tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50986258925787515302024-02-23T01:42:47.398-06:00Justin K Beck's Blog on LifeI am entrepreneur from Madison WI, I am currently the CEO of PerBlue. This is my blog.Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-74464406032979525472012-02-01T20:07:00.006-06:002012-02-02T11:23:52.994-06:00Facebook S1 observations<img src="http://justinkbeck.com/blog_images/zynga_facebook.jpg" width="300" /><br /><h3>Zynga makes up 12% of Facebook's total gross revenue.</h3><h3>Facebook’s payment tax makes up 15% of their total revenue and is growing. </h3>My guess is that as this grows, Facebook's virility for apps will continue to be cranked up, as it greatly increases their revenue.<br /><h3>Facebook MAU [user base] is growing 40% year over year. </h3>This growth is largely due to international growth. This is substantial user growth. For us who thought Facebook’s growth had stalled, or that Zynga is at market saturation… I guess that isn't true.<br /><h3>Facebook has a 60% user penetration in the US</h3>6/10 US internet users have a Facebook account. Crazy! <br /><h3>There are 2B internet users in the world. There are 4B mobile phone users in the world. </h3><h3>Let's compare DAU/MAU:<br />Facebook’s ratio is over 50%. <br />Zynga’s ratio is 18%. <br />Parallel Kingdom’s ratio 28%.<br /></h3>50% of people who use Facebook every month use it every day. <br />Facebook retains its users like crazy, and they are extremely active.<br /><br />And finally…<br /><h3>Zynga alone makes up over 50% of Facebook's payment tax income.</h3><h1>Zynga makes more money than all other Facebook games combined</h1><br /><a title="View Facebook S 1" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/80163405/Facebook-S-1" style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">Facebook S 1</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/80163405/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-x1m5pgmpecxg3zpxaeo" data-auto-height="true" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" scrolling="no" id="doc_96823" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })();</script>Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-54598628017112893732012-02-01T09:34:00.000-06:002012-02-01T09:34:16.186-06:00See you at GDC!<a href="http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/6440/Bootstrapping_101%3A_How_College_Kids_Built_a_Thriving_Game_Company_in_Under_Three_Years"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 260px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VIEvdLDgojc/TyhXBrI2z5I/AAAAAAAAAAQ/dvkQUZjr94g/s320/GDC12_SpeakerBadge-375.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703904614336090002" /></a><br />I am really excited and proud to announce that I have been selected to speak at the 2012 <a href="http://www.gdconf.com/">Game Developer's Conference</a>. Read more about my session, "<a href="http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/6440/Bootstrapping_101%3A_How_College_Kids_Built_a_Thriving_Game_Company_in_Under_Three_Years">Bootstrapping 101</a>: How College Kids Built a Thriving Game Company in Under Three Years," on the <a href="http://www.perblue.com/">PerBlue blog</a>. <br /><br />Please contact me soon if you would like to schedule a meeting or lunch during the event. The conference runs March 5-9 in San Francisco. For more info about GDC, visit <a href="http://www.gdconf.com/">their website</a>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-35156396552419075672011-12-12T15:15:00.018-06:002012-01-17T15:24:12.769-06:00Risk - Is Starting a Company Risky?One of the things I hear again and again from my friends and peers is: "Justin, I admire your bravery and ability to take the risk and start a company. I could never do that." Initially I thought they were right, but my experience has given me a different perspective. What I learned though, is that the risks and sacrifices you have to make will be more than worth it in the end. <br /><br />In the beginning of a company’s story, you will be forced to sacrifice some nice things and take some great risks in the name of success for your business. Most people see starting a company as a risky endeavor because they automatically assume that there will be failure. If you start a company from the viewpoint, "we have to succeed” failure is a lot harder because you <i>really</i> don't want to fail. This attitude will allow you to make different and better decisions because you really don't want to clean up the mess. This alone will eliminate a lot of risk. Conservative cash utilization, being pragmatic, and working on something you really believe in are some of the results. <br /><br />Another interesting and often overlooked aspect is that the sacrifices necessary to building a startup aren't actually that expensive. Here’s my view of some of those sacrifices, and how they can be justified.<br /><br /><b>Time</b>: By far one of the largest costs. However, when you compare the ROI of your time spend in an education and experience point of view, you will easily be getting 2 times the value by working on a new venture. Many people throw away countless days of their life idling in useless actions, or at jobs they don't like, doing work that doesn't have a larger impact on society. As an entrepreneur starting a new company, you could potentially spend years building your business. So my question for those who feel like they have wasted years of their lives, running on the corporate treadmill -- if you we're able to spend those years on any mission or problem you want, what would you pick? If it’s what you are doing now, then great! If not, start a company to meet that need. That way, you will never feel like you "wasted those years away."<br /><br /><b>Personal Cash Flow</b>: Money is another big sacrifice. People at different life stages will have varying levels of sacrifice. For example, individuals with spouses, kids, and a house have much more cash burn than a younger single person. The real key is to try to keep costs very low so that you can accumulate cash. This is something I did accidentally. With this bootstrapping mindset you can make career choices not solely based on compensation. In a startup your income will be significantly lower in the beginning. However, your 'earning potential' will grow substantially from the experience that often comes from 'wearing many hats' at a startup. <br /><br /><b>Opportunity Cost</b>: When you say yes, it will mean that you will have to say no to other things. In the next few years, what will starting this company mean for you? What will you have to give up? I’m sure the list will be plenty. Of those things, what can be pushed to a later date in life and what do you have to do now?<br /><br /><b>Spare Time & Other Hobbies</b>: Similar to your business opportunity costs, this sacrifice relates to opportunities within your free time. During the early stages of a startup, your free time gets really pinched and will no doubt be short on supply. Most likely your personal hobbies will fall by the wayside, and you will discover new hobbies that revolve around your new business. This is great, these hobbies will broaden your skill set and will push you to explore all facets of your startup. <br /><br />These are the risks and sacrifices of starting your own company. So why does this matter? My argument is that if you lose a few of these things, even just temporarily, they will either be easy to get back, or they will come back much stronger after the company gets going. Realizing how much personal value that PerBlue has provided for my life, there is not a day that goes by that I regret starting it. As more time goes by, the more I get out of it- in the form of education, financial, skills, people connections, even travel opportunities!<br /><br />What I can promise you is that even though you put super boat loads of time and effort into building your business, ultimately the company will give you much more in return!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-49530464578814795982011-11-30T10:42:00.012-06:002012-04-16T20:28:57.993-05:00What "Churn" Does For a Community<blockquote><i><b>Churn Rate</b>: The measure of individuals moving into or out of a collective over a period of time.</i></blockquote>What does Silicon Valley have a lot of? Churn. Entrepreneurs found a company then move on to work at another company as a VP or create another company. Then they move on to be an angel investor to other companies. While churn can be particularly annoying for an employer, it is ultimately good for the community as a whole. When people get too settled or stagnant, they become unproductive and there is no cross pollination of ideas or proactive growing.<br />
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I’ve found the entrepreneurial space is an extremely small world. In a city like Madison that is full of entrepreneurs, it is absolutely essential that these individuals leave their companies and start new ventures. Think about the folks from <a href="http://alice.com/home">Alice.com</a> and <a href="http://shoutlet.com/"> Shoutlet</a>. Both are new million dollar companies that were started by the founders of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish.com">Jellyfish.com </a> (a shopping deals site founded in 2006 and sold to Microsoft months later for an estimated $50M). <br />
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We need more founders and early stage employees to fly from the nest and go on to start new companies. This is my <i>"eventual"</i> dream for PerBlue employees. I would ultimately like PerBlue employees to be known for starting a bunch more awesome successful, profitable, and great companies that change the world.<br />
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The best form of success for an entrepreneur is to create churn. We need to inspire passion for entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs need to instill their own lessons learned along the way to early stage employees. The ability to look past the P&L statements and the sunk costs of losing an employee in order to inspire other entrepreneurs will allow us to create more churn within the community and drive real value into Madison.<br />
