Guest Speaker: Brian Forth

*1 company 18 years, SiteCrafting
*Lived through hard times
*Mobile apps
*Started as elementary school teacher, came to Tacoma (former film and philosophy major0

*Taught 5^th graders to code, build websites.

*Teacher Universe
*Dot com bubble burst, declined moving to San Francisco
*Company survived downturn by being diversified.

*Charges extra for exclusivity.

*Kill clause: if they cancel the contract, they still owe money.
*Keep energy even.
*Had sales person overpromising. Commission sales person. Bad clients.
-Business cards on walnuts. Dammit.
*Relies on word of mouth. Word of mouth comes from satisfied customers.
?What product are you most proud of?
*Build an application for movie studios, let them compare cuts and select their favorites. Owning company is Deluxe.
*”The only thing permanent is change” “No man steps in the same river twice” feels like a different company each week.

?Company hierarch?
?What kind of businessman are you?

*Likes fishing.
*Fry and Brian bad at firing people.
*Not good at coding now, job is to sell it.
*Good with understanding clients.

 *Selling product to client, selling client to staff.

*Mobile applications.
-Iphone the defining invention of his career.
-Apps became a vanity thing.
?Does your business have an app? –No. Just need a site.
-Sites as the app is better for multiple devices. Only need 1 set of code.

 *Gearlab – Testing company within SiteCrafting.

-Testing user interaction
-eye sensors
?Gearlab tested any games?

-Provide highlights and data.

-Convinced a cable company to bundle.
-Companies are not often used to user testing and data.

*First client: electrical distributor website.

*Most exciting product: -impossible stuff
-APs – digiplayer reserving on flights
--Other company gave up, got it launched in 11 days.
*SiteCrafting and GearLab separate
-Can sell easier
-Can prevent conflict of interest
*Good training ground for Amazon and Google.
-But good retention due to company culture: see things through, made things they are proud of.
*Exciting company as they work with a different client each week.
*Cares for problem solving. Integrity, perseverance, learning.
-Not too concerned for starting code skill.
*Realized he wanted this when he made more money after school.
*Biometric playtesting
-Can play fruit ninja with his eyes.
--Talk to Chuck.
*”The Obstacle Is The Way” – Recommended book
-No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.
--Same with business plans.