I spoke with a close friend about her work today. She’s in corporate America and is rethinking where she works. She’s in an extremely expensive city with no family nearby. Three years ago, her boss asked her if she wanted to stay there or move back home. Her response was that technology would allow her to live and work from anywhere. She said moving home and working the same business hours as her colleagues would be ideal. Her boss looked at her like she was crazy. She was frustrated, but she understood. To stay in her role, she would have to remain in the expensive city far from family.

Fast forward to today. She may propose the same remote work arrangement to her boss again. She’s confident that this time it would get serious consideration. The pandemic has been tough on everyone, and we’re ready to move past it. For all the negatives, I think one positive thing will come from it: empathy. Large segments of the workforce experienced the same things at the same time: working from home and a lack of community. Suddenly many of us have reason to understand what others are going through and how they feel.

We’re at a pivotal point in how we work. Remote work is mainstream and company leaders have a high level of empathy for their employees. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I think this period will shape how we work for the foreseeable future. I’m hopeful that more people will be able to do their dream job from the location that’s best for them.  

In the last month I’ve had an opportunity to speak with a number of tech investors outside the Southeast. Some well along in their careers and others just starting. I’ve noticed a consistent theme: they’re all paying VERY close attention to what’s happening in Atlanta. Some are even looking to relocate here. One seasoned investor at a reputable firm said he and his team think Atlanta is a top-five city for tech startups.

I’ve lived in Atlanta a long time. I’ve been watching the tech startup landscape evolve. I’ve always thought Atlanta is special and a great place for entrepreneurs. Now outsiders are taking notice. I think Atlanta is at a tipping point and a convergence of factors will make the city the mecca of startups and entrepreneurship (if it isn’t already). The city has logged some big fund-raising rounds and exits in the last few years. That’s putting capital in the hands of employees at local startups, who can angel invest in more emerging local companies. It’s also increasing awareness among the national investor community, who want to invest in local startups.

Working from home has more people rethinking where they want to live. Atlanta offers a unique mix of characteristics that makes it an attractive place where people can see themselves putting down roots. Working from home has also removed geographic limitations on investment. Founders in Atlanta and investors outside Atlanta no longer have to get on a plane to connect. They can meet and close deals on video. There are a ton of other factors too, but these are some big ones.

Atlanta has always had scrappy founders who’ve done amazing things. I think local founders will continue to see the resources and knowledge available to them expand as the profile of the Atlanta ecosystem continues to increase. This can only accelerate their success and allow them to pursue bigger and bolder ideas. I’m excited to see all this come to fruition!

Today marks the end of my fifty-first week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week fifty-one:

• Learn by listening – I sat in on some great conversations where I was able to just listen. It was a good learning experience. Something about not participating allowed me to absorb and retain more information. (I guess it’s true what they say—people listen better if they’re not thinking about what they’re going to say.)
• Scheduling – Lots of last-minute scheduling changes this week. I coped, but it definitely threw me off and will have ramifications next week. Stuff happens. I’m playing the hand I’m dealt as best I can.
• Zoom fatigue – I’ve written about this many times. It’s a real thing (for me at least) and hit me hard this week.
• Pace – March is shaping up to be a very busy month. Interesting how the beginning of the year (January, specifically) felt much slower. I imagine this pace will continue into the spring.

Week fifty-one was fast-paced and productive for sure. Pretty sure this will be the pace for the rest of the month.  

For many years I never thought about my title at CCAW. When people asked, I called myself the president. In truth, I was focused on moving the company forward and didn’t much care about a title. For some reason “CEO” never sat well with me, so I settled on president.

