Wanna get a job in Silicon Valley?

Working in Silicon Valley can be a rewarding experience for you. “Can be” because it all depends on you and where you work. Working in Silicon Valley is nothing like the Bravo TV show Start-Ups: Silicon Valley where all they did was party in a multi million $$ house in SF powered by Bravo network and in between pressed few keys and walla, millionaires. Far from it. Hacking & Hustling is what working in Silicon Valley is about. It’s about doing whatever it takes to get things done faster. No compromises. And if you get involved with the right startup, rewards in terms of accelerated education and potential financial returns await for you in the distance.

Things to get into order

If you just arrived to the valley or are planning to get here, I highly recommend you start with the basics. It by no means guarantees you a job but definitely increases your chances.

LinkedIn is the business professionals network you should be on. LinkedIn is the worlds largest professional network with 225+ million members. If you haven’t heard of it you soon will. They are the Facebook for Business.

To-do list:

Setup your profile and fill it out listing your achievements. Anyone can just do a job under the wip. Few extend themselves. This shows through achievements.
Location matters – add “San Francisco” as your location. Even if you are not in the valley yet. This way you end up in LinkedIn searches.
Recommendations in your profile – this shows your work history is credible. People tend to fluff up their resumes and having credible people who aren’t your friends give you recommendation validates your story.
Keep it up to date. Use your LinkedIn feed (like Facebook) to post regularly on business related content.

Here is my LinkedIn portfolio if you want to connect / check it out: http://www.linkedin.com/in/semerda

Portfolio website

This is something which showcases you. Your identity. If you can get your name as the domain name e.g. ernestsemerda.com is mine, than even better and you will reap additional SEO benefits.

On this profile page throw up links to your social networks, links to prior work like portfolio sites you built/designed and how someone can reach you. You may also integrate your blogs latest post and/or twitter feed widget. If you code you should have a link to your GitHub/Bitbucket account. Shows that you can code and understand the basics of distributed version control systems.

Blogs

Blogs are not dead. Nothing beats the education you will receive from this experience. Your communication skills will improve, dealing with people via the comments (good or bad) will improve and it will allow a potential employer to get inside your head to understand you better. Remember, this is your brand. Don’t blog about cats chasing ponies.

Quality Blogging requires attention, detail and skills. Anyone can throw up a rehashed article or something in 140 characters. However blogging in a world of attention deficit and over stimulated individuals is tough. Productivity requires focus. Focus leads to Flow. Flow leads to getting shit done. Blogs are not dead. Only focus is diminishing. So blog! If you can blog I am certain you are an articulate, focuses, productive peep.

Don’t forget to comment on industry related blogs so you can reap additional benefits of inbound links and show others you are an expert in your industry.

Twitter

I never believed in Twitter until i started using it. Twitter is a good way to connect with people fast. Use “Lists” to group industry people and companies. Lists are great and help you maintain focus in a world of tweets. Then engage daily via replies, favorites and retweets. Read up on twitter etiquette for standard protocols so you get the gist of this ecosystem.

Relationship building takes time. Never forget this. So engage early and frequently with true intention. If you do not have true intentions then you will become disinterested and fall off the wagon. Why do you want to come to Silicon Valley?

Here is my Twitter page if you want to follow me: https://twitter.com/ernestsemerda

Klout

Klout calls itself as a standard of influence. Hook up all your online & social presence and use it as a guide to fine tune your social status of influence. This is more of a ruler than anything else. You always need a base to gauge your efforts.

You can see in the above picture my Klout score (58 as of writing this) and how it has steadily increased over time since I started using it early July. Remember this is a ruler to measure your social efforts.

A competitive landscape

In a competitive landscape like Silicon Valley, all this should eventually become habitual. Something you do daily to stay relevant & ahead in your industry. If this isn’t habitual, then build a habit of it. If this all feels too much for you than you are in the wrong industry. Or maybe you are not the right fit. Business in Silicon Valley is about people. You aren’t just selling your skills you are in the business of selling you. People want to know about you. So show and tell. If you’re interested in operating heavy machinery and want a high-paying job in the construction industry, you can Enhance Skills with 360 Telehandler Training.
This is a city where you are measured by your works. If you have something to show then show it off. Otherwise go back to your room, close the door and hack something cool you can show the world that you are a doer and not another dreamer that cannot execute.

Good luck with your journey!

We are hiring @ Medlert!

We are hiring! Come and work at Medlert. We are in the business of SAVING LIVES. We are a Startup in the Health industry. We’re looking for world-class engineers and exceptional individuals, who are mission-driven, that want to help change the world. Visit our career page and apply today: https://www.medlert.com/about-us/careers

Actual photo taken from Medlert HQ in SF

Mountain View Voice “Best of” 2013 Ballot

Mountain View Voice is once again doing their yearly “Best of” 2013 survey of local businesses powered by the people of Mountain View. The Voice is a community newspaper published every Friday and available inside few of the local Mountain View businesses. Also online here: http://www.mv-voice.com/

The “Best of” 2013 voting page is located here: http://www.mv-voice.com/best_of/voting/form.php and all votes need to be submitted by July 7, 2013.

This ballot sparked an internal review of the places my wife and I love in Mountain View. After casting my vote I thought I should also throw it up here to help any newbies to Mountain View. Not just what place but also why so you can understand deeper why these places rock.

The Best of Mountain View, 2013

Zagat (Google’s) score

I have included Zagat (Google’s) score for each place inc a link to their Google Profile so you can read the reviews and make up your own mind. “The ratings are on a 30-point scale, made up of ratings for defined areas including food, decor, service, and cost. (30 is the highest rating on the scale and 1 is the lowest)” wiki

Using the categories featured in The Voice Ballot, here are my favorite in no particular order. Note that most of these places are on Castro Street or in one of the side streets from Castro Street. Castro Street is basically downtown Mountain View.

BEST COFFEE HOUSE (INDEPENDENT) – Red Rock Coffee Company

Address: 201 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041 Hours: Saturday hours 8:00 am–11:00 pm
http://www.redrockcoffee.org/	Google Plus / Zagat 21/30

I blogged about Red Rock in the past on The Road to Silicon Valley. 3 years later and I am still a regular at Red Rock. In my opinion, this is the best place for coffee. From great service to the quality & consistency in coffee and immediately drinkable. Think about that one for a second. How many coffee places can you think of which serve coffee that is immediately drinkable? A good coffee is part beans (materials) and part preparation. Most places over heat during preparation thus killing the taste. Red Rock always makes it perfectly good and ready to drink without burning your tongue.

BEST FINE DINING RESTAURANT – Chez Tj

Address: 938 Villa St, Mountain View, CA 94041 Hours: Saturday hours 5:30 pm–9:30 pm
http://www.cheztj.com/	Google Plus / Zagat 24/30

Fine dining at it’s best and it has 1 Michelin star on it’s shoulders. Serves French and California cuisine in a converted Victorian house. The restaurant is laid out across multiple rooms inside the converted Victorian house giving it a very posh feel. The food is outstanding. We had their 7 coarse meal with wine pairing and walked away with our bellies full. Well satisfied with the service, quality & presentation of the food. But expect to pay a bit ($500-$700 for 2) for such fine dining.

