tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113064052024-03-19T02:23:02.619-07:00yarddartthe personal blog of one neil cristneilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-5202708950165591122009-03-26T13:56:00.001-07:002009-03-26T13:56:17.889-07:00twitter<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddO9idmax0o&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddO9idmax0o&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-4757431726331092902008-12-14T16:11:00.000-08:002008-12-14T20:00:02.979-08:00Putting off the good lifeWhen I was at Microsoft, I remember how struck I was by the sheer focus and determination of everyone around me. Coming to the company, I was working hard to build a name for myself and gain credibility in the organization - so I worked crazy hours to secure great performance scores each year. Luckily Bobbi and I did not have children yet, and she also was working full time as a newborn intensive care nurse.<br /><br />One day I was looking through the MicroNews, the Microsoft campus weekly paper, and read an obituary for a man who was about 32 years old, who had died of cancer, leaving a wife and 3 children. As I read further, the most active theme of this obituary was how passionate he was about working at Microsoft. He was well known for keeping long hours. The article even insinuated that he was so focused on work that he failed to get regular medical physicals. Colon cancer had suddenly struck and took his life.<br /><br />As I read his obituary, I began to weave this persona in with the stereotypical "Microsoftie" of the time. In sum, he worked too hard, spent little time with his family & friends, and died early & tragically of what I can only describe as "self neglect." He must have been putting off the good life, with every intention of getting to it at some point. That point never came.<br /><br />Today, nearly a decade later, I think about that man a lot. I imagine how his life could have gotten that way, and I am determined not to let it happen to me. The cards are stacked against me a bit though. Not only was my father a workaholic throughout my childhood, but I am also now a business owner, where undoubtedly every hour of effort counts toward your success. I know I can do it, as long as I make a daily priority.<br /><br />Recently I sat down for coffee with an angel investor who was former Microsoft; he had made a fortune as an early employee of the Redmond giant and now invested in early stage companies. As with any first time meeting, we spent some time talking about family, interests, and the like. His children had long ago grown up and left home for college. They were now scattered across the country. As he told me about them, I could sense that he missed his kids. In as many words, he eventually revealed that he looks back on his children growing up and regrets how quickly it went by. <br /><br />As I described to him my two young boys and our vacation plans for the holidays, he smiled enviously and commended me for making vacations and recreation with the family a priority. He then recounted many times in his distant past when he could have put his family first, ahead of business and work, but simply kept putting it off. Pretty soon putting things off became easier and easier to do, a habit.<br /><br />"Once that time with them is gone, Neil, it is gone," he said with conviction as we started to shift gears into a business conversation.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-8513991563037301832008-10-20T23:52:00.000-07:002008-12-14T20:19:39.457-08:00October 20, 2008 - Prosys is Now Acture Consulting.(SEATTLE, WASHINGTON) We are pleased to announce two important developments today. The first is that The Prosys Group is now <a href="http://www.actureconsulting.com">Acture Consulting</a>. Acture is a word that means "Action."<br /><br />The second and most important development is the addition of <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesoweng">James Gallagher</a> as a Managing Director for Acture Consulting. For nearly 2 years, Prosys has focused mostly on Product Management work for emerging companies in the Seattle area. With James joining the team, it puts together a "1-2 punch" in terms of providing value to start-up clients. James will head up the Sales & Customer Strategy practice for Acture.<br /><br />James brings with him a solid playbook with a focus on sales traction and customer acquisition. Over the last 16 years, James has been responsible for building and accelerating revenue streams for dozens of companies. While at Jobster, I personally witnessed James build a sales engine of systems, process, people that achieved some phenomenal sales numbers for our SaaS products.<br /><br />As Acture brings year two to a close over the next few months, we are gearing up for a busy 2009, assisting start-ups in the areas of <a href="http://actureconsulting.com/services.html">business, product and sales strategy</a>. We believe that 2009 will be an important year for companies, as they find they must do more with less. We look forward to partnering with companies in achieving this goal.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-38137128618077618982008-09-19T14:42:00.000-07:002008-10-10T09:55:37.355-07:00Product Management vs Product MarketingThe Seattle area is notorious for blending job titles and functions when it comes to the product managers and product marketers. In fact the majority of people I talk to think they are one and the same. In my opinion, they are very different, especially for a company that is truly customer centric.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Product Management = Inbound </span><br />Fundamentally, true product managers have a very important job; they are tasked with representing <span style="font-style:italic;">to the company</span> the needs, pains and opportunities in the market. <br /><br />They conduct research, watch the market, use related products, read between the lines, ask questions, do competitive analysis, ultimately using their "voodoo powers" to assess and size a given market/business opportunity. <br /><br />If they do their job, not only will their company be able to depend on them to be the ultimate customer advocate at both a tactical and strategic level, but the product's capabilities and long term roadmap will set the company up for great success.