Bruce Evans

I had such a great time chatting with Jared Spool last week that we're coming back for another round. On Tuesday, 10/22 from 3-4pm Eastern, join us for our free lightning conversation, "Say Goodbye to Product Use Metrics and NPS." Program details: https://lnkd.in/dBqSzNQ6 In the world of KPIs, Monthly Average Users (MAUs), and NPS scores, we can unintentionally hurt the experience for our users and customers. We'll discuss why easily collected analytics, like conversion rates and bounce rates, rarely offer the insight organizations need to make good decisions. You'll also hear how focusing on Experience Metrics can transform your organization's approach to measurement. I hope you can join us!

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🚀 quick clarification on the recent SBIR guide that I posted. 🤠 Also looking for feedback to see if folks are interested in a congressional engagement guide - ita something I’ve heard some initial demand signal for, but wanted to confirm before building it out!

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"Do you think I should be a founder?" is a question I get asked a lot. It's #SeattleTechWeek and I'm seeing great quotes and advice being shared, so I wanted to share an early story before we had any funding. I had been trying for our initial funding for months. I was learning, we continued to work on the product, marketing, and investor pitch. We were improving but it was still one rejection after another. I will never forget the moment after a pitch that went particularly poorly. I found myself staring at my calendar realizing I didn't have anything next. No more pitches, no meetings... just nothingness. I had called every favor, exhausted every network connection I had, and I felt no closer than the day I quit my job. I opened my slides to iterate and look for improvements, but what was the point? Onward, let's go. There is always the next person you can approach. This person I didn't know well, he was a tech exec I'd worked with previously. I had a lot of respect for him, and noticed he was connected to an investor that I hadn't reached. Requested an intro and the he told me "Ozan... you have no customers, no revenue, and your team is quite small. Unfortunately there isn't enough here for me to justify the introduction." It seemed reasonable enough, and I thanked him for his time anyways. I thought... maybe asking for the intro was disrespectful. The next day I was sitting at my kitchen table across from my advisor and mentioned my failed attempt at securing the intro. I'll never forget him saying "Hmmmm, I don't know that person, but let me say something. Fuck that guy, fuck him. That's such a load of bullshit! You've quit your job where you were a top performer, you're putting everything on the line, you're dipping uncomfortably deep to the end of your savings, you're out there hustling with very little support, and he can't even do the bare minimum? No that's not reasonable, that's bullshit." It didn't matter whether or not the person was justified in not making an intro. It didn't matter if my advisor was biased towards my perspective. What did matter was that it was an extremely dark week for me, after so many rejections, with what seemed like no light at the end of the tunnel, and it reminded me that I'm not always wrong. "Do you think I should be a founder?" is therefore such a hard question to answer. It was mentioned this week that startups are hard and they're not for everyone. I don't say it, but the first thought in my head is always "If you have to ask, then probably not." It's a long, lonely journey. It's filled with dark days, doubt, very little support, and more often than not it doesn't feel logical. But - there are some amazing moments as well. When I have to sum it up I mention that it's an endless string of high highs and low lows. If you do it, the number one thing I'd say is never ever stop asking for favors. I'm still asking for them 6 years later, and the answer I usually get hasn't changed either. Push.

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💡I need your help! 💡 Appeals Doctor is rebranding prior to launching our new self-managed SAAS product and I need help finalizing our logo. I’d really appreciate your input on which design resonates best with you. 👉 Please take a moment to fill out this quick poll: https://lnkd.in/eAUSttQU Your feedback means a lot, and I can’t wait to hear what you think! At Appeals Doctor, we help Amazon sellers manage their account and listing health, saving them both time and money. From unfreezing funds to reinstating accounts and brands, reopening listings, and fixing suppressed listings, we’ve got sellers covered. #AmazonSellers #Branding #LogoDesign #Startups #Ecommerce #FractionalCTO #AppealsDoctor

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Great article defining an MVP in detail from Ben Yoskovitz. Also gives a solid argument against the "L" of my SLC (https://lnkd.in/g9yRi9-B).

