Startups For the Rest of Us
Episode 751 | TinySeed Tales s4e2: From Developer to Manager
Jan 23, 2025
Colleen Schnettler, co-founder of Hammerstone and an experienced developer, shares her journey from coding to managing. She discusses the tough pivot to a focused product stack and the development of a new reporting MVP. Colleen opens up about the complexities of transitioning roles, including the challenges of hiring and how it impacts team dynamics. Her insights reveal the struggles and rewards of being a manager, emphasizing the importance of feedback and communication for a thriving business.
30:34
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Quick takeaways
- Focusing on a single product stack allowed Hammerstone to better serve the Rails market, maximizing their chances for success and revenue.
- Colleen's transition to management involved establishing a structured hiring process, reinforcing the necessity of clear expectations and communication within her team.
Deep dives
Focus on Reporting Dashboard Development
Colleen and her co-founder Aaron have decided to build a reporting dashboard into their product, Hammerstone, following feedback from customers who primarily use their drop-in filter builder component for reporting purposes. They discovered that the most significant pain point was not the query building itself, but rather the front-end UI customization, which customers found challenging. By developing the reporting feature, they can provide a more cohesive solution that fits their users' needs, as it allows them to own the UI and create a more straightforward drop-in functional experience. This shift leverages customer insights, ultimately positioning their product more effectively in the market.
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