Paul Flynn

Not a big LinkedIn poster - I still continue to rail against the idea that you need to pay about £50 a month to see who’s viewed your profile like it is some kind of business Tinder. However… Today marks my five-month anniversary at ReadWrite.com - In that short period of time since the company took over this 21-year-old tech website we have increased the traffic by 443% to consistently grow to over 1 million readers monthly, more and more of which are returning for great quality, informative editorial. Personally, I have been able to write a ton of content and have it viewed millions of times. Life is good. Because of our Google authority, we regularly outrank the traditional mainstream game sites for our gaming and tech content, feature heavily on Google News, and have an ever-growing team of writers going the extra mile to inject quality in what they write. Who would have thought that writing stuff for people to enjoy instead of just getting the click and fck them would actually work? Because of this, more and more PR, publishers, and companies are approaching me with stuff worth covering. I honestly, when I took on the role, expected it to take much longer to get to this point. So come and check us over if you haven’t yet - we have redesigned and relaunched the site within the last few weeks. You won’t need your ad blocker either, we don’t do ads, so you won't have your flow ruined every two paragraphs so the publisher can make 15p. The games journalism industry does not need to be the fractured mess it currently is. You just need a group of like-minded people pushing in the same direction to make things better, backed by a company that supports that, ultimately for the one thing that matters, the reader. And with Sam Shedden, Owen Good, and myself, plus our writing team, we are greatly looking forward to what's on the horizon here at Readwrite and Clickout Media. (Hit me up for games, gaming-related tech, VR/AR, and 3D Printing coverage) #games #gamesindustry #videogames #gamesjournalism #tech

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When people ask me why I got into dev, I always say "well, it all started with a crazy idea". That's pretty much the ethos that I go by with everything I do; in fact the best projects I work on are the ones where the client says "well, I'm not even sure this is possible, but...". So yes, we do the standard stuff like eCommerce and databases, but we also do some really interesting stuff with connectivity, AI intergration, and interactive elements that people didn't even know were possible until they see it for the first time. No matter how big or small, it always starts with that one idea, that one feeling that gives you the urge to reach out and see what's possible. Now you've got that idea, let us help you put the rest of the pieces together to create something really cool: [email protected] #TechSupport #WebDevelopment #webdev #plugins #customdev #anythingispossible

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Last month we announced at Ziggurat XYZ fully flexible working hours. I see a lot of posts on here about flexible working, but without much detail - so here's what it means to us. Everyone has contracted hours each week. They are nominally required to complete these hours between Monday to Friday. They can, however, work these hours at any point. Technically, they could work nights if they so wished. But, you know... 😴 The majority of the staff at Ziggurat work with external clients. A number also collaborate creatively with colleagues and freelancers. So, there has to be some limitation on how asynchronous a working pattern might be. Our ruling mantra for this is: "Respect each other’s ability to enjoy your work." If your flexibility is making it harder for someone else to do their job, then you need to consider compromising, and vice versa. If I invite a colleague to an internal meeting tomorrow, and they're not working or have made personal plans, they'll tell me and I'll work around it. In the same way that if something's critical to the business, they'll try and make alternative arrangements and be available. Otherwise, it's that simple. The foundation for all flexibility in the workplace is respect.

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I will encourage my daughters to 'job hop'. It's a good thing. By 26 I'd been: A pub landlord A childminder A PE teacher A salesperson A car washer I didn't know what 'career' I wanted at 18. So I tested different things. (but still always gave it my 110%). We need to cull the idea that people who job hop are 'lazy', 'difficult' or 'unable to commit'. Today I run 2 businesses. CodeDev- The Unreal Guys 🎮 - A Co-Development Studio specializing in Unreal Engine GameLogic - A staffing agency focused on building world class teams for gaming studios Would I job hop again? F*ck yes! I learned loads & built skills fast. Employers... You could have someone at your company for 15 years… Who does the bare minimum. But is 'loyal'. OR you could have someone who sticks around for 12 months… Who has HUGE positive impact. Most companies wouldn't hire the 2nd person. They'd unfairly judge their: CV gaps → as 'red flags' Short tenure → as 'disloyalty' Range of jobs → as 'indecisive' They'd miss out on brilliant talent. Thoughts?

