In 2015, a strange new competitor appeared to challenge cloud accounting software company Freshbooks’ dominance in their space. The new company, called Billspring, had a fresh look and feel, and seemed poised to pose a serious threat to Freshbooks. However, all was not quite as it seemed. On this episode, CEO and Founder Mike McDerment shares the story of how an unlikely competitor completely re-invented the face of the company.
On this episode, Wade Foster of Zapier shares the story of the founding of his company, how he knew it was time to make the leap from side hustle to full-time, and how his entire company has managed to work remotely while maintaining its strong culture.
A few months ago, I had the chance to speak at the STORY Conference in Nashville, TN. It’s a gathering of 1,200 creative pros across multiple disciplines designed to talk about the power of story in our work and lives. My talk centered on the unique pressures of creating for a living, and a few opposing forces that are especially difficult to identify and surmount. I also shared the importance of identifying Productive Passion as a method for working through those forces and putting your best work into the world.
Rocking back and forth on a problem can also jog previously overlooked connections and solutions as you shift from is to is not thinking.
On this episode, I re-visit a conversation with Julien Smith about the launch of his company Breather, and share three core principles to help you put your valuable work into the world every day.
Leadership and legacy are not just what you do, but also how you do it. It will be determined by a series of choices you make over your life about how to spend this moment – here, and now. The challenging thing is that each moment feels like a throwaway, because another one follows closely on its heels. How you choose to engage here and now speaks more to your character than whatever residual stuff you leave in your trail.
