbuds - I’ve had these for a long time. I use them mostly for listening to music/podcasts when flying as they’re more comfortable
Reaction Commerce Notebook
Reaction Commerce Stickers - It’s always good to have these on hand to be able to give them away.

[**Tom Binh accessory bag pen/pencil, clear**](https://www.tombihn.com/collections/accessories/products/clear-organizer-pouch?variant=16621006791) - Great for pens.

[**Lamy Pico Ballpoint Pen**](https://www.amazon.com/LAMY-Ballpoint-Pearl-Chrome-L287/dp/B000CN9KEW/) - I have a minor obsession with pens. This just happens to be in rotation at the moment.

[**Twin Tip Sharpie**](https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Permanent-Markers-Black-37035PP/dp/B000PXJ26A)

[**Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5 Black Pen**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060S2V8K) - This is an all-time favorite pen.

**Pocket Size Tape Measurer** This comes in handy more than you can imagine.

[**Garmin 735XT watch**](https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Forerunner-735XT-Black-Gray/dp/B01DOJDNEI/) - I'm a big fan of Garmin gear and their software.

[**Patagonia Ultra Light Down Vest**](http://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-ultralight-down-vest/84776.html) - I often have an additional layer in my bag for temperature changes, cold conference rooms, cold planes, etc.

[**Merino Wool Buff**](https://www.amazon.com/Lightweight-Merino-Wool-Multifunctional-Headwear/dp/B009VU2TQI/&tag=salhi-20) - This has multiple purposes. It pulls my hair back, it can be a scarf, and it keeps my head warm

[**LA Dodgers Baseball Cap**](https://www.amazon.com/Angeles-Dodgers-Cleanup-Adjustable-47/dp/B0014GM8KY) - When bad hair day hits, this hat comes to the rescue. Go Dodgers!

[**Deck of cards**](https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Black-Second-Playing-Ellusionist/dp/B0018DPOMM) - An old school game of solitaire is still a great way to unwind. Playing reminds me of my grandparents.

Eye Mask- Comes in handy way more than you’d think.
Earplugs - Loud hotels, loud planes, loud trains, loud coffee shops, loud airports, loud people, loud… be gone. For when I just want quiet and am not interested in music.
Warby Parker eyeglass case & cleaning cloth
Lindberg n.o.w. eyeglasses and case - These glasses are, by far, my most favorite and receive a lot of compliments. They are crazy lightweight and very comfortable.
bkr Glass Water Bottle - I am one of those people who fills up their water bottle at the airport. This is a good size. Not too big. Not too small. I prefer glass over metal or plastic bottles. To me, the water tastes better in glass.
Miscellaneous personal items
Tom Binh accessory bag medium, clear - This pouch holds various personal items. Clear is key to easily be able to see at a glance what I’m looking for.
Aveda Blue Oil - This stuff is super helpful when I need to relax and calm down on a stressful day.
Aesop Ginger Flight Therapy - I also have some of this on my desk at the office.
Advil and Aleve in small pill case from MoMA
Burts Bees Lip Shimmer
Aquaphor Lip Repair - Life saving
Pure Protein bar - For those hangry moments
Five Rain Spearmint Gum - True confession: I’m kind of addicted.
Refresh eye drops - I have an eye condition that makes my eyes dry which causes them to tear up all the time. Also, staring at a computer screen for too long makes my eyes tired and dry.
Hotlix Toothpicks- Promise me you’ll let me know if I have food in my teeth, okay?
Glide Dental Floss - See above.
Mirror - I got this at the MoMA store in NYC.
Bandana - Never leave home without a bandana or handkerchief.
Tissues Travel Pack
Face and Hand Wipes
Reflective, Neoprene Pant Strap for Biking - Having ruined a couple pairs of pants while biking, these are a lifesaver.

That’s a lot of stuff! It will be fun to see how these numbers change over time.

Jeff Bezos's Annual Letter: Disagree and Commit

2017-04-17T00:00:00Z

Jeff Bezos’s Annual Letter is a must read. It’s up there with Warren Buffet’s Annual Letters as something I look forward to reading every year. I highly recommend taking the 5 minutes to read it, especially if you work in tech, but it really applies to all. The “disagree and commit” framework for decision making is a gem.

Wildflowers

2017-04-07T00:00:00Z

I took the day off work yesterday and hiked in the Malibu hills. The wildflowers were even more spectacular than anticipated. The yellows, whites, reds, purples, oranges, and greens were simply amazing.

California, you win.

Meet Reaction v1.0.0: Our General Availability Release!

2017-03-20T00:00:00Z

Big news! Today, we’re announcing the General Availability release of Reaction Commerce. We’re now officially out of Beta, and while we’ve always been open (source), we’re open for business!

Here’s my first-ever tweetstorm announcing our v1.0.0:

Today at @shoptalk, we’re announcing our v1.0.0 GA release. We’re out of Beta and ready for business! http://getrxn.io/2mczc3E
72% of retailers plan to switch their ecommerce platform in the next two years. That’s crazy, right @shoptalk?
Let’s stop the re-platforming madness! @getreaction is 100% open, real time, customizable, & extendible. The future is #opensource.
Visit us at Startup Row 40 to learn why @getreaction is the last commerce platform you’ll ever need. #shoptalk17
And see a live @getreaction demo Tues. 9:35am (Track 5) & meet one of our flagship clients, @anthonymhoang of @EvereveOfficial! #shoptalk17
Best for last: A big shoutout to the @getreaction global, open source community. We’re thankful for the continued support. 🙏🏻

To learn more about our v1.0.0 release, visit the Reaction blog.

5 Things: Open Source, Silicon Valley's Boys' Club, and Anxiety

2017-03-19T00:00:00Z

Here are five things that made me pause over the last week or so.

The $27B+ Open Source Software Paradox by Joseph Jacks, Svtble.

Exclusive: How to Break Up the Silicon Valley Boys’ Club by Susan Wojciki, Vanity Fair. It’s good to see more and more women in tech writing about the boys club in tech.

Running a business with boobs: the things I never say by Learn and Jesse Genet, medium.com. This post from Jesse is so good.

Anxiety, depression, distraction — what if the cure is just outside? by Amelia Urry, grist.org. #optoutside

This Man Makes Founders Cry by Jessi Hempel, backchannel.com. I’m really looking forward to the Reboot Bootcamp next weekend.

5 Things: Black History, LA Architecture, and the Microbiome

2017-02-12T00:00:00Z

Here are five things that made me stop and think, and in some cases get my wallet out, over the past week.

Teenagers Who Vandalized Historic Black Schoolhouse Are Ordered to Read Books by Christine Hauser, NY Times. There are some new books in this article to add to my reading list.

A Local’s Guide to the 100 Architectural Wonders of L.A. by Thomas Harlander, lamag.com. I love LA.

Microbes, a Love Story by Moises Velasquez-Manoff, New York Times.

Greats I bought my first pair of Greats shoes this week. I love them so much that I then bought my second pair. It’s interesting to me that direct-to-consumer shoe brands, like Greats and Allbirds, are capturing the attention of the tech world. I wonder how they will do in the long run as independent brands. I’m rooting for their success.

Nearly half of online retailers are looking for a new e-commerce platform by Stefany Zaroban, Internet Retailer. A powerful data point for Reaction Commerce.

Header photo by Visual Hunt. Thanks!

Relax Something

2017-02-12T00:00:00Z

My yoga teacher will often say “relax something” when we’re in the midst of some insanely hard pose. It’s a simple thing, but it always works. I realize that I can relax my jaw, my tongue, my shoulders, my toes, or something. By relaxing something, my mind and body are focused on the relaxing and not the tension that exists someplace else.

I’ve since adopted this technique when I’m in a challenging situation. Whether it’s the dentist or a stressful meeting, relaxing something is a super simple and effective meditative technique.

And, yes, I just realized that my recent posts have been about breathing and meditation. Perhaps this is my subtle and unconscious response to the stress happening in our country. Dunno.

Just Breathe

2017-02-06T00:00:00Z

Here’s a simple thing that I do during my day to stay focused and centered. Before I walk into a meeting (whether in person, video, or phone), I close my eyes, take three deep breaths, and then I join the meeting. This simple, quick break has had a profound impact on my presence and focus in meetings.

My schedule is often packed with back-to-back meetings. I’m running from one thing to the next with little time to digest information or thoughts. Taking three deep breaths has a magical impact. They act as a breaking point between the last meeting and the next meeting. They restart my energy and attention. I can do them easily and quickly without anyone even noticing.

If you’re struggling to stay ahead, and you’re feeling like your days take you rather than you taking your days, try this simple exercise for thirty days. You won’t regret it.

Shanti. Shanti.

Header photo by Luca Zanon. Thanks!

5 Things: Diversity Hiring, Serena Williams, and Ultramarathons

2017-02-05T00:00:00Z

Here are five things that made me stop and think over the last week

Facebook’s Hiring Process Hinders Its Effort to Create a Diverse Workforce by Ellen Huet, Bloomberg So many important lessons and things to avoid in building a diverse and inclusive organization. “The very people the recruiters had been pushed to bring in were often blocked at the final hiring meeting, they said. Those were not the only candidates declined at the final stage, but getting “diversity candidates” hired at Facebook proved to be such a struggle than many recruiters stopped trying, even with the double point system, and went back to their usual strategies, two former recruiters said.”

Audi’s #DriveProgress Big Game Commercial, “Daughter” by Audi. This commercial is fantastic.

Talk Shop with Sara Hicks, CEO / Co-Founder of Reaction Commerce by Katelan Cunningham, Lumi. This is a shameless plug. I was interviewed by Lumi for an upcoming talk I’m doing at their HQ. I’m happy with how this turned out.

Serena Williams Beats Venus Williams to Win Her 7th Australian Open Title by Christopher Clarey, New York Times. I love when Venus Williams said, “Your win has always been my win.”

‘It made me question my sanity every day’: Michael Wardian sets record in seven-marathon challenge by Kelyn Soong, Washington Post. I’m a sucker for a good suffer-fest story. “By the end, he was sleep-deprived, sported a few fresh scars and was craving a large salad. But he had a better understanding of what his body and mind can handle.”

Header photo by Sergio Rola. Thanks!

Make America Love Again

2017-01-28T00:00:00Z

I’ve been incredibly disheartened by the proposed immigration ban. It’s hard to even put my thoughts and feelings into words. It’s surreal, yet this is all happening right now. Never could I have imagined that I’d put the sign pictured in this blog post in the window of my own house. It’s insane.

In the midst of the chaos, I’m comforted to see so many of my colleagues and investors joining the fight. It’s fantastic to see so many supporting the ACLU with their pocketbooks, protesting on the streets and in airports, voting with their feet by not using or supporting companies behind the current administration, and making calls to our elected officials. The legal efforts are comforting and only the beginning. Don’t stop.

We are a nation of immigrants and dreamers. Period.

5 Things: Women's March, Obama Letters, and Overwork

2017-01-22T00:00:00Z

The Women’s March was an incredible capstone to this week. Here are five things that also made an impression on me over the last seven days.

Pictures From Women’s
Marches on Every Continent by The New York Times This is what democracy looks like.

To Obama With Love, and Hate, and Desperation by Jeanne Marie Laskas. I will miss him.

How to Handle the Pessimist on Your Team by Amy Gallo, hbr.org. This article has some helpful advice for managing negative behaviors.

Hillary Clinton’s Personal March on Washington by David Remnick, New Yorker. I got a little teary reading this.

Japan’s employees are literally working themselves to death by Amanda Erickson, Washington Post. Insane.

Women's March

2017-01-21T00:00:00Z

Wow. Today was an experience that I won’t forget. Participating in the Women’s March in Downtown LA (DTLA) was simply incredible. Everything from the packed train ride from Santa Monica, to marching in the streets of DTLA with crowds estimated at over 750,000 was inspiring and motivating. While this is just the start of a long journey, I have hope.

5 Things: Sugar, Smartphone Attention, and Building Habits

2017-01-15T00:00:00Z

Here are five things that caught my attention over this last week.

Is sugar the world’s most popular drug? by Gary Taubes, The Guardian. Like many people at the start of a new year, I’m trying to consume less sugar. “Sugar induces the same responses in the region of the brain known as the ‘reward centre’ as nicotine, cocaine, heroin and alcohol.” Good grief.

Restoring Sanity to the Office by Jason Fried, Signal v. Noise. We’ve been thinking a lot about the purpose of our office. This article, which is a transcript from a HBR Ideacast Interview, has some helpful thoughts.

How I got my Attention Back by Craig Mod, Backchannel. “There is a qualitative and quantitative difference between a day that begins with a little exercise, a book, meditation, a good meal, a thoughtful walk, and the start of a day that begins with a smartphone in bed.” Amen.

Exclusive Peek at SpaceX Data Shows Loss in 2015, Heavy Expectations for Nascent Internet Service by by Rolfe Winkler, WSJ. A must read on SpaceX’s internal financials and a window into their deliberations. I have huge admiration for their focus and execution.

A Stanford University psychologist’s elegant three-step method for creating new habits by Lila MacLellan, qz.com.

…doing something you don’t enjoy and subsequently failing to make it habitual is actually more detrimental to a mission for change than doing nothing at all. To create a real lifelong habit, the focus should be on training your brain to succeed at a small adjustments, then gaining confidence from that success, he argues. To do that, one needs to design behavior changes that are both easy to do and can be seamlessly slipped into your existing routine. Aim for automaticity.

On Reference Calls

2026-08-27T00:00:00Z

I’ve been doing a bunch of reference calls lately for due diligence on hires and strategic partnerships. As part of this, I’ve looked around to see if there were any helpful tips or guides for doing reference checks. To my surprise, there isn’t too much out there, especially from the operator/entrepreneur side of the house, so I thought I’d share my approach and thoughts.

It takes commitment.

By the time I’m making reference calls, I’m already a bit biased and predisposed to hiring the person. Like everyone, I delay my reference calls until the point where I’m about to extend an offer or engage in a partnership. This can create a paradox if I receive some unexpected and undesirable feedback, because by the time I actually call people, I already want to make the hire.

This dilemma is why so many reference calls end up as formalities with softball questions. It’s because we don’t want to hear the truth! I’ve been there, but this is the key point, and it’s why I think more needs to be discussed around reference calls. There’s a ton of lip service around “hire slow, fire fast” in startups. Part of hiring slowly is not cutting corners at the finish. I see it as my job to seek as much information and evidence that supports my learnings throughout the recruiting and interviewing process. I always assume that I’m going to get great information, but I also want to be sure I haven’t missed anything.

Every reference call is actually a networking call.

I’ve ended up partnering with companies or hiring people who I originally met through a reference check. Always be recruiting, right? In a list of references, you have a highly-qualified list. Treat it as gold and with great respect.

The simple mind shift of treating reference calls as networking calls makes all the difference. Instead of it just being a box I’m checking at the end of a long process, I’m talking with this person not just for their feedback on my hire but also as a potential future partner, teammate, Advisor, or Board Member. I never know what I might learn or where the call might go, so I act accordingly.

I can tell a lot about a person or company by the references they provide.

Not all lists are created equal. Everything is a signal.

Once I receive the list, I will sometimes ask my candidate, “How did you decide on these people as your references?" Or, “Who did you decide to leave off your list of references? And why?” The answers to these questions are often telling, and they help me to start filling in some names for possible back channel references.

Who is and isn’t listed?

Did the person list their previous managers, at least from their past few jobs?
Did they include a good sampling of people they have managed and their peers?
Have they included any customers, strategic partners advisors, or mentors? Board members? VCs?
Who have they excluded?
How many people have they listed? Too many makes it a laundry list. Too few creates questions about their ability to create and maintain alliances.
Is their list a good mix of men, women, and Under Represented Minorities (URMs)? Diversity and inclusion are important at all stages!

What information is provided?

Have they shared a short summary on how they are connected with the person?
Did they provide both email and phone number?
Have they let you know the preferred way and time that the reference wants to be contacted?
Did they link to the person’s website or LinkedIn profile?

What’s the format of the list?

Is the list provided inline in an email?
Is it attached as a PDF, Word (.docx) file, Google Doc? (I could write another post about this alone.)
Is it clean and organized to make it easy to review?

Back channel references are golden.

