The Compulsive Reiterator

By Frank WilliamscloseAuthor: Frank Williams Name: Frank Williams
Email: fwilliams@goyaproject.com
Site: http://
About: I'm a software engineer that left Cisco to work on a stealth startup. So far, it's been the best decision of my life!See Authors Posts (2)   |   RSS

While working in the tech industry I’ve come across a class of people I like to call the ‘Compulsive Reiterator.’  These are the people who are never satisfied with their work and always tend to keep revising it, pushing deadlines and sometimes not finishing a project at all.

Are you a Compulsive Reiterator?

They exist in all sizes and shapes, programmers and designers alike, spending their time coming up with how to make the new version of the product even better than it potentially will be, if that makes any sense.  While sometimes it helps to be a bit persistent with your work, most of the times it is will only slow you down.  Let’s take a look at what I mean:

The Compulsive Designer

Constantly redesigning their work (often a blog) and never fully satisfied with the current one.  You can usually identify them by their content alone, which is often centered around the changing designs and multitude of updates to the site.  We get it, you’re a designer!  Being featured in a CSS gallery once or twice is good enough, really.  I mean, if you’re purely a designer, by all means go for it, but for everyone else consider taking some time to focus on what you or your site has to offer rather than constantly fidgeting with the design.

The Compulsive Programmer

Ahh, these guys.  They love to use the newest frameworks and swear by a million libraries but when it comes time to deliver, they want to push out another version.  You’ve seen these guys, they keep wanting to add another feature or optimize a little more, never fully satisfied with their work.   And then there are those who decide that their language or framework of choice is simply not good enough halfway through a project and want to learn the newest fad in order to finish (or start) their work.  We get that you’re worried that you might be the next Google and need scalability, but in all seriousness, you’re going to have to worry about more than frameworks to overcome growth.

Why It’s A Problem

If the negative effects of constantly doing things over aren’t blatantly obvious yet, here’s a list to help you see the light:

1. It slows down progress
2. It gets other people interested in your work angry or uninterested
3. Makes you lose sight of your main goals (making something useful, content, etc.)
4. Did I mention it slows down progress?

Sure, sometimes a redesign or reprogramming parts of your code may be necessary, however you shouldn’t lose focus on what’s really important.  There are always imperfections in our work — we’re only human.  That’s why sometimes even huge products (like GMail) claim to be in beta and they’re always improving on the code, design and overall usability.  That doesn’t mean you should call everything ‘beta’ and half-ass your work, but do note that an imperfect product is better than a mythical, feature-ridden beast of perfection that will never see the light of day.

To Summarize:

• Fix mistakes but realize your product won’t be perfect
• Revisions can be made after a product launches (both design and code)
• Don’t lose sight of your main goals, whatever they may be
• Scalability is a real issue but it’ll take more work than picking a framework to fix that
• Take things one step at a time and make launching your product a high priority
• Don’t sweat the small stuff so much (but do try to fix them at some point)

The Psychology of Success, Part 2: Belief

By Monjurul DoloncloseAuthor: Monjurul Dolon Name: Monjurul Dolon
Email: mdolon@gmail.com
Site: http://www.monfx.com/
About: I'm a recent graduate of UNC-CH, now working as a freelance designer and entrepreneur.See Authors Posts (3)   |   RSS

One of the most important characteristics you’ll find in successful individuals (especially entrepreneurs) is belief in themselves. It’s no secret, many athletes use it to give them an edge to beat competitors and current billionaires have used it in the lowest moments of their lives as motivation to keep going. A lot of us know the importance of this important trait yet fail to make use of it in our daily lives.

Yes, you can be successful too.

Too many times have I seen friends and colleagues with high aspirations get shot down because of the supposed rareness of success in their respective industries, the volatile nature of the economy or a host of other ‘potential’ reasons. While I admit that many of them are probably not cut out to be famous athletes or business moguls, constantly hearing that they don’t have a chance at all kills any aspiration they might have to begin with.

Belief in oneself plays a key role in motivating people to work harder at whatever they’re pursuing. For an entrepreneur, the idea that success may not be that far-fetched can often provide that extra push to actually succeeding. I often get asked, “how many Bill Gates’ are out there for every person that tries and fails?” (substitute Bill for any other successful businessman) Well, if Bill Gates can do it, why can’t I? Or anyone else for that matter? The truth is that you can – anyone can – if they want it enough to do something about it. Googling ‘rags-to-riches’ is evidence enough that people can overcome some of the hardest situations to reach success.