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Product Marketing = Outbound</span><br />Product marketers represent <span style="font-style:italic;">to the market </span>the products & services a company offers. They deal in the art of mapping the product's current (and future) capabilities into value propositions that resonate in the marketplace.<br /><br />They handle analyst engagement, positioning, branding, PR, marketing communications, campaigns, lead generation, etc.<br /><br />If they do their job, the product they bring to market will successfully resonate with current and prospective customers, ultimately propelling their sales against the competition.<br /><br />Over the last 10 years, I have had the pleasure of working with rock star product people and rock star marketing people. I have yet to find anyone who is a rock star in both. Certainly the tendency is to combine the role for cost and simplicity; the companies that do this will ultimately be picking one talent (product or marketing) over the other.<br /><br />Why is this important? It is important to understand if you are planning to add marketing or product headcount to your team. It also can help drive the content of the interviews you hold with top candidates. Candidates who are answering the tendency of companies to want an "all-in-one" product marketing manager will bill themselves as such. With the right questions however, you can easily discover which tendency rules the way they think.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-19224586797006660082008-05-16T14:46:00.000-07:002008-05-16T15:02:59.049-07:00NEWS FLASH: My Mom uses Ning<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ERvKMtzOOdfKr9MQOb-ggn4MBrabdWH4Fi-sEX3wlBpkVYERZXn1nu2h4cpNH-OL6x3F9Uy6RL_-46j_32N9Z4d5EoSJnJVDyUDF69ECdcEiWjtXOuoUOy9f36ZHfx4R43CRxw/s1600-h/teengroup.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ERvKMtzOOdfKr9MQOb-ggn4MBrabdWH4Fi-sEX3wlBpkVYERZXn1nu2h4cpNH-OL6x3F9Uy6RL_-46j_32N9Z4d5EoSJnJVDyUDF69ECdcEiWjtXOuoUOy9f36ZHfx4R43CRxw/s200/teengroup.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201098156604734482" /></a><br />Back in the day when I was at Microsoft, Jeff Raikes would often use his mother as a proxy for if a user experience hit the mark. "Could my mother do this?" he would ask.<br /><br />I have borrowed this proxy from Mr. Raikes, now the <a href="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/default.htm">CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation</a>. This is how I gauge the pervasiveness a particular website, application or tool.<br /><br />Most recently my Mom sent me an invitation to a group where art students can upload and share their artwork for comments. I blindly clicked through the invitation, which did a wonderful job of white labeling. When I finally landed on the site, I realized it was Ning. MY MOM IS AN ACTIVE USER OF A NING GROUP.<br /><br />If I could buy stock in this company, I would. They are doing a great job of building a social community platform that fits any groups requirements and needs. There are so many verticals that once they discover Ning, will fall like dominos. This will be fun to watch!neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-25112577388139392872008-03-25T14:41:00.000-07:002008-03-25T15:31:28.442-07:00The right decision vs. making a decisionHaving spent much of my time since Jobster working with early stage companies, I have come to see some striking patterns in the challenges that they face.<br /><br />One such similarity is in the area of decision making. Start-ups by nature find themselves facing decisions where:<br />1. There are multiple right answers and multiple wrong answers<br />2. There is little precedence and no data to easily interpret which is which<br /><br />In these cases, the worst thing that the organization can do is get stuck in analysis and extended debate. If it truly is a decision that meets these characteristics, then I would ask if there is anything that anyone can provide to enhance the clarity of the choices other than opinion? <br /><br />Right out of Microsoft facing a decision point like this, you would have found me digging in, debating my point of view with the rest. Not so much anymore. <br /><br />When an early stage company finds themselves in this situation, the bottom line is that the organization will ultimately lose in the end regardless of the outcome. <br /><br />It loses because it wasted time (sometimes months) debating and politicking their way to a decision, leaving the door open for a competitor to "out-maneuver" them.<br /><br />It loses because this extended process not only alienated the participants along the way but may have fractured the cohesiveness of the team. <br /><br />It loses because there may not have been a wrong answer at all.<br /><br />If hindsight has taught me anything, it is that <strong>oftentimes there is no wrong answer</strong>. The right answer is to simply pick one and start actively learning along the way- building the data that will inform future decisions. The wrong answer is to do nothing and forgo any learning at all.<br /><br />How can young organizations avoid this trap? To tell you the truth, it is really difficult, especially when an early stage company has filled it's senior management ranks with seasoned, big company people. These folks are heavy hitters; they're used to getting their way; they're used to winning debates; their saavy at corporate politics. Their comfort zone is to do exactly what the company cannot afford to do.<br /><br />This is when the CEO must sometimes play the "I'm in charge" card. She/he must be proactive in curbing these tendencies. They must be willing to proceed without total consensus, especially if it relates to a new product that is outside the organizations comfort zone. They must open the organization to leaning toward decisions that produce opportunities for the organization to learn from the market.