Posts
I went to my first-ever #LeanCoffeeTO this morning*, and it was, without a doubt, one of the most productive and meaningful startup-related conversations I've ever had the pleasure to be involved in. So, before I get into my thoughts, I should probably thank "The Leadership Team," and especially Mark Reale, who was the catalyst for my finally attending a session.
- Problem interviews to generate assumptions. In these, you learn about a customer**'s existing behaviours and assumptions. The goal is to supplement all of your readings about a market segment and develop a full mental model of your customer.
- Solution interviews to validate assumptions. In these, you discuss your hypotheses (and maybe mockups/early prototypes) of your proposed solution with customers. The goal is initially to figure out what the end looks like, and becomes a process of correcting course as you approach it.
- Market focus. Talk to a bunch of markets: Fortune 500 IT directors, factory floor managers, concert promoters... basically, anyone you can get your hands on. Find a problem one of them would pay you to solve that you believe you can solve. Confirm with some other members of the niche.
- Product focus. Talk to your contacts in the niche, and maybe others like them. Find out what the MVP looks like, so you can start building. In an ideal world, build modularly.
- Market focus. While building, get back into exploring niches. Find out if any of them suffer from the same problem, and if the solution is even more valuable to them. For example, the factory floor managers may be willing to pay $10,000/year for your product, whereas the concert promoters who initially gave you the idea are only worth $5,000/year. You may have to shift your MVP a bit, but the difference in value generation should pay off handsomely.
- What am I wrong about?
- Was this interesting? If so, which of the above points would you like me to expand upon?
- Have you been thinking similar things? If so, what are your thoughts?
- If I write this type of content in the future, should I split it into different posts, or compile them as they are here? (Note: assume the actual content is exactly the same.)
The TL;DR Summary
To paraphrase The Rock: "Know your goals and shut your mouth."
The Pre-Show
Yesterday, I had the pleasure to attend AccelerateMTL. I wasn't a speaker. I wasn't in the running for the CIX Accelerator. I wasn't one of the conference organizers, nor is my company part of their portfolios. I didn't even have a big announcement to share (yet).
Even though I knew a sizable chunk of the folks in the room... I wouldn't be able to get the introductions I wanted, or the follow-up conversations I needed, unless I stood out.
So I did what any entrepreneur with some gumption would do: I wrote down my goals:
- To get at least 2, but preferably all 3, of the keynote speakers to call me over to chat.
- To enhance every attendee's experience at the event (as I wanted to be asked to follow up with most of the organizers)
Thinking about these two goals, I remembered a lesson I learned back when I promoted nightlife events in Montreal: everyone loves a good ego-stroke. (Also known as the "all great parties have a party photographer" rule.)
Then I remembered my 2010 Halloween costume, and how people loved taking photos with me. In fact, the costume is currently hanging on a wall at a friend's office, where people still occasionally pose with/next to it!
The Game-Day
Eureka. Who wouldn't love to take surreal photos with Brad Feld, Dave McClure, and Howard Lindzon? (Answer: very few people.)
Something this weird needs a partner to pull it off. So major thanks go out to David Chouinard, from TEDxConcordia, who was instrumental in pulling this all together. The conference was amazing, and speakers like Tara Hunt and Lenny Rachitsky (among others) are still seeing tons of love. So do yourself a favour: check out TEDxConcordia, and follow the guy.
A bunch of photographers also helped little ol' smartphone-less me. Thanks a ton Jordan, Jonas, Robin, Karam, Lino, and Satish!
The Results
As you saw in the gallery above, we got a ton of great shots. And made people smile!
There were also a bunch of tweets and retweets, extending the experience's reach beyond the venue's walls.
And when it comes down to work?
- After their Q&A sesh (during which we wore the masks in the second row), Dave and Howard called us over to laugh and say hi.
- The conference organizers laughed, let us hang a 2'x4' poster* in the venue, and many invited me to catch them up on what's new on these fronts.
The Lesson
Know your goals and shut your mouth. It's not sexy to speak to a "lowly" attendee. So get sexy, not chatty.
---
*Thanks a thousand for the design, Affan!
The History
- 7AM - 8:30AM // Wake up, shower, leave (bring gym clothes)
- 8:30AM - 9AM // Transit
- 9AM - 10AM // Workout + rinse-down (try kettle-bell swings)
- 10AM - 11AM // Readings for PSY322
- 11AM - 11:15AM // Chat with Doug re: radio opportunity
- 11:15AM - 12:15PM // Answer backlog of emails (notable: SR&ED credits)
- 12:15PM - 12:30PM // Check RSS
- 12:30PM - 1:30PM // Lunch (Ravisoups?)
- 1:30PM - 2PM // Play!