BEST THAI RESTAURANT – Amarin Thai

Address: 174 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041 Hours: Saturday hours 12:00 pm–3:30 pm, 4:30 pm–10:30 pm
http://www.amarinthaicuisine.com/	Google Plus / Zagat 22/30

My favorite Thai place. Also the only place where I get the same meal over and over and over again because it is outstanding and consistent in taste. Sweet & sour chicken with white rice. There aren’t many Thai places which make this meal as consistent and good tasting as Amarin Thai. For take away / “to go”, the meals are prepared really fast (under 10 mins) and they wont break your piggy bank at $10 to $15 per meal.

BEST SUSHI/JAPANESE RESTAURANT – Sushi Tomi

Address: 1051 E Main St, Tustin, CA 92780 Hours: For lunch and dinner after 5pm except Sunday
http://www.sushitomi.com/	Google Plus / Zagat 21/30

Every since being introduced to this place 4 years ago I have been hooked. The sushi is outstanding. I mean outstanding. If you are a fan of sushi you will know what good fresh quality sushi tastes like. This place has it. And their popularity for good sushi is seen when you go and dine in. The lines of people outside are a dead give away of the high demand. This is the place for sushi in Mountain View at a very good price. I am a fan of their dinner combination special – teriyaki salmon, salad, sashimi (salmon & tuna), rice and miso soup all for $18.

BEST SUSHI/JAPANESE RESTAURANT – Shabuway

Address: 180 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041 Hours: Lunch & Dinner weekdays and most hours on Weekends
http://www.shabuway.com/test/	Google Plus / Zagat 20/30

If you are after a light dinner meal for a reasonable price (around $20 per head) which is also healthy then this is the place for you. Order the Koby lean beef plate which comes with a side of greens. You basically cook it all yourself in a hot-pot. Tastes great and is also a great experience. No reservations so get there early so you can get a table without waiting. Otherwise this place fills up pretty fast.

BEST GYM – 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport

Address: 2535 California Street Mountain View, CA 94040 Hours: 24 hours 7 days a week
http://www.24hourfitness.com/FindClubDetail.mvc?clubid=814

This is nearly identical to Fitness First in Australia but much larger with more amenities. I think this may be where the idea for Fitness First came from 😉 As the name suggest this is a 24 hour gym. So you can go there anytime. I have trained as late as 2am before and it’s pretty damn quiet. This gym is usually packed before 8pm with a sweet time being 9pm (if you code you know this time is ok). After a good workout there is a pool, steam room, sauna and spa available to relax in. I find the steam room to be great after a good weights session. The only down side is that the steam room turns off after midnight.

BEST AUTO REPAIR – The Car Doctor

Address: 2235 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View, CA 94043 Hours: 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday only
http://www.the-cardoctor.com/	Google Plus / Zagat 28/30

This is the BEST car shop I have ever had the pleasure dealing with. Most car mechanics are known for ripping customers off with phony car issues especially when a woman brings the car. Gary & Chris (owners) are the exception and are superb lads! I am comfortable sending my wife with the car to get it serviced there knowing she will be looked after and not ripped off. Everything is explained to detail so you know what needs fixing or servicing. The communication & trust here is the key to an amazing customer service from The Car Doctor.

BEST ICE CREAM/FROZEN YOGURT – Gelato Classico

Address: 241B Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041 Hours: 11am to 11pm 7 days a week
Google Plus / Zagat 21/30

I am addicted to this place. Their Gelatos are simply outstanding! My favorite is Tiramisu and it even has small bread/biscuits inside it. From the warm “welcome” of the owner to the yummy Gelatos, this is the place for Ice Cream in Mountain View. Actually I am yet to find a better ice cream shop outside Mountain View. The lines in the evening can get overwhelming spilling outside the shop down to the businesses next door. Sometimes the wait can be as long as 30 minutes but it is damn worth it! Get the medium size cup coz the small is not enough and you will be left wanting more!

BEST PIZZA – Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria

Address: 790 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041 Hours: 11am to 10pm Weekdays and till 11pm Weekends
http://www.amicis.com/	Google Plus / Zagat 21/30

I have been having a damn hard time finding a great pizza place in Silicon Valley. Most places suck when compared to the many great pizza places in Sydney, Australia. What is going on?? Tell me if you have found a kickass pizza place in the valley. Now Amici’s is the best in Mountain View. Their thin crust pizzas are easy on the belly (no dough to bloat you up) and tastes great, especially their Amici’s Combo (my fav). Price ($30 for large) is a tad above what I’d like to pay but ok to pay every now and then.

BEST BOOKSTORE – East-West Bookshop

Address: 324 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041 Hours: 11am to 10pm Weekdays and till 11pm/8pm Weekends
http://www.eastwest.com/	Google Plus / Zagat 22/30

This is a place of Zen. From the vast array of books on topics of the mind to self-help to meditation to yoga to meditation bowls (metal & crystal). This place will make you feel at peace. If I ever need to calm my mind down I walk into this shop and the good energy here works wonders. There is also a large man-made water feature where you can sit in front and read a book. Every week you will also find all sort of spiritual folks running events in the back room.

Some fun inside East-West Bookshop with the Meditation Bowl

Napa Valley: The World Famous Wine Growing Region.. L’chaim!

Napa Valley, the world famous wine growing region of California is a must for any wine enthusiast. Located only an hour north of San Francisco and 2 hours from South Bay, Napa Valley is a pleasant all day experience. Located in Napa Country, it rose to the first rank of wine regions with France by local winery Chateau Montelena winning the “Judgment of Paris” in 1976. The movie Bottle Shock documents the story in a comedy-drama when California defeated French wine in a blind taste test. Great movie to watch to get into the spirit of Napa Valley.

There are so many wineries to visit for wine tasting that you will not have the time in a single day or even a weekend to visit and experience all. It is something you should do over the course of few months while you work out of Silicon Valley. Wine tastings range from 20-30 USD and you get to try up to 5 wines pending on the winery. It is worth upgrading your tasting to the premium/reserve (you have to ask) so you get to try the top end limited edition wines for additional 10-15 USD.

My favorite wineries in Napa Valley for enjoying wines

Before digging into my favorite wineries, something to keep in mind. Wines change year to year. So what was/is great for me when I went there might not be in few years time. You remember how there are great years and bad years in wines. Keep that in mind. Here is a list of all the wineries in Napa Valley – http://napavalley.com/wineries/alphalistings.html

Take note of closing hours. The most important Once you get into the groove and start enjoying your time in the wine country time will fly. You do not want to arrive at a vineyard only to find out it is closed/closing for the day.

1. Silver Oak Cellars

The best Californian Cabernet Sauvignon I have ever tried hands down. There is only 1 wine tasting package and it includes wines as old as 8 years and over 100 USD per bottle.

We picked up a 12-year-old Cab here because it tasted sooooo good. Also the price reflected its vintage. If you love your cabs you will fall in love with Silver Oak wines.