<br /><br />Depending on your industry and product, this approach has varying levels of risks. I think it works best in an Internet, software based technology company, where software and services can be easily iterated, and users/customers can seamlessly and immediately gain the value of the next iteration.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-64850840780704603092008-03-20T16:10:00.000-07:002008-03-20T17:04:49.098-07:00what am I passionate about?Nearly one year ago I joined with a former colleague and founded a consulting company. It made complete sense. We both intended to work independently for the foreseeable future and at the very least we would be sharing the operational overhead and costs. We formed our corporation, hired a talented accountant and collections specialist, and selected a law & tax firm. Our 2007 tax year turned out to be a good one, we posted a profit.<br /><br />In summary, year 1 (2007) was all about building the business and operational infrastructure to do something more.<br /><br />Now I sit and review the 2008 plan and have been talking to a lot of colleagues and contacts about where opportunities exist in the marketplace. Some interesting and compelling things have surfaced, but they ultimately force an important question that was posed to me indirectly over lunch the other day:<br /><br /><strong>What do I want out of this? What am I passionate about?</strong><br /><br />My immediate response over my spicy grilled chicken sandwitch was that I am passionate about product strategy and helping early stage companies establish an understanding of their market and the build the plans to address it. My lunchmate was perfectly happy with that answer and so was I. Now, however, I wonder.<br /><br />Thinking more about it that day, I am most passionate about the freedom of working for myself; building a business that ultimately enables me to acheive my life goals. The most specific life goal is better life-work balance but without the financial sacrifice.<br /><br />The Product Manager in me is starting to see the roadmap:<br /> - <strong>BETA:</strong> My departure from Jobster. I was so eager to launch beta that I left without plans of what I might do next. That took some guts and passion.<br /> - <strong>v1.0:</strong> Sub-contract consulting<br /> - <strong>v1.5:</strong> Co-founding Prosys Inc. and finding my own work.<br /><br />Each of these stages have taught me something more about myself and what I want. <br /><br />The clarity reached just after lunch the other day was that while I am passionate about consulting, <em>I am actually not as passionate about consulting as I am about building a business to reach those life goals I spoke of.</em> Consulting is the answer for now and I am good at it. <br /><br />What is in store for v2.0 you might ask? Good question.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-78158651906524504392008-01-31T15:28:00.000-08:002008-01-31T15:33:26.139-08:00Blist hits DEMO '08Congratulations to friend Kevin Merritt on Blist's recent funding and this weeks BIG SPLASH at DEMO 08.<br /><br /><embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/980795693" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=1392526717&playerId=980795693&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://services.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><br /><br />DEMO's Response: <br /><br /><blockquote>blist set out to create the “world’s easiest database” and it’s achieved that goal. Sure, you could argue that there are consumer database tools that are simple to use, but you’ll be hard pressed to find one that is simple and highly functional. The blist drag-and-drop user interface lets individuals build complex databases by thinking about their information and how they want to use it. The smart go-to-market strategy -- which turns non-paying consumers into for-fee business customers -- should set blist on course to be the preferred SaaS provider of database application services. </blockquote>neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-43481200976053856192008-01-07T16:24:00.000-08:002008-01-07T16:32:13.213-08:00Turning off my cable/dish provider<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQN76gEA3qAX4gReeVwIl8iebEud9o51kLkSmoUAAkX85kiEI1Bzc17pKIzm0U4pSF9L9BhGXEwGp83ecQ7xeLFUVUMIbsljZqSNgjUzFuEupHZzKKsJKNuIkWakbFHm0bQ3jIZA/s1600-h/tv-broken.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQN76gEA3qAX4gReeVwIl8iebEud9o51kLkSmoUAAkX85kiEI1Bzc17pKIzm0U4pSF9L9BhGXEwGp83ecQ7xeLFUVUMIbsljZqSNgjUzFuEupHZzKKsJKNuIkWakbFHm0bQ3jIZA/s200/tv-broken.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152896998718404578" /></a><br />This holiday we had a little time to catch up on some of the shows we used to watch. The problem was that we were staying at a house that did not have any TV service, but DID have wireless. <br /><br />Simply an RGB cable and we were pushing high definition television shows to our 37 inch LCD. It was GREAT.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1262/">Ecogeek posted recently on this as well.</a><br /><br />The main issue for doing this "all in" is that we would miss out on live sports and have to watch episodes one day delayed. Each day that passes, I am thinking I am willing to live with that.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-11693721698694383922008-01-01T14:45:00.000-08:002008-01-10T15:19:53.331-08:00Looking forward to 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtw0wU91TjJmeD-zR0qSan9qqY1UBvtMupJZMBhQmXVCthml7nl61lWZYkKRwV_D-eVK2b5JgWRnYkrxY8kMuuR9Odnsgm8lFwHKiuMqehlcAIgMnEcgwGv6M52573YcX6IAkEg/s1600-h/bike-jump.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150936238773598050" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtw0wU91TjJmeD-zR0qSan9qqY1UBvtMupJZMBhQmXVCthml7nl61lWZYkKRwV_D-eVK2b5JgWRnYkrxY8kMuuR9Odnsgm8lFwHKiuMqehlcAIgMnEcgwGv6M52573YcX6IAkEg/s200/bike-jump.jpg" border="0" /></a> I am really excited for 2008. More than any other year, I feel as though I have made significant progress toward doing work I truly love, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/neilcrist">helping early stage companies with product vision, strategy and execution</a>. I <a href="http://yarddart.blogspot.com/2007/03/onward-to-next-chapter.html">left Jobster in March</a>, after helping found the company in 2004. I also returned to Microsoft for a short time to support my old team as a consultant.