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Having trouble writing technical documentation? Meet DocMate AI! Creating effective project documentation is challenging for technical writers due to tight deadlines and overwhelming workloads. Because of these challenges, errors and inefficiencies are common. Keeping project knowledge bases up-to-date is also a major issue. Unclear documentation slows down the onboarding process, leads to unanswered questions, and creates distractions for employees. The AI team at Akvelon, Inc. develops solutions to help technical writers overcome these challenges. DocMate AI automates creating technical documents with large language models. DocMate AI is versatile and adaptable for use in manuals, guides, and reports. It harnesses the power of AI to enhance the documentation creation process. DocMate AI enhances the quality of technical documentation. DocMate AI automatically corrects formatting errors and improves code readability. It incorporates changes described by technical writers, polishes the document, and ensures consistency. Search streamlines information retrieval. It searches for pages with additional information, saving time for technical writers. For comprehensive coverage, a document search suggests closely related additional content. DocMate AI saves technical writers an average of 20 hours per month. Enhances document structure and style checking. Streamlines searches for related documents and cross-links. It offers a tailored method for accurate technical documentation. Facilitate document replacement and fix broken links faster. Ensure technical language and terminology align with industry standards. Customize and maintain tailored AI solutions. Offer customized and fine-tuned LLM-based solutions for specific organizational needs. Build tools from scratch or customize existing solutions to empower businesses with AI. Ready to explore how DocMate AI can revolutionize your technical documentation? Let me connect you with our AI experts! #AI #TechnicalDocumentation #Documentation #TechWriter #DocMate

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As we enter the final months of 2024, it's time to shift into high gear and make the most of every tax-saving opportunity out there. Luckily, MASCPA has got your back. We've been helping small businesses just like yours navigate the ever-changing world of taxes and financial regulations for over a decade. And with our expert guidance, you can confidently tackle any end-of-year challenges that come your way. Whether it's maximizing deductions on new equipment purchases, fine-tuning your tax planning strategies, or simply getting your books in order, MASCPA is ready to tackle it all. Our seasoned accountants and consultants will work closely with you to identify every possible way to boost your bottom line before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. But the real power of partnering with MASCPA goes beyond just tax season. Our comprehensive suite of advisory services is designed to be a year-round resource, empowering you to make informed financial decisions that drive sustainable growth. From cash flow forecasting to business strategy consulting, they've got the tools and expertise to help you finish 2024 strong and set the stage for an even more successful 2025. So as you gear up for the final push, don't go it alone. Reach out to MASCPA and let us be your trusted guide through the home stretch. With our support, you'll be crossing that finish line with confidence, energy, and a whole lot of hard-earned tax savings! #YearEndTaxPlanning #SmallBizFinance #AccountingAdvisory #MomentumMatters #ConquerTheLastStretch

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What does bold leadership look like in 2024? In this latest Product Thinking episode, I sit down with Margaret (MJ) Jastrebski, the SVP of Product at Tegus. We dive into the key strategies for uniting teams, breaking down silos, and leading with transparency. Margaret knows the investor research space inside and out from her work at Tegus, a platform that consolidates key company intelligence to help investors make smarter bets. With experience spanning product, sales, and marketing at companies like Stylitics and TXI, Margaret brought a unique 360-degree view. We discussed: ►Uniting fragmented teams behind one vision ►Breaking down silos between product, marketing, sales, etc. ►Leading with transparency to build trust and alignment Margaret emphasized the need for product leaders to externalize their decision-making process. By communicating rationale openly, you empower teams to truly understand and even constructively challenge your calls. Whether you're an up-and-comer or a seasoned pro, you'll want to hear Margaret's insights on casting a clear vision, tearing down organizational barriers, and inspiring teams to achieve big outcomes. What strategies have you found effective for aligning teams and leading with transparency? Share your insights below! Listen Now: https://lnkd.in/gAdV7k56 #ProductLeadership #Alignment #Transparency #BusinessStrategy

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“Organizations buying your software are asking for a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) and you can tie business metrics to that.” Andrew Chung Chief Product Officer at Level Access explains that two strong ways of advocating for product resources for accessibility are to bring product customers who are asking for VPATs, and quantifying the business risk of not being accessible. He goes on to share a great reminder that “don’t wait, just start” is a compelling way to create evidence of the benefits of allocating a small amount of resources, which can then be used to build a business case for unlocking more resources to build accessible products. Use free tools to help you get started and if you can show early success you can build a much stronger case for incorporating accessibility early in the product process. We all purchase software, next time ask for a VPAT during the process.  Every request adds up, and it will make a meaningful difference in how Product teams prioritize limited resources. Full interview is in the comments. This is now conversation #5 in our series for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and we have a few more that we’re editing and will share soon. My mission with these conversations is to help build awareness of the importance and business opportunity for building accessible, and give advocates the tactics and strategies they need to make forward progress in their organizations. Stay tuned for more and in the meantime let me know what more you’d like to hear from our guests.  Upcoming conversations include conversations with startup founders, senior accessibility leaders who have worked at major tech and consumer companies, venture capitalists who invest in the ability space, and more. Drop your questions in a comment, and I'll get as many asked as I can. #NDEAM #GoodJobsForAll #inclusionworks #DisabilityRights #InclusiveWorkplace #InclusionMatters