In order to better reference check people, I focus on getting back channel or “off-list” references to complement the “on-list” references. The simplest way to do this, is that I ask the “on list” people for other people they think I should connect with with in order to get a fuller picture. From there, my web grows.

Back channel references are not as likely to be buddies with the candidate, not as likely to be coached, and they are not as likely to be loyal or accountable. The conversations are often a bit more raw and contain some hidden nuggets that I don’t get from the “on list” folks.

Another way to get back channel references is through LinkedIn. I search through people who used to work for and with the person. This then surfaces names of people either to be references or to suggest references. If their list was too homogenous, then I work to find a mix of genders and backgrounds to call.

For senior-level hires, I also make back channel references from people in the community. I ask VCs, customers, competitors, or even people who had a similar job in the same general community. They may not know the person directly, but they often have heard of them, competed with them for a job, or they have a general sense of their reputation. It turns out that CMOs often know other CMOs, and the same is true for sales, finance, engineering, etc. Two degrees of separation almost always holds up!

I have a pre-determined list of questions, but I don’t always follow it.

My list of questions changes based on the person I’m calling, but I try to not follow a script. I use it as a guide to make sure I cover the topics I want to cover. I try to ask probing questions and then use the conversation to guide follow up areas. We’ve all been on reference call where the person is just reading from their list of questions. I avoid doing this!

Here are some topics I recently used for one of my reference calls for a C-level executive hire:

How do you know [this person]? (Because I’ve done my homework, I already know the connections, but it’s always great to hear it in their words, and it’s a nice starting point.)
Can you share an example of a challenge [this person] faced? (e.g. A difficult conversation? A missed quarter?) Everybody has some areas for improvement and blind spots. It would be helpful to know these coming in to understand where to focus before they join our team. What areas should I focus on with [this person]?
Can you walk me through a time where [this person] impressed you?
Describe [this person’s] leadership and management style.
In your experience, is [this person] good at… Fundraising? Being a spokesperson? Sales? Team builder and motivator? Building partnerships? Communicator? And can you share examples?
These usually overlap, but is [this person] more of a numbers person or a people person? Or something else?
If you were managing, coaching or mentoring [this person], what would be the top 3 things you would likely be discussing?
A common thing I’ve heard about this person is [this general thing], can you share your thoughts and experience regarding this?
Would you work with [this person] again? And why? (This is only helpful to ask for back channel references. Usually all of the “on list” references want to work together again.)

When I call provided references, I’m actually looking for stellar feedback. I expect to get glowing references, unless the candidate has told me in advance something like, “I’m listing [this person] as a reference. We had many great moments working together, but we also had some tough times. You’ll get a balanced perspective from them, but I want you to know that we had a conflict or friction over [this thing], and that will likely be discussed. I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts.” This kind of reference is the rare case. Usually, the references that are provided are hand-selected to say the best possible things.

During the call, I take notes.

This should be obvious, but you’d be surprised to know that most companies don’t do this. After the call, I fill in my notes with more details, and I highlight key words or phrases that catch my attention. I use one document for all my notes for each reference call. This helps me to see patterns.

Each call builds upon previous calls.

Depending on the role, I may check 3-10 references. As the picture and details build, I use the information from each call in each subsequent call to validate points I’m hearing.

After a few reference calls, I have a picture of some of the areas that need to improve. Most of the time, these areas are minor and are likely to be common. What I’m looking to see is how these areas overlap with me and my team’s strengths and weaknesses. I’m working to validate the positives, but I am also trying to catch any last “gotchas” before extending an offer.

I deflect the hard questions by saying, “What some people have said about [this person] is that they are very success oriented, but they sometimes struggle in collaborative, team environments. Some people have shared they are a great individual contributor, but they have challenges building consensus and teams. What’s your experience here?”

For certain roles, I have multiple people do reference calls.

It’s critical that the hiring manager make at least 2-3 calls, but for certain roles, HR or other teammates can make a few calls. One reason I’ve found this to be effective is that it helps to get balanced feedback when more eyes and ears are working together, and it is far easier to maintain a good working relationship with the candidate when somebody else asks the tough questions.

For very strategic hires, I’ve had my search agency, VCs, and even third-party services help me with reference calls. There are professionals who do this for a living, and they are very good at it. Not only are very sophisticated and very thorough in information gathering, but they provide very helpful reporting.

I circle back with my candidate with feedback.

If I’m about to hire this person or engage this company, it’s helpful to be clear of the things I’m hearing. This is the foundation for effective 1:1s and partnerships going forward. And, by the way, I assume that all of my conversations will go back to the candidate, so this information will likely already be known. This is normal, so when I’m on reference calls, I don’t ask or dwell on the negative or share any information I’ve learned that shouldn’t be shared.

Everybody has blind spots.

After writing down how they know each other and all of the validating details, I ask, “Everybody has some areas for improvement and blind spots. It would be helpful to know these coming in to understand where to focus before they join our team. What areas should I focus on with [this person]?” Then I listen, and, again, I write down the key phrases.

I may ask a couple different versions of the “blind spots” question to try to get to an answer. It may take a couple times, but there’s always a blind spot to discuss. On certain occasions, I’ll dip into talking about cognitive psychology and the Johari Window technique. To make it a safe environment and to encourage sharing, I’ll sometimes will first share some areas where I’m not as strong.

How to interpret references.

Interpreting the information learned on calls is not always a slam dunk. If anything comes up that I feel needs some investigating, I first try to validate through my web of contacts. If I can validate the feedback through a couple other calls, then I reach out to the candidate and have a candid conversation.

It’s a rare event to have this happen at the reference stage, but reference checks can lead to not moving forward with a candidate or partnership. The types of validated feedback that are non-starters for me are attitude problems, unnecessarily creating friction, or lacking fair judgment.

In my experience, it’s better to know the good, bad, and ugly before before having someone on my team.

Hire right. Hire slow. Hire smart.

5 Things: Founder Burnout, Elevators, and the Right to Disconnect

2017-01-08T00:00:00Z

It seems like everyone is writing up a storm after the holiday break, as there were a lot of good reads that I saved to my Pocket this week. Here are five things that rose to the top.

6 Ways Our Founders are Finding Balance and Avoiding Burnout in the New Year by Female Founders Fund. Yours truly is mentioned in this article by one of our cherished investors.

Up and Then Down by Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker. This is from 2008. It’s a fascinating read about Otis elevators.

105-Year-Old Frenchman Sets Cycling Record by Samuel Petrequin, Washington Post. Just adorable and so inspiring.

France Lets Workers Turn Off, Tune Out and Live Life by Alissa J. Rubin, The New York Times. Viva La France.

Deep Learning at GILT by Pau Carré Cardona, Gilt, Inc. There’s a lot of buzz about deep learning. It’s nice to read that GILT is pushing the envelope here and open sourcing their code.

Things I Didn't Buy

2017-01-02T00:00:00Z

Earlier this year, I changed the title of my “Wants” list to “Things I didn’t buy.” I got the idea for the switch from Tina Roth Eisenberg, also known as swissmiss. This small change has made a difference in my thinking and feelings about things.

Before the switch, I would put something I desired on my list, and then if I still wanted/coveted the item at a later date (at least 3 days or longer for bigger-ticket items), I would then likely purchase it. This waiting period was a bit of a forcing mechanism for me to see and feel how much I wanted something. It helped, but it was still carried a mental, emotional, and spiritual toll.

Once I switched my list to “Things I didn’t buy,” I actually felt relief and a bit of pride. It started to feel good to not purchase things and to keep track of it over time. I liked not having the mental overhead. Rather than purchasing things without much thought and accumulating more stuff, I have become more mindful of the things I own. As an added bonus, the things I do end up purchasing now carry more meaning.

Right now, my list contains things ranging from a Boosted Board (so thankful I didn’t get this as it likely would have resulted in broken bones), numerous lattes and cappuccinos, a jacket from Nike, and a Rapha cycling jersey. Reviewing my list from time-to-time is a joy. I feel grateful that I didn’t make the purchases.

I recognize that even the concept of this list, no matter what it’s named, is a great privilege. I am beyond fortunate. For me, it’s about striving to live a life of appreciation and balance, and this is a small part of my journey.

5 Things: Shorter Workweeks, Costco Culture, and Stoicism

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Happy New Year! Here are five things that caught my eye this last week.

Be More Productive. Take Time Off. by Jason Fried, The New York Times. “When there’s less time to work, you waste less time. When you have a compressed workweek, you tend to focus on what’s important. Constraining time encourages quality time.”
Inside Nike’s Quest for the Impossible: A Two-Hour Marathon by Ed Caesar, Wired. This would be an incredible feat.
The farmer who built her own broadband by Zoe Kleinman, BBC News. A story about communities coming together. “There is lots available if communities come together. We are really sitting here waiting to help.”
Inside Costco: The Magic in the Warehouse by Neil Gabler, Fortune. I didn’t know about the company culture behind Costco. It’s quite impressive.

“People will bang down a door to come to work for Costco,” says Craig Wilson, vice president of quality assurance and food safety, and an 18-year Costco veteran. And once there, just about no one leaves. The company’s retention rate for employees who have been there a year is 94%. “You couldn’t throw enough money at me to make me leave this company,” says Paul Latham, VP of membership, marketing, and Costco Services, with 37 years under his belt. “I love it.” And if nobody leaves, almost nobody gets fired either. When the recession hit and most companies were laying off employees, Costco’s brain trust didn’t let anyone go. “It wasn’t even something that we thought about,” Jelinek says. Instead, the company actually raised wages.

How to be a Stoic by Elif Batuman, The New York Times. I’ll admit that I’m intrigued about stoicism and would like to study more about it in 2017.

Happy New Year!

2017-01-01T00:00:00Z

Happy New Year, friends.

I’m an eternal optimist and a bit of a realist, so I’m definitely looking forward to 2017. I love the start of a new year. The rituals, resolutions, planning, and newness are an opportunity for me to focus and hone my priorities and intentions.

Let’s be clear, though, 2016 was a doozy. The challenging world events and political upheaval was shocking to my core. Of course, in the midst of the turmoil, there was also many cherished moments and beautiful progress. Beginnings and endings. Good and bad. Starts and stops. Life was in full swing.

Cheers to you and yours for a healthy and happy 2017. Thanks, as always, for reading.

Header photo by Brigitte Tohm. Thanks!

Low Tide

2016-12-29T00:00:00Z

One of the best kept secrets in Los Angeles is the joy of the beach, especially at low tide and, better yet, in the winter months. In the off season, the beach is practically empty. To live in a city of millions and only share the beach with a handful of people is always astonishing and breathtaking.

At low tide, you can walk for miles on flat, hard sand. I truly love living in Venice and working in Santa Monica. A walk on the beach a few times a week with my loves is one of the many reasons I love LA.

5 Things: Michelle Obama, Brian Eno, and AI

2016-12-25T00:00:00Z

Merry, Happy to all!

I love this time of year. For me, it’s about time with family and loved ones, good food, and an opportunity to reflect on the past year and prepare for the year ahead.

I’m enjoying this new, weekly “5 Things” series. It’s a chance for me to better absorb and then compile the various content that comes across my channels. So, here are some of the things that caught my attention this last week.

They Released 14 Wolves In A Park. But No One Was Prepared For THIS. What Happens Next Is A Miracle And Proves That We Must Take Care Of Our Amazing Planet by We Love Animals. A magnificent example of resiliency as interdependence, connectedness, and diversity. Too often, resiliency is connected to redundancy or robustness, but nature shows us a more powerful relationship.
Michelle Obama and Us by Amy Davidson, The New Yorker. I’m going to miss her.
Brian Eno’s Next Album Does Not End by Miles Bowe, Fact Magazine. “I wanted also that this music would unfold differently all the time — ‘like sitting by a river’: it’s always the same river, but it’s always changing.”
The Great A.I. Awakening by Gideon Lewis-Kraus The New York Times.
Evidence of the Superiority of Female Doctors by James Hamblin, The Atlantic.

Bushnell's Law

2016-12-21T00:00:00Z

I was listening to a podcast recently where Bushnell’s Law was referenced: “Easy to learn, hard to master.” I wasn’t familiar with the Law, so I went to Google. From Wikipedia, “Bushnell’s Law or Nolan’s Law is an aphorism often attributed to Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, on the subject of video game design.”

All the best games are easy to learn and difficult to master. They should reward the first quarter and the hundredth.

The Wikipedia page references learning curve, which is a familiar concept of knowledge as learning over time. I’m fascinated by concepts related to what I call progressive learning or progressive disclosure. The idea of rewarding the first quarter and the hundredth is powerful. It’s hard to do, and the example of video game design is a good one for me to consider and research.

5 Things: Running, Election Hacking, and UCLA Basketball

2016-12-18T00:00:00Z

Here are some of the things that caught my attention this past week.

Running as the Thinking Person’s Sport by Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times. “Instead, running seems to be a kind of mobile math puzzle.”
The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S. by Eric Lipton, David E. Sanger, Scott Shane, New York Times. If you read one thing about the election and Russian, this is the article to read.
Million-Year-Old ‘Hero Bug’ Emerges From Cave by Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR. I’m still thinking about this superbug.
No. 2 UCLA makes Pauley Pavilion the place to be again by Bill Plaschke, LA Times. I’m a happy Bruin fan at the moment.
2016 Year in Review Popular topics from the team at Pocket. There are many long reads, across many topics in this year in review.

Bonus:

Tenderly by José James. I heard this playing on KCRW while I was driving around doing some holiday errands, and I looked it up right when I got home.

A New Routine: Daily Journaling

2016-12-14T00:00:00Z

This year, I started a new daily journal routine. It’s simple. Nearly every morning, I sit down and journal. I don’t journal to be productive. I don’t do it to find ideas, solve problems, or to draft blog posts. My journal isn’t intended for anyone but me.

I’ve mostly been using the Five-Minute Journal to do this exercise. Occasionally, I’ll follow the Morning Pages routine. On a rare occasion, when I’m not someplace convenient, I’ll write my thoughts in a notepad or on my iPhone or iPad. The point is that I don’t use excuses to not do it. There’s always five minutes, and I always have access to some paper or a device. It works best for me when I journal in the morning, but on some days, it happens later in the day.

Hands down, this new routine has been the best and simplest way for me to focus and balance my thinking. But, to be clear, it’s not an exercise to try to focus or to be productive. I’m now convinced that journaling is the most helpful exercise to capture thoughts and patterns. This also isn’t about writing or blogging. There are huge benefits to writing, even if no one, myself included, ever reads the words. In this case, the daily process and the activity itself, matters more than the result.

For me, it’s simply about getting thoughts out of my head. In GTD terms, it’s akin to a brain dump, but less structured. My daily journal doesn’t have to solve problems. This simple exercise for five minutes each morning is life changing.

5 Things: Gaslighting, Love, and Cancer Immunotherapy

2016-12-11T00:00:00Z

Here are some of the things (stories, products, ideas, random whatnots, etc.) that captured me this last week:

Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America, by Lauren Duca, Teen Vogue. This article is making the rounds this weekend and rightfully so. It’s brilliant and critically necessary writing.
Elizabeth and Alice, by Megan Marshall, New Yorker. A gorgeous love story.
Madonna Delivers Her Blunt Truth During Fiery, Teary Billboard Women In Music Speech, by Joe Lynch, Billboard. I’ve loved Madonna since high school. You go girl.
A house divided. The alarming response to Russian meddling in American democracy, by Lexington, The Economist. I’m so perplexed and agitated by the stories of Russia and the U.S. elections.
1 Patient, 7 Tumors and 100 Billion Cells Equal 1 Striking Recovery, by Denise Grady, The New York Times. A ray of cancer hope.

Long Live the Independent Web

2016-12-02T00:00:00Z

I’m a big believer in an independent and open web. I have concerns about content and code being owned by corporations and living behind walled, closed gardens. I worry over filter bubbles and corporate entities determining what we consume. I’m fearful over the narrowing of true journalism and the movement of journalism as entertainment and clicks rather than news.

Not to open a can of worms, but there’s no greater example of this than the recent headlines surrounding the proliferation of fake news and its effect on the election. I believe there has never been unbiased, non-manipulated, non-agenda news. Propaganda and corporate/government/personal agendas are nothing new. What’s changed is how quickly content is syndicated and surfaced to millions and millions of (often unsuspecting) people.