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We started PerBlue in 2008 at the beginning of the recession. The funny thing about our outlook was that the recession did not scare us at all. I remember it took a while for me to realize the scale of what we were trying to accomplish. My attitude was, "Wow starting a company in a recession is amazing. There are so many talented people who are available to join our team." <br />
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Three years later, we now gainfully employ over 35 full time people doing artwork, engineering, marketing, and community support. All are white collar jobs in a great work environment with an awesome culture that has extremely high job satisfaction. It almost reminds me of the Joker’s famous line in The Dark Knight, "Look what I did to this city with a few bullets and a few barrels of gasoline," except more like: "Look what we created with a few thousand bucks and a couple of have shot ideas."<br />
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If we really want to cure unemployment in this country, we need to spark more churn within ourselves and our companies. We need to invest in people who are creating value in young companies (not small companies but young companies). Do you have something that you absolutely hate about the world, something that just needs to be better? Maybe something that shouldn't be the way it is currently? Catch the entrepreneurial spirit and start a company dedicated to solving that problem or filling that need. Unite others who are passionate about the same things and dedicate that team to changing them... or die trying.<br />
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This risk is without a doubt worth taking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-61236997057052027982011-11-07T14:35:00.011-06:002011-11-08T09:20:04.936-06:00Advice for EntrepreneursLast week, Forrest Woolworth and I participated on the “Campus Entrepreneurism: Fad or Fixture” panel at the <a href="http://www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/events/earlystage/"> Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium </a>. We had a great time, and I’d like to share with you some of the great entrepreneurial advice that came from the event. Watch the full video from the panel at the end of this post.<br /><br /><b>How did PerBlue start?</b><br /><span >Justin</span>: When we first started, the idea was really simple. We wanted to make another game. There were 4 goals in mind: the game would be played on the phone, it had to be fun, it had to make money, and just for kicks, it would use the phone’s GPS. We were bored with homework at about 4 am, and decided to start right there and then.<br /><br /><b>What was the key turning point of success for PerBlue?</b><br /><br /><span >Justin</span>: My key moment was November 23rd, 2009. At that point most of us were still in school, we had been working insane hours for no pay. We were trying to ship a new age, one that would integrate our Virtual Good business model and finally make us money. I remember telling myself, “If we don’t make any money tomorrow, we’ll shut the whole thing down and I will be very happy. This has been fun, it was a great adventure, and we did our best.”<br /><br />We woke up the next morning and we had made about $5,000. That was the turning point of success for <a href="http://www.perblue.com/">PerBlue </a> and <a href="http://www.parallelkingdom.com/"> Parallel Kingdom </a>, because revenue is my biggest metric for success. It showed that my time spent productizing something, and then putting it on a shelf and selling it, was ultimately worth it. Earning revenue after productizing time and talent, was a key benchmark of success for me and the company as a whole.<br /><br /><b>What resources are available student entrepreneurs?</b><br /><br /><span >Justin</span>: There are a ton of resources available for students, the real question is: what should they be doing? The really smart ones are the ones that are seeking out mentors, networking, and getting connected to Angel networks. They are getting practice pitching and tapping into the peer-to-peer network of advisors. The learning curve is so steep for entrepreneurs, you need a really good group of advisors. Tap into these resources as you go, call them up as you need advice. I’ve found that the best advice comes from mentor and friendship relationships.<br /><br /><span >Forrest</span>: That’s what makes <a href="http://www.capitalentrepreneurs.com/"> Capital Entrepreneurs </a> so valuable. So many of our members come from such a variety of backgrounds and businesses, they can provide a unique perspective for a variety of questions or issues. Having this great network of peer connections is invaluable to asking and receiving great advice. There are also so many resources on campus, like <a href="http://www.wiscontrepreneur.org/"> Wiscontrepreneur </a> at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.<br /><br /><b>Should entrepreneurs worry about sharing their ideas?</b><br /><br /><span >Forrest</span>: Ideas are pretty much worthless, they are a dime a dozen. What it really comes down to is execution. There are very few people in the world that could actually execute your ideas. So my advice is, don’t be afraid to share your ideas. Bounce them off your peers to get feedback. They can help you focus and refine your ideas. Talking about your ideas is actually a really good idea and something I would encourage.<br /><br /><b>What is scary about venturing out as an entrepreneur?</b><br /><br /><span >Justin</span>: There are two things that are scary things for me, even now. The first is looking back and watching everyone follow you. Today I have 35 people who follow me, but even in the beginning with just a small group of us, it was still scary. If you fail, you are responsible for leading your team down the wrong path. That is the scariest thing for me as an entrepreneur. I was never afraid of the sacrifices I was making as an individual, because in my mind in the worst case scenario- I just go get a job.<br /><br />The second thing that is scary to me is staying balanced and on track. Entrepreneurship is like always walking a tightrope. If you are not constantly providing correction to your balance, it feels like you’re always on the verge of falling off. Some days it seems like you have 15,000 things pulling you off this rope, and it takes a lot of work just to stay balanced. Keeping a team together, that’s hard. Keeping a product laser focused, that’s hard. Cranking out revenue, that’s hard. Everything is hard. That’s what’s scary! When you live your life on this tightrope, you get really used to having your adrenaline pumped all the time. I think being a little of an adrenaline junky is also helpful.<br /><br /><b>What is your advice for student entrepreneurs?</b><br /><br /><span >Forrest</span>: The execution aspect of ideas is key. If you have an idea, don’t’ say ‘oh, it’d be cool if we did this.’ Just go and do it. Don’t ask questions or leave any room for fear. Make your ideas a reality. That’s how PerBlue and Capital Entrepreneurs came about. We saw a need and we filled it. We wanted to get all of our entrepreneur friends together, so we just did it. We created an organization and now it’s grown to 150 members. I can’t stress it enough, execution is the most important part of being an entrepreneur.<br /><br /><span >Justin</span>: My advice is actually kind of weird. If you’re in college, slow down. Work for other startups, or even do an internship. As you get closer to the end of your college career, start to decide which market you want to grow your company in, and then build your team. But don’t rush through college to get to your startup. College only comes once and you can do startups for the rest of your life. A startup is a marathon you start running at any point.<br /><br /><b>So, Campus Entrepreneurism: a Fad or Fixture?</b><br /><br /><span >Forrest</span>: College really is the best time to start something. You have very few risks really, you have no assets to lose. In the worst case scenario, you will be in the same place next year as you are today. Slow down, it’s the best piece of advice I have for students. Spend time focusing on your smaller projects, you’re in a place full of so many amazing people and resources to tap into. This is never going to happen again outside of college.<br /><br /><span >Justin</span>: I’d say fixture, it’s extremely important to encourage entrepreneurship with young people. I hear so many complaints about a poor job market, and I have relatively little sympathy. ‘Hey, start a company.’ We need to create more role models of great companies and great entrepreneurs to get students thinking about entrepreneurship earlier. So many are still stuck in the “I need a job” mentality.<br /><br /><center><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jvKGHUTu0Pc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></center>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-57051752499107261542011-11-02T09:35:00.009-05:002011-12-13T10:35:11.098-06:00Negotiation 101<!--<img src="http://pm411.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/istock_shakinghands.jpg" style="float:right; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; border-width: 0; width:200px;"/>-->Negotiation is a beautiful thing. You know why? Because it makes everyone involved happier. The best type of negotiation works to find the absolute best results for each party. This type of negotiation is called Win-Win, and can be applied in almost every situation. I’ve found that becoming a skilled and practiced negotiator will make me and the people around me, like my friends, family, business partner, and employees, more happy.<br /><br />Situations for negations happen all around us, occur during all stages of life, and at all levels of importance. Some examples of negotiation include:<ul><li>Child/Parent: Dealing with day to day conflict.