Years ago (that seems kind of funny to say after my seven years in business) when Niall Durham was working with me, we used to talk about spending an afternoon here and there building cool new apps just to test new frameworks, languages, or ideas.  But on the planned day,…

With the challenges we have faced with losing key staff members, I’ve had to step up–or perhaps I should say “step back”–and relearn some of the old programming and HTML code that started me off in this business.  When I told Scott that I was thrilled with the outcome of…

Companies strive–and sometimes succeed–in “getting it right”. Think Apple’s Ipod, Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings,” and Converse Chuck Taylors. Campbell’s Soup is the maker of Prego spaghetti sauce, and it seems the company recently had a short violin piece commissioned to go with one of the Prego TV commercials.…

In business, we rely on a host of employees, affiliates, partners, consultants, and occasional freelancers to serve our clients and meet our goals.  Yesterday, I learned in jaw-dropping fashion that a trusted part of that network has long been engaging in such deceptive practices that I am left reeling from the blow. There are two…

Earlier this week, I tossed, turned, worked, and worried before finally succumbing to sleep at 5:00 a.m. I had just received a phone call from a client who was terribly unhappy about our work. While I had heard rumblings about this client’s dissatisfaction, I hadn’t realized the scope of the…

Well, we wrapped up our first full week (and a day) of Phase Two (post M&M era) with Scott Duff in residence.  Scott knows code, understands processes, server issues, and all the geeky stuff that makes him worth his salt.  While he’s got a lot of learning to do when…

Since I started this business, there has been one absolute that has been our guiding principle: be better today than we were yesterday. I remember the first time I read “Good to Great”. I was thrilled to learn that my business philosophy mirrored that of many standout businesses: avoid being…

In a routine business call to Manish and Manasi this past Saturday, Manish informed me that he wanted to discuss something that couldn’t be handled by phone.  I immediately began to worry.  Was Manasi expecting a baby?  Did they need to return to India?  Had Manish been offered a job …

I had been telling Stacy that for many people, the most difficult part of starting a business is actually telling others that you are! I had read that once you lay it out there, people will wait for you to fail. I don’t know if I agree with the sentiment,…

We just closed on a house two weeks ago, and our lush landscaping is a haven for spiders and other non-human inhabitants. My daughter twice was stung by wasps, and my oldest daughter’s friend–in an attempt to prevent detection as we walked outside in the midst of his rolling our…