<br /><br />I will start 2008 working with <a href="http://www.greenmypcs.com/">Verdiem</a>, whose power management software aims to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of IT devices in organizations of all sizes, while delivering tangible cost savings. Did you know that 15 PCs running for a year is equivilent to a midsize car in terms of CO2 emissions? More on Verdiem in a later post.<br /><br />From a <a href="http://yarddart.blogspot.com/2007/04/skip-to-part-iv-jobster-in-rearview.html">networking and relationships perspective</a>, I expect this year to be very exciting as I watch many "Jobster alums" continue to make a go of it with their own early stage ventures. By my count, I know of at least 20 and probably close to 25 Jobster alum start-ups. If you broaden the scope to Jobster alums that went on to work for other startups, you easily can add another 15 ventures. What a great thing.<br /><br />Last, but certainly not least, this year should also be a big year for us on the family front, as our youngest boy moves out of his terrible twos and starts using words to tell us what he needs rather than screaming at the top of his lungs :-)<br /><div></div><br /><div>Goodness all around... </div>neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-3102501096437374792007-11-14T13:16:00.000-08:002007-11-18T16:57:17.568-08:00Judy's Book to Close, Lessons LearnedI really appreciate the willingness of <a href="http://asack.typepad.com/a_sack_of_seattle/2007/11/mistakes-in-the.html">Andy Sack to open up his thoughts about the missteps of Judy's Book </a>over the course of it's existence. This sort of content is so useful and engaging for those of us that are onto the next thing, plugging away, yet need something to pull our head out of the details for a bit.<br /><br />Judy's Book was a company that I followed closely because of our kindred beginnings in 2004; both funded by <a href="http://www.ignitionpartners.com/">Ignition Partners</a>, and both focused on social networking as a key lever in our businesses.<br /><br />I wanted to add my thoughts to his points in this particular post- perhaps add a layer of perspective from Jobster.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">The first mistake: we weren't aggressive enough in customer acquisition.</span><br /></strong>I remember this coming up several times in our feature meetings, where we had the opportunity to really "grease the wheels" of allowing a common consumer who does not have MS Outlook, and yet the notion was met with hesitation that is was too aggressive. Looking back, this should have been one of the first things we did, which was to make it seamless for a common user to pass on opportunities to contacts regardless of where they were stored (hotmail, gmail, etc.).<br /><br /><blockquote><em><span style="color:#ffcc66;">"We had the idea of using the address book as a hook into customer acquisition but we never spent the energy and focus to really maximize the use of the address book in growing the social network."</span></em></blockquote>I believe Jobster has implemented this today, after nearly 2 years of considering it. I think in some cases we lost sight of some of the core social user scenarios that could have really changed the game for candidate referrals.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">The second mistake: we expanded out of Seattle in August 2005 and went national.</span></strong><br /><br />Expansion is something that could be geographic or it could be expanding into another product line, or another market. This is really a fine line for a startup, in that strategically it makes sense to place a few bets, yet too many bets can stretch the focus of the organization too thin.<br /><br /><p><span style="color:#ffcc66;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><span style="color:#ffcc66;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em></p></em></span></span></em></span></span><blockquote><span style="color:#ffcc66;"><em><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffcc66;"><em>"At Judy's Book we had a BIG vision -- I think in retrospect, perhaps too big for a<br />start up and in retrospect I think we didn't take the necessary steps to break<br />that BIG vision (your friends yellow pages) down into sufficiently small enough<br />baby steps to prove out the concept before expanding the concept<br />nationally."</em></span></em></span></blockquote><span style="color:#ffcc66;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><p></em></span></span></p>Jobster had a BIG vision as well. Did we break that vision up into digestible pieces? I think we did so early on. Where we maybe did not do that good of job was in setting goals and metrics for each of those pieces, which would have told us when it was time to (1) accelerate our investment due to success, (2) shift focus on other areas due to lack of traction, or (3) create a SWAT team to troubleshoot the problem areas because we saw evidence that we were on to something. <p>For Judy's, competitive pressures maybe pushed them into making a decision that they truly did not yet need to make? That is a tough one as well; we struggled daily with how to respond to competitive pressures, whether they were subtle or audacious "shots over our bow." </p><p>I think a great example of smart expansion is <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/">Urbanspoon</a>. Having watched these guys from the beginning, you can tell that they are being very thoughtful about expanding the scope of their restaurant review site. Although I haven't chatted with Adam, Ethan or Patrick much since their departure from Jobster, you can easily tell from the gradual evolution of the site that they only started to add cities once they had figured out what they wanted the site to be. Good stuff.