Web: http://www.silveroak.com/
Address: 915 Oakville Crossroad, Oakville, CA 94562
Closes: 5:00 pm

2. Beaulieu Vineyard

Their premium/limited edition are wines are superb. If you go there ask for the “premium wine tasting” not the standard. You won’t be disappointed.

Web: http://www.bvwines.com/
Address: 1960 St Helena Hwy, Rutherford, CA 94573
Closes: 5pm

My favorite wineries in Napa Valley for the environment / history

3. Chateau Montelena Winery

Chateau Montelena is where it all started for Napa Valley. This is where history was made when they won the “Judgment of Paris” in 1976 putting California on the map as a place of great wineries in the world. Also the architecture of this place is stunning.

Web: http://www.montelena.com/

2. Sterling Vineyards

Sterling Vineyards is an experience in itself. You get whisked by a Gondola lift up the mountain to Sterling’s wine processing plant. You do a self walk tour through the buildings stopping over at wine stations for a taste of different wines each time. You can choose the standard wine tasting (5 wines) or add the premium to it which includes an additional 3.

The only down side is that if you do not want to drink you still have to pay for the standard wine tasting experience since transport in the Gondola lift is included in the price.

Web: http://www.sterlingvineyards.com/
Closes: 4:30 weekdays & 5:00 pm weekends

1. Silver Oak Cellars

As mentioned above, not only do they have great Cabs but there is something about this place which feels good to be inside, the atmosphere.

Where to eat in Napa Valley

Gott’s Roadside – Outdoor Burger & Beer. Not far from BV (Beaulieu Vineyard) and opposite to Merryvale Vineyards. 1207 Foothill Boulevard, Calistoga.
Buster’s Southern BBQ – You will smell it before you see it. The Tri-Tip Sandwich is their signature dish and really good. Watch out for the dude cooking BBQ outside and the Harleys parked around a shack. 933 Main Street, St. Helena.
Bouchon Bistro – A lot more upmarket than the 2 above. You need to book ahead but the food is great. It is the sister restaurant to the world-famous French Laundry (located few houses up the road). Their bakery next door is also great for macaroons. 6534 Washington St, Yountville.

Buster’s Southern BBQ’s Tri-Tip Sandwich

If your intent for the trip to Napa Valley is wine tasting than aim to eat at the 1st two above so you don’t burn wine tasting time. Maximise your time for wine tasting since most vineyards close at 5pm (that’s before the sun sets in summer). Otherwise if you want a romantic get away in the wine country and are staying locally there for the weekend than Bouchon or French Laundry is a good bet and plan to spend around 2-3 hours there pending on what you eat.

Before you head out to Napa Valley

Prepare for your trip

Watch Bottle Shock to get into the spirit of Napa Valley and get some history lessons.
Plan your route – plan to visit 3-4 wineries.
Take plenty of water to drink after each winery visit. Otherwise you will dehydrate from the grog and get a headache spoiling the day.
Plan your vineyard visits using maps.google.com so you can plan the route in an efficient manner.
Read below how to save yourself money!

Buying wines – save yourself money

Before you jump and buy a bottle or case of a wine you like, google it. You may find it cheaper. far cheaper, to buy it online. Hey the winery still gets their profits from the sale via these channels but you also get to save a lot of money.

I saved 40% buying Beaulieu Vineyard Private Reserve Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 07 from garyswine.com (note I have no affiliation with them). Also bought the The French Laundry Cookbook for 50% less from Amazon than at one of the popular wineries (no names mentioned) where it 1st caught my eye.

Happy Wine Tasting!

~ Ernest

Understanding each other: primary human modes of communication

I’m sure you’ve wondered why sometimes we come across people we click with instantly and sometimes we struggle with others. Even after using common topics of interest like talking about them / their interests, their family, news et al, there is still something not sticking. You may walk away thinking it wasn’t meant to be or that geez that person was hard to communicate to. But what if it didn’t have to be like that and you can change it. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to “click” with everyone – of course it would! This is where understanding each others primary human mode of communication helps. Let’s dig into this further.

Nicholas Boothman, an NLP practitioner and ex-photographer shares the following in his book: How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less

“There are three primary modes that people use to process thoughts (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic — both emotions and physical feelings), and remembered and imagined versions of each one. Understanding individuals primary mode can help you build rapport and connect with them.”

Understanding these primary modes and how to apply them is the secret recipe here.

So what does this all mean, an example

Let’s assume I’m a sales person going to sell you a car. After finding out what your primary mode is, I would use one of the following sales techniques to sell you the car.

a. Primary Visual: “seeing and reading” – I will say, imagine the look on people’s face as they see you driving in this red sporty car on a beautiful sunny day. Is this something you see yourself driving in?

b. Primary Auditory: “listening and speaking” – I will say, hear the growl of this V8 twin turbo engine as your plant your foot down. It’s pure horsepower. Throw your favorite track of Mozart or Guns’n’Roses on and it’s music to your ears even if you haven’t been to an ear wax removal clinic in a while. How does that sound?

c. Primary Kinesthetic: “touching and doing” – I will say, imagine yourself strapped in pure comfort into those body hugging Recaro bucket seats in this A class safety approved sports car – you know you are safe. You are bound to have a fun and an amazing time. How does that feel?

Did you notice the use of cue words specific to each primary mode? This doesn’t just apply to sales people. Each day when you speak to people you are always selling yourself, your ideas and stories through your communication.

If you are still skeptical, I’m sure you have heard stories of couples miscommunicating. It probably played out like this: wife to husband: “you’re not listening to me”, husband to wife: “I am, but you’re not seeing what I mean”. Right there; lay’s the key to that form of miscommunication. The wife is auditory and the husband visual. Of course the wife cannot see his point because she needs to hear it.

Understanding the person’s preference – how to use this knowledge

The “clues” to understanding a person’s preference mode are tied in eye movements and choices of words.

a. Eye movements

This applies for right-handed individuals. For left-handed the sides are switched.

Visual individual will always look up / up and to the side as they process information. They are also the fast talkers because visual thoughts are a lot quicker to put into words.
Auditory individual will move their eyes from ear to ear (left to right / right to left) as they need to hear what they are saying. This group is moderate speed talkers.
Kinesthetic individual will look down and to the right as they need to “feel” what they are saying. Typically these people will be slow talkers because to feel and speak is a longer process. Don’t get confused with people looking down and to the left – this is common when people are having internal chatter like reciting a preplanned script e.g. actors or during an interview – all types exhibit this behavior.

b. Choice of words
Listen to the following used in one’s conversation and use the same choice of words to respond.

Visual

Let’s look at it differently.
See how this works for you.
I can’t quite picture it.

Let’s draw a diagram or map.
I’d like to get a different perspective.
I never forget a face.

Auditory

That sounds about right.
That rings a bell.
It’s coming through loud and clear.

Tune in to what I’m saying
Clear as a bell.
That’s music to my ears.