</li><li>Siblings: Learning to share toys, clothes, or Mom’s attention.</li><li>Friends: Taking turns while playing.</li><li>Significant Others: Time management, spending an agreeable amount of time together.</li><li>Boss: Pay and compensation rates for an employee.</li><li>Business: Aspects of contracts, partnerships, or funding.</li></ul><b>Here are some things I've learned about negotiation:</b><br /><br /><b>First & Most Importantly:</b> Always try to negotiate, you may be able to get a better deal for both parties. Remember that not negotiating is a conscious choice and has an opportunity cost too.<br /><br /><b>Set Your Bar:</b> Before you enter the negotiation conversation, commit yourself to your "absolute minimum price." This is the lowest you'll go before selling, or the highest you'll go before buying. Stick to this commitment and press “pause” if you can't get within this range. Tell the other party you'll have to think about it and step away to re-evaluate the deal not in their presence.<br /><br /><b>TMI:</b> Don't let the other party know your "absolute minimum price." Keep this information to yourself and don't share it.<br /><br /><b>Communicate:</b> Tell the other party what is important to you. That way, they know where your values lie and will be more apt to giving you those things.<br /><br /><b>Speak First:</b> Be the first party to offer a price/suggestion/anchor point for the negotiation. If you speak first, you set the standard and more often than not, will hold the advantage. Make your "initial offer" no matter how absurd it is, but always make your offer politely. <br /><br />If you aren't the first to offer a deal, make sure to respond to theirs promptly and tactfully. For example, if you we're going to propose $150 and they say $5000. Be very polite and say, "I was going to initially offer you more in the $150 range, but lets keep talking." Don't let a huge discrepancy in value cause you to abandon all hope, you never know how flexible a person can be.<br /><br /><b>Think Outside the Box:</b> Be willing to negotiate on terms other than cash. If price is an issue (which most of the time it is) try to incorporate other things that are important to you into the deal. A few ideas for consideration: timing, quality, what is delivered, and what type of support is attached. If your negotiating with friends, how about homemade cookies, dinner, a backrub, or as my friend Nikill says, "You owe me something small." He’ll hold his fingers up, laugh and say "Just something small."<br /><br /><b>Tread Lightly:</b> Some deals are more important than others, be more sensitive around larger or emotionally charged deals. It is so much easier for people to walk away faster, or have a strong intuitive reaction telling them to back off when there is a lot is at stake.<br /><br /><b>Check Yourself:</b> Don't get emotional. Stay calm, pleasant, and overall happy. This will help you stay confident. <br /><br />Win-Win Negotiation is a powerful tool that can benefit both sides of any deal. Strive to find that "sweet spot" and everyone will walk away happy. As a final note, negotiation is just like anything else - practice makes perfect. Have fun role playing and practice negotiating with friends and family first. You’ll gain confidence and soon be ready to negotiate in other situations where more is at stake.<br /><br /><b>Here are a few articles I recommend for honing your negotiating skills:</b><br /><a href="http://www.inc.com/guides/2011/01/five-things-to-never-say-while-negotiating.html">5 Things to Never Say During Negotiation</a><br /><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1698898/when-to-negotiate">When To Negotiate</a><br /><a href="http://www.inc.com/articles/1999/01/14527.html">Creating Win-Win Negotiation</a><br /><a href="http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/12-negotiation-tips-for-people-who-hate-negotiating/5080">12 Tips For People Who Hate Negotiating</a><br /><br />Good Luck!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-71888824202824626592011-10-25T14:28:00.005-05:002011-10-25T14:36:10.065-05:00CEO Sunday - "Design to Sell. Build to Keep"<div style="float:right; margin:10px;"><img src="http://www.pulleymarketing.com/techli/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/logo13.png" /></div>This week I was highlighted on <a href="http://tech.li/">Tech.li</a> in their weekly feature, <a href="http://tech.li/category/ceo-sundays/">CEO Sundays</a>. Tech.li (previously Flyover Geeks) is a media outlet that covers ‘Innovation Everywhere’ as it happens in the tech industry. They spotlight entrepreneurs, startups, and the unique culture that grows from the combination.<br /><br />In my post I break down PerBlue’s vision “Design to Sell. Build to Keep.” and discuss how we used these principals to build a profitable company in just three years. I dive into the key attributes other high growth and venture backed businesses should utilize to align with these principals. Be sure to read the full blog post on <a href="http://tech.li/2011/10/ceo-sunday-justinbeck-perblue/">Tech.li</a>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-6387295742522298932011-10-10T11:15:00.001-05:002011-10-25T15:07:43.908-05:00College 101Last week I had the chance to speak at the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering. This is the fourth year I’ve spoken to first semester freshman in their InterEGR 101 class. The class invites engineers from all career paths to discuss their journey from a student to a professional. During my time on campus, I gave advice about my experience as a student, intern and now as CEO at PerBlue. Here are a few tips that I highlight during the presentation:<br /><br /><b>Do an internship EVERY summer</b><br />If I could do it all over again, I’d go to school for 6 years and do 4 internships. My summers spent at Microsoft and Google were some of the most rewarding experiences. You will learn more during a three month internship than during all of college.<br /><br /><b>Work Hard and Smart</b><br />I cannot stress this enough- the difference between the perception of a smart person and a dumb person- is resourcefulness. We live in a world where information is at the tips of our fingers at any given point. Don’t know the answer? Google it, find a work around and a solution. The information exists out there. Dumb people find a roadblock and stop. Be a smart person, be resourceful.<br /><br /><b>Prioritize</b><br />Make a list of everything you need to do, I mean absolutely everything you can think of that needs to get done in the near future. Laundry, homework, study for that test, feed the cat. Write it all down. Now cross off the bottom of the list. Don’t think about it, don’t even consider doing these items. I guarantee this abbreviated list will provide you more value than completing the entire list. Your most important work (the stuff you didn’t cross off) will always produce the most value. <i>20% of what you do will produce 80% of the value.</i><br /><br /><b>Sleep and Slow Down</b><br />Slow down your college life. You will have better ROI from your classes, have more fun with your student organizations and with your friends. Slowing down is a simple decision, but it will affect everything.<br /><br />Sleep- I love to sleep, I sleep between 9 and 10 hours every night. It keeps me healthy, I’m more alert and energetic. Slow down and sleep more, these simple choices will give you so much more enjoyment and reward from your college experience and beyond<br /><br /><b>Keep Learning</b><br />Learning is a constant process throughout life. Dedicate yourself to learning throughout the rest of your life. Start by answering these two questions:<br /><ul><li>How do I learn best?</li></ul><ul><li>What topics interest me?</li></ul>Strive to find your passions and learning opportunities. Unfortunately we weren’t born with a list of the skills we would be good at, or the things we like or dislike. Work hard to discover the things that bring you the most enjoyment and commit to lifelong learning.<br /><br /><b>Surround Yourself with Great People</b><br />The most important thing I got out of college was the people I met. Life is too short to spend time with dopes. Surround yourself with people you admire, people who you like and people who are smarter than you. They will push you to be a better, smarter and more well-rounded person.<br /><br />Here is the full video from class:<br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/i6vwQRNsWHU" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-6903437323984431942011-10-06T09:26:00.001-05:002011-10-17T15:38:00.963-05:00Four Macros I Would Invest InRecently I've been much more interested in exploring investment opportunities, more for intellectual curiosity than anything else. As <a href="http://www.perblue.com/">PerBlue </a> develops in its market and among its competitors, evaluating other markets is one of the most important things I can do in my current role as CEO. Investors often think in a very similar fashion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">So let’s get right to the point.</span> I think one of this most important aspects of making a successful business is putting yourself in the right market and industry [this is a macro]. Often the macro is even more important than the product, and in some cases, happens before you even have a team. Macros are critical for investment, especially when there is so little certainly in a particular product or new team. With a good macro selection, even a poorly executed company can thrive and grow by pivoting and finding out who they are and who they should become.<br /><br />Here are four macros that I think rock.<br /><br /><div style="float:right; margin-top:35px;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzGvfjB0WCNCPUDuCvu3eyMqR7760GpNxho6uMaOh_lIMA7FIlFLaF9m3ih-JduUPc21UoBHoOpD8BW12hqu4fm0H9-eKTtn0fN0jOXyd-KLH_DHZY3sn5wvrORNxs53j3suxVE2hWCiJ/s1600/gamification_buttons.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzGvfjB0WCNCPUDuCvu3eyMqR7760GpNxho6uMaOh_lIMA7FIlFLaF9m3ih-JduUPc21UoBHoOpD8BW12hqu4fm0H9-eKTtn0fN0jOXyd-KLH_DHZY3sn5wvrORNxs53j3suxVE2hWCiJ/s320/gamification_buttons.