Develpreneur: Become A Better Developer And Entrepreneur

We continue our interview with Donna Dube and focus on her power hour approach to simplify and improve productivity. This approach is an essential step for success for a CEO or anyone else who has a schedule that often blocks them from planning. There is a limit to how long we can go in a fire-fighting mode of reacting all the time. We need to be able to step back and do some planning. That is where she helps us make the most of our time. Work Smarter To Simplify And Improve Productivity For many of us the reactive mode we assume is self-inflicted. We take on too much and set everything we see as a top priority. That makes it impossible to delegate or even take a thoughtful approach to what we do next. At some point we must learn how to at least take a triage approach if not push things off our plate that are not critical. Fortunately, it rarely is that bad. We are not in a world on fire. Instead, we have a lot of wants and those block us from delegating and focusing on the needs. Donna guides us th

We start the new year with a look at moving forward from our past mistakes. There is value in a retrospective and learning from mistakes. However, we can then drop those past burdens. There is no need to keep returning to them or have too much fear of repeating them. Our goal is to learn and advance, not get mired down in the past. Moving Forward Requires Change There is no phrase more indicative of being tied to the past than "We have always done it that way." This phrase tells the listener that you are happy where you are and have no desire to move from that position. Nevertheless, the world moves on, and businesses continue moving forward. Technology makes that advance even more apparent as systems come and go. The applications and systems you relied on even ten years ago likely no longer exist outside of museums or businesses trapped in the past. Look For New Solutions We can get caught in the trap of focusing too much on change and thus never finding enough consistency to be productive. How

We start a discussion with Donna Dube of the CEO Amplify podcast and how to be a better CEO whether you are a company of 1 or 1000. It is easy to get lost in all we need to do as a CEO or even as an entrepreneur. Donna talks to us about ways to be better by avoiding common pitfalls. Your Company Deserves A Better CEO Every company deserves a leader that is focused on the things that help it grow. That focus must include the things that really matter, and then the lesser things should be delegated. We want to put each task on the plate of the person best suited to handle it. That is where the best leaders show their value. They find a way to get everything done without doing it themselves. We become better when we focus on the tasks that we do best. About Donna Donna is a certified Director of Operations, business growth strategist, and host of the CEO Amplify podcast.  She works with established online service-based business owners who are ready to make a bigger impact and maximize their profit.

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic recently and we take this special focus episode to look at how we can leverage AI. There are some very popular ways to use this new tool that have to do with content generation. However, there are so many fuzzy logic problems out there to solve it seems that is a logical focus for better gains. Think Out Of The Box To Leverage AI A new technology provides us with a ew way to solve problems. That opens the door to productivity gains but, more importantly, there will be new areas to explore. We may have a solution that has always required manual intervention that now can be automated. There is a whole world of possibilities when we look for solutions that were never automated before. Those areas are where the most incredible advances in technology have come from. Limit Your Variables We can leverage AI in many ways. However, it is still new and can be a wild card for our solutions. Rather than double-down on the risk and challenges by using this new approach

Our interview with Chris Barkhurst concludes with how he has built a company you would work for in a heartbeat. It is one he would want to work for. There are benefits that make the company one that forces a work-life balance. However, they also make sure they get the job done. He has created a perfect example of how healthy and happy employees can do more in less time. Why Build A Company You Would Work For? There are many reasons to set this goal. Chris found his motivation in talking to his father. We can lose sight of the important things in life as a business grows. Thus, it is best to build a company you would work for from the very start. That is when you can set the rules and build habits that will carry that goal through the life of the company. About Chris Chris Barkhurst is not your everyday CEO; he is a visionary leader and innovator at the helm of BBCE, Inc. He is driving ventures that testify to his diverse interests and forward-thinking approach. With a keen eye for technological

One of the things we have seen through many interviews is the idea of success through perseverance. It is more than not quitting; it is driving forward. Obstacles are a part of life, and we can either let them stop us or find a way through them. It is an over-simplification to focus on not quitting. We also can not succeed by simply treading water.   We All Stumble But Can Find Success Through Perseverance Every success story seems to have numerous setbacks that have to be addressed. In fact, taking a step backward seems like a regular occurrence as we grow. We have to balance that with two or more steps forward after we regress. Those who succeed share that view of a step back as a sort of preparation for growth rather than some loss or negative. The step backward does not count as a true setback if we can work through it and advance. It's sort of like taking a step back to go around an obstacle rather than beating our heads against it. Set Your Course Pick your path, choose your goals, and march. You can

Our interview with Chris Barkhurst is one of those that everyone needs to hear as it delves into use cases for AI. This field has so much buzz and conjecture that it can be overwhelming. However, Chris breaks it down so that you can understand where his companies apply this new technology. New And Unique Use Cases For AI It should not surprise us that some incredible use cases for AI go beyond the content creation we often hear about. Chris shares some niche yet fascinating areas where AI can make a difference. They range from the almost scary voice on the other end of a support call to the game-changing evaluation of baseball collector cards. The broad range of solutions he mentions means we will surely see this industry explode in the years to come. About Chris Chris Barkhurst is not your everyday CEO; he is a visionary leader and innovator at the helm of BBCE, Inc. He is driving ventures that testify to his diverse interests and forward-thinking approach. With a keen eye for technological pot