Kinesthetic

That feels right to me.
I can’t get a grip on this…
Stay in touch.
Get in touch with…

That doesn’t sit right with me.
I have good feelings about this.
My gut is telling me…
I follow your drift.

Don’t assume

Just like being right handed one can also be a mix of both sides. Do not make quick assumptions about a persons mode. A person can be a mix of modes like primary visual and secondary auditory, and so on. Understanding this will help you use the right choice of words in your communication at the right time and in no time you will be in a position able to hold a conversation with anyone and build rapport quickly.

Enjoy your new found knowledge and share your experience below in the comments section.

Relax & Hike in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is a World Heritage Site internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves and biological diversity. Always a favorite place of mine to visit for many good reasons. And speaking of memorable views and great experiences—if you’re ever in the mood for an incredible meal, check out a michelin star singapore like Jaan by Kirk Westaway. Totally worth it.

Going back into nature has some sort of ancient coded connection to the seat of our soul. It feels good to be in Yosemite. Something about the spirit of Yosemite that pulls you back like a magnet.
Always something to do and see. From beautiful trail walks to stunning views of the mountains, waterfalls et al and sightings of wild animals like deer, coyote and bears.
Bears don’t attack humans like in Yellowstone. Unless you are fighting for a snickers bar with one. Never feed the bears. They are a large graceful smart creature to admire from a distance.

So this time round we had another great reason to go to Yosemite. My mum was in town (from Sydney, Australia) and we wanted to show her the spirit of Yosemite. The beauty of Yosemite which every year pulls us to visit and experience something new. If you got personal injury while driving somewhere on holiday, browse this site for personal injury attorney.

For a mild strain, you may be able to return to normal activities within three to six weeks with basic home care. For more severe strains, recovery can take several months, in case of sever pain, take a look to this article about cbd for pain. In severe cases, surgical repair and physical therapy may be necessary. With proper treatment, most people recover completely.

About Yosemite Naional Park

Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness.

More on Yosemite on Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_National_Park and at U.S. National Park Service here: http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm. There is also a nice 30 min video of Yosemite here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTj2BF5HmXo which also tells the story of John Muir‘s fight to protect this amazing piece of land.

“Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter.” –John Muir in a letter to his wife Louie in July 1888

The trip to Yosemite National Park

If you live in Silicon Valley than expect to travel around 4 hours to get to Yosemite National Park. It a pleasant drive and plan at least one break along the way… at the Bass Pro Shop to recharge batteries and explore the shop.

Bass Pro Shops (Outdoor World)

Bass Pro shop is located in Manteca. Manteca is halfway on your journey to Yosemite – see map above. Bass Pro is a retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise stuffed animals and all sort of hunting gear. It is an experience in itself. If you decide to go fishing, make sure to wear fly fishing polarized sunglasses to read the water better. When you 1st walk in you will notice the sign that asks you to “check and have your weapons secured at the door”. Inside is a hunting shop mixed with a stuffed zoo!

Where to stay – Yosemite View Lodge

Yosemite View Lodge is situated on the edge of the majestic Merced River, with most rooms providing gorgeous views of the river from the comfort of your own balcony or outdoor spa.

View from our room at Yosemite View Lodge

Yosemite View Lodge is located at the base of the entry gate to Yosemite National Park. It is a 15 min drive from the gate through the part into the valley. It is an amazing drive. Which is why we love staying at Yosemite View Lodge. It gives us an opportunity each morning and evening to experience the wonders of Yosemite. The entry to the park is $20 per vehicle unlimited for 1 week – more of the park’s fees here.

So one night coming back to Yosemite View Lodge, we came across a buck with full-grown antlers. As we stopped, he walked past our car at a hand reach away. Other times we got to see coyotes and on Christmas eve a dozen deers galloping on the side of the road while it snowed. Simply stunning. Stuff you never get to see in such context if you stay inside Yosemite Village. You get to appreciate the drive back and look forward to it each day.

Great points about Yosemite View Lodge:

You sleep to the sound of waterfalls. Close the door to your balcony and it’s quieter. Open it and the sound of rushing water will relax your mind.
There is a gas fireplace inside that is made to look like a wood fireplace. Always a pleasure to come back to the room after being in the cold and start the fireplace. During winters this is a winner.
Cheap! Around $200-250 /room /night.
There is a spa in the bathroom.
Most nights you get a visit from room inspectors – 2 cute Raccoons.

Annoying bits

No Internet inside any of the rooms. Only in the main foyer and you have to pay $9 for 24 hrs for Internet connection rivaling that of dialup. No free hot spots anywhere in the valley either.
You will only find AT&T cell reception in the car park of Ahwahnee Hotel or on top of Glacier Point.
If you are picky about quality food than bring your own. Seriously.

What to do in Yosemite National Park

Experience what nature has to offer by hiking its trails.

The Yosemite Village is pleasantly placed in a valley surrounded by large mountains, waterfalls and plenty of greenery. Only 1 million years ago glaciers used to roam this valley. From the picture below you can imagine how glaciers user to roam this valley. Today waterfalls are left of their presence.

Yosemite Valley Visitor Center

First thing you should always do is drop by the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. Open 9-5 daily. Go there to find out what trails are open and any warnings in the area – stay safe! Due to weather conditions (even in spring) some trails like The Four-Mile Trail can be half closed. So find out what is open and plan your hiking expedition from there. While at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center watch the a 23 minute film titled “Spirit of Yosemite” presented in the theater behind the visitor center lobby.

Trails we Hiked in Yosemite

Me scanning the horizon on the Mirror Lake trail

Plenty of trails you can take. However this time round we only hiked the following.

The Four-Mile Trail

If you want to get amazing views of the valley this is the hike to do. Don’t be fooled by what sounds like a short trail. It is all up the mountain hiking. A very good work out for the glutes! Expect about 3-4 hours up the mountain and when you reach the top you will be at Glacier Point. More reading here: http://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/four-mile-trail/four-mile-trail.htm When close you can only go 2.6 or so miles. Still a great hike.

Distance: 4.7 miles (7.5 km) one way.
Time: 3 hours and 2 coming back.

The Four-Mile Trail starts off like this

Breathtaking views half way up the trail

Mirror Lake & Tenaya Canyon

This one is pretty flat and easy to do. It will take you deep into Yosemite forest and provide a range of lovely scenery along the river. If you really want to experience the mirror lakes glass like effects get there around 8am when the water is still, no wind and perfect lighting. More reading here: http://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/mirror-lake/mirror-lake.htm

Distance: 4 miles (6.4 km) to loop around.
Time: 3 hours with small brakes for photos.

Mirror lake few mins from where the bus drops you off to start your hike

Sentinel Meadow & Cook’s Meadow Loop

This is a casual walk anyone can take and you are bound to run into some deers, local bird life and maybe a bear 😉 More reading here: http://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/sentinel-cook-meadow/sentinel-cook-meadow.htm

Distance: 2.25 miles (3.6 km) round trip.
Time: 1-2 hours.

