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More This, Less That
> A product’s position is a “location” in a more abstract space — the space of trade-offs. The decisions you make about which features to build and how to integrate them places you “closer” or “further” from other products. I love positioning. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing [https://www.
Build a Product-Focused Audience
We did it wrong too. Most founders do what Jeremy and I did at Tortuga [http://www.tortugabackpacks.com]. They experience a problem, build a solution, then try to sell it to other people. This formula is a great way to find yourself sitting on inventory or, in our case,
How Do You Motivate Your Employees?
On a recent call with a fellow founder: Him: How do you motivate your employees? Me: I don't. Am I supposed to? I was joking to highlight a serious point. I am not a rah-rah, pound my fist on the table, give a rousing speech CEO. I won&
Entropy Between Retreats
Many remote companies write about their retreats. They highlight the exotic destinations and fun activities. They talk about why they have retreats. I love reading those posts and comparing notes. I've noticed something that happens at Tortuga [http://www.tortugabackpacks.com] that I haven't heard other
The Kernel of Good Strategy
Good strategy starts with a diagnosis, is framed by a guiding policy, and ends with a set of coherent actions.
Goal-Oriented Communication
Goal-oriented communication is saying the "what" and letting someone else figure out the "how." This style defines a leader, rather than a manager.
The 4 Stages from Idea to Company
When talking about Tortuga [http://www.tortugabackpacks.com], I often break our history up into four stages: idea, product, business, and company. We needed a long time to move from one stage to the next, so they are easy to delineate in our case. Regardless of your velocity, each step
Writing Selfishly
This blog is a completely selfish endeavor. I hope that other people find it useful, but that's not why I write. My writing is a way of talking to myself. Not out loud but online. I write to myself or, sometimes, a past me. Tim Urban of Wait
A Thank You Letter to All the Bad CEOs
> Our CEO yells a lot. That's a real quote from someone I interviewed. I was so flabbergasted that I typed it up, in quotes, in my notes. For someone to mention this in an interview, the situation must have been bad. Even worse, other interviewees said similar
5 Signs That a Candidate Can Work Remotely
When hiring at Tortuga [http://www.tortugabackpacks.com], > [W]e look for signals that someone can be productive outside of an office. From Why We Work Remotely [https://www.fredperrotta.com/why-we-work-remotely/] Andrew Youderian asked me for more specifics on his Ecommerce Fuel Podcast [https://www.ecommercefuel.com/podcast/