The start of a new year can be the best time for cleaning your task list. Nothing says a fresh start like an entire new year ahead. However, we need to make sure we complete those year end tasks that can easily be forgotten. Some things on our to do list are too important to forget, but maintenance and accounting tasks can be glossed over. That can cause problems big and small. Cleaning Your Task List Items From Last Year An oil change is an example of those tasks that we can push off to another day or week. It will not make much difference for a short time, but if we forget it can cause major problems. There are many business tasks like this. They range from process activities like catching up documentation to preemptive tasks like testing fire alarm batteries and doing software audits. These are the things we do that can be overlooked because they do not immediately cause us pain. On the other hand, they can be crippling over time. Clear The Decks Get those tasks caught up before they get lost

We wrap up our Bryan Clayton interview with his stories and suggestions for building and vetting your team. He has built up an organization by overcoming a lot of obstacles. Those may seem unique to his company. However, there are a lot of common problems faced that he has addressed to build a trusted community of resources. Learn From Others For Building and Vetting Your Team Running a business can seem like a simple task. You find customers, sell products or services, and build a team. However, that is rarely the case. Bryan shares the trials any organization faces and how he researched ways to handle them. He even looked at the competition and walked a mile in the shoes of reliable and unreliable workers. There is a lot to gain from this episode, so buckle up and get ready to take notes. About Bryan Bryan Clayton is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He has built a successful career through hard work, perseverance, and innovation. He is the co-founder and CEO of GreenPal, an online platfor

We can leverage some times of the year to create longer vacations and mini-retirement experiences. There are fixed holidays and slow times that can provide a foundation for our time off, and then we tack on a day here and a day there. Likewise, we can work partial days and get things done. That can free up our days to get more things done we enjoy. You Have Earned Longer Vacations And Mini-Retirement Stretches Your side hustles and long days should be for more than just getting the job done. There must be a "why" that you look forward to. Some of that may be free time. Some may be time with family. Whatever your reason for working, it helps to take some time for yourself along the way. Embrace even the little periods off to walk away and recharge. You will thank yourself for it. Embrace The Holidays You can use the slower time of the year to catch up and prepare to launch into the next year. On the other hand, you can use this time to rest and reflect. In either case, we want to wish you and yo

The holidays can be a great time to catch up and get ahead with our hustles, or we can take advantage of the time to avoid burnout. While there is much to be said for the former, the latter can be far more valuable in the long run. We were not made to run at 100% all the time. Just like any machine, we need time to cool down. That is what vacations and holidays are all about. Avoid Burnout To Maintain High Productivity The calculations around continuing to work and "getting ahead" compared to taking time to recover can be deceiving. There is a short-term gain when we work through the slow times. However, that reduces our ability to recharge, and burnout will cause us to lose progress. We must realize how costly burnout is to our overall goals and productivity. That is where a little time resting starts to look like the wise choice. Embrace The Holidays You can use the slower time of the year to catch up and prepare to launch into the next year. On the other hand, you can use this time to rest an

This episode starts a new discussion with Bryan Clayton of Your Green Pal about how he built a business and defining product features for his application. Bryan has a highly educational story about starting a new business. It continues with his approach to push that business to success. He has taken a thorough approach to building his organization and the related community that forms the foundation for Your Green Pal. A Methodical Approach To Defining Product Features There are a lot of stories out there about success and building software. However, I don't think anyone can argue with the way Bryan went about defining product features. He extended that thorough research to set up processes and procedures that addressed challenges throughout the company's growth. We start with how he launched the company and then delve into how he grew it. About Bryan Bryan Clayton is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He has built a successful career through hard work, perseverance, and innovation. He is the

We continued our discussion with Mark Bolton about Generation Z and how they require a new approach to marketing and product development. This newest generation expects a different kind of product and service. They have always had digital products and services make up part of their life and they are comfortable using them. They are quick to adopt and also quick to move on to the next product. A New Generation, A New Approach While much is made about the new generations that are digital natives, there are commonalities as well. These are not aliens that have landed on our planet. Generation Z requires a new approach because they have settled into the digital world and are comfortable there. We will not "wow" them with a product that is only differentiated by being digital. On the contrary, we might bore them by not providing such an option. They think digital first, and we need to do so also. About Mark Mark is the best-selling author of ‘The Gen Z Money Manual: Mastering Our New Economy’ (https:

