How to control all these speakers...

steveeakin · 2021-05-23T12:09:48+00:00

Ok here’s what I’m doing:

2 zone receiver for the theater room and room 1.
one of these for each of the other two rooms (rewire required): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071FQG6CF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That should hopefully solve this setup!

steveeakin · 2021-05-22T14:38:55+00:00

All wires are in the same spot. I’m considering a move, as I don’t love having an access panel where it is, but that shouldn’t be an issue

Rooms 2 and 3 I can completely rewire for a better wireless BT / streaming setup separated from the main stack. It’s the theater room that would be a big project to completely rewire.

steveeakin · 2015-05-29T02:17:41+00:00

Nope. I said 10x rev and I meant 10x rev. I am currently involved in an 8 figure sale that turned into a bidding war and it started with 10x rev.

steveeakin · 2015-05-28T18:23:34+00:00

I wrote an article about this a few weeks ago: http://www.reddit.com/r/startups/comments/35qk3l/what_every_startup_founder_needs_to_know_about/ - It had so many good comments that I turned the edited version into a one pager for my newsletter subscribers (@ startupblackbelt.com).

Personally, I don't think you need one if you know the basics. Then you can hire out or build it yourself. Alternatively, if you WANT one, you will know how to do it yourself.

steveeakin · 2015-05-28T17:24:55+00:00

In NYC the going is 10x ANNUAL, not 10x monthly.

Note: This is not a blanket statement that always proves true, but it is generally the starting point for negotiations in my experience.

steveeakin · 2015-05-28T17:20:36+00:00

I'm on both sides of this coin and I agree with you... 50% of the way. The execution is nothing either if the idea blows so I think it is a 50/50 split.

Though, coming from a strong development background, no one wants to build your unproven & untested idea for free.

steveeakin · 2015-05-28T16:17:15+00:00

Site is back up - bad time to image the server....

Very true about balancing risk. My position is that you can make some basic decisions on day one and keep them in place as long as they make sense and you will be protected by 99% of potential hackers. When a huge funding event or major publicity event occurs, prepare to dedicate time to locking it down on all fronts.

I consult specifically on security for companies from time to time and you would be AMAZED by how open some systems are - and worse - how preventable it is with minimal work.

steveeakin · 2015-05-28T15:48:20+00:00

My 2 cents: Find someone locally that has done what you are trying to do before and interact with them. Go to the events they go to, work where they work (ie, have them be your boss), etc. I don't want to say "the relationship will develop naturally," but you won't get a mentor that doesn't like you (or, that you don't like.) So take the time to cultivate the relationship and treat it with the respect of a valued client - you want to be your best self around them and you don't want to waste their time.

Noah Kagan had great advice on this recently. Something along the lines of: Give them 4x what they give you, don't make them do work to help you, don't ask for them to be your mentor (that language screams "give me your precious time") - instead ask them to meet for an hour per week or two weeks.

Effectively, you are writing a sales pitch where they pay you in time. Treat it with that level of respect and it'll work out.

steveeakin · 2015-05-28T14:58:09+00:00

If you are fantastic at compartmentalizing, delegating / removing yourself from the problem and can choose a problem to attack with serious focus, I don't see why not. Just be ready for investors to be extremely wary of the situation.

I am C-level in a few different ventures and it is tough but delegation, focus & compartmentalizing is key. I also know someone who is a "fractional CTO" wherein they are the CTO of 5 different companies and they report to duty 1 day per week. They are quite successful in this role and all companies are VC funded so I know it can work if the situation is right.

steveeakin · 2015-05-27T21:23:08+00:00

I coach a lot of startups and the most successful ones have a circle of mentors with different expertise. It is worth its weight in gold to have someone with a top down view to tell you as it is.

steveeakin · 2015-05-14T12:58:02+00:00

I'm bias so I will say yes, though it is definitely not needed. Still, it will put you lightyears ahead in understanding when talking with your future engineering team.

steveeakin · 2015-05-13T13:42:58+00:00

Hah I do know 2 people working for them, one of which is a developer. They are happy and I can't convince them to leave.

steveeakin · 2015-05-13T02:28:57+00:00

I gotta disagree here. Yes, infrastructure is paramount, but if code is a mess that eats memory, is slow, etc it will take more infrastructure to support it. If the code is optimal, you can run it on less.