- 2PM - 2:30PM // Write + send Cronyizm email
- 2:30PM - 4PM // Move sales + recruitment prospects forward. If leftover time, do technical research
- 4PM - 5PM // Read "Selling to Big Companies" (book)
- 5PM - 5:30PM // Transit
- 5:30PM - 6:30PM // Lessons in Rosetta Stone (Japanese)
- 6:30PM - 7PM // Play!
- 7PM - 7:15PM // Check RSS
- 7:15PM - 8PM // Read saved articles + watch TED <-- I read articles on transit, and thus am now blogging
- 8PM - 10PM // Drive back to campus for dinner + visiting UC Follies rehearsal
- 10PM - 11:30PM // Carlos' birthday. Leave no later than 11:30.
- 11:30PM - 11:50PM // Drive home
- 11:50PM - 12AM // Wash up
- 12AM - 12:30AM // Chat with friends OR read "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"
- 12:30AM - 7:30AM // Sleep
- Spent 30 more minutes in the gym than all of 2010 combined
- Read (and lightly critiqued) two academic papers
- Did research for (and will soon say howdy to) the student theatre company that helped turn me into who I am
- Took the next step towards getting ~$25K back into my company
- Talked with a friend I didn't know well enough for 90 minutes!
- Maintained Cronyizm
- Improved relations with sales and co-founder prospects (which will hopefully bring in 6-figure contracts and boost morale/productivity)
- Am now 3 lessons into my goal of learning a new language (want to broaden my thinking)
Wow. It's been a while.
- Scheduling's effects on productivity
- Why B2C and B2B just don't fit
- The myth of "LAZOR FOCUS"
- Reminder: out-hustle your competition
- "Why you need to learn to code," or "thinking like your computer"
There's just a little something going down, which is barring me from blogging for at least another week, possibly two more.
Soooo funny story -- last week, Tuesday was a nice full day of work. As was Wednesday. Then, my internet decided to cut out on Thursday, which meant that roughly half of it was spent on the phone with Videotron, the other half spent doing non-internet-based stuff (which had a pretty limited queue). Friday was the same. But frankly, by the end of Thursday, with little progress having been made anywhere (the internet was still down), I was pretty demoralized, which probably lent to the do-little of Friday.
- Build for experiences -- especially *shared* experiences -- not just consumption.
- Let your fans grow on.
- No one should ever want to sleep with me.
- For the love of God, NEVER AGAIN set so much travel time so close together.
- It's okay to be down. It's okay to regret. If it's too deep, don't try to power through... get back to your rootsl
- Apparently, I have more in me when I'm tired then I realize. Who'd'a thunk it.
- Deal with the administrative stuff -- mainly the interview and the bank.
- Hiring! Chat with S, then make a gut decision on whether or not to post the job anyway (we're looking for a technical "cofounder"... experience is neato, a clear passion for music and a fun-but-reflective outlook on life is a must, and you can live wherever, though Montreal/Toronto/NYC is best).
- Get this proposal out the door, and hopefully that one-pager too.
- Respond to the comments on GetSatisfaction.
- Follow up with AK about the questions I had on his recent estimate.
Okay, that was a bust. The weekend was filled with helping my parents prep for their move, and Monday was spent doing a bit of work, napping off some of the sleep debt that remained from SF/Toronto, and packing for Vancouver. Then, thrust into conference-time I was!
- Preparing more stuff for my impending move. (2 hours, maximum)
- Finalizing my presentation for this weekend's Bitnorth thingie (I'm presenting for 5 minutes on Music & Community!)
- Responding to the remaining couple of things in my inboxes (both email and short/medium task inboxes)
Hoooooooo Lee.
- July 12-17: Montreal, Just For Laughs
- Took Robin Ahn to see John Leguizamo. 'Twas a splendid affair!
- Went with three friends -- one of whom recently left to Zambia for a worthy cause and is blogging about it here -- to see Noel Fielding, then to the Hyatt.
- Organized an event for Montreal's under-30 entrepreneurs. We had an awesome time and a nice turnout at Kenny vs. Spenny, then at Benelux, then at the Hyatt. And I was super-humbled at a special entrepreneurial celebrity's guest appearance!
- Took Jeff Talajic to "A Late Afternoon With Kevin Smith." And afterward, he taught me a bit about harnessing the power of Google Analytics! Woot.
- Went with my brother to see Steve Martin. We even got to meet him!
- July 18-24: NYC, New Music Seminar
- Thanks go to the amazing David Chaitt -- and his awesome roommates -- for hosting me :)
- Hung out a bunch with Dave and Landon, particularly at the New Music Seminar
- Got to chat -- for nearly 2 hours! -- with the infamous Nikke Slight
- Met with some of the lovely folks at Indaba about how we can work together and use our respective takes on online collaboration to enhance the current ecosystem.
- After a meeting was postponed, I managed to spend a full day working! Imagine that.