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660401308177914082" border="0" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Gamification of Real-World Verticals</span><br />This is taking game design, referral marketing, business metrics, user psychology, and emotional attachment and integrating all of them into a vertical non-gaming business segment. FourSquare has already gamified traveling to and trying out new places by incentivizing users with a points and badge system. Here are a few other possibilities:<br /><ul><li>Games and leaderboards at the gym. Who benched the most weight last week?</li><li>Banks could reward their account holders by applying lottery mechanisms to adding money into a saving accounts each month.</li><li>Math homework would be so much more fun if completing it earned you achievement points and placement on a leaderboard at school.</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Customer Acquisition Platforms</span><br />One of the hardest problems in every business (product or service) is finding a good source of customers. This is an extremely huge problem, but when improved, is something that can provide a lot of money and capital. When you look at some of the biggest tech companies you'll see on thing in common.<br /><ul><li>What is Go<span style="font-size:100%;">ogle AdWords? A search-based tool for attracting customers.<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;" id="internal-source-marker_0.6883899884639013"></span></span></li><li>What is Facebook? A viral marketing tool to reach customers.</li><li>What is Amazon? A platform to drive customers to products.</li></ul><br />Each of these companies core product is a platform for customer discovery and acquisition. I would love to see more customer acquisition platforms being developed and implemented.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Business Metrics</span><br />At PerBlue we use metrics extensively to improve our business. Metrics are an amazingly powerful tool and a huge trend right now. By putting the right measurements in place, any business can quickly discover the current status of their model and improve upon it.<br /><br />In a lot of ways, the business metrics space is still very underdeveloped. I think the data tracking and question asking/answering business is going to be huge. Why? Because businesses are always trying to improve, and outsourcing to a company to collect data, analyze it and make suggestions to help improve a business will be absolute gold. Here are a few businesses that I think will grow from the <a href="http://blog.perblue.com/2011/08/measuring-success-and-analytics.html">Analytics Revolution</a>:<br /><ul><li>Analytical Technology Companies: Provide reporting, querying tools, tracking sensors, and data acquisition systems.</li><li>Analytic Staffing Companies: Provide staffing resources for measuring, collecting and running analysis, and then using the data to create concrete solutions for the needs of a business.</li></ul><br />New businesses could also be a mixture of the two, or even just provide detail metrics systems for different vertical business.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Virtual Goods / Currency Connected Businesses</span><br />We've learned the power of virtual goods and currencies with <a href="http://www.parallelkingdom.com/">Parallel Kingdom</a>. I see a growing segment of businesses and products that can also utilize this business model. Some basic products similar to Tapjoy's product line, with things like branded virtual goods and virtual goods for charities, you could provide analytic tools for monitoring and measuring your goods and currencies. There is also an opportunity to be a middle market for the trading of these virtual currencies, or aggregate currencies for alternative payment sources. Another option is to become the bank for different virtual currencies. You could also be an auction house or a secured trading broker for different goods across markets.<br /><br />The thing I love most about business is that once you are neck deep in one area, you can see much clearer how to get neck deep in another vertical or market. If you are building a business in one of the spaces I mentioned above, I'd love to hear about it. Please feel free to reach out to me, I'll provide some critical feedback, and would love to help you.<br /><br />For those who are currently in different macros, I encourage you to ask yourself, “Is this a great macro to be in?”Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-70676962771313432602011-08-01T14:59:00.000-05:002011-10-14T10:00:51.803-05:00Happy Brains are Productive BrainsHappy brains are productive brains. Happy people make more money and do better work.They have a wider scope of attention, they see issues and risks sooner. They are more productive, sociable, energetic, cooperative, creative, resilient, successful and engaged. They are healthier and live longer.<br /><br />Happiness is about 50% genetic, 10% circumstances and 40% intentional (controllable) activity.<br /><br />To work for happiness: Flow toward important goals-Set goals, make and measure progress toward goals. Make goals that use your strengths. Finding and fixing weaknesses is not the way to go. When managing people, find and use strengths in yourself and your team.<br /><br />Flow-skill and challenge meet at a high level, just enough brain to do this task so you really have to focus on it. You get in the zone, just you and the task. Flow is one of happiest and most productive states of mind. Don't distract yourself with multi-tasking, it breaks flow.<br /><br />Strive to maintain a positive attitude-Be actively optimistic. Write down the best possible future (for self, team, etc.) Pay attention to positive things in your life. The best (most productive) teams have a ratio of positive to negative comments of 5:1. 3:1 or better ratio minimum to build good teams, keep people in positive frame of mind.<br /><br />Invest in people and relationships-#1 indicator for happiness in people's lives is the quantity and quality of the relationships they have. Ti boosts coping ability which reduces stress, boosts happiness. Happiness is contagious.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.justinkbeck.com/blog_images/happy.jpg" /><br /><br />Credit: GDC talk by Scott CrabtreeJustin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-67665993257739386162011-07-22T11:51:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:25:54.370-05:00Europe Motorcycle TripAt the start of the summer this year, I took a motorcycle trip through the Alps in Europe. I started in Italy, went to France, up into Switzerland, into Austria, down into Slovenia, into Croatia, then back into Italy, down to Rome and was done.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100522265926777.2973740.8634743&l=66e23f7d8a&type=1"> Facebook Photos</a><br /><br /><img src="http://www.justinkbeck.com/blog_images/europetrip_mapsmall.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.justinkbeck.com/blog_images/europetrip_2011.kml">Download Full KML</a><br /><br />I had 3 Trip goals:<br />1. Get there<br />2. Drive and take pictures everyday<br />3. 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<w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I would wake up around 9:30 after getting about 8 to 10 hours of sleep. I would use the<br />internet and cache Google maps for the area I was heading to. I'd check email, maybe send a few replies then leave. My routes were not really planned, but I would know the general direction I wanted to go. I would confirm every once in a while to make sure I was going the right direction. Sometimes I chose the city I was going to and even the hostel before I would leave (it was important to do that before I left since I didn't have internet or phone once on the road), sometimes I would just go and find a hostel or a random hotel when I got to my destination. I'd check in at my destination between 7 and 11pm, park and unpack the bike, relax, and ask around to find some dinner. Sometimes I would miss lunch, but I always ate a good dinner.<br /><br />I would get gas about every 230-300 km, always filling up to brim (you never know when you'll need that extra gas). I almost ran out of gas a few times. I carried everything essential in small tank bag (purse) that I took with me when I left the bike. I would leave my coat, helmet, and other clothing bags strapped on bike. I packed 4 sets of cloths and a variety of other items: 3 travel shirts,1 travel pants, 2 going out shirts, 1 going out pants, 6 pairs of socks,<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>4 underwear, gym shorts, a swim suit, winter jacket and spring jacket, winter gloves and light gloves. I used pretty much everything except my rain coat. I didn’t bring a laptop, just my iPhone. If I did it again I would get an international phone, SIM card, and minutes. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There are many times I wanted to use a phone and it would have been very handy and removed quite a bit of stress. I learned to follow my intuition pretty closely for gas, roads and weather. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was amazingly helpful and right most of the time. Amazing!</p><br /><br /><br /><b>Many of the Lessons Learned</b><br /><ul><li>Wine and beer is free on international flights<br /></li><li>Never send out the rookie chef send the king chef<br /></li><li>International travel is not for pussies<br /></li><li>Alps by motorcycle is for the insane<br /></li><li>Europe by hostel, train and city walking is a cake walk compared to motorcycle distance travel<br /></li><li>Friends make friends spend more money<br /></li><li>When traveling for long periods of time: don't book your return ticket till you are ready to home, having it makes you home sick<br /></li><li>For really long trips take someone with you<br /></li><li>Trust your intuition with travel: when to stop, eat, when to leave.<br /></li><li>Having cash of the right currency in your pocket gives you a sense of security<br /></li><li>Always have at least 100-150 bucks of appropriate currency in your wallet. Always!