Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

This episode starts a new discussion with Bryan Clayton of Your Green Pal about how he built a business and defining product features for his application. Bryan has a highly educational story about starting a new business. It continues with his approach to push that business to success. He has taken a thorough approach to building his organization and the related community that forms the foundation for Your Green Pal. A Methodical Approach To Defining Product Features There are a lot of stories out there about success and building software. However, I don't think anyone can argue with the way Bryan went about defining product features. He extended that thorough research to set up processes and procedures that addressed challenges throughout the company's growth. We start with how he launched the company and then delve into how he grew it. About Bryan Bryan Clayton is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He has built a successful career through hard work, perseverance, and innovation. He is the co-founder and CEO of GreenPal, an online platform that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. Under Bryan's leadership, GreenPal has grown into a multi-million dollar company with over 200,000 active users. Furthermore, it has been featured in publications like Forbes, Inc. and Entrepreneur. Before starting GreenPal, Bryan founded Peachtree Inc., a landscaping company he grew to become one of the largest in Tennessee, with over $10 million in annual revenue. LUSA Holdings, a national company, eventually acquired Peachtree. Bryan has also been recognized for his leadership and entrepreneurial spirit. That has come from organizations like the Nashville Business Journal, which named him one of its "40 under 40" honorees. Bryan's entrepreneurial journey is a testament to the power of hard work, determination, and a willingness to take risks. He is passionate about helping others succeed and continually seeks ways to give back to his community. Learn More at: https://www.yourgreenpal.com/ If you're a homeowner or property manager looking for reliable and affordable lawn care services, then you need to check out GreenPal. With just a few clicks, you can easily find and book lawn care professionals in your area who have been vetted and approved by GreenPal. Plus, with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can rest assured that you'll get top-notch service every time. So, whether you're looking for weekly lawn mowing, seasonal yard clean-up, or even tree trimming, GreenPal has got you covered. Head to their website now to learn more and start booking your lawn care services today. Your lawn will thank you for it!

We continued our discussion with Mark Bolton about Generation Z and how they require a new approach to marketing and product development. This newest generation expects a different kind of product and service. They have always had digital products and services make up part of their life and they are comfortable using them. They are quick to adopt and also quick to move on to the next product. A New Generation, A New Approach While much is made about the new generations that are digital natives, there are commonalities as well. These are not aliens that have landed on our planet. Generation Z requires a new approach because they have settled into the digital world and are comfortable there. We will not "wow" them with a product that is only differentiated by being digital. On the contrary, we might bore them by not providing such an option. They think digital first, and we need to do so also. About Mark Mark is the best-selling author of ‘The Gen Z Money Manual: Mastering Our New Economy’ (https://a.co/d/7Ap6M51 ). He is a recognized expert on Gen Z and a 30-year veteran of the banking and consulting industries, having held senior positions at PWC, Accenture, Capgemini, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Barclays, Wells Fargo, and others. Mark’s book covers Credit Card Debt, Student and Education Finance, Side Hustles, Cost of Living, Credit Score, Investing, Scams, Taxes, Values, Goals, and Life Planning Techniques. He provides content for Gen Z parents, guardians, counselors, and teachers. His services include books, tools, templates, and coaching to support the Gen Z journey from teen to adult. He does this while minimizing the risk of financial missteps. Business and consultancy - Mark provides Gen Z deep insights and original research that offer business leaders actionable insights to adapt to this enormous wave of new consumers and employees. Learn More From Mark: https://mark-bolton.com Splash page sign-up to get access to the book and other products earlier and at promotional prices.

What gets measured gets managed is a way to look at how we need to use metrics for productivity gains to become a reality. We can go by our feelings or other squishy methods. However, those are easily led astray. We need a stable way to measure how we are doing when compared to how we were doing last week or last year. That is where metrics and measuring become invaluable. Find Your Metrics For Productivity Measuring However, this is one of those areas where it is easier said than done. Metrics make sense and can easily be argued. What those metrics are can often be elusive. It is a challenge to provide a black-and-white way to discuss our productivity. Time is an excellent measure of productivity. On the other hand, that can be a deceiving measure. We need to take into account busy versus productive when using time as a measure. Goals And Milestones The most reliable way to gather metrics for productivity measuring is to look at time spent and elapsed along with goals and milestones. These give us a baseline of velocity and progress. Those milestones can also be flexible and consider changing goals and priorities. Our lives are too complicated to set our path and measure only the initial milestones. Life gets in the way, and new milestones that need to be addressed pop up. It is not easy, but spending that time defining what we are working on and tracking progress is worth it. It provides a combination approach that measures what we get done and points to what distracts us. Useful Interviews Our topics in the past have included metrics, measuring, and how to improve in many ways. Here are some links to refresh your memory. Measuring Your Way To Improvement Set A Pace - Maximizing Your Productivity Key Performance Indicators