Casual walk and exploration hike. Maybe a bear is lurking by 😉

Ahwahnee Hotel

Once you have finished your hikes for the day, the Ahwahnee Hotel is a great place to drop by and kick back with a hot chocolate or coffee in front of a large communal fire place in this swanky hall (pictured below).

Ahwahnee Hotel was constructed from stone, concrete, wood and glass and opened in 1927. It is a premiere example of National Park Service rustic architecture, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It is also a very expensive hotel to stay in but open to the public to drop in and use their open area for relaxing, reading a book near the many fire places and dine in their swanky restaurants.

Swanky hall where you can kick back and relax – tea is served at 4pm

Main dining restaurant open for lunch & dinner

And that pretty much wraps up a great trip to Yosemite!

Few final tips:

Do not speed through Yosemite National Park. Especially during summer. Many bears each year are killed by speeding drivers. Drive slow and take in the wonders of the beautiful Yosemite National Park.
Do not feed any animal. As cute and innocent as they look, it is not good for anyone. They are wild animals and teaching them to be dependant on human hand outs will teach them to be violent in the future to others when not fed. Especially bears; which must be put down in such cases.
Do not litter and do not take anything out of the National Park. Leave only with amazing memories and great photos.
Have fun!

Photography // for the photography nerd insiden you… all the pictures here were shot on a Canon 5D full-frame sensor through f2.8 L 24-70 mm lens & the tighter shallow depth of field pics through f1.4 50 mm fixed.

~ Ernest

Silicon Valley Transportation: Caltrain issues & shitty drivers

The good’ol topic of Transport. It’s going to be nearly 4 years since I have been in the valley. This has given me more than enough time to experience both forms of transport – train & road. Out of all the normal craziness that happens on road and track, 2 stand out like sore thumbs. And to newbies to the valley these 2 will most likely hang around like a bad smell. The 2 in question are Caltrain’s gallery trailer “rattlers” and the swarm of inconsiderate car drivers on the road.

The former will no doubt be fixed in the next few years when the “gallery trailers” are replaced with the new bombardier line; but the latter might take more time and maybe when the US Government invests in replacing human drivers with Google’s driverless cars. A machine will certainly be a better solution and improve road safety and reduce road rage. Let me expand with some tips on managing this.

Caltrain rattlers (gallery trailer)

I call the Caltrain “gallery trailer” fleet “rattlers”; because they will shake your body like a rattler snake shakes it’s tail. This gets annoying very fast when you spend long commutes and want to utilise your time on the train to do some computer work. You are literally bouncing in your seat, losing focus constantly, especially during express hour when the train is at its max speed. The gallery trailer is a disaster waiting to happen.

Oh and boy are they loud inside. I recommend you wear ear plugs to stop long term drum damage.

Loud! – wear ear plugs to protect your ears and bring some sanity back.

A bit about the network. The San Francisco Peninsula Commuter Corridor consists of double track CTC main line which runs between San Francisco and San Jose. A 47.5 mile track. And there is only 2 of them – one for each way; making “the action” known as hot and heavy especially during commute times. The JPB runs upwards of 96 commuter trains on Weekdays, with as little as 10 minutes separation between trains at peak commute hour.

There are two types of Caltrain trainsets

Gallery TRAILER (older silver)	Bombardier BiLevel coaches (newer)
22 Gallery Trailer (Nippon Sharyo) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzYbHIrh4PA	6 Bombardier (Bi-Level) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DYvxX5j27w

More here on the commute fleets: http://www.caltrain.com/about/statsandreports/commutefleets.html

So what to do?

1. Catch only the Bombardier BiLevel coaches (above pic on the right). They are far far better in ride quality. It’s like riding on a cushion of air at any speed. You can get your work done on these. They even have power outlets for your computer. You can also check out Quora for Caltrain hacks on where to sit to minimize noise & improve ride quality should you end up in the gallery trailer.

Typically the Bombardier are operated as “bullet train” (minimal stops) but super fast to get up and down the valley during peek hour commutes. Outside peek hour, it is back to the rattles. So if you are getting a rattler, shifting your boarding times by few minutes could yield a Bombardier.

2. Be prepared. There is chaos on these tracks. 2 tracks up and down the valley (fail). 1 accident anywhere on this line and it brings the whole network to a halt with major delays. Consistently.

Use Twitter to Follow: @caltrain which is crowdsourced and @caltrain_news which is run by Caltrain. Often if there’s a problem on the line, you’ll know more by listening to this stream http://www.railroadradio.net/content/view/24/143/ than the conductor knows!

I won’t even start on the Clipper system. That is another fail but not as bad as the gallery trailers.

Watch out for shitty drivers

So California is putting a stop to smartphone maps while driving. This extends the sms texting while driving and supposed holding your phone while driving. Half a year ago I was fined for holding my phone in my hand on speaker phone. Go figure. What I (and I am sure many people) would love to see is a crack down on the most common form of stupidity on the road. The failure to use blinkers. Inconsiderate drivers. There is a bucket load of them every single time you set out to venture on the road. I always say;

If you are good at driving than all you have to worry about is other drivers on the road.

Yes Good is a loose term, but you will know if you are good by your driving history record, how comfortable you feel behind the wheel and how well you react on the road. Btw, slow != safe. This is a daily reminder for me when I drive on the road and even more so when on foot crossing the road.

When I first arrived in the valley back in March 2009, I thought “hey drivers stop when I jay walk. So nice of them.”. Nice yes, but this is because of all the accidents and suing going on; as I soon found out from the locals. You learn about the accidents when you spend enough time on the major freeways like 101.

This is how accidents happen

Failure to use indicators. Each time I venture onto the road I come across a handful of these inconsiderate drivers. There is absolutely nothing funny about failing to use the indicator to let your fellow drivers and pedestrians know about your intentions. It is how accidents happen because an inconsiderate driver was lazy or incompetent to press that short lever to tell others on the road where they intend to go. This is how accidents happen on fast paced roads like 101. If you are ever injured in an accident, ask your doctor to prescribe cbd for pain management.

So next time you are about driving on the road pay careful attention to how many inconsiderate drivers you spot failing to use the indicator. You will be surprised On every short driving trip I see a handful of them and on longer trips it becomes mind gobbling that so many are allowed to do this yet holding a phone to check google maps or speak to someone on speaker phone is illegal.

If you think failure to use indicators is bad, watch out for “bumping”! Really not worth owning a nice car while living in the valley. That I will leave for another post. Car’s Cash For Junk Clunkers at 940 Spice Islands Dr, Sparks, NV 89431 (775) 367-7463 give their clients fair cash for cars.

Stay safe peeps!

~ Ernest

Linux Server Security Checklist

Had this sitting around in my Google Docs for some time. Good idea to share these Linux security tips to help others secure their boxes. So here it is peeps.