</p>neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-55803887882392992842007-11-01T15:37:00.000-07:002007-11-01T15:45:51.810-07:00OpenSocial is hereI have both joined and created networks on Ning and have found it to be a very compelling platform for organizing a group of people around a common interest. As an early user, I naturally wanted to be able to bring in content from other sources that also had value to the group, such as music and video recommendations or even just a classifieds listing. <br /><br />As Ning's screencast shows here, Ning is joining the OpenSocial crew and it will enable exactly those types of experiences. The big plus of OpenSocial over the FB platform is that is does not require the apps to run within a specific "wrapper" like FB does. This is another leap forward in openness and should spur the next massive wave of interesting developments.<br /><embed src="http://networkcreators.ning.com/xn_resources/widgets/video/flvplayer/flvplayer.swf?v=2.0.9%3A1578" FlashVars="config_url=http%3A%2F%2Fnetworkcreators.ning.com%2Fvideo%2Fvideo%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fid%3D492224%253AVideo%253A93279%26x%3DWaLpQm98u1aIP67Av7KvBiutbQ4zGNXE&autoplay=off" width="426" height="348" scale="noscale" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"> </embed> <br /><small><a href="http://networkcreators.ning.com/video/video">Find more screencasts like this on <em>Ning Network Creators</em></a></small><br />neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-3265894477052950592007-10-31T14:32:00.000-07:002007-10-31T14:55:03.504-07:00Halloween 2.0 style<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYGAQvl3F6ScuoH0MZV_3_h_uxrZ8aa6ZBUhIbc_CgfjO1_kIdxzPdEfMj1TFoFd5aq75HbSOFG8JIguAgEIg54Moz3oXYNKLctAa41O1ifWy0rEyldM7JSRDxFvHLVtGFA1Jlw/s1600-h/facebookhalloween.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127621183550007090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYGAQvl3F6ScuoH0MZV_3_h_uxrZ8aa6ZBUhIbc_CgfjO1_kIdxzPdEfMj1TFoFd5aq75HbSOFG8JIguAgEIg54Moz3oXYNKLctAa41O1ifWy0rEyldM7JSRDxFvHLVtGFA1Jlw/s400/facebookhalloween.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilvJTs2-wzMabqlLbEitFmt2PxoLkr5rS1LzBxBbCj3E8OL9lSJX0ck3b3aUZtLdjL1hun7KioEH9TB41CdabGDCCtFu9mPMuPMsAxCP0PcGygnJoPns5V1beZSu5kSZQJsmmXA/s1600-h/facebookhalloween.jpg"></a>I could not resist. Halloween as we know it may never be the same.<br /><br />As a side note, I was having lunch with a former colleague of mine today and we were comparing notes on the actual usefulness of FB now that the novelty has faded. We have both logged in less than 3 times this month.<br /><br />While the 30+ crowd are rushing to FB, I am skeptical that there will be anything to keep them there long-term. FB is interesting but yet has not eroded any of the value that I see with my LinkedIn presence, which I gain value from on an almost daily basis as a professional.<br /><br />If college graduates that frequented FB as the site to "hook up" with girls on campus think they can transition their FB persona to something more grown up AND to something that provides them some social + professional value, then more power to the $15 billion valuation.<br /><br />While I love watching the evolution of this and other services, I just cannot wrap my head around that number.</div>neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-59676018984603513562007-10-25T11:34:00.000-07:002007-10-30T09:30:11.458-07:00Back to SeattleAfter <a href="http://yarddart.blogspot.com/2007/03/onward-to-next-chapter.html">leaving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Jobster</span> in March</a>, I took on some projects for companies outside of the downtown area. I have to say that there is something about working in downtown Seattle that I truly miss. It's something to do with all of the vibrant and optimistic activity; it revitalizes me daily. I cannot say that the long quiet hallways of the corporate campus where I work today does much for me - but the top notch people I work with here help make up for it.<br /><br />It will also be nice to start re-connecting with former Jobster folks, now distributed out among Seattle's best and most exciting companies.<br /><br />I am fortunate to be working with a start-up client that has a tremendous product with measurable customer successes and a mountain of opportunity ahead of it. I look forward to returning to the small company environment - where I can have a daily and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">measurable</span> impact on "moving the needle."neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-42065262225553859212007-10-24T12:35:00.000-07:002007-10-24T14:19:46.407-07:00Ad Supported SoftwareOver the last few weeks I have been watching the developing saga of the not-so-secret-but-possibly-fiction <a href="http://gigaom.com/2006/12/17/google-phone/">Google phone</a>, the ad support office experiments going on at Microsoft in response to <a href="http://www.google.com/a/">Google Apps</a>, as well as other similar "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">adware</span>" services.<br /><br />The <a href="http://gigaom.com/2006/12/17/google-phone/">Google phone </a>is actually a great example of the questions that I am asking: How viable is the ad supported software play as a business model? At a 50,000 foot level, the generally accepted <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ARPU</span> (average revenue per user) in the mobile industry is $x <span style="font-size:78%;">(will post this figure as soon as I find a voice + data number)</span>. Can Google charge advertisers for niche ads that reach me in a targeted way? If so, does that potential exceed the $125 per month T-mobile milks me for? As my good friend Jason quickly tells me, I am not part of the most interesting or valuable demo anymore, so apply this simple question to 13-25 year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">olds</span>. <strong><em>People in the know should know this answer</em></strong> and if not they should have asked it years ago.