Longform Writing

With software development, there’s a spectrum out there with stability on one end and speed on the other. You can have an ultra-stable system that progresses incredibly slowly, or you can iterate blindingly fast on a system that’s a mess. Skip…

If you make a living at your computer, there’s a good chance, it makes sense to invest in that space to maximize your ability to focus and do creative work. Here’s some ideas that helped me.

After four months of being back on the independent consulting train, I can confidently say that hourly billing haunts me. It puts a quantifiable dollar amount on time. For things like mowing the lawn, that makes the decision easier. If it costs less to…

Progress isn’t easy or comfortable. When there’s an idea in your head, and you want to get it out into the world, it’s easy to focus on the bits you haven’t finished. And it can haunt you. With so many decisions to make, how do you prioritize? Maybe…

My only regret about amputation is that I didn’t do it sooner–and I’m not alone in that experience. I don’t want to glorify amputation by any means, but I get enough emails from people asking about regret that it’s worth talking about regrets–or rather…

When I sold Sifter, I regularly wondered if I’d ever be able to find the time to build another business or application now that I had a family and different responsibilities. Here’s how I’m figuring it out.

At the beginning of May, I’ll be leaving Wildbit to create some space and flexibility to work more on Adaptable. In the meantime I’m actively looking for opportunities that will help pay the bills and give me a way to do work that aligns with my hopes…

So much has changed in my 10 years since starting Sifter. My personal life has changed significantly, and technology has evolved just as much. I’ve done my best to keep up with the changing ecosystem, and after more than ten years of SaaS experience,…

A little less than a year ago, I started thinking about a project to help amputees become more active. The initial vision involved a web application. That meant development time. Hosting. Backups. And all of the other services necessary to build and…

In our incessant rush to move quickly, everything is ephemeral. Technology moves so quickly that today’s strong favorite is outdated in a matter of years. We slurp up notifications and are fascinated by the next thing before we even fully understand the…

There’s a big difference between creating software and shipping it. Creating is easy. Shipping is the hard part, and countless companies never quite figure it out. Sure, they might release their software, but that’s not the same as shipping. No company…

I face a dilemma, and I believe it’s a common one. Where should I spend my side project time? We all have ideas and passions. We all want financial stability and/or independence. But we have limited free time for side projects. So how do you decide…

We’ve been making slow but steady progress on starting a non-profit to help other amputees, but we still have a long ways to go. In a way, the decision to go the non-profit route was the easiest decision to make, but it was still incredibly scary. It’s…

As my leg has improved since amputation and gradually been able to handle more, I’ve thrown more at it. Like with any physical activity, however, it never gets easier. You just push yourself harder. Lately, after workouts, I’ve come home and been in…

it’s been two years since my elective left below-knee amputation. It’s been more challenging than I anticipated, but there’s still no regrets. Recovery hasn’t been as straight of a line as I’d like. Instead, it’s more of a really slow and boring roller…

You know that feeling when you have an idea and it’s about something so deeply personal that you can’t stop thinking about it? Then you notice that, through a series of events in your life, the stars have been quietly aligning for years to make it…

Eight years ago, I wrote a blog post about how starting was easier than sustaining. It rings just as true today. A few years after that, I wrote a book sharing what I had learned building and running a web application as a sole founder. Here we are a…

A year ago, I was starting physical therapy after a below-knee amputation. Yesterday morning, for the first time in my life, I ran a 5k–at 8,800 feet of elevation no less. Well, I ran most of it. It took fourty-one minutes. For context, the first place…

A year ago today, I had my left leg amputated below my knee. I’ve still got a ways to go in recovery, but the worst all seems to be behind me. I’ve gone to the beach with my family, snowboarded, mountain biked, played full-court basketball, and much…

I’m working on a big update to Starting & Sustaining to add in my experience gained running Sifter through my health problems. I also have some lessons learned through selling it. What started out as a whimsical plan to fill in some gaps and expand…