<br /></li><li>ATM's are your best friend<br /></li><li>Credit cards don't always work<br /></li><li>French and Italian women are beautiful<br /></li><li>If you travel a long time, don't rent something, just buy a bike<br /></li><li>Traveling Europe long distance and bike rental is very expensive<br /></li><li>Always check the map before you pass through the toll<br /></li><li>Tolls are REALLY expensive<br /></li><li>Gas is approx 2-3x more expensive per gallon in Europe<br /></li><li>Always double lock your bike<br /></li><li>In Rome (Italy in general) watch for thieves and pickpockets<br /></li><li>Don't order American-like food, its not that good. You're better off picking something random you don't know than the American standard<br /></li><li>In France: get gas before noon or from 2:15 to 8pm in the evening otherwise everything closes… and you ain't going anywhere<br /></li><li>When stopping on a hill just use the kill switch and the leave bike in gear. It's safer and faster<br /></li><li>Stopping in the autobahn emergency lane is just fine<br /></li><li>Grease your chain every 1000km, especially with rain<br /></li><li>Rent a smaller lighter bike with good 1-4 gear ratios on mountain roads. Corners will be easier if you have more power in the lower end<br /></li><li>When on mountain roads it's all about accelerating out of the corner<br /></li><li>Going up a mountain road start wide, check road and complete the corner.<br /></li><li>Going down, you can start wide and make the corner or you can cut the corner<br />short, check traffic and then make a wider corner<br /></li><li>Tires on motorcycles make a HUGE difference. Having good new tires is so important on a motorcycle<br /></li><li>On motorcycle trips you have to have a balance between trust and security<br /></li><li>Don't gamble on security with important items like your passport and wallet<br /></li><li>Don't drive ahead of what you can see<br /></li><li>Break hard and early<br /></li><li>Drive extremely defensively in traffic; remember to get out of the way<br /></li><li>French and Italian drivers are super crazy<br /></li><li>The Swiss do lots of maintain and invest into there country, not many people immigrate to Switzerland<br /></li><li>Italians are very generous and kind folk<br /></li><li>When in doubt, if you see something interesting, just stop (you won't see it again)<br /></li><li>Be decisive: take the picture, stop to eat lunch, take that side road, go up that mountain, say hi to that person. By the time you finish thinking about it, the opportunity will be gone<br /></li><li>When navigating in Europe, always know the next few cities on your path then follow the signs. Road names are useless<br /></li><li>Traveling solo is SO much faster then with people. Decisions are MUCH quicker<br /></li><li>When traveling: Trust God, he is real, and his angels will be there. There are many times when you will feel lost,hopeless,and afraid. Just smile and pray<br /></li></ul><br />Quote of the trip "I am so screwed"<br /><br />I am pretty sure I said that sentence at least 100 times. Oh the stories. I thank God every time.Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-52446986934339939772011-07-21T09:49:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:27:21.374-05:00Cell Phones kill planningCell phones are ruining my social life! Thanks to cell phones, when I go out with friends no one is ever fully present in the moment. Everyone is always on their phone trying to coordinate a meeting with someone else, texting with their flirt, or distracted by Facebook.<br /><br /><b>Cell phones make us non-committal and plunder our sense of planning.</b><br /><br />Have you tried to plan an event lately? It is an absolute pain in the butt. You ask someone if they can come and they look at you like a deer in headlights "ahhhh… maybe." "Well do you have anything else planned?" "no.. But something might come up"<br /><br />Cellphones give us the perceived ability to change plans quickly, because we can communicate instantly. And if you can think you can change plans quickly, odds are you are going to try. But the problem is, plans can't be changed quickly. It takes time to travel, people are late, they can't find the landmark you are talking about. So the plans fall through.<br /><br />Let me just tell a story and hopefully the punch line will come across.<br /><br />So one day I was trying to connect with a friend of mine "Bob" in Santa Cruz. So I call "Bob" and he says he is on the beach by the volleyball courts, past the board walk and that he should be there for a while. So I walk there, arriving about 15 minutes after our phone call and I can't find him. So I text him, "where are you?" "Oh I left. We are now going for ice cream" "Ok, where for ice cream?" Long story short, I chased Bob for a good hour and a half. When I finally caught up with him I was so pissed I could hardly enjoy the moment. What happened to the good old interface point? Meet you at the flag pole at 5pm, if you get there first just wait for me. You may argue that I just have bad friends, but I see this scenario playing out with even the closest of friends.<br /><br />Since the creation of cell phones. We suck at planning. Why? Because of one short phrase. "Oh, I'll just call you"<br /><br />Planning is a fundamental social skill. It requires foresight, communication, and commitment.<br /><br /><ol><li>Here is what we are going to do. At this time. At this location. </li><li>And then executing and trying to stick with the plan to the best of our ability until the objective has been met. </li></ol><br />But our generation doesn't want to hear anything of it. Why? Because we don't think the juice is worth the squeeze. A well executed plan, makes the juice worth the squeeze. We waste hours of our lives on the phone because we screwed up the planning process. People get lost, or can't even make it at all because we didn't print out a map or didn't allocate enough travel time. <br /><br />By golly folks, isn't it just easier to plan?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-53512020787490571092011-07-18T20:50:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:41:40.801-05:00Magic Word "retention"Retention. Retention. Retention.<br /><br />If you work at PerBlue you will hear this word a lot. If you don't, you may not, but you should. Why? Because retention matters.<br /><br />First, what is retention? Retention is having a person do a certain behavior over and over again. Basically, retention is having a person stay in their current state.<br /><br />An example from the game world: Will a Parallel Kingdom player continue to play tomorrow and the next day, next week or next month. Retention metrics are often difficult because they depend on how much time has passed. An example of a retention metric: 50% 4 day retention, which means 50% of the users who started still playing four days later. You can have retention rates for any period of time.<br /><br />Why does this matter? Retention matters because it shows consistency in behavior. It can be used to predict revenue and active user base. But most importantly, it is an extremely strong indicator of satisfaction. It is a strong indicator of a good business, organization, or relationship.<br /><br />Retention is all over the place. In the software space, it's about revisiting a website, or continuing to use a product. In cell phone land it's about staying with a career or a platform like iPhone or Android.<br /><br />Retention can be considered with church bodies or even spiritually. Or with a political party. Retention rates even vary in many people's personal relationships. Some people keep partners for longer periods of time. Some people have very short retention rates. You'll see almost all famous tech products have very high retention rates.<br /><br />So why am I writing about this? Thinking in terms of retention allows us to think about the world differently. Retention is a leading indicator of success, it is also a leading indicator of failure. By measuring retention rates, you can get a more clear picture of how you are doing.<br /><br />Hope this was interesting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-27811841420714373842011-05-22T15:15:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:42:33.226-05:00Being a Great FriendIt seems like all of life is a big set of lessons learned when it comes to friendship. I have had my ups and downs with friends, but some people seem to just naturally be better friends then others. So I thought, why not write another very conflicting post about what makes a great friend. Ahh yes, my arrogance has grown to new levels. I write this mostly for me to remember what to be, then for you. <br /><br /><strong>A great friend:</strong><br /><ul><li><strong>Says yes</strong>-Over-busy friends who are always tell you "not this time, next time, or sorry I have other commitments," are just not friends. You have to do stuff together to have a friendship. 90% of being a good friend is just showing up, (and not being a pain in the butt once you get there)<br /><br /><br /><li><strong>Is there even when the chips are down</strong>-Conditional friendship is not friendship. Someone who is all happy when things are going well but then ditches you or comes up with excuses when you truly need them is not a friend. A true friend loves you even when you are crying, in distress, super depressed and in need of help or comfort.<br /><br /><br /><li><strong>Picks up the gas can</strong>-Like the good country song, a good friend picks up the gas can and gets there fast. Friends serve each other, help each other out even when it’s a pain in the butt. This could be money, a bed, strong arms, job recommendation, etc.<br /><br /><br /><li><strong>Is fun to be with</strong>-Friends are for laughter and fun, telling jokes, sharing stories, cracking up during that funny moment. Friendship is work, but shouldn't be all work. Some people have personality issues that just make them not fun. I am still learning painfully that being fun is not easy. <br /><br /><br /><li><strong>Gives honest feedback</strong>-Friends should be honest. You shouldn't have to see a therapist to hear that you are annoying, or your mother to say you have snot on your nose. Saying what you really think and giving good feedback on your friends actions is crucial.