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🌱 Many early-stage startups I've worked with have leaned heavily on word-of-mouth to hire their engineering teams. They bring in people they've worked with before or contacts of friends. There are plenty of pros to this: ✅ These hires tend to stay longer. ✅ References aren’t always necessary. ✅ It’s quick and cost-effective. And while I’d never suggest abandoning this approach (because it works!),in my opinion you still need to get hiring and attraction processes in place for the future. Without proper hiring and attraction processes in place, when you need to reach outside your ‘networks’ of referrals you will find it hard to keep scaling. Often by this stage urgency and volume of hiring has increased as well! Even if your word-of-mouth referrals keep coming, diversifying your tech team with fresh perspectives is crucial. Plus, referrals are a great way to test and refine your hiring process. Would you still want ‘hiring and attraction’ processes in place even if you had a great referral process? 🤔 #StartupHiring #TechRecruitment #EngineeringTeams #ScalingStartups #TalentAttraction #HiringStrategy #ReferralHiring #DiverseTeams

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No silver bullets... - great stories about how [insert company] does product, often fail to communicate the deep context that helped make those things work - overarching principles that exist in companies deemed high performing, are by definition context-free (but boy do the principles make you nod your head). They *also* lack actionable details. - equifinality: there are often multiple ways to reach the same end-point - what works, stops working - what didn't work, might start working - experience and skills help, but all experience is contextually situated All to say that at the end of the day you need to be a lifelong learner, curious, willing to challenge your assumptions, be willing to try things, be willing to discard them, and find other lifelong learners who are willing to take that journey with you

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One of Parux's simple mantras: We aren't successful unless our client is successful. So as much as we are a product team delivering the product, what good is it to launch if no sales and onboarding follows? I had the pleasure to record a hot topic discussion around product launch strategy, and how thinking of a launch as a campaign sequence is much better than a one day event. Ken Mocabee and I go over the pain, stories and insights so you can better plan a product launch to maximize your impact. If you have any successful launch stories, please share and engage with us!

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Many "non technical" small business owners, entrepreneurs and even startup founders are often missing a critical advisor for their business. An advisor experienced in software or technology, or a fractional CTO can bring tremendous value to your business. In some cases, there's instant ROI. At Disca, we often hear about failed projects, blown budgets and missed deadlines. This is not limited of course to non-tech businesses, but nearly every "Main Street" business we've talked to has these stories -- and the frustration to go along with it. We have always offered actual free consultations. This is a no-cost, no-obligation 30 minute conversation about business and technology questions you have or challenges you're facing. Use the link below to book your session today! If your business is struggling with a software or tech project, or if you're about to start one and would just like a second opinion, we look forward to hearing from you. https://lnkd.in/gkNCh9FE

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30 seconds per day to maximize your SR&ED claim Here are 4 tactical tips to turn documentation into SR&ED $$ Documentation - we all love to hate it. But it’s a necessary evil. In SR&ED's case, time spent on documentation is correlated with higher SR&ED refunds. Let's jump in! 1. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 (𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲)! JIRA, Linear, Trello, ClickUp, Monday, Google Sheets, Notion, Excel - the list is endless. All work items should have a matching task in this tool Make task descriptions non-cryptic. SR&ED is a retrospective activity - 1 year later, you won’t remember what “𝘍𝘪𝘹 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳” means anymore. 2. 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗥&𝗘𝗗 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 As simple as adding ‘sred’ as a label to a story works! Do this when you’re sprint planning with the team and estimating story points. This will save you many hours of effort at year’s end. Plus, you minimize risk of leaving some SR&ED activities out. Remember, more time spent on SR&ED = more $$ back in your company’s bank account. 3. 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 When you commit code, establish a norm for commit comments. Ensure that they tie back to a work task. e.g., [𝘊𝘖𝘖𝘓𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘑-123] 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 4. 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 Brainstormed a new architectural approach with your technical PM? Workshopped a new approach to solving a blocking bug? Grab a whiteboard picture - throw it into a work task (see #1 above). This ensures that you have documented time spent (remember, more $$) and evidence of brainstorming done, when needed. Once you have these basics in place - you’re all set! Come year end, you can be assured that you are well prepared. And your coverage for SR&ED activities is maximized. That’s a wrap! — Like this thread? Please let me know what you thought in the comments below. Also, follow me for more on tactical Product management tips, the changing AI landscape and SR&ED.