But I digress.

Reaction Commerce is centered on open source technologies. We firmly believe that open standards will prevail, and that closed platforms can’t compete in the long term with open platforms. Closed societies and closed systems are inherently challenged in that they operate under agendas that can’t benefit or satisfy the majority.

I recently came across the Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere (POSSE) concept from the IndieWeb movement. One of the reasons why I’ve rekindled this blog, is because I feel it’s critical that I own my own content. The IndieWeb site says it best: “The IndieWeb is a people-focused alternative to the corporate web.”

Long live the independent web.

Some Thoughts on Loneliness

2016-11-30T00:00:00Z

Every month, I send an email update to our investors and advisors. It’s a helpful exercise to step back to reflect on what’s working and what’s not, but, candidly, it’s harder to admit the struggles than the victories. I feel like I have to project an invincible image so that employees, investors, and members of the broader community have confidence in what we’re doing. This partial image creates a barrier of illusion that doesn’t always feel great.

What I’ve found is that most startup CEOs and founders, no matter what stage or momentum, are dealing with some intense problems all of the time, and the good investors and advisors know it. In fact, they’d rather hone in on the challenges, because that’s where they can help the most.

For us, we’re in the process of going to market, defining our business model, and building our team. Each area is not without challenge and consternation. While we’ve raised venture capital financing, there’s not a ton of wiggle room, and I feel a constant internal pressure around performance. The struggle is real.

Even with many supportive people around me, it still feels lonely. Running a startup is hard. The pressure of working long days and maintaining a positive attitude in the face of constant challenges is isolating.

Building Reaction Commerce is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done in my career, and the data on loneliness is scary. It’s unhealthy, especially for mental and physical health. When mental and physical health are in bad shape, productivity plummets and vulnerability rises. There has been some talk about loneliness and depression in tech, but I wanted to add my voice and share what’s worked and not worked for me.

I’ve tried meetups and, truthfully, they make me feel more alone. The same goes for conferences, cocktail parties, dinner parties, and other events. It’s important to be active in the community and these gatherings serve a purpose, but they often don’t help me to feel less isolated. I can be surrounded in a room full of people or have tons of followers in the social spheres, but I can still feel disconnected and lonely. When I do attend these types of events, what works for me is that I try to be of service and connect with at least one person on a meaningful level.

Here are some of the things that help me to feel less alone:

I have a standing breakfast meeting with a friend who is also a Founder/CEO. Because this is a regular habit, we cut through the noise and quickly get to the real, good stuff. I look forward to this breakfast more than most things on my calendar.
I write in my journal every day. I started keeping a daily diary this year, and it’s been an enormous influence. It helps me to reduce the friction in my thoughts, and it’s a simple five-minute exercise. I also updated this site and am blogging and sharing more frequently.
I continue to mentor, advise, and give back to others, even if in small ways. Getting out of my head and focusing on something or someone else helps to give me perspective. After spending time with others, I often feel less alone and that my problems aren’t so unique. Being of service, even when it’s outside of tech and startups, is good for centering and feeling part of a community.
I have a regular yoga practice with an instructor and class that I love. I also go on regular group bicycle rides, hike, run, and do other forms of group and individual exercise.
I cherish beginner’s mind and enjoy having hobbies and areas where I’m learning or experiencing something new. I enjoyed learning to play the guitar with an instructor and a community that kept me engaged and challenged. Learning to play the guitar is something I plan to get back to in 2017, as it was a welcome relief from my daily world and tapped into a side of my brain that felt neglected. Another hobby I enjoy is photography. A good photowalk centers my mind and fills my soul.
I have the sweetest dog in the world. I know that not everyone is an animal person, and some people prefer cats to dogs. For me, having a pet is about having a trusted companion. My dog, Grace, is an incredible teacher. Her loyalty and spirit are infectious, and she reminds me of the goodness and simplicity of life.

I read. This one may sound odd as something that helps with loneliness, because reading is a solo activity, but reading connects me to bigger ideas and thinking. While I read by myself, what I learn through reading gives me more energy and ideas, that in turn, I often want to share and discuss with others. It expands my horizons and helps me to feel more full.

If you have any tips or suggestions for what helps you with loneliness, I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Be well.

The Chatham House Rule Applies

2016-11-26T00:00:00Z

I was recently invited to a founders event where the invitation listed some House Rules. The first Rule was “The Chatham House Rule applies.” Then, in small print at the bottom of the list of House Rules, there was this explanation: “When a meeting or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity or the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other speaker, may be revealed.”

I had never heard of the Chatham House Rule, but I was intrigued by the idea. This is from Wikipedia:

The Chatham House Rule is a system for holding debates and discussion panels on controversial issues, named after the headquarters of the UK Royal Institute of International Affairs, based in Chatham House, London, where the rule originated in June 1927.

At a meeting held under the Chatham House Rule, anyone who comes to the meeting is free to use information from the discussion, but is not allowed to reveal who made any comment. It is designed to increase openness of discussion.

Here is more background from the Chatham House site:

The Chatham House Rule originated at Chatham House with the aim of providing anonymity to speakers and to encourage openness and the sharing of information. It is now used throughout the world as an aid to free discussion.

A rule that aims to encourage openness and increase the sharing of information is a good thing. I can’t say for certain if it created more openness at the event, but I enjoyed my conversations, and there seemed to be more depth and realness to the dialog. Being a founder is hard, so having a safe place to be able to cut through the bullshit is a welcome change. It would be a positive trend if more events added this Rule.

Giving Thanks

2016-11-23T00:00:00Z

It’s been a tough month. I’m still gathering my thoughts and giving myself time. The shock of the election results have turned into fear and worry. Many of us are clearly experiencing the five stages of grieving. The headlines have been hard to follow, and yet, it’s been critically important to stay alert and be heard. The thought of four years is hard to take.

With so much unrest, I feel like now, more than ever, it’s important to pause and give thanks. I do love this time of year. For me, the weather, the leaves, the food, the thankfulness, and the time with loved ones are all a warm and welcome relief. I’m a firm believer in the practice of giving thanks and having an attitude of gratitude. So, thank you, friends. Thanks for reading and contributing to this tiny space on web.

Happy Thanksgiving.

This is Focus (Year Three Startup Thoughts)

2016-11-21T00:00:00Z

Last month, we celebrated the three year anniversary since we started Reaction Commerce. For those following along, I wrote “This is Hard” about the first year, and “This is Interesting” about year two. For me, year three was all about focus, but before I get into some of my lessons learned, here are a few of the highlights from this past year:

We grew the Reaction Commerce team by 80%.
We moved into a new HQ in Santa Monica that’s one block from the beach!
We raised a $2.7M Series Seed financing round from top-tier venture firms and angels.
Our open source community grew by over 100% with almost 3,000 GitHub stars!
Our managed platform signups are now over 14,000.
We won the inaugural Shoptalk Startup Pitch Competition (and got $25,000)!
We re-published our Team Manifesto and launched our Community Guidelines.

I’m incredibly proud of our year three accomplishments! It’s insanely hard to start a company. The odds are stacked against success, and most businesses fail, so I’m thrilled with our momentum and growth.

As part of a now-yearly tradition, I like to pause and reflect back on what helped me the most, and then share those lessons in hopes they may help other founders. Here are the top-five things that rose to the top.

Being purposeful and mindful is critical

It was recently suggested to me that I should be saying no to 90% (!!!) of requests and suggestions.

It’s true. In order to focus and move fast, I have to say no most of the time. This means even saying no to “let’s grab coffee” and to “it’s a small fix” requests. Even if it’s something I really want to do, or even if it’s an improvement over what’s in place today, the key is to say no. It sometimes even means pushing pause on a big vision in order to move faster. We have a statement in our manifesto that says, “Never go backward to go forward.” We try not to take detours, but we also have a statement around small, fast, incremental steps. Like most things, it’s about finding a balance.

Our biggest advantage as a company is our ability to move faster compared to larger organizations. To move fast, though, requires extreme focus. This has been hard, because we have big dreams. We are builders, so when faced with a challenge, our first idea is to create something from scratch. We’re tinkerers, so we’re never satisfied and constantly iterating. The reality is that we will iterate until the end of time. The key is that we have to not let perfection be the enemy of good. We now have to be mindful and purposeful with what we prioritize. The stakes are higher, there are more people and teammates relying on us, so we have to be crystal clear on our vision of building intelligent and open commerce solutions, and then combine that with relentless and brutal prioritization on the things that matter.

And here’s the thing: We don’t always agree, and that’s okay.

Building a lasting company is all about the team

As mentioned above, we increased the size of our team by 80%. This literally happened almost overnight.

We’re consciously trying to build a diverse team. It’s not easy, especially in tech, but it’s the most important thing we can control. The data around diversity is real. Diverse teams are more likely to succeed and more able to solve complex problems. Thus, creating a strong culture for a diverse team is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do because it improves our chances for success.

Of all the things of this past year, I’m most proud of the fact that we republished our Team Manifesto. Creating this document was an exercise and conversation between the entire team. As we grow as a company, it’s important that we continue to define and evolve our culture and ensure that our foundation stays strong.

Establishing a system and cadence for prioritization helps me reduce churn

A good friend once said to me, “It doesn’t matter what personal productivity system or tools you use, just use one.” This is critical. There is so much noise and a billion moving parts when starting a company. Without a system for managing the flow, I would be buried. My system follows most of the principles around GTD. It’s not for everyone, but it works for me. I have regular blocks on my calendar to review my inboxes, prioritize my tasks, and I’m constantly getting stuff out of my head and into my system. I recently wrote about some of my calendar hacks that help me to reduce unnecessary churn.

Another “life hack” that helps me is to keep my professional and personal contacts up to date. For this, I use FullContact to sync all my address books and various social accounts (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.). Then, I also use Highrise as a simple CRM for reviewing and managing my contacts. My system includes notes on when and how I met each person, date of last meeting or call, and desired frequency for followups. These dates then sync with my calendar and OmniFocus, so I can consistently keep in touch, and, yes, this applies to family members, too!

Trusting my instinct is the way to go

My initial instinct is accurate most of the time. In this last year, I’ve gotten more comfortable making quick decisions based on my initial instinct and not getting paralyzed by fear. I try not to get into analysis paralysis. I work hard not to be the blocker and purposely work to not to slow down our progress. I see my job as removing as many hurdles and roadblocks before they even arrive. In startup land, everything feels like a big decision. Every dollar we spend, every person we hire, every service we decide to use is a big deal, but not making decisions leads to lost opportunities.

Learning through active listening makes me stronger

I see every meeting or conversation as an opportunity to learn. This year, I have focused on trying to be a stronger listener and observer. I like to watch and witness before I jump in with my thoughts and opinions. I like to give space for others to share and think. I love seeing my teammates becoming more and more comfortable leading and driving things forward. It’s an incredible feeling to see others learning, stepping up, and sharing in this passion.

Before wrapping up this annual recap, I want to also mention how important it is to find symmetry between work and life. There’s much hoopla these days around work/life balance. For me, I relish having trusted friends and a loving partnership at home that grounds and nurtures me. It’s imperative to have a strong, trusted network outside of the workplace. I couldn’t imagine trying to start a company (or living in this crazy world for that matter) without having the support I have from my family and friends. There’s never an excuse to not have time for for family and friends. And exercise, but that’s another post.

Our fourth year is already shaping up to be a big one. In many ways, we’re just getting started. Stay tuned.

They’d Just Build Their Own Solution

2016-11-18T00:00:00Z

When I was out pitching Reaction Commerce to attract potential Venture Capital financing earlier this year, I got this rejection, and it still irks me:

“We see an opportunity to capture those merchants (on legacy platforms) who grow too big as potential customers of yours, but then we imagine that with that scale, they’d just build their own solution. We do hope however that you prove us wrong. ;)”

The part that got me the most is “they’d just build their own solution.” It minimizes the complexities of building and maintaining an ecommerce platform. In fairness, my takeaway was to do a better job explaining our platform along with the benefits of using open source technologies.

But seriously.

Does it really make sense for a business to build and manage their own ecommerce platform once they reach scale? At the very least, wouldn’t a VC encourage their companies to not build something from scratch and, at the very least, utilize some open source solutions and micro services, like Reaction Commerce?

If I was a VC and my portfolio company said to me, “We’re going to leave our current ecommerce provider to build our own solution” my swift reply would be “Nooooooo.” Just because a company runs a successful ecommerce business, does not mean they have the experience to build a scalable ecommerce platform. Taxes? Shipping? Payments? Promotions? Analytics? Servers? Security? DevOps? These are just a few of the items that need regular updating, reviews, and maintenance. All of the sudden, a business could go from focusing on their customers, product lines, and merchandising, to building and maintaining core ecommerce features and integrations.

Sure, retailers know what needs to be custom for their business. They know their workflows and roles. A good platform solution should be flexible and customizable so that businesses can modify it to fit their needs. An even better platform is an open and modular, micro services architecture, where pieces can be used independently.

The other response I got to our business model that still gets me is:

“It’s a crowded space.”

The same thing was said about Google, WordPress, and many other game-changing solutions that are now market leaders in their respective spaces. Innovation is hard. To doubt is easy. I’m with the innovators.

Good grief.

Open Source and Business

2016-11-12T00:00:00Z

When I told friends I was starting a company that was building an open source commerce platform, they asked me how I would make money giving away software for free. Then, when we were fundraising, a Venture Capitalist said, “In my mind, open source equals free, so you really have to prove your monetization model.” There’s this notion that open source is akin to nonprofits, where there’s a similar misunderstanding. Most people don’t realize that major profitable organizations are set up as nonprofits or built on open source projects.

On the surface, open source and business may seem incompatible. Open source software has a history of being non-commercial, and therefore, it’s thought of as being not profitable.

But this kind of understanding of the open source model doesn’t take in the bigger picture and its potential. I believe that if you track the point at which business and open source meet, you’ll find a powerful partnership in the making with the ability to reach farther, faster, than either would independently. And that’s why I believe that open source isn’t just good for business; it’s the future of business.

Here’s why.

Businesses that consider their intellectual property as closely-guarded secrets aren’t as flexible or reliable. Their code base can’t be modified as easily or developed and fixed as readily as open source is. Additionally, proprietary trade secrets are expensive to create, maintain and protect, and they run the risk of facing extinction like dinosaurs instead of mutating into thriving new species with longevity for the new age. Customers who purchase commercial software don’t have the same control over their business as they do with open source software. Instead of having the freedom to contract for the best service, support and price, they’re locked into a relationship with a company that only evolves as a result of its sales and licensing fees. Their upgrades and bug fixes are on their timetable, not yours, and they’re typically late and over budget.

Open source is community-driven innovation, and it’s arguably the best kind of innovation available. I’ve written before about Joy’s Law, which states, “No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else.” By being open source, we are able to work with a massive global and diverse community. We wouldn’t have been able to access these bright minds and ideas if we were closed. Our community makes our software and our business stronger. Considering the friction and division that exists in our world, I’m wholeheartedly behind open and community-focused solutions as being a vital way to build a company.

Reaction Commerce is in a really interesting position, because we are building a business on top of our open source projects. Our business model is derived from our managed platform where, for a monthly recurring cost, we’re offering a turnkey containerized “hosting” solution for Reaction shops (that’s also open source!). There’s nothing that prevents someone from deploying Reaction Commerce on their own, but we’re confident, and we’re already seeing that many will want to use our managed platform. Down the line, similar to other open source businesses, we’ll also offer premium Reaction apps and services that will complement and add value to Reaction Commerce as a whole. Our main purpose is to build solutions that benefit our global community and, thus, our partners and clients, and then our business. Neither one survives unless the other exists, and so their fates are irrevocably bound.

Sure, there may come a time when our business needs and our open source projects are in a state of conflict, but we doubt it. Our desire and objective is to keep them in continuous alignment. That’s not easy, but it’s also not easy at companies regardless of whether they use open source or closed source technologies. Alignment takes effort and communication. It requires constant nurturing and guiding. Doing that out in the open forces a level of honesty and constructive debate that is healthy. Moderating and translating the needs of everyone, when done effectively, is where the magic of open source lives because it’s out in the open for everyone to see.

When we want to work on something to benefit the open source community, we can. There should be no complaints because this work, in turn, benefits our business. When we want to work on something that benefits the business, we can, because this effort comes back to the open source project and helps the community in turn. It’s a win, win.