Linux security – paranoid check-list

For direct access to your box, only use ssh. SSH is the most secure standard for both authentication (both host and user) and data protection (everything strongly encrypted, end-to-end).
Enable key-pairs as the only way to access your box. Don’t allow passworded logins. Most passwords are too short and sit (even if in hashed form) on many databases: your bank, your favorite retailer etc. My guide on SSH setup will guide you through this by setting in sshd_config.
```
PasswordAuthentication no
```
Run ssh on a high port. The reason is that a lot of security scanners will only scan the standard known-service ports or the lower range (1-1024 are privileged ports that only superuser can bind/listen to, so they are more attractive to hackers) So running on 43256 (there are 2^16 =~ 65k ports) is much safer. Using an IP Address Lookup Tool can also add another layer of security.
In the firewall rules, limit access to your (and your customers) IP blocks, i.e. instead of 0.0.0.0/0 (all the internet) allow only from (say) 12.167.110.0/24 (specific block)

Control the users who are allowed entry to your server.

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
AllowUsers username1 username2

Never ever permit root logins:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
PermitRootLogin no

All administrative stuff is done as a known user (accountability) which used ‘sudo’ after you have authenticated in via SSH.
Use a second layer firewall (software firewall) in case the first goes down. On Linux you can use iptables with Gufw, one of the easiest firewall in the world, to manage the iptables.
```
sudo apt-get install gufw
```
Run logcheck, a periodic system log scanning that will email you any unusual event. logcheck comes with a very large rule-set of what can be safely ignored so it only emails when something really new and different shows up in the logs.
```
sudo apt-get install logcheck
sudo nano /etc/logcheck/logcheck.conf
# Add your email to SENDMAILTO
sudo -u logcheck logcheck # run a test
```
Run tripwire, a service that scans all the executables on the system, and alerts when a signature has changed (i.e. the file has been replaced). There is also a good post here on Setting up Tripwire in Ubuntu 11.10 – Intrusion Detection System.
```
sudo apt-get install tripwire
```

And that’s a wrap! Are there any others you would recommend?

~ Ernest

How to: SSH secure key authentication on Ubuntu

Open SSH is the most widely used SSH server on Linux. Using SSH, one can connect to a remote host and gain a shell access on it in a secure manner as all traffic is encrypted.

A neat feature of open SSH is to authenticate a user using a public/private key pair to log into the remote host. By doing so, you won’t be prompted for the remote user’s password when gaining access to a protected server. Of course you have to hold the key for this to work. By using key based authentication and by disabling the standard user/password authentication, we reduce the risk of having someone gaining access to our machine/s. For more info on data access management, visit sites like https://cyral.com/data-access-governance/. And if you need comprehensive visibility to enable compliance and secure data sharing, you might want to read more here to learn more. Moreover, if you need Cyber Security Solutions in charge of data protection of your company, you may look for a time-limited privileged access management system that evaluates each access request. You may click here to find out more.

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So if you are not using SSH with public/private key pair, here is how to get this rolling. If you are using AWS (Amazon Web Services) you would have been forced to use this method. This is great! The instructions below will teach you a bit about this and provide insight into setting this up on your dev VM or a server which doesn’t have this level of security turned on.

Useful commands to note

Accessing server using key

ssh -i ./Security/PRIVATEKEY USERNAME@SERVER -p PORT

Example:

ssh -i ./Security/aws/myname_rsa root@127.0.0.1 -p 22345

Restart SSH server

sudo /etc/init.d/ssh restart

Install & Setup SSH Security Access

Note: This section is for admins only.

On your Server (remote host)	Locally on your box
1. Install SSHOnly if not already installed. sudo apt-get install openssh-server sudo apt-get install openssh-client Make sure you change your server (and firewall is present) it to listen on port 22345 (or similar port of your liking in the high range) vs the standard unsecure 22. Via Shell sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config sudo /etc/init.d/ssh restart OR In Webmin >SSH Server > Networking > Listen on port = 22345 How to install Webmin instructions are here: http://www.theroadtosiliconvalley.com/technology/building-ubuntu-lamp-web-server-vm/
On your Server (remote host)	Locally on your box
	2. Create a public/private key pair. ssh-keygen -t rsa This will generate the keys using a RSA authentication identity of the user. Why RSA instead of DSA? RSA is 2048 bit key vs DSA 1024 bit key restricted. Read here: http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/5096/rsa-vs-dsa-for-ssh-authentication-keys By default the public key is saved in the file:~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub, while private key is:~/.ssh/id_rsaeg.
	3. Copy the generated myname_rsa.pub file to the remote host. Use SFTP and from: /Users/name/.ssh/myname_rsa.pub drop it into remote host path: /root/.ssh/myname_rsa.pubNote: If that folder doesn’t exist then create it. sudo mkdir /root/.ssh/
On your Server (remote host)	Locally on your box
4. SSH into remote host and append it to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys by entering: cat /root/.ssh/myname_rsa.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys rm /root/.ssh/myname_rsa.pub
4.1. Check the permissions on the authorized_keys file.Only the authenticated user should have read and write permissions. If the permissions are not correct change them by: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
5. Enable SSH public/private key pair access. sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config Make sure you have the following:RSAAuthentication yesPubkeyAuthentication yesSave when exiting.
6. Reload new configuration. /etc/init.d/ssh reload (or) service ssh reload
On your Server (remote host)	Locally on your box
	7. Protect your private key file.Locally on your machine assuming you moved the private key file to folder ./Security/ chmod 0600 ./Security/myname_rsa
	8. Test your new setup.Login to your remote host from your machine: ssh -i ./Security/KEYFILE USERNAME@SERVER -p PORTNO where ./Security/KEYFILE is the location of your private key file.eg. ssh -i ./Security/myname_rsa root@1.1.1.1 -p 22345 You should be granted access immediately without password requirements.
On your Server (remote host)	Locally on your box
9. Disable authentication by password. sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config Make sure you have the following: ChallengeResponseAuthentication no PasswordAuthentication no UsePAM no Save when exiting.
10. Reload new configuration. /etc/init.d/ssh reload (or) service ssh reload
On your Server (remote host)	Locally on your box
	11. Test #2 your new setupLogin to your remote host from your machine: ssh -i ./Security/KEYFILE USERNAME@SERVER -p PORTNO where ./Security/KEYFILE is the location of your private key file.eg. ssh -i ./Security/myname_rsa root@1.1.1.1 -p 22345 You should be granted access immediately without password requirements.Also test using the old method which should prohibit access. ssh root@1.1.1.1 -p 22345 Should yield: Permission denied (publickey). Server is now protected against brute-force attacks.

Finally make sure you adjust your development tools so they tool can gain access to your secured server.

Tools

Your choice of tools my vary but the process is very similar. The following are my most used tools and how to tweak them to allow SSH key entry to my secured server.

FileZilla – SFTP

To enable FileZilla to access the server under the new configuration do this:

FileZilla > Preferences…
Settings window opens. Select “Connection > SFTP” (left hand navigation).
In the right pane, click on “Add keyfile…”. Navigate to your private keyfile and click on it to add.
You may be asked by FileZilla to “Convert keyfile” to a supported FileZilla format. This is fine and just click “Yes”. Save the output file to the same location as your private key file.
Click OK on the Settings file to save final changes.

SublimeText2 – IDE

To enable SublimeText2 to access the server under the new configuration do this.