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Dance monkey dance 🐒 Here are some recent messages I've been sent ref p*ss takery behaviour over the last week, experienced by folks in my network "I just spent all morning tailoring my CV and cover note for a role that requires lots of specialist experience. Then at the end of the application they ask "Why would we regret not hiring you? I see this as soooo patronising. Like 'dance for me, monkey!'" "I was just approached by a recruiter about a UK Agile Coach contract, outside IR35 for £250. Thats defo a new low for me" "A recruiter just reached out about a Product Manager contract, hybrid, INSIDE IR35 for £200-260 & they want a minimum of 5 years exp & a Bachelors degree" Just because it's a hirer's market doesn't mean it's ok to treat humans with such disregard and yes you can say people have a 'choice' to accept a day rate or not or to 'accept' jumping through hoops or not, but do they really have a choice? Feels a bit like saying you have a choice to be punched in the face or the n*ts? Is this not just an easy way for those in privileged positions (in steady work or long-term contracts) to live a life of cognitive dissonance? for those that can say 'I'm alright Jack' & disregard folks that are struggling to put food on the table? There's old school business and there's ethical business Old school business behaviour will bite you in the a** eventually In a year or two when there's a total lack of contractors because they've 'gone perm' or moved abroad, or decided they can no longer live the contractor life of uncertainty and p*ss takery, what will happen? ... SUPPLY & DEMAND will mean the few contractors left will flip the tables Permanent staff will be over-loaded because there will be a shortage of interim help Perm salaries will drop or not rise anywhere near inflation because there will be too many perm folks (supply) for the perm job vacancies (demand) When products are substandard because you thought it was ok to pay peanuts When profits decline Then maybe those not impacted right now will care a little more BE MORE HUMAN #Recruitment #TechRecruitment #EthicalRecruitment #TechForGood  #Contractors #Tech #BeMoreHuman

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It's three months now since I was laid off by the end of January. I'm not here to cry over spilt milk, especially since our paths with the cool guys from Haemimont Games were already going on slightly different tangents. I'm posting this to tell you how I'm dealing with the change in my life. Take whatever you want from it (I mean this text, not my life, you weirdos!). ✔ Prepare Resume & PF I've made a sexy portfolio on a website and sent it out here and there. ⚠ Errors to learn from: My CV though was short (good!), but rather bland and generic. I guess the reason is that I just dislike the idea of rendering my experience to a few bullet points. Fixed it by splashing some color and by presenting myself as a card from a board game I've published a few years ago :) ✔ Keep busy - Finish stuff! Finally I've got some more time to finish the new board game I've started working on last year. - Learn new stuff! I'm studying Unreal Engine in the best way there is - by making a game with it. - Work freelance! Never say no to an opportunity to learn & earn! - Find time for the things you love! Started a YouTube channel in which I read my favorite books to whoever can stand my horrible voice ♥ ⚠ Errors to learn from: Don't panic. Don't get chaotic. See next point. ✔ Keep a Work Log This may sound weird: I've started keeping a work log, just as I did when I was working for Haemi and on freelance projects. It's an Excel document that has a Date column, a Work Hours column for each project, as well as a description what I've been working on that date. Throw a few formulas and voila. Now I'm keeping track of the things I'm doing. That gives me a sense of accomplishment and lets me better manage my time. I've discovered I'm working for about 31 hours per week, and that's my net work time, i.e. not counting lunch, procrastination windows etc. It's always good to feel productive. ⚠ Errors to learn from: #NAME? (That's an Excel joke. If you know, you know.) Do stuff. Get better. Have fun!

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In my view work friends are your secret career superpower. They're your personal sounding board 📣 They give you the real tea on office politics ☕ They're your go-to for sanity checks and reality checks 🧠 They make weekday mornings 10% less awful 😅 They're your future network of industry insiders 🕸️ But choose wisely. The wrong crowd can drag you down faster than you can say 'performance review.' 📉 Remember: You're the average of the people you spend the most time with at work and at times off it. So, who is/are your work buddy? Tag them below and let them know they're part of your success story! Abhay Agarwal Dyutiman Ganguly Arvind Sethuraman #WorkFriends #CareerGrowth #OfficeAllies

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I worked with an international tech company and it was disgusting...... 🤢 It was so bad that their launch in the UK flopped 🤕 It was a band of truly talented individuals with people from varies backgrounds and was honestly a power team that was pretty strong 💪 But what happened? ➡ Their ego was blinded with BS ➡ They had no plan ➡ Team had no motivation to come in every day to the office ➡ There was no care towards anything ➡ We were told to cold call 8 hours a day ➡ The CEO and Country Manager was an expert of blaming ➡ CEO didn't know how to take responsibility ➡ All 200+ employees would always get worried that their pay was going to be either paid correctly - usually underpaid by 50% or even get paid at all cause company had no money to pay staff EVERY MONTH ➡ They didn't even have money to pay office rent and we were locked outside ➡ Sales Consultants outperform the country manager ➡ Product was slow, behind, and outdated So what's different now? Well now I actually look forward to my Mondays as I have many activities and tasks I look forward to for my clients and myself 😊 From all the bad things that happened in that experienced, I have a lot to learn about business and working 🙌 So all bad work experiences aren't always awful..... I met amazing people, learnt a lot and they flew me to another country 🛫 Life is short, if you hate your job, take what you learn from it and take it with you as that is something money can't buy, only your true raw experience. #employment #techcompany #learnings #reflection #work #business #personalgrowth