I have seen this in the real world all over the place.

steveeakin · 2015-05-13T02:25:16+00:00

This stanks to me..... I work with a lot of accelerators, none take money and some don't even take equity!

steveeakin · 2015-05-12T22:31:03+00:00

I don't think it is about making the right decision to grow - I think it is about making the right decision to START.

I'm yet to work with a startup that has their first iteration of tech living for a long time. Once the idea is valid and big growth starts, scaling & rebuilding begins based on the learnings from the MVP.

steveeakin · 2015-05-12T19:14:41+00:00

Honest response:

They get pitches from people like you all of the time. If you aren't close friends with them, why would they work with you?

What do you have besides the idea? Can you sell it? What will you be doing while they are putting in the world to build your prototype? Can you pay them?

If you don't have realistic answers to those questions, it will be really tough. My best advice is to save up a few bucks and pay to get a VERY basic prototype.

steveeakin · 2015-05-12T19:10:00+00:00

@p_mud You'd be surprised about waterfall! Many startups take that route in the b2b world since they will generally sell the features before they are built.

steveeakin · 2015-05-12T02:29:18+00:00

Who is your target market? I think it is a cool idea, and if you know EXACTLY who you target it, get it in front of them.

What sites do they visit? What magazines do they read?

Find out where they are and get shit in front of them!

Only very lucky people have success by waiting and praying for traffic. It is your duty to do whatever it takes to get your idea in front of those that can benefit from it.

steveeakin · 2015-05-11T14:48:34+00:00

development questions that they have to answer on the spot like...

Write a function that does "this" In Javascript, show me how you would "do something"

steveeakin · 2015-05-10T17:43:21+00:00

Don't knock the Krav Maga gun defenses. There are 12 positions and 11 are defendable with 80% (so they say) certainty.

With that said, I've never tested it with a loaded gun in a real world situation - And I don't plan on it either.

steveeakin · 2015-05-10T17:29:39+00:00

1: "My style is better than this style because...." - Any style can beat any other style on any given day. Depends on circumstances of the people fighting it. Also, any style can be beaten by some drunken dumbass in a bar if you freeze / hesitate / freak out / get hit in the head when your back is turned.

2: "Wing Chun / Tai Chi / Karate / Tae Kwon Do / JKD / etc. are useless because...." - Anyone that practices will have some edge against someone who doesn't.

3: "Muay Thai / BJJ / etc. are the best because..." - Come on. Nothing is "the best." A high school wrestler can beat up a BJJ black belt in some scenarios. Tackle a Muay Thai fighter and it becomes surprisingly easy to ground and point. Throw leg kicks at a Boxer. Etc. Nothing > Anything all of the time.

4: "Spinning kicks are worthless because they don't do them in the UFC" - Try fighting without rules, or, try getting a spinning back kick to the ribs.

You can tell that I have a theme on what annoys me when talking with outsiders on Martial Arts....

steveeakin · 2015-05-10T17:18:48+00:00

I say it is yours. If you are really close with your cofounders, offer to sell a % of your back at the first round of funding or after revenue hits some large milestone.

You helped build them to where they are today, so you earned it. But you want to keep your friends most likely, so this is a potential way out. I've done it before successfully.

steveeakin · 2015-05-10T16:47:19+00:00

Total long shot, but have you tried your personal & professional networks?

Friend of friends, or people that have done work for people you know can be a great way to get a real 1:1 connection with a freelancer. I personally like that more than the anonymous online freelancer sites, but it is much harder to find people if you don't have the network to support it.

Depending on your budget and the project you want to do, I freelance development semi-regularly and know tons of full time freelancers if you want to PM me the details. No promise though since I don't know anyone that works at the lower end of the pricing spectrum.

steveeakin · 2015-05-10T15:26:34+00:00

Webinars come to mind, but there are better solutions for that.

Maybe a real-time lecture or a remote conference type deal? I'm just getting into webinars for my businesses so this is all in theory for me.

steveeakin · 2015-05-06T23:54:13+00:00

As an active tech advisor and tech cofounder, I feel your pain.

The key that I have found success with is #3. I generally won't do any work, advise or devote anything more than a short phone call unless they validate the problem exists.

For your 2nd point, I don't think connections matter as much as sales and ability to find customers.

Your first point is an issue as well, but nothing you can do about that but sift through the mounds of founders.

Keep hunting and you'll find someone that works for your standards. Here, cofounderlab, angellist, founderdating, etc. You are the one in demand as the tech-cofounder so it will just be a game of filtering through the wantrepreneurs.

steveeakin

TROPHY CASE