<br /><br />Step away from phones and look at any software as a service model out there. Is an ad supported strategy viable? Have they asked the question or run the numbers?<br /><br /><a href="http://markmaunder.com/">Mark Maunder</a> is a guy you would like to know if you are into the start-up and technology scene in Seattle. In addition to <a href="http://www.feedjit.com/">building and delivering an online service in record time</a>, he is a serial entrepreneur who has <a href="http://www.socaltech.com/workzoo_acquired_by_jobster/s-0002167.html">run ad supported businesses before</a>, so I trust he knows what he is talking about. Despite the fact he is too busy to answer my emails anymore, I enjoyed reading <a href="http://markmaunder.com/2007/more-facebook-debate/">his thoughts on the ad supported model </a>as it pertains to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a></span> applications.<br /><br />I am not yet educated enough in this area to make any substantial comments or assertions, but it is so incredibly interesting that I intend to get educated... and fast.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-50820532767241545122007-10-22T12:31:00.000-07:002007-10-26T11:33:47.123-07:00Intuit's Entrepreneurship ContestFor those of you who are incubating a business idea, this just might be the thing to get you to go for it.<br /><br />Intuit is holding a <a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/336302_theinsider22.html">promotion</a> called "Just Start" in which it plans to give an entrepreneur $40,000 in cash and $10,000 in products to quit his or her job and start a new business. To apply, entrepreneurs can submit a letter or video describing their business idea to <a href="http://jumpup.intuit.com/start/">www.IWillJustStart.com</a>. Intuit also plans to hold events promoting the contest at Westlake Center Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-91890495016189080402007-10-10T14:55:00.000-07:002007-10-12T11:12:11.130-07:00ProductfooleryMy mind has always been a meltingpot of business & product ideas. I always have something that I am noodling on in my spare time. The unfortunate reality is that my bandwidth rarely allows me to dive in and develop some of these ideas to a more interesting point - so they literally float around in the ether. For a person like me, this causes me a small dose of stress that I am not doing anything with it. Chain together 3-5 per quarter and they can start to weigh on me.<br /><br />No more.<br /><br /><a href="http://productfoolery.blogspot.com/">Productfoolery</a> is a blog that is meant to give all of these ideas (baked or otherwise) a home. It is becoming a collection of product reviews that suppose there are real businesses behind them. I think the real interesting part of this is that some of these reviews will include actual market research I have completed, as well as conceptual screenshots and graphics. With <a href="http://productfoolery.blogspot.com/">4 posts </a>and nearly 15 reviews in draft form, I have found this to be a lot of fun.<br /><br />I think someone once said, "If you have an idea you love, set it free..." Okay, maybe not.<br /><br />Fictional Products. Real Reviews. <a href="http://productfoolery.blogspot.com/">Productfoolery</a>.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-19890696358032618822007-10-05T09:51:00.001-07:002007-10-05T10:07:32.682-07:00Plaxo Sync could be the thing I needI was super encouraged to try out Plaxo Sync recently. It seems like the Plaxo team has reconnected with their ability to solve fundamental problems that we have. They seemed to have gotten off track for a few years, wandering aimlessly through the woods barefoot, but are clearly back on track. <br /><br />In 2006, I was in deep business development discussions with Plaxo as Jobster evaluated the potential to be more distributed across networks. Due to other priorities on our plate at the time, nothing really became of those discussions. In hindsight, Jobster was at that time in a unique position in the recruiting space (both from an industry traction and a PR perspective) to make a product play as the recruiting tool that orchestrated recruiting across distributed networks (social and other). As I see iLike evolving their value prop with new tools for artists to interact with their fan base on multiple networks, I am struck with the parallel. <br /><br />They started with contacts, and have now moved to calendars, photos, socials networks. For me, this is more powerful and useful than what Facebook offers, because it is an aggregate activity feed across networks, which is much more valuable to me. Take a look...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n-yXudmFowE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n-yXudmFowE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-61240696110027105892007-10-02T10:54:00.001-07:002007-10-02T11:07:15.097-07:00Turning your talents into a consulting businessAs Prosys continues to grow, I have found myself talking with a lot of consultants (and would-be consultants) about how they position themselves in the marketplace. I have always been a generalist with a broad range of skills that I can bring to the table, but I have learned recently that I need to settle in on a few key ones. At first this felt like pigeon-holing myself and potentially limiting my project opportunities. In fact, it has done the opposite. When your name comes up in conversations, I think people are better able to quickly define your value proposition as a consultant. If you have heard much about Prosys, you'll know that word-of-mouth is our primary growth strategy, so making sure that the message is crisp and easy to grasp is absolutely important.<br /><br />All of that being said, I have not completely settled on those key things for myself yet. I am getting close though. Product prototyping for upstarts in the area is probably going to be one of them...neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-40966377890875479072007-09-21T08:49:00.000-07:002007-09-21T15:06:17.766-07:00Prosys Consulting Group, Open for Business<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XkfCrtBYt0RW8vbXysG4yXiQOhnYy6GQd9QAYdfSdH3vpZkp58yoe8n6u5yTVrp6kHGVC9hUhczGnWV3OuiRqlxouCaf67ZrLLg7c46mbMfu80y6szlBpKiwyFPykahunFtWIg/s1600-h/PS_Final_Color_Sml.