- Saw some awesome bands, and missed out on a Brooklyn Bowl experience because the wait was ridiculous.
- Caught up with Arkadiy! It had been ages.
- July 25-27: Montreal
- July 28-Aug 2: Toronto, meetings + fun
- Thank you, Zac, for letting me sleep on your couch yet again. Your parents are slowly becoming mine :)
- Met with an awesome label rep about using YouPhonics for an artists' upcoming album -- note to self, need to follow up!
- Met with some peeps about SR&ED credit applications. 'Cuz apparently what I've been doing is applicable to get 42% of my development costs back from the government! Imagine that...
- Met Oleg Kostour and spent pretty much the entire day with him -- including a meeting with Jeff Anders -- because he's an awesome, awesome guy. No joke -- we planned a lunch at noon, and only ended up splitting around 10PM.
- Chatted with Alkarim and Logan (two of the folks at BNOTIONS, my developers) about a couple of enhancements YouPhonics needs before we blow the doors wide open.
- Saw off two friends -- independently -- who were leaving to England shortly (in fact, one has already).
- Spent an entire day with only three people, in ~4 hour increments each. The breadth and depth of the conversations was fantastic, so thanks Zac, Caitlin, and Frieda!
- Had a call with Tom Silverman about using YouPhonics with some artists' promotions -- note to self, need to follow up!
- Met up with Gabriel Nijmeh for drinks... which was supposed to be 2 hours, but ended up being 4 (in a very good way).
- Aug 3-10: San Francisco, meetings + fun
- MUCHOS gracias to Andrey (and Tracy) for putting me up (and putting up with me) while I was around! They move me.
- Virgin America (and Klout) gave me a free trip! So I went with a group of 10 others (who also had the trip), and met up with 4 other Toronto-ites down there. #ryanginger for life.
- Met with James from Atomic PR about PR, music, and where YouPhonics needs to be in order to make use of his company's services. Within the first 3 minutes, it was clear that Atomic -- and James in particular -- are great people.
- Went to the KloutUp and met the amazingnesses that are Megan Berry and Gregarious Narain (among many other awesome folks).
- Had hilarious post-KloutUp shenanigans with Satish, Verne, Jon, Jo, and Ben.
- Missed a chance to meet Debbie Landa -- note to self: need to send her an apology note, now that I have freedom to think -- because deadline'd work had piled up.
- Went to see Phish with 7 of the guys.
- Random road trip to Santa Cruz with Alkarim, Mark, and Guy. AMAZING.
- Spent a day recuperating and working. Huzzah!
- Asked a couple of questions re: a job I may soon be interviewing for (don't worry, it's very relevant to YouPhonics, and they won't be angry if I spend my spare time working on my baby).
- Was interviewed for Hwanho's Masters thesis on Social Media + Music. 'Twas amazing.
- Got to chat with Andrew Chen and David Hornik about their histories, what they're up to now (and/or what's exciting them these days), and what I'm up to. I felt stupid for not having anything really to ask of them, but I just wanted to meet them and hopefully start a friendly relationship. Plus, why spend favours while growth and progress are more or less on track?
- Aug 11-13: Toronto, meetings + fun
- Caught up on email on the flight back! HUZZAH!
- Met Noah Godfrey for an hour-long chat. Him and Jeff Anders give me such faith in the Canadian web-entrepreneurial scene. They also set the bar nice and high for what success should look like. #mushyfeelings
- Had a call with the always-splendid Mark Macleod -- note to self: I have a question to ask him that I forgot to pop yesterday. Email! -- about where I'm at with YouPhonics, and where him and the gang are at with Real Ventures.
- Mike Krass interviewed me for his Anti-Resume Blog! Two pieces were recorded, and one's already up at Mike Krass Dot Com. Check it! (There may even be a third one on the way...)
- Caught up with my old roommate and Zac over lunch before rushing to the train station to get home!
- Aug 13: Montreal, back to work
- Well, not tonight. Going to chat with my brother for a bit, then head out to see my friends (many of whom just returned from Europe!) and spend time with Rebecca, ze birthday girl.
- Work on Monday, Vancouver on Tuesday!
Are you a Montreal-based entrepreneur?
Are you under 30?
Are you a fan of TED, Foocamp, and/or Ignite (and a little added dash of Fight Club)?
---
If you answered yes to all of the above, YouPhonics and Startupifier have got something for you.
In the wake of our recent 30 Under 30 event, where we took a group out to a Just For Laughs show and a nightcap... and raised $300. Which is exactly enough money to send one awesome person to Bitnorth.
---
How to enter: Answer this question -- "What can Bitnorth do for you, and/or how can you give Bitnorth back to the community?" -- in a...
- Comment on this blog post
- Tweet to @startupifier
- Comment on Startupifier's post on Facebook
Deadline: Friday, July 30, 5PM Eastern
---
The winner will be decided on Friday, July 30 by a panel consisting of myself, Riku, and Alistair. We may take an extra day or two before we announce the winner, though...