<br /><br /><br /><li><strong>Doesn't hog you</strong>-Share your friends, let them spend time with other people, other friend groups and other fun things that don't include you. If they are a great friend, you shouldn't just keep them for yourself, but share the wealth. Group activities can be a lot of fun. Having more friends is not bad.<br /><br /><br /><li><strong>Knows invites go both ways</strong>-A great friend invites you to things they are going to and doing. If one person is doing all the initiating and inviting it gets very lopsided. Some people are more aggressive than others, but there is always something to invite someone to do.<br /><br /></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-89298769814563896732011-05-22T13:43:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:43:24.057-05:00Hwy 1 PhotosynthI truly think this is awesome. Here is one I've taken on hwy 1 with my iPhone. <br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=0ceafbb0-d24c-41e9-bcce-d016f7ca9888&delayLoad=true&slideShowPlaying=false" width="500" height="300"></iframe><br /><br />This is one of my favorites from Prague (I didn't take it)<br /><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=43394d75-9cde-427f-9493-e6e59409bee6&delayLoad=true&slideShowPlaying=false" width="500" height="300"></iframe>Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-78804618962094667512011-05-17T19:48:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:43:34.199-05:00TedX Game Mechanics in Real LifeI gave this tedx talk in Madison a few months ago.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VmBx_PHtowo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-26697116289755696862011-05-09T21:11:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:43:43.516-05:00Perks of Being SingleThis post is probably going make some people upset with me, but I think these are good things to think about. This is what I have found. Let me preface this; I am really "pro couple". I love couples and being in a couple. I just think there are some perks of being single. Here they are:<br /><br /><strong>You can do what you want.</strong> <br />You want to just sit around? You can. You want to work late? You can. You want to play some starcraft? You play it. You want to leave a party? You leave. Life is a lot simpler when you can just do what you want (as long as what you are doing is still 'right'), and not have to take someone else into consideration.<br /><br /><strong>You can have female friends.</strong> <br />It is much more difficult to maintain female friendships when you are in a relationship. This is something I have come to accept. If you're not in one, they are almost as simple as making friends with guys. Female friends that you are not dating offer a completely unique type of friendship which is really a great, enjoyable experience.<br /><br /><strong>Jealousy is not in your vocabulary.</strong> <br />I guess it depends on who you are dating, but jealousy can be rampant in a relationship. And it sucks. Your partner can be jealous of practically anything and everything: your work, your cloths, another girl that passed on the street, your car or motorcycle, your mother, sports, your computer, your friends, and especially those female co-workers or dance partners. Why can't they just trust you and leave the jealousy to those who really deserve it? Isn't me spending tons of time, investing my entire life and future into you enough? Why do you need everything else? I think this comes down to a boundary problem, and is one that many men and women have.<br /><br /><strong>You can invest in your friends.</strong> <br />How often do we hear "they abandoned their friends when they started dating X?" We don't see them anymore. One of the greatest perks of being single is the amazing friendships you cultivate and experience while you are single. Friendships can be world-class and last for your entire life. You can have as many friendships as you can build. Partners you only get one at a time, and if you decide you are not right for each other, you say good bye. Is it really worth sacrificing all of your friendship investments for your current dating partner that may or may not be with you in a year or 3 years? Balance is key.<br /><br /><strong>You can just be you.</strong> <br />Your awkward at a party, you say a bunch of stupid things, you make fun of yourself, you like to get a little wild, or you just like to be a nerd. The only person's brand that is at stake is your own. You can just act natural. You don't have to worry about keeping up someone else's image, or filtering everything you say through the magic partner filter so you don't accidently offend them or one of their close friends.<br /><br /><strong>You can be more emotionally stable.</strong> <br />You probably don't agree, but give me a fair read. When you're not in a relationships, no one gets intensely upset at you. No one will jump up in arms when you do something wrong. You may have some tension with your boss and co-workers but you work around it. In a relationship, people get upset and not happy very quickly, and it throws you. You have to recover, put things back in place, talk it over. Not to mention all of the feelings, attraction, time with and time apart. Emotions in a relationship are like a roller coaster. It may be true that when single you have to deal with loneliness, but you are going to feel that in a relationship too. So might as well start getting used to that feeling, it's not going away. At least when your lonely and single you know why. When coupled and lonely it’s a much more complex emotion because you think you have someone to blame.<br /><br /><strong>You can flirt much as you want.</strong> <br />Flirting is fun, but can raise some eyebrows when you are coupled.<br /><br /><strong>You only have to make yourself happy.</strong> <br />It is really hard to manage your own wants, desires, expectations and emotions. It can be almost a 25% job. But if and when you can, life is extremely peaceful, happy and enjoyable. When you try to manage just 1 other person's wants, desires, expectations and emotions it makes this job much more difficult. Decisions get a lot more complex and situations arise where it feels like you need college level math in order to figure out what to do.<br /><br /><strong>It's easier to put God first.</strong> <br />When you have God in the center of your life, you do things in the right order. You know life is temporal. You prioritize bringing people closer to God. You volunteer at church and in missions around the world. You worship God full heartedly. When in a relationships s/he becomes the center of your attention and competes with God. She wants to be put first and you would like to put her first too. You want to spend time with her, travel, make a family, do your own family thing, ignore the world. You are no longer are ok with dying, because she isn't ok with you dying because your life insurance policy is only 1.2 Million, and she thinks that isn't enough for her to find another hubby and also take care of the kids in the process. Of course not, but she just doesn't want to lose you.<br /><br /><strong>You can get A LOT done.</strong> <br />Do I need to explain this? More time, focus, attention, and passion to the things you want to do.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-86823502822734245502011-05-06T20:31:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:43:56.511-05:00Perks of being CoupledI love relationships. I really do. There is no greater blessing living on earth then to spend time with a partner you love.<br /><br /><strong>Being in love is amazing.</strong> <br />When you are in love the world spins under your feet. When you learn they love you too, the two of you are spinning together. Have you ever told horrible news to someone who is freshly in love? It's almost comical. They hear it, process it, but it can't squash their emotional high. I am an adrenaline junkie, I have had some amazing highs in my life but nothing surpasses that wonderful feeling of being in love.<br /><br /><strong>You get to love.</strong> <br />Acting on love is different than feeling it, but here is where the power is. Giving attention, compassion, forgiving another person can change their life and almost always change yours. Love is a choice.<br /><br /><strong>You get to play.</strong> <br />Chasing her around the park, tickle fests on the floor to see who can withstand the torture, playing king of the rock in lake, having staring contests; life is more fun when you're laughing. Even though we don’t want our kids or bosses to see it, we love being childish. Playing makes you feel like a kid no matter what age you are, and that is a great feeling.<br /><br /><strong>You learn more with two lenses.</strong> <br />Having another lens to look through is SO enlightening; Oh, I did that? Oh I said that? What are you doing? Why on earth would you want that? Why would that person think that? Our brains are powerful, but two brains and perspectives teach us so much more. One of my favorite perks of partnerships is the shared learning. The two of you are better people together than you are individually.<br /><br /><strong>You have support.</strong> <br />There is nothing lonelier than being wheeled into a hospital and laying in the ER room for 8 hours by yourself. I have experienced it, and while I did fine, it was not a good feeling. It's not just the painful times, but also the daily, mundane occurrences when it's nice to have your life partner there to talk to. Heck, just their mere presence can make a world of a difference.<br /><br /><strong>You have companionship</strong> <br />What a great feeling it is to have a companion. It's hard to describe with words, but it is someone who is present and with you, someone you can invest in, someone you can serve, someone you can make happy. Someone who is better than you, who is worth more than you. A great friend, who is WITH you.