We shift gears and start a discussion with Mark Bolton about Gen Z traits and how this generation is changing and will continue to change the landscape. His focus is on the financial aspects of Generation Z and how they see things differently from prior generations. The different perspectives will impact our workplace and the business climate as we see a shift in how products will be marketed to these newcomers. The Good And The Bad of Gen Z Traits Everyone likes to judge the Gen Z traits as good or bad. However, they are just different. This generation has a different set of strengths and weaknesses from recent others. They are digital natives and very comfortable in that world. Likewise, they accept change faster than prior generations. That impacts brand loyalty and general expectations. It is a generation that expects quality and is quick to dismiss bugs and flaws in its products and services. It gives us less room for error and calls us to deliver better quality. About Mark Mark is the best-selling author of ‘The Gen Z Money Manual: Mastering Our New Economy’ (https://a.co/d/7Ap6M51 ). He is a recognized expert on Gen Z and a 30-year veteran of the banking and consulting industries, having held senior positions at PWC, Accenture, Capgemini, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Barclays, Wells Fargo, and others. Mark’s book covers Credit Card Debt, Student and Education Finance, Side Hustles, Cost of Living, Credit Score, Investing, Scams, Taxes, Values, Goals, and Life Planning Techniques. He provides content for Gen Z parents, guardians, counselors, and teachers. He also provides books, tools, templates, and coaching to support the Gen Z journey from teen to adult. He does this while minimizing the risk of financial missteps. Business and consultancy - Mark provides Gen Z deep insights and original research that offer business leaders actionable insights to adapt to this enormous wave of new consumers and employees. Learn More From Mark: https://mark-bolton.com Splash page sign-up to get access to the book and other products earlier and at promotional prices.

One of the recurring themes from our discussions is a need to plan to get things done. We do not become successful by accident. Instead, we need to have a plan and find ways to execute that plan regularly. Often, that means daily progress and attention to our goals. When we keep our objectives in our focus we will advance towards them. On the other hand, a lack of focus often makes it almost impossible to get things done. A Plan To Get Things Done Adds Accountability We can set goals all day and still fall short. Our plan to get things done has more weight when we add accountability. It is one thing to make a nice list of things to do and another thing to refer back to that list and mark progress. It is that follow-through that often separates good planners from those who feel it is a waste of time. A Plan And A Roadmap A successful journey often has tactical and strategic pieces to the solution. Likewise, we need to plan to get things done at a tactical level through daily tasks. However, we also need to keep the big picture in mind and have a roadmap with milestones to guide us. That combination of the general and specific combine to give us the best way to measure success and keep us driving toward it. Useful Interviews We have had several discussions about planning, getting things done, and holding ourselves accountable. Here are some links to refresh your memory. Planning For Growth Getting Started With Self Publishing The Value Of A Good Morning Routine

We continue our discussion with Andrew Murdoch and delve into how you will grow best when you know your audience. He mentions the well-known avatar approach. However, he mentions the level of detail we need to have. This is not a synopsis of a few sentences. Instead, it is a multi-page character and lifestyle assessment. Once we know our avatar enough to write a short biography (or e-book), we are ready to work with him. The growth will be worth the effort. Our Target Grows Once We Know Our Audience Our focus on our best or ideal customer forms the bull's eye of our target. However, that is not our sole focus. Like a game of darts, we are happy to hit near the bull's eye regularly. That is where the YouTube algorithms kick in and form a type of magnet that draws in the audience we truly need. Think of it as a funnel that draws our customers to that center spot. There is no coincidence that sales often refer to a funnel. About Andrew Andrew founded YT Era, a full-service YouTube marketing solution for businesses and entrepreneurs, after reaching a low point in 2018 and discovering the transformative power of YouTube content. At rock bottom, he turned to YouTube videos for self-improvement and succeeded in boosting his mindset, finances, and health. Today, YT Era amplifies the world’s most prominent solutions by changing how businesses and entrepreneurs do marketing. Andrew helps entrepreneurs clone themselves to explode their awareness, credibility, authority, reach, influence, and sales by ALWAYS putting their viewers first! Learn More From Andrew: http://ytforbusiness.com/ YouTube marketing can be overwhelming for any business. So, he created an online course that walks you through the entire process step by step. He teaches building a YouTube channel that brings actual results to your business and not just views.