Today I had an enlightening conversation with other founders about titles. Here are a few takeaways:

• External vs. internal – Most internal people know who’s doing what, but others don’t. For this reason, titles (or the impressions they create) matter to outsiders.
• Business partners – Having co-founders adds another element to things. The distinction of an appropriate title is great, but defining in writing who’s responsible for what is the key to accountability, which is essential.
• Title sharing – Some founders share a title with their business partner. Think co-CEO. It’s uncommon, but it can help with transition planning. It gives a rising person the opportunity to learn under the mentorship of a person transitioning out. They can work side-by-side for a while, smoothing the transition.
• Responsibility – Titles are important to some people, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s only a negative when they lose sight of or don’t understand their responsibilities. Understanding your role in the company is step number one in setting yourself up for success. Focus on that.

Today’s conversation was great, and I loved hearing other people’s ideas. I’m still not much of a title person, but it changed how I think about this topic. My key takeaway is that what’s being asked of you is more important than what you’re called.

This week, I’ve listened to two founders who are targeting enterprise companies as customers. One, “Alan,” landed a major one with no product and a pitch deck. The other, “ Bob,” has a working product but hasn’t yet been able to persuade anyone to use his platform (which is great, by the way). The big difference? Relationships.

Alan has years of experience and relationships with people who trust him. He leveraged them to land his first customer. Bob is solving a problem in a space where he doesn’t have relationships or experience. He has to earn the trust of potential customers, and that takes time. Alan has founder–market fit; Bob doesn’t. This doesn’t mean Bob won’t be successful; it just means he may have a tougher journey. I learned this lesson the hard way when I was a founder.

Many factors increase or decrease the chance of success. Founder–market fit is one of them. If you’re an aspiring founder with an idea but no founder–market fit, ask yourself if you’re the right person to solve the problem. If you believe you are, forge ahead!

Today I attended Outlander Labs’ Speaker Series. This month’s speaker was Hamet Watt. He has a diverse background that includes being a venture capitalist and entrepreneur. He’s currently CEO of Share Ventures, a venture studio, and used to be co-founder and chair of MoviePass. Here are a few takeaways from today’s conversation:

• Harmony vs. consensus – Harmony on a team is good. It means people respect each other’s opinions. Consensus in decision-making ends in watered-down decisions. The drive to consensus smooths the sharp edge that’s needed for a good idea or decision to get traction.
• Instincts vs. conviction – Founders need great instincts more than they need conviction. If they don’t have good instincts, they’ll be convinced of the wrong things.
• Energy – It’s important for founders to manage their energy. Sometimes you have to sprint . . . but to finish the race, you must pace yourself. You need to be able to continue running even after hearing “no” over and over again. Hamet views this as a mostly mental trait.
• Prioritization – People who ruthlessly prioritize to get things done make good founders. They understand everything won’t get done, but they’re sure to complete mission-critical tasks.
• Conversations – Investors want to have conversations; they don’t want to be pitched. Investors are human beings who want to partner with people. Hard to do that if communication isn’t bidirectional.
• Ideal investor – Founders should look for investors who allow them to be themselves. It’s easier over the long haul to work with someone who accepts you and sees your personality as a strength.

Hamet has a unique perspective on things and it was interesting to hear him explain it. He also shared an interesting story from his MoviePass days.

I’m excited for Hamet and Share Ventures and can’t wait to see the businesses he helps start!

This past weekend, I had an issue with an expensive product I purchased a year ago. I was frustrated that it was defective and worried it might be out of warranty. I called their customer service number on Saturday morning and had a pretty good experience. I sent a few pictures while I was on the call. The rep offered to send me a replacement free of charge and alternatively gave me the option to upgrade to the latest product for a small upcharge. In the end, happy they stood by their product, I decided to upgrade.

A lot of companies focus on getting the customer and closing the deal. I’m of the opinion that how you treat the customer post-transaction is equally as important. Giving your customers a satisfying experience after the deal is how you establish loyalty and turn them into evangelists. In my situation, this company has probably gained a customer for life because of the way they resolved my problem. That’s what I’ll remember, not the problem.

Regardless of the stage of your company, remember to treat your customers well after the sale. Doing so will help you build a base of loyal repeat customers you can count on!