<br /><br /><strong>Get and give intimacy.</strong> <br />The more time spent with your partner, the deeper you go, the more you learn and the more you share really leads to a bond. Intimacy is very exclusive, and that exclusiveness makes it even more special. Intimacy is the antidote for loneliness.<br /><br /><strong>Adventures are more memorable and better.</strong> <br />Traveling and taking on the world together is where the adventure is. Sharing experiences, memories, thoughts, and emotions is amazing. Life is an adventure, and being able to have someone that you can reminisce with make the memories stick. Ever notice that you remember the trips you take with others more clearly than the trips you take alone? I do a lot of traveling by myself which I like, but I love traveling with friends.<br /><br /><strong>Commitment</strong> <br />No matter how much you screw up your partner is still there, in it for the long run, by your side. And you are the same for them. It gives you the freedom to be different, vulnerable, candid, make mistakes, and to be silly. Take the commitment out, and it's not nearly as fun, too much doubting and stirring.Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-6734891682122438032011-05-05T21:25:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:44:12.228-05:00Friends Influence YouAbout a month ago I was on a road trip on the West Coast. Steve and I were down in San Diego and he made an observation that I hadn't noticed before. He mentioned, "Justin it seems like all of your friends are starting or running their own businesses" I told him, "I must have made startup friends." During the trip we spent countless hours talking about business; creating companies, how they work, funding, leadership, business ideas, evaluations, cool markets to enter, cool products to make. By the time we reached San Diego, all this business talk had me wanting to shut my business down and work for some corporate slave driver, while Steve was ready to open his own business. And then I realized something; I don't think running a business attracts the business friends, I think it converts them.<br /><br />Friends are powerful things. In fact, after parents, I think friends are the most powerful influencing force on the planet. I think we do what our friends do. If our friends create businesses, we get inspired to make our own business. If our friends play golf, we play golf. If they get married, we will. If our friends have kids, we'll soon be having kids.<br /><br />What is the punch line? Make the right friends. I think this is one of the most important decisions you get to make throughout your entire life. For the most part you can choose who you hang out with. It's so important to hang out with people you want to be like.<br /><br /><strong>Here are some metrics to judge your friendships on:</strong> <br /><ul><li>Does this person excite me when I am with them? <br /><li>Do I enjoy my time with this person? <br /><li>Do I aspire to be more like this friend? <br /><li>Is this friend doing something I think is amazing with their life? <br /><li>Does this friend have a skill or talent that I think is just magically awesome? <br /><li>Are the things we do in this friendships admirable and rewarding? <br /><li>Do we grow as people or make some kind of progress when we are together? <br /><li>Do we give each other honest feedback on our actions? <br /><li>Do you feel like a better person after spending time with this person? </li><br /><br /></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-42178661446494804002011-01-26T23:26:00.000-06:002011-10-07T10:44:35.449-05:00Focus...Starfish!This video I really believe every entrepreneur should watch (probably every human for that matter). Keep watching the video till you hear "starfish". And then you will understand why.<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-O2SJW7E3EE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe><br /><br />I little toast to everyone who is chasing their "starfish" now.Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-63158340642053103972010-12-04T11:22:00.000-06:002011-10-07T10:45:13.177-05:00Why StarCraft 2 Is Great Practice For Being An EntrepreneurStarCraft 2 (SC2) is arguably the best real time strategy game ever created. The original Starcraft was amazing, but SC2 enhanced the UI, improved core game play balance, and added great skill based Battle.net matchmaking. With $60 approximate life time value per customer, Blizzard is going to rake in even more cash with this game. <br /><br />Games are fun, they just are. I have found in recent years that I get a lot more satisfaction from the games I play. I don't know if running a game company is any influence on that, but I play SC2 like some business people travel. I set aside focused time to play with friends. The scary thing is, I think SC2 is teaching me how to be a better entrepreneur. Koichi wrote a <a href="http://www.helloko.com/2010/09/why-startups-should-only-hire-good-starcraft-players/">blog post</a> about how Starcraft players are good entrepreneurs, and I am just adding my 2 cents that he didn't cover. <br /><br /><b>Your attention is your scarcest resource.</b><br />In StarCraft, players are clicking madly, and many of them have extremely high actions per minute (APM). These people can perform and execute tons of commands and can just get more done. But even if your APM is high, you still have to choose what you are focusing on. When you are micromanaging those <a href="http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Mutalisks">Mutalisks</a> vs building more units, it's all about scheduling your time and choosing when to make the tradeoffs of your time. Too much attention to micro, and you'll let your infrastructure die. I think the same is true in a startup. As the CEO you only have so much attention time, and you have to spend it very wisely and the best practice is actually to balance it. You have to decide when to work on high level stuff and when to micromanage the details of a product design or tech decision.<br /><br /><b>You have to work within a budget.</b><br />In SC2 it really is about cash management and cash flow. Ideally you want to spend all your money as it comes in, but sometimes you save up and manage cash flow between parties of your team so you can have stronger pivots (Yeah, 30 <a href="http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Mutalisks">Mutalisks</a> or <a href="http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Void_rays">Void Rays</a> are a pretty devastating force). Good cash management enables these decisions to happen. The same is true in startups - good cash management makes moderate strategies amazing.<br /><br /><b>Pivoting</b><br />Pivoting is one of the most amazing concepts I've realized this last year. It's about pivoting your strategy and adjusting to your competitors, teammates, or opportunities. In SC2, if the other team goes air, you have to counter it. But in a startup, you may realize your product doesn't sell like you thought it would or that a technology doesn't work as well as you thought it should. Throwing away everything could lead to failure, so how do you shift your weight and direction to make your company grow and be amazing? Startups that can pivot are the ones that stay alive.<br /><br /><b>Moving Quickly</b><br />Neither SC2 or startups are for those who like relaxing rides. The bleeding pace of both creatures can be daunting to many. You have to move, think, and act at blistering speed. The amount of work required is insane. And a lot of people just like a slower paced life. No skin off any backs, it's not made for everyone. <br /><br /><b>How you use your army (positioning, tactics) can be just as important as having the army.</b><br />In SC2 this is called micro, such as being sure to keep those <a href="http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Zealot">Zealots</a> in front of your <a href="http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Marines">Marines</a>. In a startup, this includes details of how your product works, such as ensuring the user experience is good and having friendly and caring customer support. It's good to magnify the significance of having these parts. Many entrepreneurs think that just because they have built the product they've done enough. That is just the start. The true successful parts of a business are the details of each high level thing, just like in SC2.<br /><br /><b>There is a learning curve.</b><br />You aren't a great SC2 player out of the gate. Some people have more innate talent, but it's a skill, requires practice, and you will make many mistakes which you can't let get you down. Just reflect and move on. I really think being a great CEO is the same. It's more about skills than anything. Learning, adapting, reflecting, and not letting failure get you down. No one is born a Steve Jobs. <br /><br /><b>Everything has a tradeoff.</b><br />The engineer in my heart warms up when I hear these words. You can't do everything, so choosing your strategy and "what" you are going to do is crucially important and will dictate your success in life, startups, and in SC2. <br /><br /><b>Delegation, orders, and communication keep the team unified and successful.</b><br />In SC2 you have to figure out who is managing the army, who is building what units, who is collecting what resources, when you can take a risk and expand, where you expand to, who gets what money, plus more. Watching a team of 4 SC2 players is almost just as entertaining as playing the game. You can really tell the good team dynamics. No one can conquer the world by themselves. Being a team player and being able to communicate, perform and help makes both startups and SC2 great experiences.Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-6196497261609600852010-11-04T10:39:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:45:39.200-05:00Acura TSX Car PurchaseAbout 2 months ago I purchased a new car, a 2006 Acura TSX. I thought I would share some my purchasing decisions, the process, and provide a little bit of a car review.