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This isn’t the biggest update we’ve ever rolled out, but it’s the way we did it that packs the real punch. 🙌 A user submitted a request to tweak the folder structure UI via Intercom. 2 days later, ⚡️ Stephen Bussey reviewed it, made the update, and pushed it live. Just like that—a problem solved. The feature? More intuitive folder structures that make organizing folders (and their assets) faster and easier. The story? One of service-first, responsive actions. That’s the magic. This wasn’t on the roadmap. It wasn’t planned. No fancy product meetings. No sign-off chains. Just a real user, a real need, and a real, fast response. Here’s the thing: It’s easy to say “customer-first,” but it’s the day-to-day, small, unplanned, unpolished actions that prove it. And those moments are where trust gets built. Think about it. Our user took the time to tell us how to improve their experience. That’s not an annoyance; that’s a gift. They weren’t just asking for a change—they were sharing what matters to them. So we listened. And in listening, we built something that matters to them. And trust me, when you serve customers with this kind of speed and sincerity, they feel it. And they come back. Every. Single. Time. Because here’s the kicker: the size of the update doesn’t define impact. The impact is in the speed of response and the commitment to follow through. So next time you think a request is too small to matter, remember—every small “yes” is a step in the marathon of customer trust. 👟 And in today’s world, where everyone’s too busy to pause and just listen, that’s how you stand out. just listen. and fix. speed is a competitive advantage stay awesome & never, EVER stop doing it BIG!

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Happy Friday! Last Friday, I gave everyone an update about how life has been and that I'm going all into talent management. I've been mostly sick this week and took 3 days off to recover. This Friday, we're going to talk about starting costs. My lovely colleague Cassie Banaszek put me on to monday.com. I've always used Asana as an organizer for deals with my clients. I previously used the free version, and when I got back into management earlier this year, I was using the free version of OnScale. After looking through prices and determining what makes the most sense, Monday was the winner. At $324/yr for 3 seats, I can create as many boards as I'd like, invite as many guests to view boards as I'd like, and most importantly - KEEP ORGANIZED! The next order of business is email. I've always used G-Suite. It's the easiest platform to use for emails. I upgraded to the Business Standard plan which allows for Shared Drives. At $288/yr for 2 users, I can keep our team drives accessible to everyone and keep our clients organized. I still utilize HubSpot for CRM, email tracking, notes with clients, and more. How much is the cost for this tool that every independent manager should use it's FREE. Yes, there are paid versions but a good 85% of what a talent manager would need the tool for, is free. I currently am creating my own invoices through G-Suite but will be looking at an invoicing and payout service next. As for this week in business, I negotiated a $200K year-long partnership with a client and had an amazing call with a very large production company. I had two interviews that seemingly went well. I figured out that I would prefer to be in the automotive and gaming angles of management. It's a bit of a comfort zone, but also, I have the majority of my connections in that realm. Life is good honestly. I'll be back with updates next week and I'm looking forward to keeping everyone in the loop. #TalentManagement #InfluencerMarketing #IndependentManager #OpenToWork #Entertainment #Gaming #Automotive

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Great Game Shit Industry This period of uncertainty and not knowing has definitely been a new experience, one where Ive gone through a range of emotions “You Ok” My Wife says “No, they’ve announced the New Manager” I was angry, hurting and very emotional The Analogy I used to my Wife was like if we had split up and I was ok initially, getting on with my daily routine yet a month later I see her in a bar with a new man it all then starts to become raw These emotions would become suppressed, I would then start to enjoy my time off, it felt weird initially not having the phone calls, dealing with Players, Agents and the day to day of being a Manager, but I welcomed it Then Pre Season started to near, the anticipation of the Players returning, the excitement of a new season and the challenges ahead I didn’t have them feelings, I was empty and numb Seeing all the teams preparing and planning and doing what they love to do, I wanted to be in a job doing what I love to do Over this time I have been very productive, with many projects and going in to learn and improve but nothing compares to the job of being a Manager Now as the Season is about to Kick Off, the hate, jealousy, bitterness is very overriding I want the butterflies on the Friday night, I want the feeling of it being like Christmas in the morning. Yet I have nothing This is the first time in 21 Years I haven’t had a match on a Saturday and I hate it “Keep embracing it” “Enjoy it whilst you can” “You’ll be back in a job soon” All the things I keep getting told, but I don’t want to I want to lead my team out and fight for 3points I honestly don’t know how I’ll be come 3pm, I will have to “Switch On” to something else as I can’t put myself through reloading my Football app constantly checking the scores No doubt this emotion is going to be a regular thing for a while and something I will have to embrace Being patient and relevant over the next couple of months is going to be key and something I need to accept This is going to be one of my biggest tests How do you deal with uncertainty as a Coach? Would you look to stay active or enjoy the rest? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below ⬇️