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Attended Bullhorn’s Engage conference and still confused about how your Candidate Database, Automation, and Copilot fit together? Here’s a fresh perspective on why Bullhorn can’t do everything on its own. Let's start with a fun word: Anthropomorphize. If you don’t know it, check the end of this post and then come back here. Now, let’s get weird... Think of your database as a LIVING, BREATHING HUMAN, not just a bunch of 1s and 0s on a cloud server. We've been taught to see databases as mere repositories, but generative AI is changing the game. Without a mindset shift, your database will remain a source of frustration rather than a goldmine of opportunity for unprecedented growth in the staffing industry. How to Invest in Your Database as a Living Team Member: Breathing Air (Clean Data): Your database needs clean data to function. Without it, everything breaks down. If it's polluted with bad data, performance suffers, leading to bigger problems. No clean air, no life. Food & Water (Candidate Profiles): A diet of just sugar (like costly inbound applicants or LinkedIn responses) won't sustain you. You need a balanced intake—think of diverse, high-quality candidate profiles as your fruits, veggies, and proteins. Shelter (Data Infrastructure & Hosting): Good shelter protects you from the elements. It's not just about servers but also how your data is structured. Poorly built shelters or disorganized data create a nightmare when it matters most. Tools (AI & Automation): Tools like Automation, Copilot, and Search & Match can boost productivity. Training on how and when to use these tools is key to avoiding a fallback to manual processes. Sleep (Analytics): Proper sleep helps your brain make necessary connections. Similarly, analytics prioritize data healing, problem-solving, and energy allocation, driving focus and direction. Who performs well on no sleep? Exercise (Candidate Data Enrichment & Management): Exercise keeps you fit for extraordinary feats and emergencies. Regular data enrichment and management keep your database in top shape, ensuring high performance and a better quality of life. Family & Friends (Partners & Vendors): Humans thrive on relationships. Your tech and consulting partners are like family. They support you in crises and help you achieve more than you thought possible. Purpose (Business Goals): Clear goals drive success in the AI and data age. Just as life priorities evolve, so do business goals. Start with clean air, water, and shelter, then optimize and seek sustainable growth. Eventually, focus on long-term health, raising a team, starting ventures, and achieving work-life balance. By seeing your database as a living entity, you'll immediately grasp what’s needed to thrive in this new data-driven era. Anthropomorphize: To attribute human characteristics to non-human entities. It means treating your AI and data systems as if they have human-like qualities, helping you better understand and manage them.

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"Where do I begin?" (This is the question every company asks when starting their industry verticalization journey.) Having worked with companies at each stage, I recently distilled the journey into the "crawl, walk, run" stages for a client. 🚶🏃‍♂️ I'll be breaking down each stage in an upcoming newsletter. If you're interested, sign up for the newsletter at IndustryGTM (dot) com

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Ever wonder how your nonprofit's fundraising KPIs stack up against other top-performing organizations? Well, you're in luck! I'm incredibly excited about the launch of our new Benchmark Report. The 30 page report includes... 📊 Fundraising benchmark data from 370 top-performing nonprofits 📏 The 7 essential KPIs necessary to measure your fundraising health. 🚀 Tips and tactics to move the needle on each KPI and beat the benchmarks! Download the report below and start the journey toward crushing your fundraising goals! https://lnkd.in/dXRfYCiK

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I’ve seen all too many folks struggle with finding their target market, and it's almost a comedy of errors. First off, you have people swinging wildly without any research. They dive into the abyss without understanding who their audience is. Then, there’s this over-reliance on broad data - thinking, 'Oh, everyone uses social media, right?' Yes, but not everyone wants to buy your product! And let's not forget the classic mistake of following outdated marketing trends just because they 'worked in the past.' Spoiler alert: it’s not 2010 anymore. Too much aimless guessing. Not enough precision and adaptation.

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