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112740014294173042" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XkfCrtBYt0RW8vbXysG4yXiQOhnYy6GQd9QAYdfSdH3vpZkp58yoe8n6u5yTVrp6kHGVC9hUhczGnWV3OuiRqlxouCaf67ZrLLg7c46mbMfu80y6szlBpKiwyFPykahunFtWIg/s320/PS_Final_Color_Sml.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div></div><div>I am happy to announce that a <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/traceymiddlemas">former Jobster colleague </a>and I have launched a consulting services organization, Prosys Consulting Group Inc. The concept for Prosys was born out of our own experiences as independent consultants, building our own businesses during much of 2007.</div><div></div><br /><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Prosys in a Nutshell</span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong><br />Business and technology consulting services are a well established economy in the<br />Pacific Northwest and beyond. Whether the firm is Accenture at the national level or Slalom<br />Consulting from a multi-region perspective, the typical business model of a consulting firm is to hire and train professionals as full-time employees and staff them to projects, charging the client up to and beyond $300 per hour, depending on the project and skill sets needed. Consultants are typically paid as salaried employees.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><p>In this model, I believe that only the consulting firm truly wins, with rich margins. Clients are left with high consulting rates that climb steadily as the firm becomes more entrenched in the company. Experienced consultants, while they may see a competitive salary, see a low salary relative to the value they provide the client. I consider this to be a large gap in the current model, and a big opportunity for Prosys.</p></div><div><p>The Prosys Group has developed a <em>consulting co-op</em> business model that aims to change this equation, so that all stakeholders win. Prosys is an alternative to the high margin consulting firm model, empowering experienced professionals to become independent consultants. Prosys then provides member consultants with everything they need to set up and run their own consulting company, and removes the professional’s “fear of the unknown.” Some <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/answers/career-education/professional-networking/CAR_PNT/58657-35670?browseIdx=0&sik=1190399367186&goback=%2Eamq">informal polling </a>of professionals we conducted identified the some of the reasons that people decide not to independently consult - our goal is to "take the edge off" of those issues.<br /></p><p>Prosys has put the finances, people and processes in place to handle key shared services for the consultants, including contracts, accounting, invoicing, upfront payment for work completed regardless of when the client pays their invoice. Most importantly, Prosys offers long-term value to member consultants by maintaining a "clearinghouse" of new projects to make finding the next project less daunting. </p></div><div>The result of these services is a win-win model that:</div><ol><li>Empowers professionals consultants to be independent, building their own business.</li><br /><li>Offer client companies the same consulting talent at lower rates than the large consulting firms. </li><br /><li>Consultants enjoy a higher salary, more in-line with the value they provide the client</li></ol><br /><p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Growth Strategy: Referrals</span></strong></p><p>Core to our strategy is the way that we intend to grow. Rather than have a sales team pushing consultants out into the market, we are relying on a "pull model." When our member consultants come across new opportunities with their clients, they are relayed to the rest of the member community. On the consultant side, Prosys is very selective about the consultants that join our community, insuring the highest of quality. Recommendations and referrals from those who have <em>personal knowledge</em> of their work is a must to be accepted. We think that this rigorous approach will insure that the referrals continue to flow.</p><p>With a solid collection of consultants and opportunities in our pipeline, I am optimistic that Prosys will be a provider of great value to Northwest companies for some time to come. </p></div>neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-3169344017312332682007-08-14T10:22:00.000-07:002007-08-14T10:39:11.623-07:00SMS request-response system up for saleIf you read my blog from time to time, you know about Paddlespot. Paddlespot is a free service launched in the Fall of 2005, that aims to provide real-time river levels to whitewater kayakers on their mobile phones. We chose SMS as the primary technology, because it was the lowest common denominator- available on all phones.<br /><br />The user scenario is pretty straight forward: Whitewater enthusiasts (kayakers, rafters, fisherman) simply send a text message to Paddlespot with the first three letters of the river name. Paddlespot responds instantly with the latest USGS river reading (we index that data). Knowing how quickly river levels can change, this information is much more valuable when you are standing next to the river. Previous to this solution, kayakers would check the web up to 2 hours before they would get to the river. Anyone who knows rivers can tell you how much can change in 2 hours, and how the safety factor can change as well.<br /><br />Today Paddlespot continues to run, with a stable set of mobile users across the country - now indexing about 4300 rivers. Usage sways with the whitewater season, but has continued to grow steadily only by word-of-mouth.<br /><br />If you know anyone who is looking to build a request-response SMS system as part of their broader offering, please pass this along to them. The Paddlespot code is a great starting point and will get them up & running much more quickly than starting from scratch.