It’s easy to argue that there are a lot of external factors that led to their success and in truth there probably  were, however a big part of it was their confidence. They believed in themselves and used

Well, if Bill Gates can do it, why can’t I? Or anyone else for that matter? The truth is that you can – anyone can – if they want it enough to do something about it.

that motivation to push them to greater levels. It’s easy to fall into the realm of ‘wannabe’ entrepreneurs who spend their time talking things up and reading books but fall short when it comes time to act. They may end up stuck in the same story for years and years, unable to move forward because of a list of excuses. Whatever your excuse is, there is a way to get around it if you look hard enough.

It’s important to realize that while not everyone is equal in intellect, skill set or financial situation, success for the greater part is something that should be attainable with enough hard work and dedication. Failure is a part of the journey – learn from your mistakes and move on.

The Trickle Effect

Believing in yourself and your company provides confidence not only to you but to everyone you work as well. Confident employees and cofounders are ones that have motivation to work hard because they expect success. Your role as their leader is to ensure that they maintain confident and have belief in the company through all of your ups and downs. Knowing that success is not impossible can increase productivity and lift the spirits of the people you come in contact with (leaving lasting impressions).

Some quotes to get you motivated from some influential people:

The turning point, I think, was when I really realized that you can do it yourself. That you have to believe in you because sometimes that’s the only person that does believe in your success but you.
- Tim Bixworth, lumber tycoon

Whatever qualities the rich may have, they can be acquired by anyone with thetenacity to become rich. The key, I think, is confidence. Confidence and an unshakable belief it can be done and that you are the one to do it.
- Felix Dennis, MAXIM

I believe in giving everything my best shot. I do not believe in holding back. I am very driven by the fact that we are destined with these opportunities.
- Shailendra Singh, Sequoia Capital India

Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.
- Sam Walton, Wal-mart & Sam’s Club

Self-esteem is a huge piece of my work. You have to believe it’s possible and believe in yourself. Because after you’ve decided what you want, you have to believe it’s possible, and possible for you, not just for other people.
- Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Soul

How To Save Money Making A Startup

By Frank WilliamscloseAuthor: Frank Williams Name: Frank Williams
Email: fwilliams@goyaproject.com
Site: http://
About: I'm a software engineer that left Cisco to work on a stealth startup. So far, it's been the best decision of my life!See Authors Posts (2)   |   RSS

Jason Calcanis provided some really useful tips a while back about how to save money when running a startup. While they’re great tips, a lot of them don’t apply to budding entrepreneurs who are simply trying to save money during the actual “startup” part (buy an expresso meeting for how much?).

The Psychology of Success, Part 1: Obsession

By Monjurul DoloncloseAuthor: Monjurul Dolon Name: Monjurul Dolon
Email: mdolon@gmail.com
Site: http://www.monfx.com/
About: I'm a recent graduate of UNC-CH, now working as a freelance designer and entrepreneur.See Authors Posts (3)   |   RSS

What is the difference between passion and obsession? For starters, an obsession is usually an act that you are always (and sometimes uncontrollably) preoccupied with. A passion, on the other hand, is a strong love that can be the pathway to a healthy relationship or to a harmful obsession.

It seems that more and more entrepreneurs these days are falling into that first category of obsessing over there work, an act that is detrimentally affecting both their project and social life. While it may have started as a healthy, passionate drive, several factors are now pushing them towards an unhealthy obsession that can often lead to failure instead of success.

While an entrepreneur (or anyone) can take advantage of either their passionate or obsessive feelings to force themselves to work, there are some key differences that should be noted. For starters, obsession can often lead to depression if certain goals are not met. This is very common when entrepreneurs take on too much and are unable to complete tasks, disappointing themselves or others. Being overly obsessive can also be detrimental to a person’s social life and family, as they are constantly preoccupied and easily agitated.

