05.20.10

Beta Late Than Never

The team has been cranking away on the Beta version of our game. We’ve taken all the valuable feedback from our awesome Alpha test participants and developed a new and improved version for release later this summer.

The Beta is based on a new design template and introduces an array of additional gameplay components. Also, we’ve added more social aspects so you can interact and compete with friends as you build your city.

We will be introducing the new name for the game upon the launch of our Beta site where you can register to be one of the first players to check it out. We can’t wait to share the new and improved game with you. It’s going to be awesome!

We’ll keep you posted as the release date approaches.

05.9.10

Bootstrapping 201

In my last post, I talked about some more near-free resources that a budding entrepreneur can tap into. Bootstrapping 201 now assumes that you’ve been building out your idea for a little while now and it’s time to really get serious. So unlike the previous posts where I list some handy dandy tools, I’ll be discussing categories of todos instead:

• Incorporation – You probably don’t have to do this until your ready to build out your team and hire employees. My reasoning for that is, of course, assuming that you can get along with your co-founders within a simple partnership agreement. Anyway, be sure to look for law firms that specialize in startups. These law firms that have been working with startups have helpful experience to offer you, efficiencies from recreating similar documents over and over, and often times, discounted “incorporation packages” that set you up with everything you need to get started. Of course, you can incorporate without a law firm, but it’s helpful to have a lawyer to consult when things come up.
• Advisory Board - Bring on those who will add real value. It should not simply be a board of names to “drop.” I’m not saying you shouldn’t aim high… but your goal should be to bring on an advisor with relevant experience who is willing to apply that experience toward helping you.
• Business Cards – Bottom line here is don’t waste your time. Not everyone in your company will need a business card — only the people who are constantly in meeting with people (for us, that’s Dave). Dave has been using his personal card and it’s every bit as effective as if we wasted a weekend trying to design a company card. At some point, of course, you will definitely benefit from designing a company card. If you’re still interested though, Got Print has a great deal on business cards (I just ordered 1,000 of my personal card for about $20 plus shipping).

Got any other suggestions for a startup that’s just getting serious? We’d love to hear them.

04.29.10

Work Play Read

While many books belong on a shelve; these books belong on your desk! Here’s a quick list of the gems we keep within an arm’s reach:

1. Getting Real (37 Signals): a must read for anyone creating a web application.
2. Viral Loop (Penenberg): a great resource for anyone looking to build a viral product.
3. The Monk & The Riddle (Komisar): a great story filled with valuable lessons for entrepreneurs.
4. The Art of The Start (Kawasaki): Guy Kawasaki = The Man
5. Crossing The Chasm (Moore): an essential read…

Let us know if you’ve got any worthy desk dwellers of your own and we’ll add them to the list!

04.15.10

The Entrepreneur Is Never Complacent

I realized the other day that the entrepreneur uses a lot of adverbial phrases. Let me elaborate…

Some people say stuff like, “I don’t know.” We say, “I don’t know… yet.” Another example: Some people will say at the end of the day, “Good enough.” We say, “Good enough… for now.”

This got me to thinking: The difference between entrepreneurs and most people is that an entrepreneur is never complacent. There is always something that can be improved. If something looks great, that’s only because we haven’t thought of something better, or we’re operating on imperfect information.

It’s been repeated time and again: Entrepreneurship is a journey, not a destination. And an endless journey at that. I wouldn’t be surprised if 40 years from now, when the three of us have grey hair and yell at teenagers for their loud rap music, that Dave, Alex, and I are still building companies.

There is always something out there that can be better, and we’ll always be there making it that way.

03.31.10

Rock Star Entrepreneur (The Big Break)

By convention, Rock Stars get signed by record labels and Entrepreneurs get funded by venture firms. If not, they fail. However, these days innovative bands and bold new start-ups are breaking convention by taking the “indie” or “bootstrap” route. They denounce the “go-big or go-home” dogma and focus on serving a niche group of fans or customers like no other. This fosters a concentrated group of loyal early adopters who actively promote products on behalf of the creators. With that said, record labels and venture capitalists still play a critical role in both industries.

Here at Work Play Sleep we are bootstrapping like mad – pouring our hearts, souls, and wallets into this company. Basically, we want to take the time to talk with you  (our beloved early adopters), act on your feedback, and make this game awesome! Further down the road we may look to raise capital. But, our main focus at this point is to make a great product for all of us to enjoy.

“We’ve made it!” This is the natural response when a band lands a record deal or a start-up raises its first round of funding. Reality check – these milestones are a means to an end, not an end themselves. Truth is… all that hard work led you to a treasure chest filled with even more hard work. Now, only in my dreams have I been offered a record deal and we have yet to make a pitch to a VC. However, I’ve heard the same thing from record execs and VCs alike, “It’s not your big break, it’s a means to an end.” In other words, most signed artists never really “make it” and many funded startups fail. The ball is still in your court!

So, that’s about it… for now.

03.29.10

Simple, But Effective

As you know from our last blog post, Dave and I were at PAX East this past weekend. We’ve been looking for a Photoshop wizard for a while now, and we thought, “Hey, PAX would be a great place!”

Unfortunately, this was 4 hours into the event. Thinking quickly, we grabbed a few old sheets of paper out of our bags, folded them in half,  scribbled on them “Are you good at Photoshop?“, and hung them off our lanyards. Dave’s was done in orange highlighter and mine was in thick blue pen. In a way, the crappiness of our signs really conveyed how much we’d benefit from someone with an eye for the purty stuff.