We’re building an open source business, and we’re going to reach our greatest heights because of it.

My Voice

2016-11-09T00:00:00Z

This week, it’s challenging to access the part of me that knows Reaction Commerce is a thing that needs to be done. It’s difficult to see how to move on from this election, where to go from here, even as it relates to my work. At its best, I hope that Reaction Commerce is a source of mindful optimism that celebrates the best of humanity and the spirit of curiosity. I hope that what we are creating, is in some small way, an opportunity for people around the world to explore what it means to be human. I know we’ll be able to explore those things together again soon, but not now.

Right now, it’s about connecting with my family, friends, and colleagues. Being there for someone else. Taking a moment to help someone. Starting small. Building. We’ll get there.

I’m determined to meet evil with good. I’m motivated to use my voice and my actions as an agent for change. I will write more as soon as I gather my thoughts.

Stay strong. Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose.

Go Vote

2016-11-08T00:00:00Z

I mailed in my ballot weeks ago, but if you haven’t voted yet, do it. There’s nothing more important today. Work can wait.

I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession. - Hillary Clinton

I’m with her. Go Vote.

My Top Calendar Hacks

2016-11-05T00:00:00Z

The last few months have been insane. The days, weeks and months have flown by, and, honestly, it’s been a little unnerving. It seems like my calendar and inbox are in control instead of my objectives and priorities. It also didn’t help that for 6 weeks in a row, I was on a flight to the either the Bay Area or NYC. As a result, I’ve been feeling a bit unsatisfied with my progress, and I haven’t felt very creative. So, that’s gotta stop!

I recently did a reboot to remedy this, and I thought I’d share some of my productivity and calendar hacks. The tips below have improved my effectiveness and productivity massively and, most importantly, my happiness. I’m a big GTD person, so most of this is really a realignment with the principles I already practice. For me, I need to reassess every 3-6 months to make sure my personal productivity system is working.

Here are my top hacks:

List my top 3-5 high-level goals for the month.
Decide what percentage of my time I want to allocate to each goal.
Create recurring calendar blocks that map to those goals.

The empty slots seen below on the screenshot of my calendar will fill up with calls, meetings and impromptu team conversations, but here’s a typical week for me, with my focus areas blocked off. You’ll see that, in addition to my focus blocks, I have other regular meetings and time blocks for team 1:1s, blogging, financial reviews, Investor and Advisor relations, OmniFocus review, and end of day reviews and planning.

Taking Control

One of the challenges I have is managing external interruptions or meetings. The way I deal with this is that I allocate a certain percentage of my time to meetings, and then I create Google Calendar Appointment Slots that recur (see the “Appointment with Sara Hicks” appointments above). Then, if I agree to meet with someone, I simply email them a link, and they can book any of those slots that are open. I just say “Please schedule a time that works for you!” This way I’m not allowing external meetings to eat away the prioritized blocks of time that I’ve created. After a few months of insane back-to-back-to-back calls and meetings, and then leaving the office drained and only having a few more hours of work to do in the evening, I’ve learned this one the hard way.

Getting Focused

I take the first few minutes of each time block to decide what tasks I want to accomplish during that time block. I write them down on a sticky note, and as I accomplish them, I check them off. I like the old fashioned pen-and-paper checklist for these blocks. I also like to use the Pomodoro Technique to timebox my tasks. Having a timer set to the amount of time and shutting down everything else while I focus is key. Once the timer goes off, I know my time for that time block is over, and I can wrap it up.

Being Purposeful

The key is being mindful and purposeful about what and where I need to focus, and then determining and scheduling the time I am going to devote to each area. Then, once I’ve set that and cleared away the distractions, I just do it. Simple as that.

Now, instead of the days taking me, I feel like I have the upper hand. There’s still the occasional fire drill or interrupt, but that’s now the exception instead of the norm. I also don’t feel so unsettled at the end of the day, I’m accomplishing more without heroic efforts, and I’m even sleeping better. Just as in life, being mindful in my work has positive benefits beyond the “nine-to-five.”

New Look, 2016 Edition

2016-10-31T00:00:00Z

This site has been through many iterations over the past ten plus years. In the world of Medium, Twitter, Facebook, and beyond, I still like having a personal site. Call me old fashioned or 1.0, but I like owning my content. Sure, I’ll syndicate some of my posts from time to time, but this is home.

The site still runs on Ghost, but it’s now hosted on Ghost Pro. Turns out, I wasn’t so good about keeping things updated, so I decided a managed solution made sense. I’ve also been meaning to use Cloudflare for SSL, so that’s another new addition. And, last but not least, it’s now got a new look thanks to the Aspire theme which brings with it some new features (search, comments, etc.).

This new design and foundation is also a kickstart. I’ve been spotty, at best, with my writing lately, and I’ve missed it. For me, writing is a helpful focusing mechanism, and I enjoy putting thoughts out there and getting near-instant feedback. I still plan to write about topics near and dear: startups, being a startup CEO, ecommerce, open source platforms, open source businesses, leadership, culture and values, positive psychology, distributed teams, the LA tech scene, VCs and fundraising, many other random things on my mind, and, of course, Reaction Commerce.

Thanks for reading.

On Slow Recruiting

2026-08-27T00:00:00Z

I’m a people person. Always have been. I love meeting with people of all types and styles. I see every meeting as an opportunity to learn something. I have a sort of game that I play when I meet people. I purposely try to keep the conversation on the other person rather than on me for as long as possible. I try to ask probing questions that I hope will lead to longer and more sincere replies. If a response is brief, I follow it up with something like, “That sounds hard. How do you do it?” and then I wait until something else is disclosed. And then I keep repeating variations of “That sounds hard” or “That sounds challenging” or “Wow, how do you do that?” and, amazingly, everything starts to unfold. Paul Ford had a great post, How to Be Polite, that really got me thinking about this way of meeting others.

I’ve heard many entrepreneurs say, “Always be recruiting.” I couldn’t agree more. Hiring the right people is everything. It’s always about the team. Thus, I spend a significant amount of time networking. But, to me, it’s not networking. It’s not recruiting. It’s humanity. And, it’s learning.

I’m an ENFJ-type person on the Myers Briggs test. It’s not that hard for me to engage on a consistent basis with people. I do find, however, that I need a healthy balance so that I can recharge and have focus/me time.

If you did a search on my email for the phrase “grab coffee” you’d see what I’m talking about. I try to arrange about two coffee meetings a week. I think of these meetings as “slow recruiting.” Whether I’m meeting a former colleague, a new acquaintance, a current business partner, or an investor, I view it all as slow recruiting. I may not know why I’m even recruiting that person. It may be that down the line I need a favor and they are the perfect fit. It may be that I need an intro and they are the closest connection. It may be that I want to hire someone just like them. I don’t always know. Regardless, I have coffee or I arrange a walking meeting.

First and foremost, I approach every meeting as an opportunity to be of service. Secondly, I approach every meeting as an opportunity to learn. I love the process of hearing stories and gleaning morsels of goodness. Oftentimes I’ll hear a gem of feedback that can carry me or inspire me for a long time.

My schedule could easily get out of control with these meetings so I have a few simple guidelines:

I try to limit my schedule to ~2 networking coffee or walking meetups a week. I allocate a certain percentage of my time to networking meetings, and then I create Google Calendar Appointment Slots that recur. Then if I agree to meet with someone, I simply email them an link and they can book any of those slots that are open. I just say “Please grab an appointment that works for you!” This way I’m not allowing external meetings to eat away the prioritized blocks of time that I’ve created, and I eliminate some of the dreadful back and forth scheduling.
Each month, I review my contacts and determine who I haven’t touched base with in a while. I then reach out to a handful of people to reconnect. This is basically my pipeline.
I try to limit work-related evening events to no more than once a week. I’m a homebody. Given a choice, I would much rather be home with my loved family.
I give more room for women and people of color. The only way we will change the ratio is by making room for conversations. Honestly, it’s these conversations where I learn the most, so it’s really an honor to get to advise, mentor, or just meet with others who have more diverse perspectives than I can offer.

In the vein of Mark Suster’s “lines not dots” theory, I’m continuing my lines. By establishing a regular cadence of check-ins with people whom I respect and admire, I’m connecting more dots. More importantly, I hope I’m connecting dots that will eventually change the ratio, and perhaps lead to a future recruit or, better yet, a good, trusted friendship.

This is Interesting (Year Two Startup Thoughts)

2015-10-25T00:00:00Z

It’s now been two years since I co-founded Reaction Commerce and, it’s true, time flies. For those following along, the first year as a startup was hard (but rewarding). It was awkward finding our voice, and challenging to temper our big vision with the early-stage nature of our product and team. Mostly, we were in a heads-down build mode.

Our second year has been, well, it’s been interesting! We’ve been having a great time developing a team, a product, and a company. Our momentum is building and we’re clearly on to something. Here’s some proof:

1,487 GitHub stars and growing
8,749 total Alpha shops launched
1,000+ Beta signups and counting
30+ Reaction apps/packages on Atmosphere and building

We’re using GoSquared, Google Analytics, Intercom, and MailChimp (all thanks to Segment) to help us with insights and communication. Each day, we get an email with our signups and traffic from the previous day, and it’s awesome! I often wonder, “Who are all of you?” and “Where did you come from?”

With little-to-no marketing, we’ve amassed an engaged community of developers and designers who seem truly interested in a nextgen commerce solution. We’re at a bit of an inflexion stage of taking our nascent platform, Reaction Commerce, and working to turn it into a business. As of June, we have a great office, and we’re building the team and culture of our dreams.

From one day to the next, my job is different. It’s like a big game of whack-a-mole. From insurance, accounting, taxes, HR, payroll, product planning, marketing, fundraising and partnerships, to triaging bugs and features, and making sure we have snacks and coffee in our kitchen, my job is about staying ahead of the chaos.

There’s no shortage of blog posts out there that summarize a startup CEO’s responsibilities. My main responsibilities this past year seem to be:

Set and communicate our vision and strategy.
Make sure there’s money in the bank.
Hire and inspire our team and community.

Below is a little more detail.

1. We Have a Vision for Reaction!

We’re not interested in building yet another commerce platform. Instead, we’re passionate about rethinking commerce. Our vision is to build intelligent and open commerce solutions. My job has been to try to crisply and concisely articulate this vision. It’s not always easy. Heck, my parents still don’t understand exactly what I do.

Reaction is the nextgen, open source commerce platform for businesses to create online shops and marketplaces. It’s fast. It’s mobile. (Do we even need to say that anymore?) It’s open. It’s built for commerce. It’s not a blogging platform that has plugins for commerce. It’s not a closed source, shared hosting service. We’re a commerce-first, open source, and virtual private cluster solution. Reaction is also completely real time reactive by default, and our vision is to build real time merchandising, promotions, and dynamic pricing into our platform that is based on shared, anonymous data from across our network of shops. We’re architecting information into the core for this very purpose so we can track data, events, and conversions that will then lead to smart and actionable analytics. For every action, there is an equal and opposite Reaction. Get it?

We’re both an open source codebase and a hosted Platform as a Service (PaaS). Our PaaS solution lets anyone create a shop, and then, if or when they want, they can modify or extend their shop while staying on top of our service. Our vision is to be the first and last shop most businesses will ever need. As most businesses grow and scale, they shouldn’t have to graduate from our platform. Whether a non-technical business owner, or a savvy developer, we want Reaction to be the solution of choice.

Our main competition has been at it for over a decade. They have resources and capital that we don’t yet have. What we have is experience and nimbleness. We also have tenacity. We started this company with the hope that this is what we’re doing for the rest of our lives. We don’t say that to VCs because they think this will be a lifestyle business or that we’ll turn down a strategic opportunity. That’s not the case. We’re not dumb. We’re just focused and we have a vision. Better get out of our way.

2. Show me the Money!

We’re pre-revenue. We bootstrapped the business for the first year and half. We didn’t pay ourselves any salaries; we worked from our respective homes. Because we chose to bootstrap our efforts, we took a more controlled path to growth. I did some occasional consulting during our first year to help pay some of our bills, but we really kept things lean and mean, and mostly under the radar.

We started the fundraising process late last year and closed our Seed round in May. It felt like it took forever, but in hindsight it was probably a normal amount of time.

Let me be clear: It was not fun or easy raising as a female founder/CEO. We’re also in our 40s so we had the double whammy of a female CEO and two founders in their 40s. It sucked. It was laughable when a 20-something venture associate would ask questions that clearly showed he had no clue about the market, the technology, or the competition. That’s harsh, I know, but there you have it. In one meeting with a well-known, white, male venture partner, I was literally ignored and all eyes and questions went to my male co-founder. We both noticed it.

Rather than letting this get me down, I took it as a challenge. I would spend hours on emails and on creating concise decks to tell our story. I reached out to trusted friends for advice. It was my job to convey as quickly as possible our purpose, the opportunity, and our vision and strategy. I turned this into a game and after a few fumbles, I clearly got better at the endless voice and video calls, demos, and in-person meetings.

With our first raise now in our rearview mirror, I’m mostly happy with the results. The terms are water under the bridge, and I now know more than I ever imagined about venture fundraising. Our investors are incredibly helpful and supportive. The fundraising process was challenging and definitely not my favorite part of the year. That’s not because we didn’t meet amazing people during the process, because we did. It’s because the actual fundraising process itself is a shit show. I know I have to face it again, and this time I’ll be more ready and my expectations will be set, but the dread is there!

Now that we have money in the bank, my job is to manage it closely and create projections and assumption for our future growth and burn. It’s no easy task, but it turns out that I love building a good model and enjoy the ins and outs of accounting. I also enjoy sending monthly updates to our investors and advisors to keep them in the loop on our progress. Right now, it’s relatively straightforward, but burn is burn, and we have a race ahead of us.

Before moving on, I think it’s important to state the obvious that the struggle for women in tech is real. As I look back on our fundraising process, I learned a great deal. I believe all of us have an obligation to work towards a tech community that is inclusive, diverse, and safe for everyone. Thus, I now regularly set aside time to mentor and advise people from underrepresented groups in the tech industry. The only way things will change is if we support each other, and this is one small step in that direction. You can email me at meet@saralouhicks.com to get in touch. Let me know if you can meet in-person (at a coffee shop in Santa Monica/Venice) or if a Google Hangout would be more convenient. Please also tell me a bit about yourself and what you’d like to discuss. Many of my conversations touch on career advancement and leadership; starting, building, and exiting a startup; tackling diversity issues; and working in tech and ecommerce. My proverbial door is open to people with less experience than me, as well as with peers. All conversations are held in confidence. I think mentoring is something we can do for each other regardless of our respective levels of experience. I also believe that giving advice can be as instructive as getting it. I honestly expect to learn as much from you as you do from me.

3. It’s Always About the Team

The most rewarding part of this past year has been growing our team and community. We grew our team by 50% (welcome Mike!), and our developer community has grown by leaps and bounds. Just last month we grew developer interest by 18% month over month! It’s always about the people. Aaron, Mike, and I, along with our open source community, are the foundation, and we’re fortunate to have several other folks helping out in different capacities and arrangements.

Mike gave me the nickname, “Paparazzi,” because I’m also in charge of communicating out to the world our progress and updates. Basically, I’m our social media manager, blogger, and marketer, so I’m constantly pulling out my phone to take a picture of something that might turn into our next tweet or blog post. I think Mike is now afraid to show me something he’s working on because he’s sure I’ll try to photograph it! For me, it’s about keeping our growing community engaged and sharing a little bit of our personality. In time, we’ll have someone to manage our content and community; until then, I love crafting messages and responding to feedback. It will always be my job to edit and publish. There’s nothing like the frontlines. It reminds me of the early days of my career as a community coordinator at GeoCities!

I don’t have a crystal ball, but this next year really feels like the beginning. We now have a solid product. We launched our Beta release, designed our [logo](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/slhimages/reaction-logo.png title=“Reaction Commerce Logo”), shot a [video](https://vimeo.com/140385376 title=“Reaction Commerce video”), and we’re now open for business. We should start to generate revenue before the end of this year. I said this recently to a friend, “No one is mad at us yet. We haven’t pissed anyone off.” I’m pretty sure this next year we’ll see some haters and doubters. It’s an inevitable part of building a business and community online. Someone will doubt our choice of technology. Someone will question our roadmap. Someone will think we’re stupid for doing something a certain way. Someone will question our ability to succeed. Bring it on! We’re here to learn and we’re ready for feedback. This next year we will work to turn our platform into a business. It won’t be easy, but here we go! I love my job.