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.justinkbeck.com/blog_images/car_full.jpg"><br /><br />So when I started this process, I had a list of requirements:<ul><li>Could drive across the country comfortably (sit in for 8 hours in 1 day no problem)<br /><li>Could tow a boat<br /><li>Could seat 4 people comfortably<br /><li>Is a manual (I am only this age once, why not)<br /><li>Is fun to drive, and is a bit sporty.<br /><li>Costs less then $16k.<br /><li>I can get in it, turn the key, and go.<br /></ul><b>The Searching Process:</b> By far the hardest thing to find was the combo of sporty + manual and comfortable long distance riding. So what I learned is a "comfortable ride" translates into "luxury". I needed to search for sporty luxury cars that were larger vehicles so they could tow a boat and seat at least 4. <b>This subset included: </b> <ul><li>Acura (luxury model of Honda) <br /><li>Audi models<br /><li>Some BMW's<br /><li>Dodge Charger<br /><li>Some Lexus's<br /></ul><b>I found the normal "sporty" cars were just painful to drive for long periods of time. These included:</b><ul><li>Honda Civic Si<br /><li>Scion tC<br /><li>Acura RSX (Integra)<br /><li>Mazda RX-8<br /><li>Mitsubishi Eclipse<br /></ul><b>Cars that were very close:</b><ul><li>Nissan 350Z<br /><li>Ford Mustang<br /><li>Honda Accord<br /><li>Mazda 6<br /></ul>I ruled out BMW due to the cost and maintenance expense. I found <a href="http://www.cars.com">http://www.cars.com</a> very useful to browse and also search for cars. It helped me compare one car to another similar car. I also did a few trips to used car lots, told them what I was looking for, and went on a bunch of short test drives. When I drove the 2006 Acura TSX, I just knew I had finally found my car. The search process took me 4 months to find that this model was what I wanted. I limited the range to 2005-2008 Acura TSX models. This car lists at $35,000ish and my budget was less than 1/2 of that. So now I finally found the model of car I needed to search for. They don't make too many of these as manuals, and it took me another 2 months to find the exact car I wanted to buy. I decided to buy a car that had more miles on it for a lower price: A 2006 Acura TSX 6 speed with 88,000 miles on it for $13,000. I could get one with 40,000 miles for $17,000 but that is a $4k difference in price. Here is my graph that shows blue book value along with miles. <b>Acura 2006 TSX $ Value vs Miles (in thousands):</b><img src="http://www.justinkbeck.com/blog_images/car_value_graph.png"> I decided to save the $4,000 as a maintenance budget, and get the lower "cost per mile". I think by using this logic you can actually get a "really good deal" with modern used cars. But you have to be interested in the car for the long haul. By doing this, my cost (in value) per mile is less then 15% of what it would be at 40k miles (slope of the line flattens after 100,000 miles). Also, according to the maintenance reports, most maintenance happens after 120k for these cars. This means that if I have this car for a long time, I'll have to pay it anyway. So I decided to take the risk and bought the cheaper, higher mileage car. So when you do the math on the value and cost per mile it's pretty interesting. Assuming that this thing is going to be worthless at 200k miles, which I know KBB doesn't say, but I just can't see cars holding value for that long, it puts the cost per mile at $0.13. This is interesting because that basically means that unless gas is $4 a gallon, the car's depreciation value is actually more expensive than the gas. This also means the car's expense is laid out over 5-6 years. Which I think is perfectly reasonable for a car. Also for those penny pinchers out there like me who don't want to pay the parking meter, for the 10 mile drive that costs you $2.25 do you think not paying the $1.50 to the parking meter is worth it? Yeah, pop those quarters. Also, with these descending graphs you can clearly see a car is not an asset. It is a long term expense which takes its form in a pile of cash up front. But the actual cost is in $ per year, and $ per mile. <img src="http://www.justinkbeck.com/blog_images/car_value.png"> <b>Conclusion:</b> I love my car! It was absolutely the right car to purchase. The purchasing process was a lot of work, but it was worth it. <b>My favorite parts of the car: </b> <ul><li>Automatic Climate control AC. This is pricelessly wonderful and I don't think I'll ever go back<br /><li>A 2.2L 210HP engine in a smaller car. This thing has zip but also just power. It can hold 80mph on cruise control and even accelerate at that speed. The power curve above 110 is very shallow.<br /><li>Quietness - In America this is way too undervalued. I like to be inside a quiet car so I can hear the conversation or have a phone call. This car is very quiet.<br /><li>All of the seat adjustments.<br /><li>Heated side mirrors (winter and water sucks).<br /></ul><b>Things that are taking some getting used to:</b><ul><li>The clutch is pretty sensitive, due to that the engine's 1st gear is very low and it makes smooth shifting on the low end very challenging. I jerk my passengers around most of the time, and it's really tempting to just start in second gear. <br /><li>Stereo really is sub par (for being a luxury car). No iPod hookup by default (I'll have to install one).<br /><li>Hitch install was "tricky" to say the least. Plan at least 5 hours.<br /><li>Blind spots are very present, the leaning forward and using the side mirrors more helpful, but actually checking is really important. <br /><li>No auto passenger side window? Tiny detail but why not? The 2010 Mustang had it.<br /></ul><br />I would highly recommend this car for anyone with the same needs/goals I had.Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-26208650229693100942010-09-25T12:21:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:46:00.068-05:00Best Movies<b>Comedy</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYyNDWjIivo">Mrs. Doubtfire</a><br /><br /><b>Best Kid's Movie</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxnR9e7M8Vw">Hook</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynPjDcRqOnY">Mulan</a><br /><br /><b>Date Movie</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3G3fILPQAU">The Notebook</a><br /><br /><b>SciFi</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM5yepZ21pI ">The Matrix Series</a><br /><br /><b>Animated</b> <i>anything from pixar</i><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzwWqkxBb5I">Cars</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkqzFUhGPJg">Up</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfgeIZyrIM0">Finding Nemo</a><br /><br /><b>Serious</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS_d0Ayjw4o">Beautiful mind</a><br /><br /><b>Military</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68t6PhbYiSo">Saving Private Ryan</a><br /><br /><b>Meaningful</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My7Fb0cI1Gc">Family Man</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19MvJp5FaHg">Blow</a><br /><br /><b>Artistic</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDw1_yV6ufM">Moulin Rouge</a><br /><br /><b>Best Story</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdsMqRaz2WY">Forrest Gump</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIzbwV7on6Q">Slumdog Millionaire</a>Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-70314836037371142312010-09-14T20:51:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:46:10.090-05:00LiesI had a realization the other day. I now know how Bill Clinton got into his predicament with Monica. Someone found out about his relationship and he was thinking, "This is a pretty small deal, I'll just make up a little lie and this will go away. I can control it." I am sure the lie was small when it started. Then the press got a hold of it, and held true to his story (the lie) and it just blew up. Evidence just kept pouring in that contradicted his story. His lie became the pain point, not his action. Of course he is remembered for the lie, most people don't care at all about what his behavior was. <br /><br />When something happens that you're not proud of and you don't want to share, especially when you think it will be easy to contain, it is so easy to lie. But this world is so transparent it remains very difficult to keep that lie's story completely full. The lie just grows into a monstrous problem. Then people question your character and they don't even care about what the lie actually was about. <br /><br />We all know "not to lie" but the reason is this: Lies do cause more pain than the truth. The pain is just delayed. <br /><br />Just like in the season finale of <span style="font-style:italic;">24</span>.Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098625892578751530.post-52448164478430398932010-08-26T16:16:00.000-05:002011-10-07T10:46:23.298-05:00Starting a Business - Innovate100 in MOAn interesting talk I gave at <a href="http://www.rjionline.org/events/stories/innovate/index.php">University of Columbia MO Innovate</a>, story of PerBlue, talk about conversion funnels, using Ads as your business model, pieces of advice for starting your own company.<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" height="239" width="347"><param name="base" value="http://rji.missouri.edu/flash-server/vod/"/><param name="FlashVars" value="filename=081610_Beck_Presentation.flv"/><param name="scale" value="noscale"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="src" value="http://rji.missouri.edu/flash-server/vod/VOTN352x240.swf"/><embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" base="http://rji.missouri.edu/flash-server/vod/" flashvars="filename=081610_Beck_Presentation.flv" height="239" scale="noscale" src="http://rji.missouri.edu/flash-server/vod/VOTN352x240.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="347" ></embed></object> <br /><br /><a href="http://justinkbeck.com/downloads/starting_a_business.pptx">Download Powerpoint Slides</a>Justin Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05256410303812302133noreply@blogger.com