Product Habits - How Basecamp works without roadmaps

Building Breakthroughs: A New Course From Floodgate

The Floodgate team is launching an online course called "Building Breakthroughs," which is open to all students and startup founders across the country. The goal of the course is to help find and test breakthrough concepts, and develop the resources needed to scale. If it sounds like something you might be interested in, Floodgate is accepting applications until 9/20.

Lean more about the program here and apply here.

Going All-In on Remote Work: The Technical and Cultural Challenges

“Remote work can be either costly or cost-saving, depending on how you approach it and how well-equipped you are to truly support it.” I couldn’t agree more. Going remote is an opportunity to redefine roles and make sure your team has the resources they need, but it takes conscientious effort. This is an important read for anyone who is now leading a remote or semi-remote team. 

Bessemer Venture's Investment Recommendation Memos

Bessemer Venture Partners shared their Investment Recommendation Memoranda from some of their most successful investments. The common thread? It was less about the products and more about the people. In my experience with investing, people are the most important thing. I think most investors would agree. Keep this in mind if you’re pitching your startup in the near future. 

Hiring Your First Head of Marketing

This was a thought-provoking read about why there is so much turnover among startup CMOs. Often, they aren’t set up for success—especially if the company has invested few resources in marketing initiatives up until that point. Make sure you think through this checklist to determine whether you’re ready for a marketing head. 

How Etsy Created Joyful Online Events Pre-Zoom

I didn’t realize this, but Etsy started something called “Virtual Labs,” which were basically digital events, way back in 2009. One of the first dozen employees at Etsy shares why they created them, how they worked, and what made the community fall in love with them. 

Step Functions and One-Percent Improvements

I agree with Auren Hoffman: You can build a solid company with consistent one percent improvements. But in order to build a great company, you need step functions that provide exponential growth (though they tend to carry more risk). This is a thoughtful read about how step functions operate, and why they are important but require patience and risk tolerance. 

What the First Seven Christmases Were Like at Amazon

Amazon launched in July 1995. I didn’t know this, but apparently the company had a near-death experience around Christmas for the first seven years. Dan Rose joined in 1999 and recounts what it was like to work at Amazon during that crazy time. His tweet thread about it will surprise and inspire you. 

Why Senior Engineers Get Nothing Done

I hear this all the time from senior engineers: “I hardly code anymore.” I read this article and thought it was a great, clear explanation for why that tends to happen. If you’re an engineer (especially a senior one), this will make you chuckle and nod in agreement. More than that, it’ll help you find ways to protect your coding time and get back to the work you love the most.