Huzzah! Can't wait to hear from y'alls :)
Ye olde homework:
- Continue with strategy-planning -- I should have, at the very least, my recruitment processes and next steps, a dream-list of advisors and how to reach them, and an easy-to-implement marketing idea or two.
- Start preparing the tutorial video we'll be recording -- script it out so the flow is right, and rehearse it.
- DONE with the strategy work. I have printouts of the next three months covered with Post-It notes. I know what I should be doing, on a 30,000 foot and 50,000 foot level, for the next three months. It feels awesome.
- I've started planning Phase 2. Phase 0 (late-August 2009 to December 2009) could be dubbed "Assembling the Allies." Phase 1 (January 2010 to end-of-July 2010) would be "Birthing the Baby." Phase 2, which will be starting in mid-August (it needs a bit of setup before actual progress) will be all about "Crossing the Chasm" (thanks, Ian!).
- I'm going to be home for a maximum of 10 days in August. Fuuuuuuuck. Throwing myself into a bloody cage match against my travel habits. I'd better come out victorious.
- After one of my two last investment-talks today, I've finally started to draw up a list of common issues with my business, my philosophies, my business model, and my ask. Here are a few of them, in paragraph form:
- People will always critique. Triangulate the advice between multiple sources, and see how it fits with you.
- Sitting back and looking at the high-level stuff is so satisfying after months of near-gruntwork.
- I'm tired of writing and need to leave my house!
- Email the remaining SF people (see Post-It) and NYC people (also see Post-It, plus Jay Frank) about possibly meeting up when I'm in town.
- Invite friends! They've been neglected for too long.
- Start scripting the video.
- Start wireframing the partnered implementation we've started discussing...
Ye olde homework:
- Continue sending invites: first to the three potential partners, then to friends.
- Play along with Andrew and/or Max and/or someone else (at least one, the rest on the weekend!).
- Get the grant stuff together.
- Grow YouPhonics as a platform, by getting people to come play along with us.
- Recruit some awesome talent.
- Test for broken user flows, and design their fixes.
- Woo some awesome advisors.
- Seek inspiration in others.
- Take a breath.
- Don't forget to exhale.
- Repeat.
- Continue with strategy-planning -- I should have, at the very least, my recruitment processes and next steps, a dream-list of advisors and how to reach them, and an easy-to-implement marketing idea or two.
- Start preparing the tutorial video we'll be recording -- script it out so the flow is right, and rehearse it.
Ye olde homework:
- Push out more invites -- not necessarily all of them, as it's a holiday and I'm finally devoting time to see a Montreal friend or two (haven't seen anyone beyond work capacity or family in over 2 weeks).
- Finish 80% of the press kit.
- Two lengthy meetings, one directly business-related, one indirectly so
- Sending out craploads of invites (and I still have a ton left to send!)
- Starting to actually track the day-by-day growth of YouPhonics (can't believe I nearly forgot about this)
- Reclaiming my life outside of YouPhonics
- My grandfather's unveiling
- A one-year anniversary of my grandfather's passing memorial with my brother
- Doing an in-depth check-out of the competition
- Putting together the best press kit ever (YP Insiders, get ready to see it and benefit from my research! Assume the email's coming later this week or early next.)
- Completely retooling my pitch deck
- Offering to help a girl who seems awesome based on an article I read about her
- I woke up today to find 30 new emails in my work inbox. By the time that registered for me -- 30 new non-spam emails overnight! -- it had grown to 50.
- This was because Brad McCarty (an awesome dude I've never met) of TNW (an awesome blog I found last week and immediately jumped into my must-reads) wrote this awesome piece about YouPhonics.
- The post has been tweeted 81 times, according to Tweetmeme.
- It generated at least 10 more tweets I'm aware of -- including this one from China.
- There was even a small discussion going in the comments.
- I was interviewed for another blog post -- again, with one of the blogs I actually read regularly.
- Friends (and parents) were immensely supportive -- I even got a message from an old, childhood friend I haven't seen in years.
- I got to eat a homemade lunch with my Mother and Brother, since I was working from home.
- I got to play with my dogs for 20 minutes.
- Virgin America and Klout gave me a free trip to San Francisco on Virgin (the whole #VXToronto thing). Going for a week in August with my developers and others!
- We finally got to announce the local 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30 event I've been planning.
- Two meetings were confirmed with people I've been really hoping to sit down with.
- I'm about to go spend the night with friends, only to continue sending out invitations (and applying for a government grant) tomorrow!
- Awesomeness begets awesomeness.
- I was a much better writer than I gave myself credit for.
- The emails... they just don't stop!
Ye olde homework:
- Deal with what remains of today's email.