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Somebody just reminded me that I have to post about my digital advent calendar every day until Christmas Eve. I mean, I did know this but sort of didn't at the same time. Anyway. I've just opened door 2 and got this MECE - Mutually Exclusive Collectively Exhaustive This is a McKinsey & Company framework which I discovered last year and wondered how my life had existed without it. The idea is simple, but brilliant: break down any problem or process into parts that don't overlap and together cover absolutely everything. In that sense, it's absolutely perfect for content strategy and planning. We worked with a tech company with a hero product that had multiple (well, probably hundreds) of use cases. We applied the framework to untangle the content chaos and: - Audited their content by function: instructional, thought leadership, FAQs - Mapped content to each stage of the customer journey, ensuring every touchpoint was covered without dupes - Build a structure so that every piece of content had a clear purpose and played nicely with the rest The result? SEO ranking, traffic and lead gen boom. The takeaway for today? If your content strategy feels all over the shop, run it through the MECE framework. On that point AI is absolutely brill with frameworks and I have the perfect prompt for you. It's in the comments below. I would do a h/t but I dunno who wrote it (whoever you are, you're a genius) Door 3 is up tomorrow. Again, please stick your thoughts in the comments please. Good / bad / ugly, you're all welcome. #DigitalMarketingAdvent #MarketingIdeas #CreativeMarketing #AdventCalendar2024 #MarketingInspiration #MarketingStrategy #AgencyLife #DigitalMarketingTips #MarketingInnovation #DigitalMarketing #ContentMarketing #ContentStrategy #MECE #McKinsey #SEO #MarketingFrameworks #Curated #AI #SaaS #b2bcontent

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This time 12 months ago I was waking up with redundancy on my mind. After 20+ years, a normal working day had ended with a Teams meeting lasting about 7 minutes: "you're at risk of redundancy". At that point, I knew nothing about what the process would look like, but I soon understood "pool of 1" and other terms meant it was inevitable that the process would lead to my redundancy. I did what I could to stay by applying for other internal roles, but it was hopeless and I was devastated. Despite it all, I loved the company and, more importantly, I loved the people. "Don't take it personally. It's not about you, it's about the role" doesn't help when you're in a pool of 1 - you feel that as your role has been chosen for redundancy, therefore, you've been chosen for redundancy, personally. "You'll be alright, you'll find something really quickly with your experience" doesn't help when you're feeling discarded and your confidence has been destroyed. I did what I could to stay engaged. I wanted to stay and wanted to demonstrate value - I became a redundancy rep as well as remaining active in the #MHFA and other EDI groups I'd helped establish originally to offer support for others. I broke down when speaking in one of the meetings, offering to speak to anyone struggling with it all, because I was in their shoes. It was an emotionally challenging and generally difficult period. Fortunately for me, if that's the right way of putting it, some very good friends from the business were in the same boat (some ended up redundant, others didn't). We formed a support network and helped each other - we shared tears, beers and our fears. We got angry together and we laughed together. We had food, we played golf, we went on dog walks and, most importantly, we had conversations. Lots of conversations. And that's the point, during Mental Health Awareness Week, reach out and talk to someone. This year's theme is movement and my take on that as touched on in my story above, is that movement encourages conversations in a non-confrontational environment - being side by side on a dog walk or on the golf course helps conversations flow as it's less intimidating than being opposite one another, eyeball to eyeball. Thanks to everyone that gave me advice, offered help, listened and were there for me, including colleagues, ex colleagues, friends, my brothers and my wife. I was going to list some names, but you all know who you are and I don't want to offend by missing anyone. I should finish by saying I was fortunate to be introduced to a fantastic company and group of people by a colleague and started at Quadris in September after taking a few months to reset and reinvigorate. It's true that when one chapter ends, another begins. And I'm really looking forward to what this one has in store. #MentalHealthAwareness #EndTheStigma #MentalHealthMatters #MHAW #MentalHealthWeek #movember

