Posts by Brent Weaver
Honest, Hungry, Humble, Happy – Interview with Jim Franklin of SendGrid
Jim Franklin, CEO of SendGrid based in Denver, CO, discusses scaling, culture, market strategies and his journey into one of the fastest growing start ups to come out of Colorado. Jim joined SendGrid after it had been founded and funded in order to build and grow the company past the startup stage. We’ve been using SendGrid…
Read MoreGrowing Digital Services out of Print, Interview with Bob Morehouse of Vermilion
Bob Morehouse Founder and CEO of Vermilion in Boulder CO discusses Vermilion’s expansion into digital services from print, technology challenges, the value of Instagram, and selling the bigger vision. Bob founded Vermilion shortly after moving to Boulder, CO out of desperation to support his hopeful magazine career focusing on design in the early 1980’s. Vermilion…
Read MoreLearn to Sell Websites the Wolf of Wall Street Way
Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo diCaprio), at one of his sales training conferences, looks an audience member right in the eye, hands him a pen, and says: “Sell me this pen.” And the rambling begins. “Well, it’s a good pen, it’s a ballpoint…” Each audience member he hands the pen to mutters a similar response.…
Read MoreEstimate the quality of a developer by the size of their bin directory, Interview with Ara Howard of Dojo4
Ara Howard CTO and Founder of Dojo4 in Boulder CO discusses his journey into scientific research, Ruby on Rails, regular programming vs web programming, and the evolution of technology. Ara founded Dojo4 after his time in scientific research realizing that web programming was a fascinating problem worth pursuing. Highlight Ara’s start in computer programming 00:19…
Read MoreHuman Relationships Over Revenue, Interview with Corey Kohn of Dojo4
Corey Kohn COO and Partner of Dojo4 in Boulder CO discusses her transition from video editing to managing a web agency, culture, community building, and her and Dojo4’s daily practices. Corey joined Ara Howard at Dojo4 in 2010. Corey knew immediately that she wanted to be part of Dojo4 and their talented culture. After showing…
Read MoreFrom Mom & Pop Shop to NASA, Interview with Beth Krodel of Insight Designs
Beth Krodel Founding Partner of Insight Designs in Boulder, CO joins our program to discuss her transition from a reporter for the Detroit Free Press to a thriving business. Beth co-founded Insight Designs in 1999 during her leave of absence from her role at the paper. Beth quickly realized this was something she wanted to…
Read MoreWhy Having More People Isn’t Necessarily More Profitable with Brad Weber of InspiringApps
Brad Weber is founder and President of InspiringApps in Boulder, CO. He and I sit down to discuss his transition from corporate consulting to being a founder, profitability, continuous learning and budgeting for product with service revenues. Brad started InspiringApps in 2007, the same time the iPhone was introduced. He and his team quickly moved InspiringApps…
Read MoreHaving a Vision and battling Product vs Service interview with Stirling Olson of Foraker Labs
Stirling Olson, founder and President of Foraker Labs in Boulder, Colorado, sits down with me to discuss getting new clients, discovery workshop, growth ceilings, having a vision, and battling with the product vs service dilemma. Stirling started Foraker Labs in New York on December 1st, 1999 with his previous employer as his first client. Foraker…
Read MoreRuby on Rails Developer Anthony Navarre of Thoughtbot Talks Startups Over Fortune 500
Anthony Navarre, a full-stack Rails developer at Thoughtbot‘s Denver, Colorado location, sits down with me to discuss his transition from acting to developing, large and small clients, and giving back to the community. Anthony Navarre started using html after his first indie film experience and quickly learned that html by itself wasn’t going to be…
Read MoreTynan Szvetecz of Commerce Kitchen talks networking and strategic forecasting
Founder and CEO of Commerce Kitchen, based in Denver Colorado, Tynan Szvetecz sits down with me to discuss his culinary adaptation to web, continuous learning, Kanban, strategic forecasting, and the grinder movement. Tynan started Commerce Kitchen in 2003 with the goal of “creating a technology company that did what the hospitality industry was so successful…
Read MoreGeorge Morris of Imulus on Growing a Better Business and Finding Sales Talent
President and Co-Founder of Imulus, George Morris sits down with me to discuss his agency’s growth, goals, sales, and talent, and how to enhance your business and yourself. George started Imulus in 2002, originally focusing solely on website design and development. Imulus has now evolved to focus on mobile apps, UI, and UX. After welcoming…
Read MoreTroy Lerner of Booyah Online Advertising on Starting as a One-Man-Band and the End of Media Agencies
President of Booyah Online Advertising, Troy Lerner sits down with me to discuss the one-man band, direct response, and his advice for the challenges he faces as a leader. When Troy was first introduced to Booyah, his initial goal was to poach their talent, but he soon found himself being poached and joining Booyah. Initially…
Read MoreKevin Cohen Consulting on Finding New Clients and Growing a Virtual Agency
Founder of Colorado-based Kevin Cohen Consulting, Kevin Cohen sits down with me to discuss sales, customers, and growing his virtual agency. Kevin tells me about how he has learned to understand his strengths as an entrepreneur and how he uses that understanding to grow his agency. Kevin shares with me his generous tactic for finding…
Read MoreTyson Brawley of Goozmo on How to Grow a Web Agency
CEO of Goozmo, Tyson Brawley sits down with me to discuss CMS, business partners, and getting involved with the local chamber of commerce. In 2000, Tyson co-founded Goozmo in a Boulder, Colorado garage with the goal of creating a driven, passionate web agency. Later, in 2005, Goozmo jumped all-in to the Boulder Chamber of Commerce…
Read MoreSam Breed of Quick Left on the Journey from Developer to CTO