- Do all ASAP actions from the Marketing Plan (includes 39 emails, plus-plus!).
- Start working on Canadian Media Fund funding application.
- Make changes to Pitch Deck so's I'm ready for Wednesday's meeting!
- More than 150 invitations to YouPhonics were sent out -- if you want one, sign up here: http://youphonics.com
- Got a quick write-up on Indie Music Tech.
- Fielded two requests for invitations from journalists.
- Userbase is growing nice and quickly, especially since the invitations were only sent at night!
- Lemons can -- and must if at all possible -- be turned into lemonade.
- Being friendly and genuine makes it much easier to be talked about.
- Emailing out invite codes "the old school way" (ie: one at a time) is fun and (arguably) meaningful, though it takes a loooooooong time.
- Push out more invites -- not necessarily all of them, as it's a holiday and I'm finally devoting time to see a Montreal friend or two (haven't seen anyone beyond work capacity or family in over 2 weeks).
- Finish 80% of the press kit.
Today was a waste. Kept being pulled away (or, worse, interrupted) by one semi-critical thing, and several non-critical ones. I need to say no more often.
Today's homework:
- Look into Canadian Media Fund.
- Apply to the two things I needed to apply for.
- Write the marketing plan (finally!).
- Deal with invite codes.
- Chat with BNOTIONS about the remainder of this project.
- Go listen to The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends."
- Go read Law 18 in Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power.
- Marketing plans can take a while. But they're so necessary before you take action.
- Reading is nice.
- I love my team!
- Deal with what remains of today's email.
- Do all ASAP actions from the Marketing Plan (includes 39 emails, plus-plus!).
- Start working on Canadian Media Fund funding application.
- Make changes to Pitch Deck so's I'm ready for Wednesday's meeting!
Ye olde homework:
- Process all of my emails.
- Follow up on fundraising pieces.
- Deal with party logistics (sound, schedule, beer)
- Review Survey results, compile a couple of neat facts.
- Prepare Launch Marketing Plan (Wednesday through Wednesday).
- Come up with a few potential sound bites for the panel.
- Deal with Finance stuffs.
After 3 hours of sleep, I drag myself out of bed to get to the bus station. Alex meets me there. I was told that there was WiFi, so I was ready to work for 5-6 of the 7 hours of the ride. Unfortunately, there's no power outlets. Looks like BoltBus had me spoiled. I manage to get 2 hours or so out of my computer before I need to shut it down. I spend the rest of the ride responding to email on the iPod Touch, watching TWiVC, listening to Colin Marshall's Marketplace of Ideas, and even manage to squeeze in a 30-minute nap. We arrive in Toronto, register the conference, and I run over to the BNOTIONS office to buy the entire Dev-team dinner and spend the rest of the night helping troubleshoot/test YouPhonics, dealing with party logistics, and taking a quick look at the survey results. I finally get back to Zac's place around 3AM, proceed to look at/segment/jot down survey results for another 2 hours, and finally go to sleep at 5AM.
Up at 8AM. Down again for 30 minutes. Up for reals at 8:30.I look at the sheer amount of stuff to do -- party prep (dealing with the beer situation, talking with The Biz Media about venue needs, etc.), a bit more analysis, and sound bites to generate. I stay "home" for another 2 hours to work instead of rushing to the conference. Zac wakes up and we head downtown together. I get my hair cut. A quick walk over to the conference center from the hairdresser leads me to meet Josh and Justin (two of my co-panelists) in the lobby. It's lunchtime. AKA burrito-salad-time.After lunch, I manage to catch 1/2 of Scott Belsky (Behance)'s presentation on the agency-world. It was pretty great, all about leading and inspiring creativity. Him and Jeffrey Tambor should team up and do corporate speaking-gigs. Nobody I knew was speaking next, so I grabbed the rest of the afternoon to do party-prep, a bit of testing, think of sound bites, and hopefully start on launch-marketing-plan. That last one didn't happen, as YouPhonics started breaking. Not good. I head to the cocktail party, where I actually have a second to talk with Shawn Pucknell (in charge of NXNEi and runs FITC) and Tara Hunt (who I keep missing in Montreal), meet Perry Chen (from Kickstarter, who is several kinds of awesome) and Ze Frank, and chat with friends new (Michael Nus, Frida) and old (Melissa Feeney, Lee Dale, etc.) At 8PM sharp, I run to my favourite teashop (DAVIDsTEA, on Queen), run into some old friends there, and proceed to work (mostly "Holy shit! Bug just popped up!") until after Bonita cleaned up and was ready to lock up. Which then led me to campus to meet with Zac, where I couldn't get on WiFi and thus spent the time reading. After his reading group let out, we headed over to the Golden Griddle, where I hopped back on WiFi and trouble-shooted with some of the BNOTIONS crew. Finally, around 2AM, we left the Golden Griddle, as I was fading. Zac and I had a big chat about what I'm up to, and some of the things I wanted to communicate in my panel. I was stressed, as the biggest, most magical feature of YouPhonics had broken, and I was set to demo in front of people the next day. I finally passed out around 5AM.