Keep It Healthy

When things start to get a bit overwhelming, try to treat your project as you would a relationship with your partner. Usually, one is enough and multiple will only make you work harder for several mediocre projects. All relationships are two-way: are you getting something back from this project you are slaving over? Monetary success may not come easy but you should at least feel a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment as you progress. Lastly, you can’t spend all of your time with your partner and you shouldn’t spend it all with your project either – taking some time off on a daily basis can help fuel your creativity and drive.

All good relationships also require healthy discussion and it’s the same with your project. Find someone to talk to about what you’re going through, the decisions you have to make and your overall feelings. The great thing is that they don’t even have to be entrepreneurs or even tech-minded, they just have to be willing to listen. Talking through ideas can help you recognize errors, create new ideas and relieve some stress.

Tips To Stay In Control

So, to wrap things up, if you’re starting to feel overwhelmed with work, try to do the following:

1. Take a break! Spend time with your family or just go outside and get some fresh air.
2. Set milestones and reward yourself for completing them.
3. Talk out your issues with someone else – they don’t have to be tech-minded at all!
4. Limit yourself – do not take on more than you can handle at once.
5. BREATHE!! Step back and take another look at your end goals. Realize that success is not immediate!

Working on your project should be an enjoyable process that also happens to produce something fruitful.  Be passionate about your work but be wary of obsessing over it.  In the end, let’s not lose our humanity in the process of finding success.

SEO 101: Search Engine Basics

By Monjurul DoloncloseAuthor: Monjurul Dolon Name: Monjurul Dolon
Email: mdolon@gmail.com
Site: http://www.monfx.com/
About: I'm a recent graduate of UNC-CH, now working as a freelance designer and entrepreneur.See Authors Posts (3)   |   RSS

One of the newest buzzwords in web 2.0 is not so much a word but rather an acronym referring to Search Engine Optimization (S.E.O.). SEO is a relatively new science intent on perfecting the art of making a site appealing to search engines and internet robots. Correctly optimizing a website for search engines can effectively increase both volume and quality of traffic to a site, as well as increase overall value of the brand.

How do search engines work?

The majority of search engines online are crawler-based, meaning they use a script to scour the internet for indexing websites and data they find. This index is what you search through, allowing for faster results and a hierarchical ranking system for these results. There are other search engines, however, that rely on human power or a mix of crawling and human input (such as Mahalo) to produce their index, however you are still searching through a cache of data when you perform an individual search.

Why SEO?

When you search for something on your favorite search engine, a list of results is presented to you. These search engines use complex algorithms and formulas to dictate the order of the results you see, which in turn dictates the content you choose to view, as you are more likely to view results in the first few pages. Google, for example, uses at least 200 signals when ranking pages for each search, and it is exactly this algorithm that SEO experts try to understand. Knowing how this system work can allow you to push your site from the bottom of the list to the top, resulting in more visitors and traffic. Continued⇒

DevGrow – Design, Develop and Grow

By Mark CostacloseAuthor: Mark Costa Name: Mark Costa
Email: mcosta2332@gmail.com
Site: http://www.devgrow.com/
About: I worked as a business consultant for 10 years to technology and science firms including IBM, Nortel and Lab Corp. Working on a new book soon (hopefully).See Authors Posts (1)   |   RSS

Welcome to DevGrow!  We’re a community weblog where you can learn about the design, development and growth of blogs and websites.  We want to become a primary resource for web developers and designers to find tutorials, tips and resources!  This introductory post should serve as primer about what DevGrow is and how it works.

First of all, what do we mean by a “community weblog”?

Well, for starters, anyone can register as a contributor and submit an article.  This not only keeps fresh content coming into the site but also lessens the workload on any one particular person.  Of course, all of the content will be screened by one of the editors prior to being published and there are a few guidelines you must follow.  Don’t worry – it’s not overly complex or intimidating, we just want to make sure only the best content is delivered to our readers.

Why should I submit an article?

Great question!  The are many reasons why you should consider submitting an article, including:

1. Share your expertise and help other people learn something new
2. Get some traffic love with a link to your site on every post you submit
3. Instant fame in the online blogging world
4. Be a part of a new, growing community
5. Build a useful resource for many visitors to come

Without contributions, this site is meaningless.  It is with our group effort that this can become a resource for us to admire and use in the future.

We hope you enjoy the site, please be sure to bookmark us and subscribe to the feed!