Product Habits - What's in a name?

The Way of the Future

There has been a bit of backlash lately about Salesforce's acquisition of Slack. This post by M.G. Siegler captures some of my thoughts about it. One of my favorite lines: "We should all aspire to fail to the tune of $28B." It's not news that Microsoft is hard to compete with, but if you look a few layers deeper, you'll see why Salesforce's bet on Slack is so savvy. It'll be fun to see how this acquisition unfolds over the next several years. 
 

Lessons for Early Stage Founders

Segment Co-founder Calvin French-Owen notes that his founding team ran into countless problems early on. He's also invested in about 25 different seed-stage companies over the past five years. Needless to say, he's learned a lot about common startup founder errors. Here are the things he wishes he'd have figured out earlier with the Segment team. I think people sleep on these two in particular: optimize for learning and send investor updates. 

The Truth About Starting a Startup

Tracy Young, the Co-founder and CEO of PlanGrid, shares some invaluable truths about starting a startup in this reflection piece. There were a few times I paused, nodding my head in agreement with her words. I appreciate how candid she is about never having found "work-life balance," or understanding that there will never feel like there are enough resources—no matter how big your company is or how fast it's growing. Reading this was a reminder that, despite the never-ending grind of building a startup, it's also one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences you can have. I've certainly found that to be true on my own journey. 

Entrepreneurship Shouldn't Feel Hard

I think this article is a nice compliment (and in a way, juxtaposition) to Tracy Young's piece above. Have you ever felt like you're constantly fighting an uphill battle with a startup or side project? If you can relate with something you're currently working on, it's worth taking a step back to pause and evaluate why it feels so hard—and if it really has to. In my experience, startups are challenging, but they should feel exciting more than they feel like an exhausting slog. Let this be a reminder that entrepreneurship shouldn't always feel uncomfortably hard. 

What's in a Name? A lot.

Don't underestimate the power of your startup's name. Om Malik shares a list of straightforward tips startups should at least consider when figuring out a name for their work. A few of my favorites: use short words, don't be boring, and never make a statement when you can tell a story. I appreciate the shout out about my company FYI at the end, too. 

Inside the $1.3B Startup Slackifying Email

I remember the first time I talked to Co-founder and CEO Mathilde Collin about her company, Front. Fast forward seven years: Front is now valued at $1.3 billion. I enjoyed this read about the company's journey so far. It's a thought-provoking piece about how a startup transforms into a billion-dollar company, but it's also a compelling narrative about the (much-needed) evolution of email and business communication. 

The Great App Explosion

There are now over 8,000 companies on this year's Martech list, which is crazy. There has, of course, been consolidation, but the explosion of marketing technology apps over the past decade is mind-blowing. Here's what it tells us about the atomization and new economics of software.

How to Create a Private Podcast

It's counterintuitive to think about making a private podcast, but there are actually plenty of use cases where it makes sense, like: exclusive memberships, college curriculums, ongoing employee audio training, and special paid bonus content. If it makes sense to have a private podcast given your current business objectives, here is a step-by-step guide to help you set it up.