We fill much of our free time with projects and side hustles that can be tasks for career growth. However, they require us to be intentional. We should have a career roadmap to guide us through the skills and experiences we see as important to us. The fun tasks will often be on our list of things to do. Nevertheless, there are tasks we need to see as stepping stones to success that should be in the back of our minds when choosing that next project. The Best Tasks For Career Growth In the world of marketing and excitement, people often throw around the "10X your blah" phrase. While advancement may not be that fast, there are activities we can pursue that contribute more to our career growth than others. The tasks gain us experience and credibility, knowledge, and do so in more than one area. The world of software development is full of these. It is rare for us to have a situation where we are learning a new technology and not also solving a problem. While the problem may be similar to one we have solved before, it is still new and adds to our experience. Our resume can grow by leaps and bounds when we are intentional in how we pursue tasks and projects. The Big Picture The challenge I have seen most often for software developers is looking at the big picture. Yes, you can easily identify a new technology or environment to add to your resume. On the other hand, it can be a struggle to look at the type of problem you are solving or the approach in a non-technical light. There is a lot to be gained by working with a new type of team, in a new role, or even coming in at a different point in the SDLC. These are all additions to a task that can help you grow quickly and advance on your career roadmap. Useful Interviews We have had more than a few guests talk about choosing projects and clients for growth. Here are some links to refresh your memory. The Value OF a Good Morning Routine Self-Care For High Performers Setting Goals That Serve Others

It is Thanksgiving in the States and a good time to talk about the benefit of being thankful over worry. This may seem like just another positivity pile of crap. However, it is not. There is a lot to be gained by taking this approach, and it has more to do with overall health than confirmation bias. Real Benefits of Choosing Thankful Over Worry We can all point to how anything we think becomes what we are more attuned to. A simple test of thinking of a blue car and then suddenly feeling like they are everywhere can confirm it. Of course, there is also research on attention that caused people to miss a dancing gorilla. It is sort of like the difference between a frown and a smile. More than either of those is the momentum we have, whether from a negative or a positive situation. Whichever result we last experienced, we will be more likely to expect that the next time. If you doubt that, it is worth spending a little of your Holiday time searching some of the research around our attitudes. A Day Will Not Hurt Even if you want to argue that it is safest to expect the worst, one day will not kill you. Take a day and choose to look at the bright side. Count your blessings and bask in how your life could be much worse. There are very few of us who literally have nothing worse that could happen. If nothing else, be thankful you have the physical and mental capacity to read (or listen to ) this post and the accompanying podcast. No matter what your attitude is, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for spending time with us. Happy Thanksgiving!

It is time once again for our Thanksgiving special. Yes, it is that time of year when we pause and reflect a bit on how to prepare for your retrospective. This year, we will start the week with an admonition to assess the year gone by. We are dwindling down to the end of 2023 and now is the best time to review what we accomplished during that span of time. Thankful For A Retrospective? You may ask why we would use the week of Thanksgiving to talk about how to prepare for your retrospective of the year. It comes down to one thing, Holidays and travelling are perfect for such times. We have some time where we can allow our mind to drift a bit while going over the year gone by. That is an excellent way to address the hard facts of what was accomplished while dreaming (as it were) about what we can do better in the year ahead. This is an activity that requires a little freedom of thought rather than a hard list of bullet points to asddress. Look Back To Look Forward Retrospectives have a lot of benefits. However, we need to give them the proper respect to get that value out of them. That includes spending time thinking about how things could have gone differently. Thus, we assume you will do an annual retrospective as part of planning for the year ahead. It is far more difficult to create a plan from scratch tan it is to build on one we have already executed. That holds true even when we had obstacles and failures as part of our prior execution.

We start a new discussion in this episode and look at how Andrew Murdoch teaches us to leverage YouTube for marketing and brand growth. This is a channel for content that can not be ignored. It is too big and too valuable for our pursuit of customers. It is built to draw in like-minded viewers. Therefore, a consistent message and useful content from us can skyrocket our growth. Lessons Learned About Using YouTube For Marketing And Brand Growth Andrew has personal experience as a user of YouTube that led to his focus. He walks us through how the algorithms work in the favor of those who create entertaining content. Likewise, he experienced how the platform guides viewers to similar material and products. It is a marketeer's dream. Once we build a brand and draw a few people to it, we can grow it exponentially. This does not require ads. However, it does require high-quality content that keeps people coming back for more. About Andrew Andrew founded YT Era, a full-service YouTube marketing solution for businesses and entrepreneurs, after reaching a low point in 2018 and discovering the transformative power of YouTube content. At rock bottom, he turned to YouTube videos for self-improvement and succeeded in boosting his mindset, finances, and health. Today, YT Era amplifies the world’s most prominent solutions by changing how businesses and entrepreneurs do marketing. Andrew helps entrepreneurs clone themselves to explode their awareness, credibility, authority, reach, influence, and sales by ALWAYS putting their viewers first! Learn More From Andrew: http://ytforbusiness.com/ YouTube marketing can be overwhelming for any business. So, he created an online course that walks you through the entire process step by step. He teaches building a YouTube channel that brings actual results to your business and not just views.