The big one.Wake up ~8AM. Psyche myself up. Send some emails. Pick up cupcakes. Confirm delivery with Steam Whistle, and how many people we'd be able to bring across the street for burritos if people wanted to continue the confersation. Panel prep. 11AM. Send out the email to launch party attendees I had written the night before. Reviewing the notes I jotted down as to what I want to say. Show YouPhonics to panelmates.12PM: Showtime. I'm on stage, talking. We get the audience asking questions from the beginning. My ears are on the panel, my eyes are on the audience, my hands are on my phone, waiting for it to buzz with a text message from my developers that says that they've tested the biggest bugs and are confident that the fixes worked. 12:33PM: The text message arrives. I give myself the green-light to demo the product if an appropriate question/moment in the conversation shows up. When the time comes, we get everybody singing along to my favourite track from my buddy Landon Braverman's EP.
1PM: It's over. Time for burritos. Then meeting prep. Then a meeting at 3PM with an awesome lady from EMI Music Publishing, who is super-interested in what us kids are working on to help redefine the music industry -- a topic I love to talk about. In 30 minutes, we managed to validate some hypotheses, make some new ones, and have a splendid time. 4PM: Off to set up the party. Beer has been delivered, but we still need to buy ice and some meats to get the BBQ going. With help from the awesome Biz Media and BNOTIONS crews (and Rochelle Latinsky and Alex Daskalov), everything comes together. 6:45PM: People are arriving. The keg isn't set up yet. Shit.7PM: The party starts. I have the schedule in my pocket, and ala
rms set for 3 minutes before all of my remaining actions for the night. Autopilot. 11PM: The Groin Twins need to switch USB sound cards, which means killing the music. Not wanting to have a silent room for 5 minutes, I buy them three-and-a-half by rapping the entirety of Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady," acapella. It was glorious.
11:40PM: Clean-up. Walking Maria to the Go Bus station, so's she can get home. Cabbing back to 7 West, where Logan, Alex, and Guy are grabbing late-night eats. Cab home. Asleep by 4:30AM.
Wake up at 12PM. Day off. Spend my time slowly taking care of the few things that needed to be taken care of (returning the mics, coordinating keg pickup, etc.). Manage to catch The Besnard Lakes and Best Coast with my buddy Glen (from AWMusic.ca). Loved the former, liked the latter. Also had some sweet chats with Lina Beaudin, and Drew and Hil from Pop Montreal.
Had a meeting with an awesome VC, and got some amazing feedback which I plan on incorporating into my meeting this Wednesday. Hung out at Patio Friday with some awesome folks. Went to pick up my external hard drive, which had been sitting at the BNOTIONS office since Monday. On my way, was invited to join a few of them on an impromptu trip to Niagara Falls. Not being one to pass up an adventure, I went.
We like pizza in the morning. 'Nuff said.
- Be more ruthless with the cutting of non-essential tasks -- I should not have accepted to make that page for my father; I should have referred him to someone else.
- Start delegating not-me-specific tasks.
- There is nothing more exhilarating than the thrill of your idea -- or better yet, product -- resonating with folks.
- Understanding the outcome you're shooting for is always the #1 priority.
- Adrenaline can keep you running for three days.
- Look into Canadian Media Fund.
- Apply to the two things I needed to apply for.
- Write the marketing plan (finally!).
- Deal with invite codes.
- Chat with BNOTIONS about the remainder of this project.
- Revise the Privacy Policy & TOC.
- Pick out the Billboards to bring with me to Toronto, which likely means flipping through most of 'em.
- If I can, take some preliminary looks at the Survey Data.
- Family rules.
- Reading rules.
- Well defined processes rule.
- Process all of my emails.
- Follow up on fundraising pieces.
- Deal with party logistics (sound, schedule, beer)
- Review Survey results, compile a couple of neat facts.
- Prepare Launch Marketing Plan (Wednesday through Wednesday).
- Come up with a few potential sound bites for the panel.
- Deal with Finance stuffs.
Weekend/Monday's homework:
- Code that stuff for Dad.
- Push the red button on the Fundraising Blitz!
- Revise the Privacy Policy & TOS.
- If I eat lunch alone, read Billboard
- Randomly select an entry in the Music Purchasing Survey to win a prize.
- Preliminary review of the Music Purchasing Survey results.
- Invite the two people I promised super-ultra-early sneak peeks because they're awesome -- then get feedback.
- Draft marketing plan for the YouPhonics beta launch -- my mind will be scattered for NXNE, but the launch can't be!
- My business account for YouPhonics was finally opened. So I can finally start tracking the books outside of a sub-chequing account.
