gdp's Comments

Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing : NFC Digital Payments - what's in it for consumers?

Tue, 31 May 2011 13:22:51 +0000

I think you're underplaying the convenience aspect of this. The experience in Hong Kong is very encouraging. Octopus is an RFID payment card originally introduced for the transportation system, but is now available widely in convenience stores, fast food outlets, parking garages, vending machines, etc. "The cards are used by 95% of the population of Hong Kong aged 16 to 65, generating over 11 million daily transactions worth a total over HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) everyday" from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_card Of course HK is a small and unique territory, and the transport system is ubiquitous as car ownership is very low, but still... people use it for the convenience, not for discounts.

Dumb Little Man : Your To-Do List: Knowing Where to Start

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:49:46 +0000

I came up with http://teamly.com with exactly this problem in mind! Our slogan is "Get the right work done", which reflects it's not about keeping busy that counts but getting the right stuff done. Teamly is a new kind of productivity tool that helps you move beyond your mile-long to-do lists and focus on the truly important stuff, your top 5 priorities for the day, week and month.

Dumb Little Man : Are You A Slave to Your Email?

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 10:54:11 +0000

Try using the phone instead of a lengthy email?

Dumb Little Man : Are You A Slave to Your Email?

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 10:53:54 +0000

Agree with Mike here, I think you're office is beyond redemption!

Dumb Little Man : 3 Things To Help You Make The Most Of Every Day

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:53:44 +0000

I love your focus on the top 3 MITs. By focusing on less, we get more done. And we feel less swamped and more in control. For this reason I built Teamly to help manage just your top priorities, both for individuals and also for businesses who can use it collaboratively. http://teamly.com I'd love you to check it out and let me know what you think. Scott

Socialbrite : Web 2.0 productivity tools

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:15:11 +0000

Great list! Quite a few of these were new to me. I have another web app to suggest, which combines your categories of Task Management and Group Management. I am CEO of Teamly. Teamly is a new kind of productivity tool that helps you manage personal and group productivity. For a manager the benefit is that they now have a clear way to monitor and track what their colleagues consider are their top priorities. Teamly is now in beta and I would love you or your readers to try it out. http://teamly.com

Stepcase Lifehack : Navigating Productivity Advice: Finding What Actually Works

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:15:40 +0000

I couldn't find a system that completely fitted my needs, so decided to put together a few different ideas and create Teamly! Teamly is a new kind of productivity tool that helps you move beyond your mile-long to-do list and focus on the truly important stuff, your top 5 priorities for the day, week and month. http://teamly.com

Dumb Little Man : 6 Cool Startpages That Can Make You More Productive

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:50:24 +0000

My start page is Teamly. I am also the founder and CEO of the company, so of course I am biased! Teamly is a new kind of productivity tool that helps you move beyond your mile-long to-do list and focus on the truly important stuff. Unlike other priority software it can be used within businesses and you can share your priorities with your colleagues. Teamly is free for individuals, I would love to hear your comments and feedback as we are currently in beta testing. http://teamly.com

Dumb Little Man : 11 Solid Ways to Improve Your Time Management Skills

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:52:07 +0000

We were disappointed with existing to-do list software so built Teamly. It neatly encourages people to focus on what really matters and get the right work done. We're in beta right now so would love comments and feedback from DLM readers http://teamly.com

Red Ferret : Teamly - focus your to-do list on the important things in life

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:03:22 +0000

As part of Teamly I would just like to say thanks for your review. We launched our beta early to get as much feedback as possible like this from potential users. We're developing lots of things in the coming weeks and months so please come back and keep using it. Also, if you're in charge of a team invite them to join you, that way you can start using the management features (more of these coming soon).

TechCrunch : Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

Sat, 8 May 2010 18:17:02 +0000

I agree you can learn a lot by reading on your own, but what you would miss is the contact, in depth interaction and two year immersion amongst a smart bunch of people, who could potentially become life long friends. I don't think you can get that just by going to the odd conference.

TechCrunch : Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

Sat, 8 May 2010 18:12:57 +0000

Yes, there is definitely a negative perspective, but I don't think it's just in Silicon Valley. If you're a mid level drone in a big corp then getting an MBA will accelerate your career, but elsewhere you might find it hampers it (the fact you have it, not the knowledge and experience, which ought to help).

TechCrunch : Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

Sat, 8 May 2010 18:08:11 +0000

Absolutely. The knowledge you can learn through books, or online. The interaction with people from other backgrounds and experiences is what sets apart an MBA class from any other learning experience. The best schools have the smartest people, and with impressive real-world experience.

TechCrunch : Is an MBA a Plus or a Minus in the Startup World?

Sat, 8 May 2010 17:48:35 +0000

Here is my personal perspective: I left my last business last year, and in the absence of not having any better ideas at that time I decided to look into MBA programmes. If I was going to do it, this was going to be my chance; at 34 years old I am already above the average age. If I was going to take two years out of my career I was only prepared to do so at the very best establishments, so I visited 4 of the top schools in the US, including 3 very close to the tech scene. I was surprised at how few of the people attending were interested in technology, entrepreneurships or start-ups. (Well under 10% intend to start something on their own after graduating). I was also surprised how little interest any of the students I met showed in my experiences as an entrepreneur. These are supposed to be the best and brightest business students in the world and here I was a real live entrepreneur, wouldn't they want to ask me something, anything? I asked my existing network what they thought about MBAs. Friends, family and other non-entrepreneurs all thought it sounded like an excellent idea. Entrepreneurs who started their own businesses, including Tony Hsieh of Zappos, Cameron Herold, the former COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, and many other less well known people, hated it. "Why would you want to do that?" was the usual question, with an air of disbelief and indignance. Having invested time and effort, I pressed ahead, studied for the GMAT, and applied to some of the top schools in the world. Surprisingly I found this to be an enjoyable and useful experience. It was during this time I decided that an MBA really wasn't for me. Yes, it would be useful, I would learn a lot, and I would be connected with a great bunch of people, but I am fundamentally an entrepreneur, someone who likes creating a business and so taking two years out to sit in a classroom didn't sit comfortably. The application process is very illuminating and I enjoyed the self-analysis. Writing lengthy answers to questions like "What matters most to you, and why?", "What are your career aspirations?" and "What are you most passionate about, and why?" forced me to really think deep down about what I want to do with my life. Having come to the conclusion it was to build a new global business that makes a positive difference to the world I set about thinking what that would involve and wanted to start straight away. Luckily in February the idea arrived and I knew that I had made the right decision for me. I can completely identify with Mark Zuckerberg who recently said in an interview with Fortune, "I don't think I'm ever going to have an idea this good again". When that comes along, you don't want to waste any time. I'm sure if I completed an MBA I would be the better for it, but there's plenty of ways to gain that knowledge, and as long as I am aware of my shortcomings I can find the appropriate advisors to plug my own personal gaps. Any CEO should know the limits of their competence, and one of the greatest skills - which I don't think anyone can teach you - is knowing how to put together a great team. I'm sure for the business I am about to start building, an MBA grad will come in handy at some point in our growth. What I know is that it doesn't need to be me.

TechCrunch : Delivering Happiness: A Movement

Mon, 3 May 2010 20:42:09 +0000

I just finished reading Tony's book today and had the same experience as you; I thought I already knew everything about Zappos, but it turns out this book contains a lot of new info which hasn't been made public before. To understand Zappos you have to understand Tony, and this book gives additional insight. My favourite example from the book is how he gave up an $8M bonus to work for Microsoft after they purchased ILE. That moment was an epiphany for him, and the significance is important in understanding what he's been creating at Zappos.