develpreneur podcast
Posted on Interviews 2.0

An Interview With Brandon Leibowitz of SEO Optimizers

We move on in our Interviews 2.0 season to an interview with Brandon Leibowitz of SEO Optimizers. The name gives away his specialty, so it is sort of a spoiler alert. However, we have a great conversation about how to approach SEO, and I think you will have a notepad full of tips when we finish. An Introduction and Then We Get To Work In this episode, we start at the beginning. We get an introduction to Brandon and how he came to found the company. However, the conversation is not just light and fluffy. We start right into the meat of our discussion on SEO and what it can mean for you and your organization. This topic is one... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Interviews 2.0

Product Fit – Open Source and Otherwise

We wrap up our interview with Irina Poddubnaia with a focus on finding the right product fit. That goes for your customers and your own needs. There are many options available, and it is valuable for us to be able to navigate the field to find the best fit. Irina starts with a discussion about her customers and then deftly shifts into providing insight into how she has selected her solutions in a bootstrap/low-budget environment. Ways To Assess Product Fit We once again return to core questions as part of our process. The “why” and “what” of our problem are both critical in finding the best product fit. Some options will provide too few features, and some that will be... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Interviews 2.0

Building A Team – The TrackMage Approach

Part three of our interview with Irina Poddubnaia focuses on building her team. She had plenty of experience but still had things to learn. The good news is that she had people she had worked with in the past that helped her over the hump of finding resources. She loves her team and provides a great episode of singing their praises. Look To Experience For Building A Team We all have mixed experiences with each team we work on. At least, I hope we do. That equates to some good people and some that are not so good that we get to know. We can reach out to them later when we keep track of those people we find to... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Interviews 2.0

The Benefits of SAAS Products – TrackMage Decisions

We continue our interview with Irina Poddubnaia of TrackMage to discuss the benefits of SAAS solutions, why they chose them, and how to distinguish your solution from the pack. This delves into many practical challenges for building traditional software. Then, we switch gears to focus on how a similar solution can differ in critical areas. Delivery Over Packaging The bottom line of benefits of SAAS solutions is that you can focus on delivering features over platform configuration headaches. Rather than spend time tightly integrating into an OS or device, a SAAS approach tackles that once, and then developers can move forward, adding features and resolving bugs. Yes, there are some admirable aspects of an installed application, but how often would... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Interviews 2.0

An Interview with Irina Poddubnaia of TrackMage

The new season kicks off with an interview with Irina Poddubnaia of TrackMage. This season will once again explore how others have found success and the lessons learned along the way. The topics for this interview include SAAS benefits, building your team, and providing the best experience for your customers. Track Mage Site: https://trackmage.com/ Scratch Your Itch Irina spent her early professional years as a project manager and learning how to build software. She spun these experiences into a plan for solving some of the common problems she saw customers struggle with. Thus, TrackMage was born. It is a story of a side hustle and bootstrap approach that grew into a solid solution and full-time focus. Integrations and Challenges No... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Grow From Failures

Lessons Learned – A Better Life

There is an amusing irony to the idea that more mistakes can lead to a better life.  While the trip can be a challenge, the end is enjoyable.  We see this in many “overnight success” stories if we fail to look at the journey.  It is not the same as the end justifying the means.  However, learning from mistakes is a way to make the most of the price paid for them.  We cannot roll back time, but we can avoid repeating it. Better Developer And Better Life The stories shared in this season did not all focus on becoming a better developer.  Nevertheless, they point to a better life, which leads to that more specific goal.  We are not... Read more