On Public Speaking

2015-08-04T00:00:00Z

When my good friend, Jon Setzen, asked me to speak at the Los Angeles chapter of Creative Mornings, I was simultaneously terrified and excited. We were having coffee at a local hipster establishment when he asked if I wanted to do it, and of course I said “Sure, sounds great.” I adore Jon, and I would do just about anything he asked me to do. He pulled out his iPhone and said, “How about July? The theme for July is collaboration, and I can’t think of anyone else more equipped to nail that topic. You’ll kill it.” At the time, July was more than four months away, and it felt like I had all the time in the world to contemplate and prepare my talk. Game on.

Before we’d reached the bottom of our caffeinated drinks (a cortado and a cappuccino), Jon said he would see if the event could be hosted at NPR’s West Coast offices in Culver City. He said they’d hosted before and that their event room was incredible. As a huge NPR fan, that sounded amazing (and slightly intimidating).

While the days and months blurred past, the theme of collaboration was always in my subconscious. I would read an article or experience a moment and think, “Oh, that’s a good point to remember for my talk.” I’d read that Steve Jobs practiced his keynote presentations 200 times and while that seemed excessive, it also sounded like a really good idea. If it worked for Steve, then surely it couldn’t hurt. I had visions of a Steve Jobs-like or TED-talk-like delivery!

Then, before I knew it, as my life and my early-stage tech startup got in the way, it was late June. I had started a Keynote document, had been keeping notes, and had been rehearsing different points in my head, but I’d never run through the entire presentation. All of the sudden, I would be in yoga class thinking about my talk. I would practice on my bike or driving my car. It was consuming my waking moments.

Registration opened, and Jon texted me that the 150 seats were gone in two minutes flat. Within hours, the wait list had grown to over 350 people. I met up with Jon a few days before the event and he said, “No pressure, but you better bring your A game.” At that moment, I had practiced the talk only once, but my slides were almost done (minus a few last-minute tweaks). I started practicing in my head at all hours. I was losing sleep to thoughts of collaboration. The day before I even Googled “public speaking tips” to see if I could glean any last-minute advice that would miraculously relieve my fear. (Drink lots of water.)

Truth is, I’ve given talks plenty of times. As my career has advanced, I’ve gotten somewhat comfortable talking in front of large groups. I’m used to standing in front of hundreds of colleagues or conference attendees, but it’s never a cakewalk and it’s always a thrill. I’ve learned that, as with most anything, I feel better when I’m prepared, even if I only have two minutes before the talk to scribble down some rough bullet points.

The day before the event I did several run-throughs of my talk, and my confidence was building. I thought my slides felt and looked great, and I liked that I had a good mixture of personal and professional stories related to collaboration. The only thing left to do at this point was treat myself to a mani/pedi and get a good night of sleep!

Unfortunately, a good night of sleep didn’t happen but I still woke up energized (probably from pure adrenaline). As I was driving to the event, I was feeling both confident and nauseous. I limited my caffeine that morning to half a cup. I said some positive affirmations out loud several times on the drive over, things like “You’ve got this, Hicks!” I practiced my Pranayama yoga breathing, taking long inhales and long exhales. And I drank lots of water.

When I stood at the podium at NPR after Jon’s introduction, I could barely hear myself over my heartbeat, and I had almost no saliva in my mouth. In spite of my nerves, the crowd seemed engaged, and after a few minutes I found my groove and actually started to have fun. I focused on the people who were taking photos of my slides, nodding their heads, laughing at my jokes, and taking notes. When I wrapped up, I felt amazing. Not only did I feel like I’d conquered my fear of public speaking (again), but I felt like I had possibly taught the audience something.

Then it dawned on me what I actually liked about public speaking: It’s teaching and sharing information and experiences. I have a lot of experience with product, design, startups, ecommerce, operations, and business. I’ve been building and designing products for about 20 years. I love creating things with software and bringing teams of people together to build awesome things. Most enjoyably, I love seeing individuals grow, as both a team and as individuals. It’s an honor to get to talk about my work and my career, and how I go about accomplishing things. For me, it’s about learning and growing, and if my experience help others, that’s even better.

So, I’m looking forward to more public speaking. Stay tuned!

By the way, here’s a video of my talk on collaboration at Creative Mornings, July 2015. My slides are here:

And, lastly, a photo from the event! Photo credit: Ryan Morgan.

On One-on-Ones

2026-08-27T00:00:00Z

It’s my favorite part of managing people and undoubtedly the most satisfying and memorable part of my career: meeting with people one-on-one. It might even be the key to growing teams and building successful businesses. For me, a one-on-one is getting to know someone, figuring out what makes them tick, helping them learn how to adapt and excel, and, even better, watching them grow and advance. Ultimately, the countless hours I’ve spent cultivating meaningful conversations and relationships have nourished me personally and taught me how to be a better leader.

The workplace can be messy and noisy. It’s filled with people who have loud concerns and opinions about projects, processes, and people, among other things. And while there’s certainly a place for lively, constructive discourse, it can also run the risk of burying the individual voice.

My main goal in every one-on-one is to give every voice, especially the smallest voice, a chance to be heard. But the smallest voice often needs time, tenderness, and trust in order to speak. That’s why I think the following guidelines are important.

Consistency is key, so I establish a regular cadence

Because one-on-ones don’t generally represent a fire that needs to be put out, they can sometimes seem insignificant, but every time I miss, ignore or push back a one-on-one, I risk communicating that my coworker is a low priority. That’s why I think one-on-ones should happen at the same time on the same day each week. Consistency, despite whatever crisis or hurdle might come up, helps reinforce my commitment to an individual’s thoughts, ideas, concerns and victories. Sure, sometimes I need to reschedule, and that’s ok, but if it becomes the norm, it’s clear I need to find a new time slot that works.

I don’t rush my one-on-ones

Establishing compassion, trust, and authenticity takes time, and that’s why I schedule my one-on-ones to be at least 30 minutes and ideally 50 minutes. The first 5-10 minutes are generally spent on a “How are you?” or “What’s on your mind today?” to help me figure out where someone is mentally, physically, and emotionally. This intro time also helps to build momentum that ideally leads to a meaningful conversation. If my one-one-one is 15 minutes, it’s not a one-on-one, it’s a check-in. All they will learn is that I don’t have time to care, and, because I as a leader set the emotional tone for the company, this could be a slippery slope.

It’s best when I reduce distractions and show that I’m listening

Most of our team is distributed, so I use Zoom video for the majority of my one-on-ones. Working in a distributed company means I’m on a lot of video calls. I’ve come up with a bunch of little tweaks to help with attentiveness and mindfulness during the call. It is important to show that I’m actively listening.

I look at the camera often. When I’m in person I look at people’s eyes to show them I’m listening. Doing that on a video call requires a bit of counter-intuitive body language by looking at the camera. I’m looking at the camera not at the person, but they’ll see me looking directly at them. It’s a subtle difference but I’ve found it highly effective.

I also try to place the video call window up the screen towards the camera. I also decrease the size of the window so the person’s eyes are naturally closer to the top of the window (closer to the camera). When I’m not looking at the camera while the person is speaking, it’ll still look like I’m generally looking at them because their video is closer to the camera. When I see someone’s eyes darting around during a call, it’s easy to assume they’re distracted.

I actually listen. I don’t get on a video call unless I can be sure that I can give the other person my full attention. There’s nothing more dismissive than seeing people on the call absorbed in something else. I try to give the speaker visual cues that I’m listening, including the occasional nod. I mark myself as do not disturb and turn off all notifications and distractions.

I show my hands. Once in a while I’ll lean back or do something to have my hands show on camera. This can be a simple thumbs up sign when I’m in agreement with something that is being said. This shows that I’m not typing and is another visual cue that I’m paying attention.

I take written notes. Hand-written notes force me to not use the keyboard and further pay attention. I generally let people know I like taking hand-written notes so they know why I look down once in a while. Sometimes looking down can be disruptive particularly in one-on-one video meetings as conversations will naturally pause.

I make sure my lighting, sound, camera are good. I double check that I’m properly lit, and I don’t have a light behind me that’s washing out my image. When necessary, I use a headset or headphones to prevent feedback. I try using a higher quality microphone instead of the built-in one. I make sure my camera is good quality. Looking and sounding good helps eliminate distractions from any message I’m trying to convey.

I turn off my own video preview. I turn off the little window showing my own live view once I’ve confirmed that my lighting is good. I find that once that preview is gone, I look more at the person on the other end of the call.

When possible, I’m a fan of the walking one-on-one. The advantage of working in Los Angeeles is that the weather is almost always perfect, and I’ve noticed that it’s easier to let my defenses down when I’m walking along the beach or in a local neighborhood. Walking gets the blood flowing and helps clear the brain for creative thinking.

If walking isn’t an option but the meeting is in-person, then a meeting space is a good alternative, but the space needs to be comfortable and private enough to have a confidential conversation. If the meeting is in a shared space, like a restaurant or coffee shop, forget it. I’ve found that when food or beverages are introduced in a setting where others are around, there’s just too much distraction. It’s great to schedule social time with your team, but don’t confuse social time with one-on-ones.

Then I listen and watch for signals

From the moment the meeting starts, I pay attention. When I ask “How are you?,” it’s key to notice what happens next. Long sigh? Quick “I’m great”? Silence? Smile? Eyes look down? Shoulders drop? Body language and tone of voice says everything. In those first moments, my coworker very likely communicates what they most want to talk about. It’s my job to pick up on those clues and properly open or steer the conversation.

I don’t have an agenda or format, but I prepare

A one-on-one is not a project meeting or a status report. Rather, it’s a personal and professional development goal-setting and plan-of-action session. In a recent one-on-one I had, my coworker started with a walk-through of a project list in a spreadsheet. But rather than get pulled into a task-oriented conversation, I shifted the line of questioning by asking what was working, how he was doing, and what was hardest about the project? This allowed me to be able to pull back and start probing about his longer-term objectives.

As the manager, it’s my job to know the near-term, mid-term, and long-term goals of each of my team members. Before the meeting, I try to make sure I’m up-to-date on the status of their weekly, monthly, and quarterly milestones. I have the 12-month roadmap in my mind and know the top 3-5 objectives we’re trying to solve. I also make sure to have the relevant KPIs related to that individual in my mind. I have a shared doc for every person I do one-on-ones with where I keep track of topics, action items, and notes. If it’s hard for me to quickly get this information, there are process issues that need to be solved within the company, but that’s another post. The point being is that it’s my job to stay informed so that I can help when or if things get stuck. With this information, I can help to avoid common pitfalls before they happen, and I can more easily recognize patterns and prevent problems from arising.

I ditch the technology during the meeting

As I already mentioned, I think writing in an old-fashioned notebook is great. It allows me to take notes about my conversations but in a more personal way. If one-on-ones include typing into a computer or if I’m reaching for my phone, then it’s usually not a one-on-one; it’s more likely a project meeting. After the meeting, I translate some of the notes to the shared doc.

I follow-up promptly on open items

I consider all of the listening, questioning, and discussion that happens during a one-on-one to be managerial preventative maintenance. When I’m really paying attention, I see when interest in a project begins to wane or when conflict is beginning to bubble, and I can take action before people become disengaged, uninspired, tense, or angry. The benefit and reward of creating a culture of healthy one-on-ones is a distinct lack of drama and an increased sense of job satisfaction.

I’ve found that creating trust leads to candor

It’s simple: by establishing a regular cadence and by following up on items and issues, you will establish a trustworthy pattern and an environment that allows for increased candor. Of course, it’s a shared responsibility between both participants, but if the right level of care is established and remains consistent, you’ll find that even when you have to have tough conversations, you’ll both look forward to the one-on-one time.

Playing Moneyball With a Lean Startup Budget

2015-05-06T00:00:00Z

I love sports of all kinds—team sports, individual sports, local and international events. In sports, an individual or a group of people set goals, acquire the knowledge and skills to accomplish their goals, and meet challenges along the way. Each game is a contest, yes, but it’s also a problem to be solved. And if sports is viewed as a microcosm of life, basketball, it seems, is most like life. Here’s how I first discovered that.

Six years ago, I read a NY Times article on basketball player Shane Battier written by Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. At the time, Shane Battier wasn’t necessarily on my radar, and to be honest, I don’t even like Duke basketball. I’m a lifelong Californian, I went to UCLA, and as a Lakers fan, I can’t say much about the Houston Rockets. But I’m a huge Shane Battier fan now. I’ve probably read that article more than a dozen times since it was published, and it has nothing to do with my love for basketball. You see, Shane Battier was a rare breed in the NBA. He was not considered to be a great player by the common definition. He was, however, a player who made his team great.

Battier’s game is a weird combination of obvious weaknesses and nearly invisible strengths. When he is on the court, his teammates get better, often a lot better, and his opponents get worse—often a lot worse. He may not grab huge numbers of rebounds, but he has an uncanny ability to improve his teammates’ rebounding. He doesn’t shoot much, but when he does, he takes only the most efficient shots. He also has a knack for getting the ball to teammates who are in a position to do the same, and he commits few turnovers. On defense, although he routinely guards the N.B.A.’s most prolific scorers, he significantly reduces their shooting percentages. At the same time he somehow improves the defensive efficiency of his teammates—probably, [Rocket’s general manager Daryl] Morey surmises, by helping them out in all sorts of subtle ways. “I call him Lego,” Morey says. “When he’s on the court, all the pieces start to fit together. And everything that leads to winning that you can get to through intellect instead of innate ability, Shane excels in. I’ll bet he’s in the hundredth percentile of every category.”

Moneyball, the movie based on Lewis’s book, was the first time I understood the power of statistics to help build winning teams. Moneyball is the story of the general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, Billy Beane, and his success at building a competitive team on a lean budget by looking at statistical data in ways never before done in baseball.

Athletic teams and tech startup teams are, of course, made up of individuals, each with their own backgrounds, experiences, and, well, statistics. We have a lean startup budget so we need all the help we can get with the precious few resources we can hire. We’re going up against companies with deeper pockets that already have hundreds of employees and have been around for much longer. At this point, in terms of money, we’re not even the equivalent of the Oakland As, while our main competitors are like the New York Yankees with the largest budgets in ecommerce. We can move faster than they can, but we want to go far and we have to be smart about how we spend our capital.

With that in mind, I sometimes wish there was a Sabermetrics-like database for individuals in tech like there is for baseball. If there was, I might be able to mathematically analyze the characteristics of people who will be most valuable to my startup team—what might make them better to hire than someone else. Imagine if LinkedIn could tell me who will be the next No-Stats All-Star! Instead, I can only rely on intuition and the lessons of Shane Battier, whom Morey said was “the most abnormally unselfish basketball player he has ever seen.”

There is a tension, peculiar to basketball, between the interests of the team and the interests of the individual. The game continually tempts the people who play it to do things that are not in the interest of the group… The player, in his play, faces choices between maximizing his own perceived self-interest and winning. The choices are sufficiently complex that there is a fair chance he doesn’t fully grasp that he is making them.

I love creating and building teams. I’m passionate about developing products that people enjoy using. And I get especially excited by coaching and mentoring individuals. It’s proven that a cognitively diverse team is able to solve harder problems. So, how can we apply the ideas of the No-Stats All Star and Moneyball to individuals within startups, and use that data to create winning teams and companies? When, and more importantly, how do we stop looking for superstars and instead find those people who are undervalued?

When you spend as much time interviewing and networking with people as I do, you start to get pretty good at reading and finding key indicators. In addition to previous work experience and former roles, I look at the companies where people have worked. Is the company still around? Is the product they worked on successful? What were the characteristics of the team they were on? I also try to identify the “X Factor” that sets someone apart, indicators that show a certain hustle, inquisitiveness, creativity, curiosity, drive, ambition, loyalty, and empathy. These are things you can’t see on a resume or social profile. I’m particularly interested in the people who have side projects or hobbies because it’s a window into their true passions. While I don’t want a bull in the china shop, I also don’t want a company of clones, and I don’t believe in hiring someone who is a good “culture fit.” I want a diverse, competitive, driven, smart, and creative team. I want each member to push boundaries and help us think outside of the box.