Co-founder and CTO of Quick Left, Sam Breed sits down with me to discuss how to control code debt, how he chooses which technology to work with, and which not to, and how speaking at conferences can be an excellent way to get out in the community and meet future clients and hires. Sam Co-Founded…
Read MoreIngrid Alongi of Quick Left on Growing Pains and the Benefits of Diversifying Revenue
Co-Founder and CEO of Quick Left, Ingrid Alongi sat down with me to discuss the benefits of diversifying revenue sources, Quick Left’s merger with Sprint.ly, and how she finds work-life balance through competitive cycling. Ingrid co-founded Quick Left in 2009 with Sam Breed to focus on offering excellent service to funded startups. As of January…
Read MoreKeith Roberts of Zenman and the Buddhist Principles of Sustainable Growth
President and Founder of Zenman, Keith Roberts sits down with me to discuss his agency, growth, and recruiting talent. Keith Roberts started Zenman in 1998 after working as a professional photographer with top artists and agencies. Keith talks about his daily practices as a business owner and sustainable scaling for Zenman. After showing us around…
Read MoreFixed Price, Time and Materials, or Recurring Revenue: The Great Debate
In 2007, at the depths of struggling to make ends meet, my business partner sat down with me and presented a slide deck titled: “Obtaining peace of mind.” The basis of the presentation was, at the time, that we had little to no recurring revenue on our books. 97% of our business was driven…
Read MoreRyan Burney from 3 Roads Media on Making the Jump From Freelance to Agency
Owner and Lead Developer of Denver-based 3 Roads Media, Ryan Burney, sits down with me to discuss his newly launched virtual agency model, growth, WordPress, talent, and how to get recurring revenue. Ryan Burney started 3 Roads Media in 2007, organically and as a side project. He was pleasantly surprised when the business became successful.…
Read MoreKevin Menzie of Slice of Lime is Making User Experience a Successful Agency Model
Founder and CEO of Slice of Lime, based in Boulder and Denver, Kevin Menzie sits down with me to discuss his agency’s growth, the startup community, and his social way of finding talent. Kevin started Slice of Lime in 2001, originally focusing on mobile applications–yes, mobile apps in 2001. However, shortly after, he moved back…
Read MoreHow Do You Screen Talent for Job Interviews in Your Hiring Process
The first time I ever posted a job description on Craigslist, I was inundated with applications. When I say inundated, I mean I received over two hundred applications for a web designer position. I had never before hired anyone in my life. So I did what I thought I should do: I looked at portfolios,…
Read MoreLorraine Ball of Roundpeg Talks Teaching, Inbound Marketing, and Getting Clients from Competitors
Creative Director and Owner of Indianapolis-based Roundpeg, Lorraine Ball joins our program to discuss her agency, growth, marketing, talent, and how she leverages her competitors to get more clients. Lorraine Ball started Roundpeg because she was tired of the standard, cookie-cutter model of marketing in corporate businesses. After flying out to Denver to create Attract…
Read MoreWhich is Better: Virtual or Physical Agency?
When I first started building websites professionally and full-time out of my house, I almost immediately wanted an office. I would see “agency” websites online with pictures of their sweet entryways, conference rooms, and kegerators and think: one day… After winning a couple of five figure deals, I thought it was time. I partnered up…
Read MoreHow to Build Value in the Web Design Sales Process
Recently, I wrote a blog post published over at Tuts+ about 3 things to help you sell $3k+ website projects. A web designer, named Eddie Petros, responded to the post alluding to the fact that what I outlined wasn’t going to work for him. He said that clients don’t want him to solve problems and…
Read MoreIvy Hastings of Fusionbox on Getting More Clients, Python Development, and Opensource
VP of Strategy for Denver-based Fusionbox, Ivy Hastings, sits down with me to discuss their agency, Python, and their dedication to the open source community. Fusionbox has been creating result-driven interactive solutions for their clients since 2001. Ivy joined the team in 2003. Ivy helps educate clients on how to create long lasting strategies in…
Read MoreHow to Get Your First Web Design Client
My first client was a chocolatier in Michigan. Steve and I built the original site for $500. It included a homepage, some photos, and a menu that allowed customers to submit a candy order form without having to use a fax machine. The owner was convinced that no one would ever use the order form…but…
Read MoreArif Gangji of Neon Rain Interactive Talks App Development, Product vs Service, and Hiring Great Talent
Founder and President of Denver-based Neon Rain Interactive, Arif Gangji, sits down with me to discuss his agency, growth, and his unique way of finding talent. After Arif Gangji moved away from his hacking days in high school, he started Neon Rain, in 2002, as a company that would be recognized for its talent and…
Read MoreIs the Web Dead?
Every so often I get asked a very important question: “Brent, is the web dead? Should I even be considering a career in web design, development, or online marketing?” My first thought is to wonder where this question originates from. Why would anyone think that the web is dying? More Options Websites aren’t the…
Read MoreDave Bacon of BW Bacon on Finding Web Design Talent, Freelance Wages, and High Demand Skills
Founder and CEO of Denver-based BW Bacon Group, Dave Bacon, sits down with me to discuss his technical staffing agency, growth, and recruiting talent. Dave has a unique perspective on what the top in-demand skills are, how to get the best contract wages, and what tactics agencies can use to recruit the best design and…
Read More6 Things I’m Thankful For
In lieu of my usual Q & A post today, I decided to write about what I’m thankful for. No matter your stance on Thanksgiving and its marred history—or maybe you don’t even live in the US—it’s never a bad thing to spend a day thinking about what you are thankful for. This exercise is…
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