Project managers and... pizza arbitrage? 🍕 (Startup Watching #245)

By Andrew Askins • Issue #245 •

Happy Thursday Watchers!

A year ago at Krit we thought about hiring a Project Manager. We talked to a lot of smart people who argued both sides.

Ultimately we decided not to. Instead we would empower developers to manage projects themselves. We created the concept of Project Leads, who would be responsible for development and managing their project.

It worked really well… for a while.

Because our developers were already in the weeds of the project, they knew what was going on. By talking directly to the clients there was no telephone being played.

But as we’ve grown Project Leads have had to juggle multiple projects. There’s now work that doesn’t fit neatly into a single project. Things have started slipping through the cracks.

So we’re doing two things:

Improving our processes
Hiring our first full time Project Manager

I’ve included the job post below which has way more info. If you’ve ever thought you might want to work at Krit, and love both organization and shaping new products, please give it a look!

We’re a transparent company with a super inclusive culture and we’re passionate about getting better all the time.

Cheers from Charleston ✌️

Andrew

SPONSORED

We're hiring a Project Manager at Krit 🎉

We’re looking for an experienced Project Manager with excellent communication skills to join our growing team. You’ll not only coordinate projects, you’ll also advise clients on product strategy, impact the way we work at Krit, and have opportunities to move up.

Plus, you get to work with me! If that sounds interesting, apply or help us spread the word.

krit.homerun.co • Share

FEATURED

Doordash and pizza arbitrage 🍕

The best thing you’ll read all week, guaranteed. This guy figured out that Doordash was selling pizzas from his friend’s pizza shop for less than they cost at the restaurant. He immediately saw an opportunity for his friend. Order an unlimited number of pizzas from Doordash… and pocket the profits.

This is a great piece on arbitrage and why delivery services (as they’re built right now) aren’t working.

themargins.substack.com • Share

MVP

Form design: multiple inputs versus one input 📝

We’ve been working on a new client product at Krit, and we’ve been obsessing over all of the details of the signup form. If we don’t get it just right, we lose people before they ever get to experience the app.

Adam Silver breaks down some good UX practices to help you improve your forms.

adamsilver.io • Share

Learn programming through... comics? 👩‍💻

I recently discovered this collection of Zines that explain programming concepts through delightful comics. There are free and paid options, I’m planning on reading the one on networking this weekend.

wizardzines.com • Share

GROWTH

Why your VC doesn’t like debt 💵

Indie.vc is doing a new series called Intro to Finance where they explain the mechanics behind raising money. In this piece they break down why VC investors never want you to raise debt.

Basically, if your company gets sold for a less than optimal outcome, debt gets paid off before investors. Meaning if you raise a bunch of debt, investors risk not getting their money back.

intro.indie.vc • Share

A new way to raise capital without pitching ⚾️

The folks at Earnest Capital, the investment fund for bootstrappers, are rethinking how companies pitch them for funding. With their new system you sign up for their free educational content, and have the option of sending them regular updates on your business. They reach out when they’re ready.

The idea is to create a system that’s less stressful on founders, although it does seem to put all the control in the hands of Earnest.

earnestcapital.com • Share

INTERESTING

Solar is getting cheaper faster than anyone predicted 🌞

2020 has been packed with bad news, so I was excited to see some good news for a change. Solar power is getting cheaper faster than anyone expected. Before long, it will be cheaper to build a new solar plant than to maintain an existing coal plant.

This thread explains what’s happening and what it means for climate change.

twitter.com • Share

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By Andrew Askins

Curated knowledge, inspiration and background stories from the startup world. Delivered to your inbox every Thursday or Friday 📬 | Find me @andrewaskins.

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Project managers and... pizza arbitrage? 🍕 (Startup Watching #245)

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