This is another reason why open source software like Reaction is so incredibly powerful. On any given day, we are interacting with diverse people, each with a variety of experiences and perspectives from all over the globe. They force us to think about different use cases and experiences that not only make Reaction better, but even more important, makes us have a better understanding of how commerce works in different cultures around the world. Very few of these people would be involved if it wasn’t an open source project. And because the very nature of open source is that its contributors are unselfish, they are, in essence, the Shane Battier’s of Reaction. They make our team better and stronger.

Welcome to Technollywood: How Funding a Startup is Like Producing a Movie

2015-03-18T00:00:00Z

Used to be, we’d joke that everyone sitting in gridlock on the LA freeways had a partially written screenplay stashed under their seat next to the Thomas Guide (remember the Thomas Guide?). At any given moment, you could rear end the car in front of you, and all the principal elements of movie were in place: a lead actor, a writer/director and blockbuster potential.

Now, no one’s got a Thomas Guide in their car (‘cause there’s an app for that), and instead of an idea for a movie, they’ve got, well, an idea for an app. Now, a collision on the PCH is merely the fortuitous intersection of a CTO, a CEO/CMO and blockbuster potential.

There’s only one thing missing, of course. Tha’ money.

In Hollywood, everyone’s perpetually looking for an EP (executive producer). In Technology, it’s a VC (venture capitalist).

In so many ways, the tech industry and the film biz are twins that were separated at birth. Or dopplegangers living in parallel universes. Here’s why.

If you’re looking for funding, you’ve got to have a really big idea. The big idea shouldn’t be a new idea because new ideas are like indie films: they have a hard time finding their audiences, and the ROI is iffy. So forget sweet and unique and loaded with good intentions, and instead go for something that has mass appeal. A franchise with a toy tie-in. A new ecommerce platform. Whatever it is, make sure your idea is based on someone else’s idea that other people have already made money on. Superman meets the apocalypse. Abraham Lincoln fights zombies. Ebay for local artists. Radio with only music you like.

Then, turn the screenplay, er, prototype, of your big idea into a pitch. And it’s all about the story, of course. Feel free to set the tone, identify the genre and hint at the world we’re entering into, but you gotta hook the audience from the first moment. Introduce your characters and their special powers. Identify the problems and how you’ll overcome them. Throw in some really clever twists they didn’t see coming. Build to a climax.

But don’t explain the entire story; that’ll take too long. You want to leave ‘em wanting more, which means you have to focus on the most important plot points. Hone them into a fast-paced, entertaining delivery. Practice it on friends. Get feedback. Rewrite it. Iterate. When it’s perfect, memorize it. Be able to start and stop it.

Then fill your calendar with meetings and get real comfortable with rejection.

Here’s another interesting thing about film and technology. Women are in the 5% club—doesn’t matter if you’re talking about directors or venture-backed startups founded by women. We’re in the minority. The scintilla of the minority. But I don’t pay any attention to the studies that suggest men are 40% more likely to get money than I am. All I know is that we’re all chasing money. And money can be funny. Sometimes it doesn’t want to know your story, it just wants to know if you have an A-lister in a leading role. Or it only wants to see that you have a solid business model that includes both foreign and domestic territories. And money likes company; it has a herd mentality. Even so, regardless of gender, getting money is hard for everyone.

It was hard for Kathryn Bigelow to get the money to make Hurt Locker. She developed the screenplay on spec (without funding, i.e. bootstrapped), had to cut her already modest budget by 35%, and then was turned down by every entertainment bank in the world. She was forced to cobble together financing from risky and expensive sources that included pre-sales, gap, bridge, tax credits and equity funding.

Likewise, it was hard for Howard Schultz to get the money for Starbucks. After presenting his idea of opening a series of Italian-style coffeehouses to 242 potential investors, his father-in-law (whose daughter was pregnant with their first child) asked Howard to give up his dream and get a job.

Bigelow went on to become the only woman ever to win the Academy Award for directing. And Starbucks? There are now more than 21,000 of ‘em in over 65 countries. And counting.

So I’m going to keep doing this thing and follow the examples of my predecessors: jump over the no’s until I get to the yes’s.

Positive Psychology at Work: Creating a Happy and Engaged Workforce

2014-12-18T00:00:00Z

Several years ago, I was among the first to be hired at a startup that eventually grew to over 400 employees. In the early days, the energy of the place was electric. It was an innovative idea that used technology in a new way, and so we really didn’t have any precedents to follow. The small team was dedicated and inspired, and the challenges we faced were overcome with creative solutions. We felt very much like a cohesive unit working toward common goals, and it was fun going to work every day.

As the company began to evolve, its trajectory skyrocketed, priorities shifted, the business model changed, and one of the founding members was soon at odds with the others. Because the other founders were often in agreement, this one, the outsider, was marginalized and felt alienated and disrespected. Without a contributing voice in the company’s progress, he became increasingly disgruntled, and instead of helping to solve problems, he began to complain about them. Much as I liked him, and as smart and talented as I thought he was, he was increasingly more difficult to work with because he was poisoning the environment, and worse, gathering recruits to join him.

I know that my experience is a common one. As a company grows, it’s hard to maintain cohesiveness and continually foster a happy workforce.

Sadly, the vast majority of employees are disappointed with what they’re doing. In fact, according to Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace, only 22% of all employees consider themselves to be happy and engaged. The rest of the report is troubling.

70% of workers either hate their jobs or are completely disengaged
Of those, 52% are lackluster and uninspired while the other 18% are grumbling around the water cooler and actively spreading discontent
And perks like games, massages, free meals and beer on tap don’t help

As the CEO of a my own startup, Reaction Commerce, I think a lot about what it takes to build and maintain a company that’s fueled by people who are thriving and engaged by what they’re doing—people who are passionate and enthusiastic, committed to making positive contributions, and emotionally connected to their workmates. I know that engaged, happy workers create companies that are more productive, profitable, and have higher customer satisfaction and less turnover and absenteeism. Additionally, happy people are team players, they fix problems instead of merely complaining about them, they make better decisions, and they learn and adapt quickly.

We hear about companies experimenting with new ways of operating, and it’s been shown that flextime, vacation time, and the ability to work remotely help to increase employee engagement. But while policies and perks can help, there’s something even more important.

The biggest factor in having employees who are engaged in their work is having employees who are engaged in their lives.

So, it goes without saying that the first order of business is to hire happy people. I’ve interviewed and hired hundreds of people in my career, and I have always evaluated a person’s intelligence and skillset along with whether or not they’re “a good fit” for the company. But happiness, I’ve discovered, is something entirely different, and it’s becoming more important for me to evaluate a person’s attitude above and beyond their competency. As I begin my own company, I’m interested in working with people who maintain a good balance between their work life and their home life. I want to find people who are confident and driven, and who also have close friends and a family-like support system. I’m looking for people who smile and laugh easily. And ultimately, I also want to know that they’re forgiving, grateful, accepting, authentic, vulnerable and emotionally mature.

That’s why, along with asking questions about their relevant work experience, I also dig a little deeper. What are they passionate about outside of work? When they talk about memorable work situations and challenges, are they positive or negative ones? Have they ever been unhappy at a job, and what have they done about it? Do they truly want the job that’s available because it excites them or because it’s a means to a different end? What are their dreams and goals, what motivates them, and is their happiness dependant upon their success?

But hiring happy people is only the beginning. Even the happiest of people need to be fostered and reinforced in ways that build a culture of happiness and keep people engaged. In my own experience, I know that the tone of every company is set from the top down. And the primary reason that people disengage from their jobs lies in the way they are managed. People need to feel consistently empowered and supported. And these are some of the ways that can help.

Always put employees first and customers second
Breed friendships among coworkers
Acknowledge what’s working
Identify and build people’s strengths instead of focusing on weaknesses
Encourage personal career goals
Be liberal with recognition and appreciation

Here’s the best news: when things get off track, changing direction can happen in an instant. This is one of the many benefits of practicing Positive Psychology. In an earlier post, I wrote about this exciting new field of study, which, in short, has scientifically proven that we can change our reality by changing the way we think about our reality. Turns out, all those new-age bumper stickers and self-help books were right: it isn’t what happens to us that determines our sense of happiness and success; it’s how we interpret what happens to us. Therefore, happiness isn’t dependent upon circumstances and outcomes; happiness is a decision we commit to making again and again.

Success doesn’t lead to happiness; instead, it’s the reverse. In fact, that’s the foundation of Shawn Achor’s business, GoodThink. As a Positive Psychology advocate, Achor spent 12 years researching happiness at Harvard and has since written 4 books on the topic, all of which center on that one premise. And it’s catching on like wild fire. A TED talk he gave in 2011 has garnered 9 million views and counting. In it, he says,

Most companies and schools follow a formula for success, which is this: If I work harder, I’ll be more successful. And if I’m more successful, then I’ll be happier. That undergirds most of our parenting styles, our managing styles, and the way that we motivate our behavior.

He goes on to explain that that formula is scientifically broken and backward because when happiness is on the far edge of success, achieving success only moves the goalposts and creates the need for the next success. Additionally, instead of becoming more motivated by our achievements, we often become less inspired. Fortunately, there’s a way to refuel.

If you can raise somebody’s level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage, which is your brain at positive performs significantly better than it does at negative, neutral or stressed. Your intelligence rises, your creativity rises, your energy levels rise. In fact, what we’ve found is that every single business outcome improves. Your brain at positive is 31 percent more productive than your brain at negative, neutral or stressed. So if we can find a way of becoming positive in the present, then our brain becomes more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, healthier, resilient and productive.

In my personal life, when friends or family members get too enmeshed in negative thinking, I often jokingly blurt out a list of other choices: Puppies! Chocolate! Roses! It’s a fun way to break the tension and get a laugh. But there’s a deeper message, too, that can be instantly transformational…

The greatest power we have is the power to change our mind.

Part 2: Reaction Commerce: A Powerful Leap Forward for Ecommerce

2014-11-22T00:00:00Z

As we discussed in Part 1 of my series on ecommerce, there’s a major disruption on its way. Businesses and developers are seeking new platform innovations; the technology base is shifting toward cross-platform, cloud-based infrastructure that existing ecommerce platforms are challenged to provide; and even the payment and shipping industries are transforming.

BuiltWith analyzed a majority of the websites on the internet that use ecommerce technology, and here’s the breakdown:

The truth is, nearly every ecommerce platform available today is already outdated. While WooCommerce is the most popular choice, it’s a plugin that was developed for WordPress, software primarily used for simple websites and blogs. WooCommerce isn’t suited for retail shops; instead, it’s built for people with niche shops selling only a few products that don’t garner much traffic or revenue.

Magento, the largest open source ecommerce platform, has a reputation for being feature-rich, customizable and scalable. It’s also known to be expensive, difficult to learn, time consuming and slow. It’s written in PHP, a predominantly server-side computer language that’s now 20 years old. Many developers’ chief complaints about Magento are that it’s written in PHP. The same is true of osCommerce and BigCommerce, as well as smaller platforms like Zen Cart and PrestaShop. While the wave of the future might look to be Shopify and Spree, both of which have recently attracted venture capital money, they also both use Ruby (and Ruby on Rails), technology whose growth has stagnated in recent years.

Why do we care about programming language? Because when you lose the developer community, you lose the road to progress and innovation. PHP is viewed as being old and boring. Ruby is dropping rapidly. According to the two biggest places for developers to communicate, GitHub and Stack Overflow, JavaScript is the language of choice.

From its humble beginnings, JavaScript has grown exponentially over the last decade in both scope and application. It’s the only language that can run in every modern web browser without the aid of plug-ins, regardless of platform. It’s fast, it’s easy to learn, it’s easy to trace and catch errors, and it’s a perfect fit for the ever-evolving web. Developers have been clamoring for a JavaScript-based ecommerce platform. They’re tired of how heavy, cumbersome, difficult and slow ecommerce has become. It’s not surprising then that in the six months since we did a quiet launch of our Alpha platform, a couple thousand developers jumped on to check it out.

Reaction Commerce is building the first JavaScript ecommerce platform. And it’s positioning itself as a leading choice for the next generation of ecommerce business. Beyond creating a new ecommerce solution built on modern technologies, Reaction is the first platform to offer a Marketing First approach that will provide real-time merchandising, real-time pricing and promotions, and live monitoring of conversions. Its reactive, event-driven technology will let shop owners observe and track what their customers are doing and make real-time changes to optimize sales.

You’ll get personalized, relevant merchandising. This means that if a customer living in Telluride, CO, visits a Reaction shop selling sporting goods in February, they should see products that are different from the shopper who lives in Palm Springs, CA, visiting the exact same shop. Reaction knows that it’s cold in one and warm in the other, and using data from social sites such as Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, it can see trends and then predict what’s popular by geography and by season. Thus, the Telluride shopper is likely to see skiing and snowboarding merchandise while the shopper in Palm Springs might see tennis and golf gear.

You’ll get dynamic, real-time pricing and promotions based on demand and popularity. Again, using social data as well as data from Reaction, a shop owner can predict trends and display promotions and discounts in real time—without page reloads and without needing an expensive data analyst or developer to program complex algorithms or rules! For instance, when the Hawks and the Swans are headed to the AFL Grand Final, the shop owner in Melbourne knows he can automatically offer a special deal on the team guernseys, and pump ‘em out like flapjacks.

You’ll get actionable data. Reaction is also creating a dashboard for shop owners that displays real-time graphs and data so that they can monitor conversions and buying trends as they happen, and quickly make decisions that help maximize sales. Why? Because every ecommerce action or event should result in a real-time Reaction.

All this, without page reloads. According to a recent study of the top 500 ecommerce websites by Radware, the average load times by users was 10 seconds, which is an amazing 47% slowdown over the last two years! Radware summed up what this means to the bottom line for businesses:

Time is money and customers don’t use slow sites. A one-second delay in page time equals a 7% loss in conversions, 11% fewer page views and 16% decrease in customer satisfaction. Faster is better, and your website and web-based applications need to be lightning quick or you will lose customers and revenue.

If usability experts suggest a 2-second load time, why are we moving backward? Because web pages are getting bigger, more complex and more dynamic with multiple scripts and resources pulled from multiple servers and locations. And internet access speeds can’t keep up.

Typically, here’s what happens. When the client changes something, it sends a message to the server requesting the change. The server checks the proposed change against a set of allow/deny rules, and only accepts the change if all the rules pass. If the server accepts the change, it applies the change to the database. If not, the update fails, the server’s database remains untouched, and no other client sees the update.

The revolution of Meteor means there are real-time updates. With Meteor, an open source JavaScript platform, all that information isn’t being sent back and forth between servers and resources like it typically was. Instead, when a client issues a write to the server, it also updates its local cache immediately without waiting for the server’s response. This means the screen will redraw right away. Not 10 seconds. Not 5 seconds. Right now. Bam shazam! That’s called real-time reactive, and on another ecommerce platform it’ll cost you the salaries of a bunch of dev people and a whole lot of time to implement. But because Reaction Commerce is built on Meteor, well, that’s where they start.

Reaction is built on the Meteor framework. Part of the reason why so many people are excited about Meteor is because it’s built on top of Node.js, which is arguably the future of web development. It now puts JavaScript on the server side, then compiles and executes it in an event loop at lightning speed. In short, now JavaScript coders can build real-time web APIs. And Node has a rapidly expanding open source community with 50,000+ packages already queued up in the Node Package Manager that likely has already solved a problem you’re having.

Haven’t heard of Node.js? Well, more and more employers are making it a required job skill, indicating its potential to remake the programming landscape. Node.js is able to handle more traffic and it’s known for being easy. What once took weeks, even with the best tools, now takes hours. Developers refer to it as being an ultra-simple environment for building modern websites that are fast and responsive. And, with Meteor and Node.js, developers are having a lot more fun, too.

Meteor, known as a “developer favorite,” is growing in popularity. Just three months after it’s launch in April of 2012, many JavaScript developers already knew about it. According to founder Matt DeBergalis, it “might have been the most popular product launch in the history of Hacker News.” And with their enormous $11.2M cash infusion from Andreesson Horowitz and Matrix Partners, it’s only going to keep growing.