- Major progress was made on finishing tweaks for YouPhonics.
- Managed to help an old friend brainstorm over lunch. Which was super-cool.
- Entered Hugh MacLeod's contest for a free cube grenade. I hope YouPhonics' business-cause wins!
- Prepared a bit more for the YouPhonics Launch Party Celebration Festival Deluxe! We now have over 100 RSVPs, which I needed to cap because if the rest of the VIP tickets sell out... well, we'll be a full house.
- Started preparing for a big young-entrepreneurs event I'll soon be organizing in Montreal.
- Read a lot in my away-from-the-laptop time. This whole iPod Touch + Instapaper thing is GENIUS.
- Web design/development isn't my forte, and my gauge isn't amazingly developed.
- The iPod Touch is magical, and I should have bought one years ago.
- Being open and honest is a part of me. I should probably reflect some more to make sure I can mediate any negative effects as well as I should be able to!
- Revise the Privacy Policy & TOC.
- Pick out the Billboards to bring with me to Toronto, which likely means flipping through most of 'em.
- If I can, take some preliminary looks at the Survey Data.
Yes, I know this isn't par for the course. But I think this campaign/contest Messr. Macleod is running would a) be relevant for a number of you readers, and b) be an awesome thing to "win." So here's my under-500-word submission:
The web has made it easier than ever for artists anywhere to collaborate as they start a movement.The Cluetrain Manifesto, arguably the first major movement sparked online, was apparently built from email. Since then, applications have been built to help thinkers and artists anywhere build and spread their message: forums, instant messaging, blogs (both personal and group ones), Google Docs...This revolution, however, has been mostly limited to the written word. Admittedly, awesome services like Scripped exist for filmmakers, though it's still limited to the scriptwriting portion. ***In high school, I wasn't much of a writer. I played music. More specifically, I played drums in a punk rock band.Then, one day I got the news that my #1 (in fact, only) choice of college accepted me. And they were out of town. I moved in September 2006. Since then, I haven't been behind a drum set for more than 10 minutes at a time.I had been playing drums for 14 years. And the difficulties of distance were then insurmountable. ***Well, the difficulties are still there. There's no Google Docs for music... well, nothing that prioritizes creativity over finished products.That's my cause, Hugh: making it easy for musicians to hop online and be creative together. And our doors start opening on June 16, over at http://youphonics.com .
Yesterday's homework:
- Draft (and possibly send) Step 1 of the Fundraising Blitz!
- Deal with any NXNE/launch party stuff that comes up.
- Skim two old Billboards, flagging relevant articles for follow-up.
- Take an hour of me-time. This time, meditation and a quick workout in my room?
- Revise copy for the Privacy Policy & TOS!
- Serendipity rocks.
- Charitable organizations really like it when events donate money to them.
- Launch parties are fun! But can be complicated.
- Code that stuff for Dad.
- Push the red button on the Fundraising Blitz!
- Revise the Privacy Policy & TOS.
- If I eat lunch alone, read Billboard
- Randomly select an entry in the Music Purchasing Survey to win a prize.
- Preliminary review of the Music Purchasing Survey results.
- Invite the two people I promised super-ultra-early sneak peeks because they're awesome -- then get feedback.
- Draft marketing plan for the YouPhonics beta launch -- my mind will be scattered for NXNE, but the launch can't be!
Profile
Summary
When not working on Youphonics (ha!), I spend my time consuming any knowledge I can find, writing about my experiences, snowboarding, and trying my hand at whatever interests me.
For example, the Montreal event promotion group I co-founded quickly became the resident promoters for the club night voted "Best Weekly" in the Montreal Mirror's Best of 2008 poll. After slowly phasing myself out (due to living in a different city), the group has gone on to win that category in the Best of 2009 as well.
The musical theatre company I joined as Producer -- before even knowing what a Producer does -- was in the red before I came on board; I brought them into the black, and was voted in for a second term.
The entertainment world is changing (ain't it always?)... this time, I'm ready for it and tackling this wave head-on.
Are you looking forward to what's coming? I sure am.
Experience
- 2011 - PresentCo-Founder, CEO / Winston, Inc.
- Sept 2009 - Jan 2011Founder / YouPhonicsYouphonics makes it easy for musicians to write together, regardless of where they are... or when they can sit down to write.
Off to a slow start in September 2009, management, design, and development have all been confirmed, hired, and are plugging along at full speed. as of January 2009.
Keep your eye on the space, and message me if you want access to the private alpha! - 2007 - Sept 2009Lead Producer / UC FolliesJoining on a whim, I quickly found myself overseeing the Follies' 2007 production of Cabaret. I worked with and coordinated teams to handle the show's publicity, backstage personnel, and fundraising efforts.
