I hate standing in lines. It's inefficient (even if you're lucky enough to be in a place that uses a serpentine line), and all I can think about is what else I could be getting done. And one of my least favorite times to wait in line? When I'm shipping a package.
If you've ever shipped a box of Christmas presents, you've been there. If you've had to return an item you purchased online, you've been there (let's not even get started on the lies around "fit as expected" clothing). If you use eBay, you've been there. If you're a small business or out-of-your house consumer-facing venture (hi, Etsy sellers!), you've been there, too.
Read moreThe other day, I watched a startup founder who was actively looking for funding cut a VC off mid-sentence and walk away.
Read moreI know, I know, you think I'm late. It's really not my fault — usually I write the recap for the Consumer Show the weekend after, and wait for Jason Seagle to post his brilliant photos on Monday-ish so I can borrow them (with credit, of course). But he got all motivated this time and pushed out the photos on Friday and I got all flustered and now it looks like I'm late even though I'm actually on my normal schedule. Jason's just early, y'all. I'm ... just gonna blame him for being industrious and making me look lazy. (Hi, Jason!)
SO anyway. I know what you're here for. On to the Consumer Show!
Read moreIt's been nearly six months since I moved from Client Success to the Product department at SalesLoft. I learned a lot in the first 30 days alone, but the next 150 days were a blur of discovering how different methodologies work, what user experience research should look like, and of course working crazy-hard to deliver new or improved features to our clients.
Because I'm a writer at heart, I thought I'd document this journey, all of the ups and downs and what-the-heck moments, and share it with the world. Maybe it'll help someone else. It'll certainly be good for a laugh later!
Read moreIf you read my blog and haven't found your way to Switchyards or an installment of the Consumer Show yet, what are you waiting for? I write about this every month, people. You know where it is, and you know how awesome it is. Get yourself to downtown already. It's where all the cool kids are.
PSA over. Let's get down to the pitches!
Read moreOne of the things I truly love about Atlanta is all the little hidden gems that pop up when you're in the right place at the right time.
A few weeks ago, the two correctly intersected for me at the Plaza Theatre on Ponce: I caught an old-fashioned variety show with a theater-junkie friend of mine (after prying her away from her Dragon Con costume prep ... hi, Alyssa!).
As someone who grew up on "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor, the Good Gracious variety show sounded right up my alley, but I had no real idea what to expect. I told Alyssa so. She came anyway — like I said, she loves her some theater — and we were both blown away by how amazing the show was!
Read moreI was going to open with the fact that this was the second sold-out Consumer Show in a row (which it was), but turns out that it was also the last of four sold-out events in a row, counting the July Consumer Show and the last two "On Doers" episodes into that total. Clearly, Michael Tavani and Dave Payne are doing a lot of things right with Switchyards events.
If the awesome videos and previous recaps aren't enough for you, sign up now for the September Consumer Show to catch it in person before it sells out, too!
Read moreIs your to-do list prioritized? Or is it procrastinated? Is there something on there you know you should be doing, but you've let it go on so long that it seems insurmountable? (Hello, mountainous pile of clean, unfolded laundry, I see you!) Have you ever found yourself watching B-list stars on Bravo and wondering just how expensive a personal assistant would actually be?
Read moreI've been talking about packed houses for months now at each Consumer Show, but it turns out I was underestimating what that actually means. Last Thursday, the ATL startup crowd exceeded even my expectations and sold out the fifth Consumer Show — and, in fact, sold it out more than once, as organizers Michael Tavani and Dave Payne raised the seat limit several times to accommodate the companies actually pitching. (Who, you know, kind of needed to be there.) Not to mention some very quiet appearances by some very heavy hitters on the ATL founder and venture capital scene.
Read moreThe Eastside Trail, one of the first finished sections on the old rail corridor, connects Piedmont Park to Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward. And it has become especially popular. Really, really popular.
To the point where, sometimes, it feels like half the city is walking, biking, skating or jogging from the park to Ponce City Market. I live in Midtown, so I use the BeltLine a fair amount, and recently I've begun to realize that these hordes of people, while overwhelming en masse, actually fall into several clearly defined categories.
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