“We’re in the midst of a transition that happens every 15 years where we change the way we write applications,” DeBergalis says. On his Meteor website, he writes, “Writing software is too hard and it takes too long. It should be radically simple. It should make it possible to build a prototype in a day or two, and a real production app in a few weeks. Today, there’s a chance to create this new way—to build a new platform for cloud applications that will become as ubiquitous as previous platforms such as Unix, HTTP, and the relational database.”

**Using Meteor and Node.js will entirely change the ecommerce landscape. **It’s time. We’ve reached that 15-year turning point. Ecommerce is currently too hard, it’s too expensive and it takes too long because the technology is outdated. A recent conversation in Hacker News asked the obvious:

Why isn’t there a super awesome, mobile first Node.js shopping cart platform?

The world of innovative ecommerce platform is pretty much standing still. The latest was Magento, and now they are heavy as heck, slow and hard to maintain. Why isn’t there a kick a** Node.js shopping cart that is easy to use like the Etsy interface?

Well, guess what? Now there is.

Part 1: Ecommerce is Heading Toward a Major Upheaval (and Reaction Commerce is Ready to Fill the Void)

2014-11-11T00:00:00Z

According to eMarketer’s forecast, global ecommerce sales will increase by over 20% this year to reach $1.5T.

In today’s retail market, there’s a massive shift toward ecommerce. And it means that retailers have an opportunity to grow their business, elevate their brand awareness and even reach global markets. It also means that they need to develop, expand and/or enhance their online presence. Most will rely on the services of an ecommerce platform to do it.

A brief history of ecommerce. While it may have begun in the early 70s by brainy potheads at Stanford and MIT arranging the clandestine sale of cannabis, the real inception of ecommerce is closer to the mid-90s when the internet was made available to the general public. In 1995, the development of secure online payment methods and the founding of Amazon and eBay brought such excitement to the idea of online retail that projections for the growth of “web commerce” was an astonishing 2300%. Almost overnight, investors started pouring money into dot-coms with the restraint of an unwalled dam. Within two years, Amazon issued its initial public offering, and eBay received $6.7 million in funding.

The bubble expanded rapidly, but it didn’t last, of course. When it burst a few short years later, it took the stock market with it. Amazon’s stock, which had soared to $107 per share, went into a freefall and bottomed out at $7. A slew of online businesses went bankrupt, and investors felt the burn.

Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson remembers those lean times well. But if what goes up must come down, Wilson also understands that the spectacular downturn helped to create the current upswing.

A friend of mine has a great line. He says “Nothing important has ever been built without irrational exuberance.” Meaning that you need some of this mania to cause investors to open up their pocketbooks and finance the building of the railroads or the automobile or aerospace industry or whatever. And in this case, much of the capital invested was lost, but also much of it was invested in a very high throughput backbone for the Internet, and lots of software that works, and databases and server structure. All that stuff has allowed what we have today, which has changed all our lives…that’s what all this speculative mania built.

It wasn’t until 2002 that the dust began to settle. The companies that weren’t completely leveled were beginning to rise from the ashes. eBay was in the midst of acquiring PayPal while Amazon was on its way to posting its first yearly profit. Customers were getting used to making online purchases, ecommerce was gaining incredible traction, and investors, sensing a new stability, were beginning to take notice once again.

That’s when a little something called the ecommerce platform began to emerge. Instead of a business having to hire its own stable of developers to create a way to sell their products online, they could instead purchase technology, called shopping cart software, that had already been developed to display products, take orders, process payments and establish shipping protocols.

The German company Intershop and American-based Viaweb were among the first to offer ecommerce software in 1995. A year later, ShopFactory claimed to be the world’s first Shop-in-a-Box solution. Then came a long line of others including Hybris (1997), ATG (1998), osCommerce (2000), Demandware (2004), Shopify (2004), Spree Commerce (2007) and Magento (2008) among them.

Ecommerce has an extremely long runway for growth. In 2000, ecommerce accounted for only 1% of retail sales in the U.S. By 2010, it had reached 4.6%, and in the 2nd quarter of this year it grew to 6.4%. What that means, of course, is that ecommerce is only in its infancy. In fact, in the next three years it’s expected to increase by $80B. Why? Because two-thirds of all customers prefer to shop online. But as customers rely more and more on the web to make their purchases, retailers are slow in meeting them there.

Amazingly, only 9% of retail stores have an online shop, and here’s why. Building an ecommerce site is complicated, and they’ve heard the horror stories. Even the easiest ecommerce platforms require technical expertise that costs more and takes longer than most people expect. Shop owners have to hire developers and then manage those developers without any real knowledge of how to do so.

Then, in the best of circumstances, a business grows, which is good news for the bottom line but can mean their ecommerce site starts to become inefficient. After all, customers are demanding more: more product views, more dynamic interactive capabilities, more speed and on more devices. Shop owners want to keep up with the demand so they put pressure on their developers who can only really offer band-aid solutions. As a result, websites become increasingly cobbled together using third-party and legacy applications, incompatible software and add-ons that are expensive and hard to maintain. Over time, a site becomes like an old car in constant need of repairs. The mechanic has slapped on new parts to keep it running, but at a certain point the shop owner has to face the reality that it would be a lot less expensive and far more efficient to buy a new car—or at the very least a new engine—with all the latest technology already built in.

So, what ecommerce platforms are businesses using? Of the 100 largest online retailers in America, 41% use ecommerce platforms that are built and maintained by an in-house staff. The others use Oracle ATG Commerce (25%), IBM WebSphere (20%) and eBay Enterprise (5%) among them. But those behemoth platforms are not suited for the rest of the millions upon millions of websites that need some kind of shopping cart functionality without all the expensive bells and whistles.

For the small to medium-sized business, the field is wide open. And that explains why investors are eager to compete for pieces of an ever increasing pie. Shopify, for instance, recently announced that they’ve raised $100 million in Series C funding from some of the most prestigious venture capital companies in the world. Shopify is a platform used to power 100,000 online shops in 100 countries, and that’s only a little more than 3% of the market. Spree Commerce is even smaller. Since their $1.5 million in seed funding three years ago, they’re now running 45,000 shops, and they’ve just raised their Series A funding to the tune of $5 million.

Magento, used by 30% of all ecommerce shops, recently announced they’d be shutting down their platform for small-to-medium businesses in order to concentrate on their higher end products and services. While they’ve recommended their customers migrate to BigCommerce, which currently holds 2% of the market, Shopify is making a play for those customers.

But nearly every ecommerce platform available is built using technology that’s already outdated. That’s right; despite the land grab, shop owners are forced to rely on platforms that were built before the iPhone even came on the market. So not only are they archaic, but the technology base is also moving toward open source development and a more cross-platform, cloud-based infrastructure which is very challenging for existing ecommerce platforms to provide. On top of that, the payment space is in transition as evidenced by PayPal’s acquisition of Braintree, upstarts like Square that allow merchants and individuals to accept debit card, credit card and BitCoin payments, and streamlined new services like Apple Pay. Even shipping options are changing with the advent of services like ShipWire, Shyp and Shippo.

All this taken together means that now is the time for disruption in ecommerce. It’s clear that companies and developers alike are seeking new platform innovations, and Reaction Commerce is ready to take advantage of this huge market evolution and establish itself as a leading choice for the next generation of ecommerce business. Beyond creating a new ecommerce solution built on modern technologies, Reaction is the first platform to offer a Marketing First approach. In Part 2, I’ll delve into how Marketing First principles are specifically designed to give shop owners a powerful advantage with things like reactive, personalized merchandising, real-time pricing and promotions, and live monitoring of conversions.

Will Native Apps For Ecommerce Go the Way of the Dinosaur?

2014-10-18T00:00:00Z

Recently, I traveled with my Ongo Works team to San Francisco for the Meteor Dev Shop meetup where we spoke about two products we’re building on the Meteor framework, Reaction Commerce and Launch Dock. The first is an ambitious rethinking of the entire ecommerce industry, and the second is a community-driven ecosystem for launching apps.

Meteor lets us do more with less. Among the many things we like about Meteor is that it’s ultra light (less code, less work, fewer errors) and it’s real time by default (which is part of what will change the ecommerce industry).

Even though we’re using Meteor in decidedly grand and visionary ways, most developers and even Meteor itself think of the framework as “a better way to build native mobile apps.” In fact, the focus of the meetup was about app building.

Having new mobile capabilities is all the rage. The presentation after ours, given by three developers from Meteor’s core development group, was about new mobile capabilities within Meteor. Using Apache’s Cordova, their new functionality lets any Meteor developer easily and seamlessly turn any Meteor web app (JavaScript, HTML, and CSS) into a native app. Sure, the functionality was already possible before this update, but now it’s as simple as running a couple commands, then submitting the app to the Android and/or Apple app stores, and, voila, you have a native app that can even run the same exact codebase as your web app if you want.

Even better, it’s not just any app; it’s an app that can automatically update via hot code pushes without having to submit an update to the app store. Pretty cool stuff. Someone in the crowd even said his “mind was blown” by the demo.

But just because it’s cool doesn’t mean it will actually be useful. Developers and entrepreneurs need to think beyond what’s possible and think about what’s practical. Native apps may be the whiz-bang thing on the block right now, but I think Steve Jobs was right when he was originally dead-set against third-party apps for the iPhone. He said:

The full Safari engine is inside of iPhone. And so, you can write amazing Web 2.0 and Ajax apps that look exactly and behave exactly like apps on the iPhone. And these apps can integrate perfectly with iPhone services. They can make a call, they can send an email, they can look up a location on Google Maps.

And guess what? There’s no SDK that you need! You’ve got everything you need if you know how to write apps using the most modern web standards to write amazing apps for the iPhone today. So developers, we think we’ve got a very sweet story for you. You can begin building your iPhone apps today.

If Steve Jobs was against it, why do we have so many native apps? A big reason for the proliferation of native apps has been about speed. Native apps respond and perform more quickly than web apps due to limitations on mobile networks. Nowadays this isn’t as much of a limitation. A web application can mimic so much of native functionality:

It’s only a matter of time before the technologies behind web apps are able to compete directly with the aesthetic capabilities of native apps.

And, even better, web apps can provide for a better user and developer experience:

Web apps mean that users [and developers] will never have to worry about updates.

The bigger question, in my mind, is why are we developers and entrepreneurs spending so much time and money developing on closed, proprietary platforms controlled by massive tech companies to then join app stores that have such limited visibility? The answer is, of course, because that’s where the users are.

Here’s what we think about web apps: If you build it, they will come. We think we can change where users go to find cool content. We think that users will shift behaviors to follow the content they desire. And we think open frameworks are the way to get us there. If we start to build awesome web apps that work natively, and we collectively work to train consumers how and where to find them, they will come. Andy Baio couldn’t have said it better in his Friending the App Store post:

How we discover games and apps is broken, hitting indie developers hardest.

He goes on to suggest a solution of Social Discovery and using our Social Graphs to find interesting and relevant apps. We couldn’t agree more. We’d even take it a step further and suggest that we create these social discovery, open, democratic marketplaces outside of the App Store.

That’s why we’re building our shops to work natively without native apps. Reaction Commerce is a next generation, open source ecommerce platform. We think we’re the wave of the future. Not everyone agrees with our approach though. I recently exchanged emails with a potential investor who suggested that in addition to giving everyone an ecommerce shop, we also give them “1-click” ability to have an Android and iOS app as a way to differentiate our offering. We don’t think this is the answer. In fact, we think this is noise. Are consumers really going to install an app for each of their favorite online storefronts? Ugh. Can you imagine 100,000 apps in the App Store for every single store on our platform?

Web technology has caught up. Because the web wasn’t ready to support native functionality universally, native apps were allowed to really take off in the first place. But web technology is now close, if not equal. It may be another 3-5 years before we start to see a meaningful shift, but the writing is on the wall. The same writing was on the wall with Flash and so famously called out in the brilliant letter by Steve Jobs. We may be ahead of the curve on this, but we believe native apps could be the next Flash, particularly in ecommerce.

There’s no doubt that we are in the midst of a massive shift in ecommerce. With so much of ecommerce being driven by search and social in both web and mobile browsers, we believe online storefronts need to just work natively. For ecommerce in particular, it’s critical to have an awesome experience across all devices in all browsers. Not only are the majority of visits to retail websites done via mobile devices, but purchasing on mobile devices is increasing. The Branding Brand report shows that mobile ordering and mobile revenue is increasing at higher percentages, nearly doubling year-over-year. Industry experts are stating that “mobile optimized web sites should be the first priority when trying to appeal to mobile-centric audiences.”

What about Facebook’s famously failed attempt to build their app in HTML5? Whenever we broach this topic, everyone brings that up. Mark Zuckerberg even said:

I think the biggest mistake we made as a company is betting too much on HTML5 as opposed to native.

That was two years ago. In technology, two years might as well be one hundred years. Look back at why Facebook originally chose HTML5:

We chose to use HTML5 because not only did it let us leverage much of the same code for iOS, Android, and the mobile web, but it also allowed us to iterate on experiences quickly by launching and testing new features without having to release new versions of our apps.

After Facebook switched gears, some developers took matters into their own hands to try to prove that HTML5 was ready for the challenge:

We thought to ourselves: HTML5 can’t really be the reason that Facebook’s mobile application was slow. We knew what the browser on modern smart phones was capable of and what kind of rich capabilities HTML5 offered. We saw the latest generation of mobile devices—running at least iOS 5 or Android 4.1—push ever increasing performance and HTML5 implementation scores. But perhaps most importantly, we’d seen what our customers were building and the amazing things they were creating using HTML5.

Even LinkedIn recognizes the future that the mobile web holds. While they’re another example of a company shifting away from their original HTML5 strategy to go to native in early 2013, their senior director of mobile engineering says the technology is ready, but the developer community isn’t behind it yet:

Prasad said performance issues weren’t causing crashes or making the app run slowly. What he did say shows that HTML5 for the mobile web still has a bright future—but only if developers are willing to build the tools to support it.

…people are falling back to native. It’s not that HTML5 isn’t ready; it’s that the ecosystem doesn’t support it. There are tools, but they’re at the beginning. People are just figuring out the basics.

So what will be the tipping point? It’s obvious that developers will be the change. Maybe the shift won’t happen full sail. Maybe certain categories, like games, make more sense for native applications. Maybe not. I’m no expert, but I’ll go ahead and call it on the impending downturn in native apps, at the very least for single retailers and likely beyond. I don’t know what will take their place, but I do believe that mobile browsers and mobile operating systems will look and function very differently in the future. My gut is that “apps” of the future will be more of a seamless experience of the operating systems. We’ll see.

I’m extremely proud to say that we at Reaction Commerce are going to be part of the shift. Of course, if anyone using Reaction has a shop and they want it to be in the App Store, our code is open source and entirely extendable and customizable. The Meteor framework now lets you build native mobile apps with a single command. For example, you can use the command “meteor run ios” and have a native application bundle created. We admit to the coolness of the “one step” capability to having a native app alongside a Reaction web shop, but we hope Reaction developers and others will join us and focus on building better universal web experiences. Starting now.

(Originally published on Reaction thoughts.)

Being the Boss vs. Working for the Boss Thoughts from the founding CEO of a 365-day-old startup

2014-10-08T00:00:00Z

Exactly one year ago, I co-founded my startup. Before taking the entrepreneurial plunge, I spent my entire 20-year career working for other people on their ideas—from small nonprofits with a couple dozen people, to pre-launch startups requiring product scaling and team building, to well-established tech companies with tens of thousands of employees. I’ve bounced from LA to SF to LA to NYC and back to LA working on the next big thing.

Now at the one-year mark with my startup, I’m reflecting on the advantages of being the boss and building my own dream versus working for a boss and supporting someone else’s dream. And I won’t bury the lead: one isn’t better than the other. They both have their positives and negatives, and certainly working for a company has distinct advantages over going the entrepreneurial route. But, if you’re more driven by creativity like I am, at some point you just gotta take that leap.

Being the boss

It’s an emotional rollercoaster. Sure, there are highs and lows anywhere you work, but I’ve never experienced the pure confidence of world domination coming directly on the heels of debilitating doubt and uncertainty… and back again from one day to the next, or really, from hour to hour. With so much on the line, the pendulum of thoughts and feelings can be confusing and energy-zapping… which also adds to the sense of incredible pride and satisfaction. Go figure.