It turned out to be a fantastic idea. Everywhere we went, people would be looking at our chests. I suppose if we were girls, it might have been a little objectifying, but we managed to build up a great list of people to follow up with.

Moral of the story: Be unusual.

03.28.10

PAX East

This past weekend we rocked out at PAX East. It was a blast!

For those of you who don’t know… Penny Arcade hosted a massive gaming conference at the Hynes Convention Center here in Boston. For more info about the conference check out the website: http://www.paxsite.com/

We met a bunch of great people (hardcore gamers & industry insiders) and attended some sweet events. Basically, it was a nerd utopia!

Here’s a quick plug for one our favorite events!

Geek Nights: Rym and Paul, the hosts of Geek Nights, put on some awesome events. Our favorite, Losing Should Be Fun, was the place to be at 11:30pm on a Friday night! The guys gave an insightful and hilarious presentation about how losing can and should be fun in gaming. Also, they managed to fit in a few blasts from the past, such as Shadowgate and Chrono Trigger, and some new games worth checking out, like Dwarf Fortress!

All in all, we wish that PAX East happened every weekend.

03.20.10

Rock Star Entrepreneur (The Groove)

As mentioned in my last post, the relationships that arise in rock bands and startups are much more intimate than relationships found among co-workers. There is a certain connectivity that arises between the members of these close-knit groups, a kind of telepathy or ESP.

On their American tour, night after night, four Irish dudes known collectively as U2 play through their set flawlessly with nothing more than a set list to guide them along the way. Every nuance (the stops, the hits, and the swells) falls into place as if each member of the band was staring into a crystal ball. They know what’s coming… because they can feel it. It’s called being in the groove. That’s part of the magic of pursuing your passion.

I’ve played in a few bands over the years and have experienced this so-called groove many times. If you asked me back then whether I thought such a state could be achieved among the members of a technology start-up, I would have laughed. But, surprisingly the groove is there. Yes, we are a groovy company! Everyday I find myself asking Ralph and Alex (my partners) for something that is already in my inbox. While brainstorming solutions to everyday problems we blurt out the same ideas in unison.

You may be thinking, “This kid is trying to glorify groupthink.” Truth is, I’m not! Groupthink is when a group of people convince each other that one way is right without regard for alternative outlooks, often resulting in negative consequences. This is something that can and should be avoided at all costs. You can avoid groupthink by including the masses in your decision making process. Create strong feedback loops and always be open to constructive criticism. Enough about that!

I’m talking about the groove, collectively seeing what’s coming next and being on top of your game together. That is what the groove is all about and it is just as possible in a start-up as it is in a rock band.

More to come…

03.9.10

Bootstrapping 102

In my last post, I talked about some helpful tools that are great for getting your company from idea to proof of concept — stuff from communication mechanisms to cheap, but effective hosting. In Bootstrapping 102, I’ll be expanding this list to include a few other great resources to look into.

1. Basecamp – You’ve probably heard enough about this app by now. Well here it is one more time. We like it for its simplicity and transparency. Everyone can be held accountable for what they do (or don’t do). Click here to sign up with us as a referral.
2. Highrise – Again, we love its simplicity. Managing contacts between different address books is annoying, to say the least. Highrise lets us keep track of it all. Click here to sign up with us as a referral.
3. Alma Maters – As alums, we still have access to the extensive networks provided by our alma maters. We’ve used professors as advisors. Students participated in our alpha test. Heck, we’ve even got a student team conducting marketing research for us.
4. Local Banks – It’s the smaller local banks that are more willing to help you out. Let’s be honest here. Bank of America doesn’t give a crap about a spunky little startup with no money. We use Citizens Bank, which has been amazingly helpful with special requests. At one point, we were looking into getting access to ACH transfers. BoA and Citibank both shrugged us off with comments like “You’re too small.” Citizens helped us get the platform we needed.

We’re bootstrapping, so referrals help!

And of course, if you have any other great resources to add, let us know!

02.25.10

Rock Star Entrepreneur (The Courageous Pursuit)

Let’s face it; it takes moxie to dedicate years of your life to something uncertain. No, I’m not referring to the old school soft drink in the bright orange can. I’m talking about courage. Starting a rock band or a company are both courageous pursuits, glorified in tales of the Fab Four and the Pirates of Silicon Valley.

The courageous pursuit begins long before the first hit song or successful product. It starts with a simple declaration (borrowed from Richard Branson): “Screw it, let’s do it.”  The starting gun is fired and it’s off to the races. Pouring your heart and soul into something you believe in can be highly rewarding and it can also be absolutely overwhelming. Starting out, you have all the momentum and energy in the world. Then comes the burn out phase. With rock bands it’s the wear and tear of life on the road. With entrepreneurs it’s the 24/7 work week. Forget overtime, us entrepreneurs work all the time. There is an opportunity cost associated with these alternative lifestyles that hits your wallet and your social life.

Luckily you’re not in it alone. The members of a musical group must collaborate in composing music and creating their own unique sound. Entrepreneurs must work together in developing their product and creating their matchless vision. The people who join together in these pursuits are bound by passion, a force that fosters magical things. In other words, a band mate or co-founder is much more than a co-worker. If a co-worker leaves your company, someone new shows up at cubical 67 and life goes on as usual. Conversely, each and every band mate and co-founder is integral to the success of your endeavor. It is that “all for one, one for all” mentality that makes these pursuits so appealing.

More to come…

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