What gets measured gets managed is a way to look at how we need to use metrics for productivity gains to become a reality. We can go by our feelings or other squishy methods. However, those are easily led astray. We need a stable way to measure how we are doing when compared to how we were doing last week or last year. That is where metrics and measuring become invaluable. Find Your Metrics For Productivity Measuring However, this is one of those areas where it is easier said than done. Metrics make sense and can easily be argued. What those metrics are can often be elusive. It is a challenge to provide a black-and-white way to discuss our productivity. Time is an excellent measure of productivity. On the other hand, that can be a deceiving measure. We need to take into account busy versus productive when using time as a measure. Goals And Milestones The most reliable way to gather metrics for productivity measuring is to look at time spent and elapsed along with goals and milestones. These give

We shift gears and start a discussion with Mark Bolton about Gen Z traits and how this generation is changing and will continue to change the landscape. His focus is on the financial aspects of Generation Z and how they see things differently from prior generations. The different perspectives will impact our workplace and the business climate as we see a shift in how products will be marketed to these newcomers. The Good And The Bad of Gen Z Traits Everyone likes to judge the Gen Z traits as good or bad. However, they are just different. This generation has a different set of strengths and weaknesses from recent others. They are digital natives and very comfortable in that world. Likewise, they accept change faster than prior generations. That impacts brand loyalty and general expectations. It is a generation that expects quality and is quick to dismiss bugs and flaws in its products and services. It gives us less room for error and calls us to deliver better quality. About Mark Mark is the bes

One of the recurring themes from our discussions is a need to plan to get things done. We do not become successful by accident. Instead, we need to have a plan and find ways to execute that plan regularly. Often, that means daily progress and attention to our goals. When we keep our objectives in our focus we will advance towards them. On the other hand, a lack of focus often makes it almost impossible to get things done. A Plan To Get Things Done Adds Accountability We can set goals all day and still fall short. Our plan to get things done has more weight when we add accountability. It is one thing to make a nice list of things to do and another thing to refer back to that list and mark progress. It is that follow-through that often separates good planners from those who feel it is a waste of time. A Plan And A Roadmap A successful journey often has tactical and strategic pieces to the solution. Likewise, we need to plan to get things done at a tactical level through daily tasks. However, we al

We continue our discussion with Andrew Murdoch and delve into how you will grow best when you know your audience. He mentions the well-known avatar approach. However, he mentions the level of detail we need to have. This is not a synopsis of a few sentences. Instead, it is a multi-page character and lifestyle assessment. Once we know our avatar enough to write a short biography (or e-book), we are ready to work with him. The growth will be worth the effort. Our Target Grows Once We Know Our Audience Our focus on our best or ideal customer forms the bull's eye of our target. However, that is not our sole focus. Like a game of darts, we are happy to hit near the bull's eye regularly. That is where the YouTube algorithms kick in and form a type of magnet that draws in the audience we truly need. Think of it as a funnel that draws our customers to that center spot. There is no coincidence that sales often refer to a funnel. About Andrew Andrew founded YT Era, a full-service YouTube marketing solutio

We fill much of our free time with projects and side hustles that can be tasks for career growth. However, they require us to be intentional. We should have a career roadmap to guide us through the skills and experiences we see as important to us. The fun tasks will often be on our list of things to do. Nevertheless, there are tasks we need to see as stepping stones to success that should be in the back of our minds when choosing that next project. The Best Tasks For Career Growth In the world of marketing and excitement, people often throw around the "10X your blah" phrase. While advancement may not be that fast, there are activities we can pursue that contribute more to our career growth than others. The tasks gain us experience and credibility, knowledge, and do so in more than one area. The world of software development is full of these. It is rare for us to have a situation where we are learning a new technology and not also solving a problem. While the problem may be similar to one we have so

It is Thanksgiving in the States and a good time to talk about the benefit of being thankful over worry. This may seem like just another positivity pile of crap. However, it is not. There is a lot to be gained by taking this approach, and it has more to do with overall health than confirmation bias. Real Benefits of Choosing Thankful Over Worry We can all point to how anything we think becomes what we are more attuned to. A simple test of thinking of a blue car and then suddenly feeling like they are everywhere can confirm it. Of course, there is also research on attention that caused people to miss a dancing gorilla. It is sort of like the difference between a frown and a smile. More than either of those is the momentum we have, whether from a negative or a positive situation. Whichever result we last experienced, we will be more likely to expect that the next time. If you doubt that, it is worth spending a little of your Holiday time searching some of the research around our attitudes. A Day Wil

It is time once again for our Thanksgiving special. Yes, it is that time of year when we pause and reflect a bit on how to prepare for your retrospective. This year, we will start the week with an admonition to assess the year gone by. We are dwindling down to the end of 2023 and now is the best time to review what we accomplished during that span of time. Thankful For A Retrospective? You may ask why we would use the week of Thanksgiving to talk about how to prepare for your retrospective of the year. It comes down to one thing, Holidays and travelling are perfect for such times. We have some time where we can allow our mind to drift a bit while going over the year gone by. That is an excellent way to address the hard facts of what was accomplished while dreaming (as it were) about what we can do better in the year ahead. This is an activity that requires a little freedom of thought rather than a hard list of bullet points to asddress. Look Back To Look Forward Retrospectives have a lot of be