Work-life balance is a challenge. If there was ever a time to prioritize, this would be it. As the founder of a startup, I have to make decisions, compromises and sacrifices—especially on the home front. Dinner with friends? A vacation? A weekend off? It can be a challenge to do pretty much anything other than work, but it’s a proven fact that taking time off to decompress and rejuvenate makes you more productive and efficient. That’s why even though I’m hovered over my laptop on mornings, nights, and weekends, I also make conscious time for yoga, running, getting to the beach, and cooking good food.

I get to wear all the hats. At this stage, I’m the marketing department, the support department, people operations, finance, legal, and janitorial engineer. While for some people that might feel disjointed, chaotic and head-spinning, for me it’s probably the thing I love the most about being the boss.

It’s fun to dream big. My business partner and I started Reaction Commerce by dreaming first about the kind of culture in which we wanted to immerse ourselves. While it’s important to us that we also build a business that matters, foremost in our minds is the desire to create an environment that’s creative, inspiring, energizing, and challenging both personally and professionally. We want it all—a product that changes people’s lives and a company in which we can continue to grow and thrive for the next 20 years. At this point, the sky’s still the limit, and that’s really fun.

Creating new features feels awesome. We’re building an ecommerce platform from scratch, and we know that our progress will be measured in years, not months, yet every day feels like we take a step closer to accomplishing our dream. We’ve launched a ton of features in our first year, and each time we create something new and put it out there, it fills me with great pride and accomplishment. There’s still only three of us, which makes it all the more satisfying knowing we’re often able to do things that take large companies ten times as long. We’re moving at lightning speed, and I have to admit that it’s a bit addicting.

Life is about making a difference. Being the boss means I get to take a lot of meetings with potential clients, investors, and partners. It’s fun sharing our vision with other people and getting their valuable feedback. It’s even more fun forming alliances with people who share our vision. And most rewarding of all so far is that every person who’s heard our pitch has agreed that we’re solving an important problem for developers and businesses, and they’ve gotten excited about how we’re going about it. It’s rewarding to know that we’ll be making a difference.

Working for the boss

You get to wear fewer hats or maybe even only one hat. This isn’t true if you’re working for the boss in a smaller, earlier-stage startup, but if you’re at a larger, more established company, it’s usually more clear what’s expected of you, and the pace is often much slower. When I was starting out, both of these were huge advantages because I learned what my strengths and weaknesses are, and I developed my confidence. When I worked as the Sr. Director of Product & Operations at Citysearch, which is a part of InterActive Corp (IAC), initially I reported to a Citysearch SVP, who reported to the CEO of Citysearch, who reported to an SVP of local services at IAC, who reported to the CEO of IAC. Essentially, I was a manager in a large media company. My role was very defined over consumer and business products, and I had counterparts in every other major area of the business. Each quarter we had to prepare and present business reviews for IAC. I wore a only a couple hats and had to manage all the way up the chain in order to get almost anything of strategic importance done. This allowed me to find the best ways to collaborate with counterparts who had varying personalities as well as hone my skills in preparing and presenting what I felt would be most effective. I loved the challenge of it, but over time I realized how restricting that kind of environment became. Ultimately, I didn’t feel like I could affect the change I wanted.

You take fewer risks. While playing it safe can be stabilizing for a business and its employees, it can also lead to complacency. I’ve gravitated toward working for early-stage startups because I thrive on the excitement and the ability to innovate and take risks. But I’ve learned quickly that once you have existing customers, investors, revenue projections, and bills to pay, you start to get more cautious and operate in more calculated ways. This is sometimes called innovators dilemma. When I was brought in as a COO of an early-stage fashion ecommerce startup, the team was small and the business was in its infancy, but the company was part of a tech accelerator that had majority control and interest, and they were heavily involved in day-to-day operations. I was the COO, who reported to the CEO, who reported to a Partner at the accelerator, who reported to the CEO and founding partner. We had very little ability to take risks because, ultimately, the owners of the company called the shots and strategy. So, even in a startup, it’s important to assess the role and really understand who’s making the key decisions. As a creator, this experience was limiting, and we ended up recommending that the accelerator consolidate the business. I’ve learned that I want to do more than merely push pixels; I want push envelopes and disrupt industries.

There’s more bureaucracy. Ultimately, this is probably the biggest challenge for every growing business. There can be lots of people involved in decisions, which means that things can take longer and become political. Often there are top-down decisions being made where there’s very little transparency in what’s decided. If you disagree, you’re often stuck. When I joined Yahoo from the GeoCities acquisition, I definitely felt the shift in going from a startup-like culture to a large company. The first few years at Yahoo were incredible. It felt like each product line was it’s own startup, and because we were so free to create, we were able to craft a meaningful strategy and roadmap. The environment was electric—filled with possibility. But the company more than doubled in size during my tenure expanding to over 10,000 people, and in the last year or so, things got bogged down by bureaucracy. As the company grew, it was harder and harder to get things done. There were more people at the meetings, and instead of streamlining decisions, the inefficiencies became rampant. The approval process became insane as everyone jockeyed for position and started fearing for their jobs. Even though I enjoyed the people and I still found the work challenging, I started to feel more like a cog in a machine or a factory worker on an assembly line. And once I realized that I was losing passion for what I was doing, it was time to go.

There’s a safety net and a clear role. The biggest advantage in working for someone else is the safety net. There are often more benefits, and someone else worries about the lights, payroll, healthcare, etc. Working for a boss has meant that I know more about what the work rules are, I have a more clearly defined role, and my effort is both predictable and rewarded. I have found great comfort in working for someone else. My years at Yahoo and Citysearch were the perfect environments in which to learn. I got to focus on building the best user experiences, and I never had to worry about administrative details. When I joined Etsy as the VP of Product, it was still very early stage, but it was already mature in many aspects. By then, I knew how to pick the perfect job for me, and Etsy was it. We had already raised venture capital from top-tier investors; we had a Board to rival all Boards and I participated in every one of those meetings; I defined the product roadmap and strategy and reported directly to the CEO; I got to take numerous risks in a company that was on a crazy trajectory, and I loved just about every minute of my time in Brooklyn. Even though I wasn’t the boss, I was the head of my area, I enjoyed the clarity of my role, I was empowered to grow the product and the team, and I was working on a business that wasn’t just well loved, it was making a difference for millions of people. Those kinds of experiences are hard to come by, and I cherish that one. Now, I look forward to creating my own company that borrows from and mimics some of those fantastic positives.

So far, my experiences over the last 20 years have taught me that when I’m working for the boss, no matter what the size of the company, it’s possible to “lead from my seat.” I’ve learned that I can be the CEO of a product line within a larger company. I’ve learned how to maneuver through personalities and bureaucracies, and that when my role isn’t satisfying, I can craft it into something more meaningful. I’ve learned that working for someone else has distinct advantages and disadvantages. And I’ve especially learned that I’m ready to be the boss. So now, one year into it, I can’t imagine going back to working for the boss. Here’s to year two!

This is Fun: Thoughts on Positive Psychology From a Startup CEO

2014-09-22T00:00:00Z

When I studied social psychology in college, little did I know that it would become vital to my work in social media, social marketing, social networking, social ecommerce and social technology. My course load obviously included heavy doses of psychology, which was all very interesting but ultimately outdated. Thanks to Freud, the last hundred years of psychology has been skewed toward analyzing what’s wrong in the hope that it will produce a change in our behavior. More often than not, it doesn’t.

Freud was wrong. He was a big ‘ol Debbie Downer who believed that the best we can ever achieve is to minimize our misery.

It wasn’t until after I graduated that a new field called Positive Psychology would take root and remind us that we might do better by invoking who we are when we’re at our best instead of focusing all our attention on our traumas, failures and shortcomings in an endless loop.

Positive Psychology is more effective. Martin Seligman, one of its founders, realized after decades as a therapist that he could only rarely help a patient get rid of his anger, sadness, anxiety and misery. And if that did happen, on the other side of it was not happiness but emptiness. He realized that happiness was an entirely different skill set, and he wanted to discover what it required and how to get it.

Now happiness isn’t just a pursuit; it’s a topic of scientific study. Here’s some of what those studies have discovered.

Body mapping research shows that happiness is the only emotion that activates and energizes our entire body.
Individual happiness increases when groups of people or communities work together for a greater good.
When we do good in the world, our genetic code is enhanced, and we create more cells that fight disease.
Positive emotions expressed online are more contagious than negative ones.
In fact, happiness is contagious. Each new happy person in your life increases your odds of being happier by 9%.
Our happiness is higher when we spend money on experiences rather than objects.
Older people extract more pleasure from ordinary moments than do younger people.
People who are grateful for what they have are far more satisfied than those who focus on what they want.
Strong, positive relationships make us happier than do strong, positive accomplishments.
Working toward challenging goals increases our happiness and suppresses negative feelings.
Grateful people sleep better at night.

So what’s the easiest way to be happier? Practice optimism.

Turns out, there’s scientific proof that realists see the world as it actually is and optimists see the world through rose-colored glasses. While you might think that pessimism is the opposite of optimism, the truth is that there’s no difference between the viewpoints of pessimists and realists. Optimists, however, look at a situation and choose to see the good things. Optimism is not arrogance. It’s not even self-confidence. Instead, it’s the reverse of what Freud proposed. Dwell on what’s right. Focus on your talents. Anticipate success. View difficulties as temporary. Reread Pollyanna and play The Glad Game. Practice the fine art of positive illusion. Have an unrealistically high view of yourself and your potential. And remember that the greatest power we have is the power to change our mind.

For the vast majority of people, negative thinking is a habit, not a psychosis. It’s been proven that we can change our brain’s patterned responses through conscious effort. We can actually retrain our brains to trigger entirely different chemical responses that change our attitudes and our thinking in positive ways. So yes, we can think our way to happiness. But is it worth the effort? Well, apparently there’s no downside to optimism.

Research shows that optimists do better in everything—health, marriage, success, even post-traumatic stress. Their expectations are higher, they take action sooner, they accomplish more, they make more money, they’re more effective leaders, they live longer, they’re sick less often, they have fewer heart attacks, their risk of cancer is lower, they handle stress better, they heal faster, they have better relationships, and they’re a lot more fun to be around.

So the first rule in creating a new business should be obvious: hire happy, optimistic people.

One of the many exciting things about being the CEO of an early-stage, bootstrapped startup is that we’re still in the dreaming phase. So far, we’ve succeeded at everything and haven’t disappointed anyone. We’re very close to forming partnerships that will propel us forward on an even faster trajectory. These new alliances will mean that we’ll get to dream bigger and accomplish even more, and it will mean we’ll get to hire people who believe in what we’re doing and want to contribute.

When I co-founded Reaction Commerce, I wanted to create an experience that was different from what I’d already experienced. Reaction Commerce didn’t start with an idea of using new technology in innovative ways so that we could turn ecommerce on its ear; instead it began with a much simpler desire to create an environment that allowed us to thrive and excel for, oh, another 20 years. Why?

Because I want to be part of a company that doesn’t just contribute to the world, but directly impacts the lives of the people who make it happen.

So as CEO, my foremost goal is to find talented people who have happy, optimistic tendencies, and then create an environment that fosters and sustains their sense of satisfaction and well-being. That’s going to be an ongoing endeavor, but to start, here’s what we know.

We know that people who feel valued are happier. We know that when people are happy they’re more productive, more innovative and more dedicated. Healthcare costs go down, customer satisfaction goes up and high-quality work becomes more and more sustainable. Beyond that, people who are happy at work affect their families and their communities in positive ways.

So basically, investing in people isn’t just good for business; it’s good for the world.

Header photo, Jumping into water, courtesy Brooklyn Morgan. Thanks!

This is Hard (Year One Startup Thoughts)

2014-09-15T00:00:00Z

A few months ago, I co-founded a company, Reaction Commerce, and blogged about Starting up on $10k. The last sentence was:

“Of course, we’re not paying ourselves at the moment so check back regularly to see how things are really going, and we’ll let you know!”

So, here I am, reporting on how things are really going.

It’s official. This is hard. And by this, I mean just about everything.

Being a first-time founder and CEO is hard.
Creating an ecommerce platform from scratch is hard.
Bootstrapping a business is hard.
Working remotely as a small team is hard.

All of it. Hard. The last few weeks especially.

It takes time and we want it now. We’re all feeling pressured because we want to be further along than we are. It’s a pressure we put on ourselves. I suppose this is human nature. I feel pressure to have money in the bank. We all feel pressure to launch Reaction Commerce, a modern ecommerce platform built using new technologies. The reality is that we’ve made huge progress. We have only one developer, and while he does the work of two, we’ve had some unavoidable and predictable bumps along the way that has kept up from a launch we hoped to announce months ago. Meteor, the framework we’re building on, put out their 0.8 release that caused us to do an entire refactor. It wasn’t fun for anyone, but it has resulted in some great and necessary improvements. However, it’s a delay we would have preferred to avoid.

Being vulnerable is a reality. I started meeting with local investors and industry friends. It’s hard to put myself out there. Every time I send out our story deck or even publish a blog post, I gulp. It’s even worse when I don’t hear back, especially when I know the recipient personally and they reached out to me first. We know we have a solid idea; everyone I’ve been meeting with is enthusiastic and positive, but the response ratio can be depressing. But, that’s another post.

Finding our voice is challenging. As we communicate with the outside world, we are forced to develop our voice. But since we’re still in the active stages of becoming, it’s hard to find the right voice. How can we suggest confidence, experience, and capability without over promising and sounding cocky? We’ve all seen vaporware products. That’s not us. We don’t want to promise something and then fail to deliver. As a company, the three of us recently had a great discussion about the voice we’re projecting on our website and blog. We want to strike a balance between being humble yet confident. We’re so early stage and there’s just so much uncertainty that we’re fumbling our way through it. And it’s hard!

Staying synchronized is difficult. We’re a small team. We don’t have an office yet. We have thrice weekly video hangout sessions. We’re practically on Slack 24/7. And yet, it’s easy to get out of sync. The stress and emotions can pile up with a side comment here or a side comment there. Fortunately, we’re quick to notice and quick to get back in alignment. Luckily, we’re all on the westside of Los Angeles and are able to meet up in person when we’re feeling a need for face-to-face time. Staying on the same page and moving toward the same goal, especially when there are so many moving pieces and we each have different styles and fears, is hard.

And yet, it’s also delightful. All of it.

Remembering the problem is essential. I’ve been meeting with potential customers — small businesses trying to set up an ecommerce presence. They are all at different stages. Last week’s meeting was with two business partners just starting to build their ecommerce site on another platform. The hurdles they described are exactly why we’re doing this. They are a typical small business. They have a solid business plan and they’ve worked out a manufacturing pipeline, but they’re not technical, and they’re having trouble doing the simplest things — customizing site navigation, adding variants, editing fonts and colors — even on one of the “easier” platforms. We’ve already solved so many of these problems and made it simple for the non-techie to succeed. When they saw a demo of our product, they wanted it immediately. Unfortunately, we’re not ready for them, but it’s hugely rewarding knowing that we can and will make a difference.

It’s always about the team. A couple months ago we brought on board our first team member. Having someone other than founders at Reaction Commerce ups the ante. Not only am I responsible for making sure he gets paid, but I’m also responsible for crafting a culture and a team that walks our talk. So, while it’s great having a couple more hands on deck, it also creates a greater feeling of responsibility and urgency. Most of the time it’s fun. Creating something from the ground up is exhilarating. Trying to solve meaningful problems is rewarding. And working with a small team of good-hearted, committed people is the best.

The truth is we’ve only just started. We’ve made big progress in a short period of time, and I’m especially proud of what we’ve accomplished. What we have in our alpha release is a small fraction of our vision, yet it’s already amazing. However, despite just beginning, we’re trying to communicate where we want to be, and it can be hard to convey that we’re here, but we’re going there, without sounding like we’re already there.

So, yeah, this startup thing is hard. We’re on the path to trying to revolutionize ecommerce, and we’re admitting that it’s tough. We knew it would be. We knew it would take us time. We know it’s a grand vision. And we also know that we had to give it a try. So we’re trying.

Honestly, who better than us?

(Originally posted on Medium, April, 2014. Header image courtesy Davide Ragusa.)