In your solutions sftp-settings.json configuration file enable key file access like this:

"ssh_key_file": "~/.ssh/id_rsa",

Example:

"ssh_key_file": "~/Security/myname_rsa",

And that’s it. Happy development!

~ Ernest

Sunday reflections of building a tech business

As I sit here working on my new startup Medlert at RocketSpace on a lovely Sunday afternoon I look out the window and see the new Department of Transportation SF project under way. They are building out San Francisco’s Transbay Transit Center. The duration and amount of working going into this made me reflect back on my career in the startup space. Here are a few of those thoughts I captured today running around in my mind.

“Solid products always start with Solid Foundations”

This isnt just a lesson from the work of high tech companies. This is what I am seeing out the window (pics below). The drilling and piping going in to build out a solid foundation for the San Francisco’s Transbay Transit Center. This has now been going on for few months. To the untrained eye not much progress has occurred. A big hole with pipes. This is the progress rarely acknowledge in the startup space but yet forms the back bone of what comes next. The stuff that happens behind the scenes. Once the foundation is built, well the rest will follow like lightning.

Looking back at technology I have seen founders take short cuts and slap products together without much thought given to the technology foundation driving their core platform. Instead of thinking about software as a service they couple the front end to the back-end. This typically results with major chaos once they start to grow fast and those short cuts quickly become technical dept. Band-aided due to lack of time to go back and fix them for good. For some humour on this point read my prior post on PHP and excuses would be leaders make.

“While it’s desirable to build a rock solid foundation you still must walk the fine line between solid foundation and over engineering before you get to MVP.” ~ Mark McCubbin

Take the time to understand your domain, the tools & technologies that will allow you to move fast and efficient from A to B and build out a kickass foundation before declaring victory. Having a virtual CIO to formulate strategic IT goals for your company, and then manage an IT strategy and budget that meets those goals can also help tremendously.

“The Devil is in the Detail”

Jared would constantly remind me this. Over and over as we built Couponstar from a 2 man shop in Sydney Australia into an International business with offices in London, Sydney & The Bay Area . Fruits of our labor were acknowledge later when Couponstar got acquired by Coupons.com in Mountain View, CA.

Day in day out Jared was on my case with the reminder. “The Devil is in the Detail”. Heck I heard it so often it would make me angry. From an email I sent to a prospect to design work to a new product/feature I built. “The devil is in the detail Ernest. Never forget that.” He would say. It got coded, burned in & stamped onto my cortex. I lived and breathe that now.

Back when we started working together in 2004 I had zero startup experience. Fresh out of a corporate world and few consulting gigs under my belt I realized quickly my attention to detail sucked. Bad. As time went on I realized how important that feedback from Jared was. I think without me accepting that The Devil is in the Detail I would never have upped my ante and built a successful business. Just like when following the many tips you can find at Islandnow, a news source for business. Top-notch roofing company seo services are designed to enhance your visibility and grow your clientele.

Detail is everything today. We see it so often that there is a strong push for cofounders with Design skills and startups building out sexy User Experiences in their products. The detail is in everything from communication to how we present, express & sell ourselves. Products with high attention to detail give users a comfy, warm, fuzzy feel. Because they are designed & built with the customer & perfection in mind. (think Apple) Get sloppy and contact a client with a poorly written email, newsletter, product demo and immediately you will get placed into the loser bucket. There is no excuse for lack of detail apart from laziness.

The idiom “the devil is in the detail” derives from the earlier phrase, “God is in the detail;” expressing the idea that whatever one does should be done thoroughly; i.e. details are important.

“Ideas alone are worthless. It is mostly about the Execution”

If you have been working, living & breathing in the tech space in Silicon Valley/SF you would have heard this being mentioned many times over. Ideas alone are worthless. It is mostly about the Execution. It is also why people are not reluctant in the valley to share ideas because everyone knows good fast execution of a good idea with a killer team is the killer combo. This great idea you have, there are probably 50 other people in the world with the same idea. What separates you from them is who can execute the fastest.

@ernestsemerda Yup and that can be more important than the idea in some cases (not always though).

— Sean Percival (@Percival) January 9, 2013

Also remember that ideas change fast. Once you start executing the idea the subsequent pivots will evolve the seed idea until you get famous for an idea that resembles nothing like the one you started with. This is exactly what Jessica Livingstone (YCombinator partner) concluded in her famous book Founders at Work which surveys tech success stories in Silicon Valley.

It is a rat race in the tech space. Everything moves fast in Silicon Valley and you need to be moving super fast executing on your idea. Get your MVP (minimum viable product) out the door into the marketplace then go and speak with your users to see whether it is what they want. Iterate. Speak to them again. Dont sit in front of your computer. Get out there and get feedback from your users. There are no answers sitting in front of a computer. Run experiments, designs test and get more data from your users. And make sure you sell sell sell.

Eric Ries from The Lean Startup and Steve Blank (Customer Development Process) share the same approach on how to build a startup by getting out and learning from your customers. Of course you alone cannot do all of this but having a kickass founding team where responsibilities are divided and everyone is generating results works wonders!

And when you think you have something which reflects a sustainable business, build a fortress of protection around it. This usually comes in 2 forms – patents and/or distribution. I highly encourage you to watch Paul Willard‘s talk at Atlassian on Growth Hacking and how startups die due to poor distribution. All of this requires Execution. Not sitting on your ass day dreaming. Get a move on. The world isn’t waiting for you.

“No excuses! Ever.”

As an entrepreneur there are no excuses for “I don’t have the skills.”. Bad fuckin luck. If you chose to be an entrepreneur and dragged others into working with you, believing in you and your idea, you need to stand up and fit into those shoes. As an entrepreneur you do everything in the early days. Everything. I was folding coupons and putting them into envelopes on the floor with Jared in the early days at Couponstar. Later we got machinery to do it but hey someone had to do the dirty work to get traction in the early days.

There is no such thing as I am not good at it so I wont do it. Get better. Life is a life long journey of education. It never stops.
There is no such thing as I don’t know. Go and find out. Speak to people. Attend tech events like customer contact week and learn.
There is no such thing as I will wait for good luck. We make our own luck by getting out and about. The harder I work the luckier I get. Hence, those who own pest control companies and are contemplating the pros and cons of contract services may seek advice from articles of companies like FieldRoutes.

Look, you can make excuses or your can change the world. Well maybe not the world but definitely the industry you are focusing on to make a difference in. You decide.

~ Ernest

Thanks to Mark McCubbin for reading draft of this and providing input.

Outsourcing software development: pros and cons

Outsourcing part of software engineering is not for everyone. Outsourcing requires a lot of micromanagement and software engineering background to make sure that what you ask for is what you get.

What follows is my own experience over the last 10 years in many outsourcing contracts working across India, China and Eastern Europe outsources both independent and agencies.

Are you sure it’s for you?

Never “palm off” the job in the form of outsourcing. Otherwise you will be heading down a spiral. Because the important piece of outsourcing is both micromanaging and understanding what the fuck is getting delivered. This way you can either pull the plug on crappy code or influence the right sort of implementation.