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So Y2K did not happen, but Croudstrike did, just 24 years later. Hard to shift through the noise, so taking everything with a (big) pinch of salt. 1. Was this down to a null pointer exception as it was shared in the x-universe? If so how such a basic issue escaped auto testing and manual testing (it appears that the code part execution was a happy path not a race or a rare code path). 2. Reports of taking multiple reboots to fix don't seem sensible, after all 1 or 50 reboots all go through the same process with timing being the only difference ( see race condition). Are there key lessons from this? Nothing really new, but very loud reminders for the classics: A. The top priority of any deployment is system stability. NOT delivering new functionality. Availability is the No1 non functiomal requirement. Ability to instantly roll back is no 2. You don't compromise on these two for anything. B. Big bang rollouts are a no no. ALWAYS roll out progressively in increments to contain blast radius. C.Different versions of your software should be able to co-exist to support B for anything from hours to ... months. And one from a different (organisational) viewpoint: it pays off when you have a mix of systems - you sacrifice some economies of scale and support costs but you hedge your risks.

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Had a great day with colleagues at Lift Brands yesterday at the Twins game. During my conversations Mental Health came up and I just thought I'd take a moment to reflect. Mental Health Awareness Month is past, but not long past, and one thing that came up is that Mental Health is a daily issue, not a let's talk about it for one month, but talk about it daily. And it reminds me that I did not do a lot on this topic this year. I had another month of anxiety and panic in April brought on by my medication changes for my weight loss struggles. But there was a question that came to mind for me that gave me a sense of still I've never really had in my panic and anxiety journey. The question I asked myself was "Am I afraid of dying? Or am I afraid of losing everything I've worked so hard for?" When I asked that one question it was like the clouds opened and the sun shone after a really cloudy month. My journey with mental health is different from yours, and yours is different from mine and everyone else's. But you have to find that question for you and your journey. It's not easy to find it, and it's not easy to face it. Your question is what drives your mental health journey and it's what is at the core of your experience. There are a lot of questions that will come during your journey but there's only one that will give you peace and understanding. It won't take away everything you're going through, but it will give you pause and relief. And it may change, because the mind is a powerful fear inducer and poisoner. But it's not going to hurt you even though it may feel like it. And you have to be brave enough to ask for help. Don't listen to those around you that just say "get over it" or "just be happy for what you have" etc. Everyone has something they go through, and some can get over it easier than other. Don't let anyone invalidate your journey. Focus on you and don't be afraid to seek help. That takes more courage than anyone can ever know. Please, ask for help. There are people out there who can and want to help you. And there is no shame in asking for help.

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Is the 9-5 really dead?... Elon Musk's controversial message to Tesla staff demanding 40+ hours in-office is still in place... But the world has changed, and so have we. The flexibility to work where and how you want has reshaped our work culture. Now ✓ Our best ideas aren't tied to a desk ✓ We can tap into worldwide, diverse talent ✓ We boost autonomy and reduce commuting stress ✓ Better work-life balance, great for carers and parents Buuuut.... → Some functions thrive on IRL problem-solving + collaboration → Building company culture remotely is really hard → It's harder to integrate new team members → Do meaningful social connections suffer? So, what’s the sweet spot? What other impacts does fully remote work have on community and relationships? And what will grow in place of physical offices? (FWIW my short term bet is Coffee shops. The rise of 65% of Millennials and 46% of Gen Z using coffee shops daily isn’t just about coffee—it's about places to 'work-from-home'.) Share your take below 👇 ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ I'm Sophie Deen, I write about raising 21st-century kids and creative entrepreneurship. Sign up for my monthly newsletter at www.sophiedeen.com

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❗ You're damaging your employer brand by not being picky enough! Don't feel under pressure to hire someone just because you've seen plenty of people and 'this is what the market can offer' Yes it's true, if you're interviewing lots of people, and your role is on the market a long time, this can be damaging to your brand also. ❌ But hiring the wrong person, who doesn't add to your culture, or who isn't capable of operating in your environment, is far more damaging when people take attrition levels, Glassdoor reviews and word of mouth seriously. So how do you get around this? ✅ It's important to be clear from the outset, who you need, why you need them, how the role will evolve, and most importantly, what can be challenging in the role. ✅ If you're not sure, whoever is supporting in the hiring in this role - whether it's a talent team, or a recruiter, should be able to brainstorm with you on this to help you get the clarity BEFORE you go to market. That is a part of their role, to help you achieve clarity in your thinking so that you know what you're looking for. It's not your role to have all the answers, but if you work with the right people, you can get pretty close. #techjobs #datajobs #datahiring #techhiring #startups #scaling

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