<br /><br />Contact me with any questions neilcrist @ gmail.com.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-17668456596947362072007-08-01T11:25:00.000-07:002007-08-01T11:40:22.611-07:00Last moments at JobsterI still remember the first day that Marty and I met at the Ignition Partner offices. As part of the EIR program, we were joining as the first members of Jason Goldberg's team, focused on building a business in the recruiting space. This would start a 3 year partnership (Marty the program manager, me the product manager) to build an a software product for recruiters and sourcers.<br /><br />As coincidence would have it, nearly 3 years to the day, Marty and I left Jobster to pursue other opportunities. By that time, Jobster had undergone a lot of change (strategy, headcount, etc.) and it was time for those focused on the next chapter of Jobster to take the reigns, and for us to get out of the way.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/39L9nJ-56tc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/39L9nJ-56tc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-20940637227622540832007-07-06T09:14:00.000-07:002007-07-06T09:31:08.325-07:00where have I been!?!?I really do not have a good excuse for not posting anything for over a month. Needless to say, I have been wrapped up in a number of projects, too many in fact. About 4 weeks ago I hit a wall and decided there was absolutely no need to be multi-threading at that rate, and a more balanced approach made sense. So.... I made a plan.<br /><br />My plan is very straight forward:<br /><br />RULE #1: Family First. I am at a point now where I am truly in control of my schedule. Blocking out as much time as possible to be with my wife and boys has been really fun this summer.<br /><br />RULE #2: Do not take on a new project, unless I can bump a project (or two). Being at max capacity, I need to be more disciplined about taking on new projects, whether they be my own, or a consulting gig, or whatever.<br /><br />RULE #3: Evaluate some of my longer term projects to see if it makes sense to keep investing in them. These past weeks I am divesting away from things that are taking me away from more important things.<br /><br />RULE #4: Simplify. Less is more. This one is the hardest but the most important. I learned this truth as a Product Manager at Microsoft years ago- you can either do 25 things at once of mediocre quality, or you can do 5-7 things at your best. Hmmm, that pretty much translates to life in general.<br /><br />For those keeping score, I still owe some explanation about the project I was planning to launch in May. Our team hit some barriers in the market that forced us to re-evaluate whether we wanted to play in the space. We chose to put it on hold, which was absolutely the right thing to do.<br /><br />More later.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-73478547700641863432007-04-24T09:36:00.000-07:002007-04-24T09:54:03.426-07:00when are market conditions ripe for entry?This is a question that I am working through today as I look at a short-list of opportunities in front of me. I think the answer depends on the type of business you want to have as well as your ultimate long-term goals.<br /><br />Here are just a few of the things that we are considering:<br /><br /><strong>In General</strong><br />a) Do you intend to be privately held or is their some larger plan?<br />b) Do you want a product or service-based business?<br />c) Will you self-fund or raise capital or both?<br />d) What is your exit plan, if you have one?<br /><br /><strong>On the Market</strong><br />a) Could you be a first mover?<br />b) If not a first mover, how many players are in the market today?<br />c) Is there a clear leader in the space?<br />d) Are those players meeting market need sufficiently? (untapped market potential)<br />e) Is the market big enough to sustain more than one successful company or is it winner takes all?<br />f) Is the market stale with lack of innovation? (<a href="http://jobster.blogs.com/blog_dot_jobster_dot_com/2006/03/online_recruiti.html">Jobster saw that in recruiting</a>)<br />g) Who are the buyers of your product/service - how do they buy? (sales cycle time, type of sales approach required, etc.)<br />h) Have you interviewed at least 10-15 potential customers in the market to understand their needs and their perspective? (if not, Do not pass go - go straight to jail - do not collect your $200)<br /><br />There are more. Perhaps when I get further down the path I will publish the ideas that didn't "make the cut" and why.neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11306405.post-56478390866585658762007-04-23T14:39:00.000-07:002007-04-24T09:36:27.943-07:00she was rightMind you, I am only a few weeks into my first consulting gig at a former employer of mine based in Redmond. Just as I was leaving Jobster, my wife made a comment regarding her lack of confidence that I could stay out of the start-up arena for very long.<br /><br />Another friend, who traveled a similar road a few years back, warned me that consulting at a former employer had a massive chance of being instantly boring. I interpreted that as an opportunity to leave some brain power on the table for the "strategery" of developing ideas I had in the hopper.<br /><br />So, here I am, 2 weeks into my project and my wife's lack of confidence is turning out to be spot on. The nice thing is that while I am adding a lot of value on this project, I have the horsepower after hours to keep developing my next thing.<br /><br />Speaking of the "next thing" I am ramping up for an unveiling of it sometime in the month of April or May 2007 (if all goes well), so stay tuned. I can tell you a few things about it: it is a technology start-up, I am passionate about it, it is an underserved market with no leader, and it provides a very important service to keep people informed and safe. My v-team is still finalizing market, customer research, and competitive work before we take the next step.<br /><br />I better shut up now, I might give it away!neilcristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11493553259820306195noreply@blogger.com