Don't Learn to Code

Last week I fired up my editor and was ready to write this post. Instead I ended up writing about choice and inaction, because that's what my muse wanted me to do.

While going through my news feeds this week I came across this wonderfull post by Jeff Atwood titled "Please Don't Learn to Code". If you have a couple of minutes, read Jeff's article and then come back and read the rest of this post.

You're back. Cool. If you've taken part in any online or offline discussion about founding a tech startup then the first advice you will get is to LEARN TO CODE. For some reason people think that knowing to code will solve all your startup problems, because you will be able to build a prototype that will be poorly written, misuse resources and not function properly. To me this advice is the same like advising a founder to learn accounting, law, marketing, branding, pr, journalism (we all need a well written blog), creative writing, management and everything else that you can think of and might be needed in running a company.

Don't get me wrong, I started programming when I was 10 and even did a Computer Engineering degree which taught me how to program in Assembly. I'm not saying that programming is not useful, it's just not the most important thing in building a company. If you have the time, invest in learning the fundamentals of programming so you have an understanding. In the same way that you will learn the fundamentals of accounting, the law etc. so you can lead your people and have constructive arguments. Your focus though needs to be in building your business, your product and your brand. If you want to take some time off to learn something, then learn how to manage a team and inspire people. Then learn to delegate and get the right team around you.

Stop using this canned response and focus on your business. We want you to solve our problems and hold your promise, not find out that you actually wrote all the code.

Posted by Harry Mylonadis 

Could This be the Future for Brand Consulting?

This article by Co.Design came to verify some of the thinking I've been having the past few years. We, at minimoko, have been supporters of collaboration from the beginning since it allows us to be more involved in a project and create better relationships.

We have also tried (although it hasn't happened yet) to push for a way of working that is different to the traditional consulting model. We know that building a relationship and involving a designer and/or brand builder in the core team is essential to the success of a project. So it makes sense to work for equity instead of working for a fixed fee. The way Fuseproject has achieved this is definitely the way for the future. And it's something that we are pushing to get done in the near future.

The way things are done is changing and sticking to the traditional business models will eventually get us into trouble. We need to welcome change and find ways to provide the best value, while also getting the most out of any project.

Posted by Harry Mylonadis 

Business is Personal

If you believe that business isn't personal, then you allow yourself to act differently and as a "professional". We spend most waking hours working, but we still consider our "professional" life to be disconnected from our personal one.

The problem with that is that we don't just need another "professional" who will do anything to get ahead and win a bonus. We want and need YOU, with all your ideas, skills and problems. In order to be innovative and different from the competition, you need to be personal. You need to show your character and be unique.

Taking what you do personally will also help you realise if it's the right thing to do. If you wake up in the morning and dread getting out of bed because you have another day of work ahead of you, then don't. Stay in bed and think about what's wrong. Think about what you can start. Something that will make you want to get out of bed and enjoy doing it.

When it comes to reality, business is personal and denying leads to misery.

Posted by Harry Mylonadis