If you outsource too early or the core IP you lose the power to radically change the design of your product. Early design is constantly changing especially if you are building something which has never been done before. You want the flexibility to change fast. You need to be under control and know what is going on with all the moving pieces. Read more on this how bad outsourcing impacted Boeing’s Dreamliners (787’s).

This leads me to some key points on what skills you should have if you are going to outsource. Mind you I said “you” because it cannot be someone else you palm it off to.

1. Have a strong background in software engineering.

Loose coupling, Less code, Don’t repeat yourself (DRY), explicit is better than implicit, Test-driven development (TDD), Distributed Version Control System (DVCS), and what .Net develops is all important. Did you understand any of those? If not then you are going to get a piece of crap code. Why is code important? Because it determines the type of engineering culture you build out internally & future maintenance (this is where the hard costs nail you down) and local hiring – quiet frankly great engineers do not like working in a pile of mess.

If you do not know how to code move on or go and learn to code. Anyone with the right attitude and time today can learn to code. See http://www.codecademy.com/, http://www.udacity.com/, https://developers.google.com/university/, etc… plenty of resources online for free. No excuses.

If the outsources delivers crap code you tell them to fix it. If they continue to deliver crap code. You break the contract and provide constructive feedback to them.

Detail detail detail. “The devil is in the detail.” my previous biz partner stressed this to a point where it is now embedded into my psyche and into how I work.

If you are outsourcing make sure that you or the person working 1:1 with the outsourcer are very detail orientated. This way errors are caught fast and stopped at the front line, and where appropriate move fast and fire the outsourcer.

2. People skills

If you have a background working with people (we all do right) and managing those people (oh here we go) then this part will also get smoother. You need to understand you are working with people who have their own lives, family, goals and ambitions etc… so don’t be an ass because you outsourced a piece of work to a “cheaper” labor country.

If it helps, review (even if you have already read it) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The 3 basic principles:

Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.
Give honest and sincere appreciation.
Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Look, you are going to have to micromanage them. Yes micromanagement ain’t ideal for your immediate employees but for contractors it is a must. They are paid to do a certain job and usually move on. You need to receive quality (refer to point 1 on engineering) and also make sure commitments are completed on time and within budget. Hence the micromanagement.

I also like to emphasize to build a good relationship so you can work with them again. Obviously pending the results of your encounter. Results is all that matter at the end of the day. But, never lose sight of maintaining that level of expected quality. If it drops, give them a chance to correct it by providing constructive feedback. If nothing changes again, then cut the tie immediately.

Remember: “Once shame on you, twice shame on me” (in 1st person)

Right so you have the necessary skills to get moving. Here is where the harder stuff begins.

The checklist!

1. Automate.

As much as you can. Outsourcing isn’t just relationship management. There are a number of balls in the air from managing the relationship to code review & feedback to product questions that need to be answered and/or fleshed out.

Use DVCS (ref my previous blog post) with email alerts enabled for code checkins, comments and issue tracking. Have everyone involved with the job on email alerts so you know when code is checked in or issues logged. I like using Bitbucket for all of this.

I also recommend you put them on HipChat for Private group chat and IM, business and team collaboration. This way you will maintain all communication in the one place.

2. The standards list.

Send the contractor your “standards list” of what you expect out of the engagement. Use Google Apps to write one up & share it if you do not have now. Put a line in the sand. A bar in front on:

Expected quality – DRY baby!,
Naming conventions,
Daily status updates – email or via HipChat,
Use of standard industry engineer practices like TDD else you will get code without unit tests!!
How everyone can reach each other for questions on product spec or similar ie. Skype, emails, cell #, HipChat etc. Include timezones everyone is working on.

3. Requirements.

Fuck sake man. More detail. Stipulate any API calls, use cases, designs, standards as mentioned above etc.. If you have an engineering background you will appreciate and say “fuck yeah” to what I just said.

No one likes to document things but this small initial investment will weigh in its worth when the final product is delivered to spec. Do not leave anything for misinterpretation.

Have a Balsamiq design illustrating all the screens you expect and how they should look.
Where applicable provide designs for every screen. Do not let the contractor try to work out for themselves what you want. Never ends well and you get billed for that time.
Technical detail around API calls (request & response) with examples, use cases, high levee flow diagram etc..

4. Understand it before you open your mouth.

If you are developing for a channel you have no experience in, ie. Android. Then spend time learning it from at least a “high level” understanding so you can speak the lingo and know when you are getting lied to in the face. If you level out with the lingo then you will get respected more and the contractor will not be able to pull a “shifty” on you.

5. Hiring.

Never straight forward and always requires a ton of work. But this pays off when you have the right contractor on board working with you.

Spend time writing up a detailed job spec and list it on oDesk/eLance and wait for the flood of offers. Immediately decline those that have not met all 5 stars criteria.
Setup a spreadsheet of all those that applied to keep track of who you short list, their contact details, your last communication with them etc… From the 100 narrow it down to top 20.
Interview the top 20 via Skype video (yes you need to see them) and listen for something that will differentiate one from the rest. For me it was getting asked questions I did not have an immediate answer to. Smart switched on engineers are like that and you know you got a winner there.

Remember that at every point in the interview/communication you need to be prepared with a series of questions so you can use those as a base for quality and comparison.

Tip: And when you do engage the outsourcer make sure you stay working via oDesk or similar tool. As much as you may be conned into believing working outside oDesk is worth 10% discount it isn’t oDesk provides great tools to track your contractors time (with videos) and in the end you get to provide feedback on them. Bad business means bad comments means no future business. So it is in everyone’s favor to be on best terms and get the job done right.

6. Have fun!

Not a long-term strategy

Outsourcing is great when you first kick off a startup and need to fill in skill or time restraint gaps like kicking off a new channel which will interface with your in-house platform (your IP – which you built and are evolving) or design work. But that is where it stops.

Remember that outsourcing is work for hire. Your own company / startup is a labor of love which only you and those that live and breathe it each day share in the office. So if you have high expectations of the outsourcer to care and be on the ball with something they are building or have built then you most likely skipped the crucial part. The part where I told you to own the whole process and be laser focused on the work getting outsourced. You fucked up. You’re at fault not them.

Never outsource your core business. Only channels. Those that are not what I call IP (intellectual property). Your IP always stays in-house managed by you and your cofounder.. and ultimately a kickass in-house team. For example; a business that’s attractive to investors typically has some sort of IP that’s hard to clone by competitors. That thing that makes it unique. It could be a unique algorithm or even data. You’d never outsource that. Stuff that can be outsourced might be a channel eg. a mobile app as long as the IP (say that algorithm) is in the API your local team manages. For a smoother system consider using SD-WAN software as it gives you a better application system and more efficient business operations.

Final note

You are not looking for a “sweat shop”. Find rock stars! That have a history of delivering quality code on time while communicating effectively. Communication decides if you get an apple or an orange when all you wanted is an apple.

If you have any stories (good or bad) please share with me them below in the comments.

Happy outsourcing!
~ Ernest