After I helped bring the company back into the black from a nearly $3000 debt (about 10% of our operating budget), I decided to stay on, and was voted in for another year. Get ready for Urinetown! - Jun 2008 - Jan 2009Partner / HGHLY TGGBLWhat started as a hobby quickly became a job. I spent the summer of 2008 working on DJ nights and club parties in Montreal. By the end of August, my partners and I were asked to become the resident promoters for The Fix at Coda, the recurring night voted "Best Weekly" in the Montreal Mirror's Best of 2008 poll.
While most of our efforts are focused on continuing The Fix's tradition of excellence, we also spend time working on other events in Montreal, and are starting to branch out into Toronto. - Sept 2006 - Aug 2007Office Assistant / D-CODESure, the title isn't glamorous, but the work was fun.
People can get hostile when their favourite pen seems to have been stolen by the guy or girl at the next desk over. With that in mind, I helped maintain a healthy office environment, with enough pens, paper clips, and other supplies to go around.
On top of that, I worked on a number of projects (local, national, and international) that studied topics ranging from youth media usage to marketing campaigns' effectiveness.
I won't tell you what I found (it's fairly top secret), but I might be able to help you find out what you need to know... - Jun 2006 - Jul 2006Programming Assistant / Just For LaughsAfter three (underage) years in the back of one of the only all-ages venues, I was finally unleashed to the rest of the Fest.
Over the course of six weeks, I helped coordinate much of the Festival's indoor (and some outdoor) programming. I also got the opportunity to sign acts for two shows with confidential line-ups.
Meanwhile, I think my coup de grâce at the Festival lay in preparing welcome packages for artists. Normally a long and tedious job (easily 30+ hours), I spent 15 hours or so writing a macro to do it for me (and for others in coming years). - 2003 - 2005Gala Host PA / Just For LaughsSince they couldn't legally let me into most of the clubs where the shows were happening, I was relegated for three summers to the backstage of the St. Denis theatre.
While there, I ensured that all gala performers (though particularly the high profile hosts, like Tina Fey, Tim Allen, and Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood) were treated well backstage.
Education
-
2006 - 2011University of Toronto - University CollegeBachelor of Arts & Science in Psychology, Cinema StudiesActivities: University College Literary & Athletics Society, UC Follies (theatre), Cody House, Orientation Week
- Akiva
- Dawson College
- St. George's
Additional Information
Updates
-
@drowning_in Scott StaphInfection
-
@photojunkie @oytamarind Did anyone have to do Bob Dylan's Rainy Day Women?
-
@drowning_in Girl, you took me higher. To a place where blind men see. #shotgunkaraoke
-
@CapnAllegra it's funny cuz I'm Jewish. #shotgunkaraoke
-
@oytamarind has aides. #mockbrad
-
@seanward I don't know him. But sounds awesome. :)
-
@seanward Nice! Who from E&Y?
-
I insist you fund my friend @colinmarshall's Kickstarter. Launched today, so close to the goal! Get in early. http://t.co/D616sR2p
-
@Affan Ask me for donut hole?
-
@Affan Don't ass a beehole.
-
True story RT @CapnAllegra: @anulman @Affan I once pretended my name was Affan so that I could accompany Aidan on an AGO date.
-
@Affan Holy crap. You're sort of right...
-
@FanHelena Thanks, Helena! And we still need to hang out...
-
@chris_long There's also my favourite website EVER, whorepresents.com
-
Do you know how to host Quickbooks documents on a network server? If so, please help us! #Quickbooks support doesn't know what that means.
-
Just saw the hastag #foundersexchange for the first time. I'm sorry I read it that way...
-
@rayluk Right around the corner! I'm so there.
-
Huge congrats to @kunalfrompolar @marlonrodrigues @taraarobertson @mjrusso and the rest of @polarmobile on the huge MediaEverywhere news!
Recent tracks
-
Casino Boogie by The Rolling Stones3 weeks ago
-
Shake Your Hips by The Rolling Stones3 weeks ago
-
Rip This Joint by The Rolling Stones3 weeks ago
-
Rocks Off by The Rolling Stones3 weeks ago
-
Sympathy For The Devil by The Rolling Stones3 weeks ago
-
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 by Bob Dylan4 weeks ago
-
Immigraniada (Bassnectar Remix) by Gogol Bordello4 weeks ago
-
Plugged In (Bassnectar Remix) by Rollz4 weeks ago
-
Upside Down by Bassnectar4 weeks ago
-
Black Walnut by Antlers4 weeks ago
Top artists
Top tracks
-
3 plays
-
2 plays
-
2 plays
-
2 plays
-
2 plays
-
2 plays
-
2 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
Blue Spark by X1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
Come Back To Me by X1 plays
-
Because I Do by X1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
The Hungry Wolf by X1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
The Have Nots by X1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays
-
Foundation by M.O.P.1 plays
-
1 plays
-
1 plays