A founder once asked me a question that caught me off guard: “Did you have trouble sleeping when you were building your company?” As soon as he finished asking the question, I knew exactly where the conversation was headed. “Yes,” I said. He told me he’d started waking up in the middle of the night thinking about his company and had a hard time going back to sleep.

He’s not the only one. When my company began to grow rapidly, I started waking up in the middle of the night. At first I didn’t pay much attention to it, but eventually I noticed a pattern. I’d be exhausted from a long day and go to bed at a normal time. I’d sleep hard and then wake up around 3 or 4 with my mind racing. My thoughts usually revolved around two things. One was whatever I was most worried about . . . the thing that might sink my company. The other was ideas. It was weird, but I’d have a burst of ideas when I’d awaken in the middle of the night.

Sometimes I was able to go back to sleep and sometimes I wasn’t. Eventually, I realized that not getting enough sleep wasn’t good for me and was affecting my productivity during the day. I decided to do something about it. I researched sleep (including mattresses) and began working out again. I created the ideal sleep setup (or so I thought), and I had an outlet for stress and a regularly scheduled time when I couldn’t think about work (or I’d drop a weight on my foot). I eventually began sleeping through the night again. My energy level and productivity increased.

During that period, I asked a few founder friends if they ever woke up in the middle of the night. I was surprised to learn that a lot of them did. How they dealt with it varied, but the theme was consistent: they’d be thinking about their company as they lay awake in bed.

I’m not a sleep expert, so I can’t give advice about sleep to founders. I will say that I slept better and was a more productive founder when my routine included two things: scheduled time to release stress and intense focus on something besides my company. The latter is harder to achieve. Luckily, working out checked both boxes for me.

I recently told a close friend about a personal investment I made. We’ve always had a shared interest in the area. It’s not the type of investment I’ve made in the past, so he was curious. Why do I think it’s a good investment? he asked. What were my thought processes leading up to the decision to invest? How did I get comfortable with an investment far outside my comfort zone? Here are a few things I told him:

• Close-to-unique opportunity – In 2020, I told myself that I want to take advantage of a certain kind of opportunity. I listed my criteria and have been looking for matches. I felt this investment is one of those opportunities, which don’t come around regularly.
• Confidence – I wasn’t 100% confident before pulling the trigger. I asked myself if this opportunity met my criteria. It did. Even so, I was still only 70% confident. Most investments carry risk, so I’ll never be 100% comfortable and I’m OK with that (for now).
• Upside – As with lots of investments, this one could drop to zero. If it does, I’ll lose what I invested—nothing more. On the other hand, I knew there’s a big upside potential—if I didn’t invest, the gains I would lose out on could be enormous. I’m focusing on the upside, not the downside.
• Calculated risk – I didn’t bet the farm—only an amount I can bear to lose.
• Learning – Regardless of the outcome, I’ll learn more having made the investment than I would have watching from the sidelines. I guess I could look at it as an expensive education if things go wrong. I’m OK with that too. It could help set me up for a great investment in the future or avoid a disastrous one.

I’m glad my friend quizzed me about this investment. Explaining it to him highlighted some things I hadn’t thought about. I hope this turns out well!

Today marks the end of my fiftieth week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week fifty:

• 365 consecutive posts – I’ve been sharing my thoughts via daily posts for a year. That’s a long time. Never would have dreamed I could do something like this. I’m going to reflect on everything I’ve learned from this experience.
• Time blocks – This week I had more blocks of concentrated time available, which was helpful. I was able to make progress on some things that require deep thought. Too often, I block out time on my calendar . . . and then fill it with meetings! I need to do a better job of not doing that.
• Learning – I’ve begun working on some things I don’t have experience in. It’s making me a bit uncomfortable, but I want to close this gap, so I’m leaning in. Looking forward to a time when I’ll know what I’m doing and feel confident and comfortable.

Week fifty was fast-paced. Next week is likely to be, too—I (happily) anticipate making progress in some areas that are important to me.