Rails 3 is coming!

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how I can help clients get in a better position to upgrade to Rails 3 when it’s ready for prime time. There’s a few things you can do today with your 2.3.x application to give it more Rails 3 flava. Yeah boy!!!

Use Bundler instead of config.gem

Yehuda Katz has done a good job replacing config.gem with a more platform agnostic utility called Bundler. The API has changed around a bit with the latest 0.9 release, but he supplies a decent guide. For details on what’s changed since that writeup, check out this post from Yehuda

Use inherited_resources to get respond_with

respond_with will be a nice shortcut in Rails 3 for the rendering end of RESTful controller actions. Jose Valim’s inherited_resources actually gives you respond_with and respond_to methods for Rails 2.3.x applications. No more repetitive and un-DRY respond_to blocks

Use rails_xss

Unsafe strings will automatically be escaped by default in Rails 3. If you want this behavior in 2.3.x, all you have to do is install Koz’s rails_xss. It is surprisingly hard to break out of the habit of using h() calls in your markup, though! Additionally, be wary that you might have to hack some of your view related plugins to get them working with rails_xss.

Use More Named Scopes

Fortunately, ActiveRecord find() calls will soon be unfound in Rails applications. Pratik has done some really cool stuff with active_record. These changes are all pretty significant, but perhaps the largest deal is that the find() method and its relatives will be deprecated come Rails 3.1. One thing that is remaining a fairly consistent part of the API is named_scopes (despite a name change).

Developers should be encouraged to use named_scopes and association chains even more aggressively, now. It will certainly be easier to refactor a few named scopes around than it would be to refactor scattered find() calls all over your libraries. You should be doing this anyway, because it definitely helps with improving code and test quality

An excellent gem that can help you with this is Ben Johnson’s searchlogic. It gives you a bunch of very useful, canned scopes.

Replace references to RAILS_ENV, RAILS_ROOT, and RAILS_DEFAULT_LOGGER

Thankfully, these ugly constants have no place in a Rails 3 application. There are now methods to access these properties as part of the Rails module. So, for example, you would use Rails.env instead of RAILS_ENV

Nick Quaranto actually just wrote a solid article with the details on the Rails module.

The current system for developing conceptual applications is broken. Many early stage entrepreneurs clamor to find developers that can build their product on a tight budget so they can get it in front of venture of angel funds for further development and proof of concept. These entrepreneurs consistently seek out a pool of developers that are few and far between: those that are willing to work exclusively for equity. This search typically results in two unsuccessful outcomes. The entrepreneur encounters an incompetent team that fails to develop a quality product, or the entrepreneur becomes frustrated and abandons the project entirely.

Why Does This Suck?

As a developer, I love new and innovative concepts. As an entrepreneur, I love disruptive ideas that can change the landscape of business as we know it. How many of these ideas meet with either of the two fates above? In today’s world of abundant talent and money, why do good ideas die without a fair chance to prove themselves?

I meet early stage entrepreneurs with cool ideas all the time. I want to help them, but they very often can’t allocate the budget to turn their ideas into reality. What results is a chicken or egg problem: the entrepreneur needs a product to pitch for funding, and the product developer needs funds to develop the product. What ultimately results is a dead idea that was never given the chance to get off the ground.

And Now…For Something Completely Different

What if a term sheet wasn’t in dollars and cents, but in developer time? What if VC’s wrote two checks – one to the entrepreneur and one to a recommended product development firm?

There are many intelligent individuals that are emphasizing the importance of building great products. In my opinion, the best people to build products are those that have done it before. If that’s the case, then, how many first-time entrepreneurs know how to build a product? It’s my claim that it is an investor’s fiscal responsibility to ensure the entrepreneur is connected with the right resources to develop their product.

Ideas like TechStars, YCombinator, and small, localized incubators and organizations have done a ton for the online startup community. Good luck getting into an esteemed mentorship program like TechStars without a developer on your team, though. All of the people around these ideas recognize the need for sound, technical talent, but rely on the entrepreneur to supply it! It is my belief that the investors can provide entrepreneurs with this talent as part of their investment. Whether they staff engineers permanently or furnish a recommended list of vendors, I believe the investors are more qualified to discern between developers that can deliver results and the unfortunate bozos that pervade our industry.

Why This Works for Investors

I consider the investors I know to be wonderfully connected and resourceful. They usually have a demonstrated track record of building successful products and companies. If I’m a first time entrepreneur, why not rely on my investors to connect me with a team of capable and efficient developers? As an investor, wouldn’t I want to be connected to developers that can make my portfolio truly shine?

If you’re connected to the best and battle-hardened developers, that creates a lot of value for your firm. Having engineers at your disposal to assess the complexity and costs of doing business during due diligence would allow for investigators to help discern between the money pits and the lean, money-making machines. Additionally, having an elite team that can get the job done right and fiscally efficient would allow you to cheaply evaluate business concepts.

Why This Works for the Entrepreneur

To say it matter of factly, entrepreneurs without software development backgrounds simply do not know how to hire solid, technical talent. If investors are helping to recruit and screen candidates, that really can increase the efficacy of such crucial hires. Not to mention, investors can train and mentor entrepreneurs on what to look for in a sound, technical hire to sustain future growth.

When entrepreneurs get funding and can make hires, do they really know how to evaluate a potential engineering employee or contractor? Potentially, a seasoned entrepreneur with a product development background may have a list of contacts to reach out to when they become flush with cash. How many first-time entrepreneurs, however, waste valuable time and money on incompetent people that don’t bear any fruit for their clients?

In early stages, most business-oriented founders want to focus on strategic partnerships and sales, anyhow. While there’s an increasing and encouraging awareness of how important your first technical hire is, it’s not something a first-time founder is really equipped to do.

Why This Works for the Development Community

There are a lot of bad developers out there that sustain themselves on unsuspecting, first time ventures. In a world where investors help to build a sound framework for screening candidates, these bad apples fall out of our industry. This effectively would raise the bar for everyone in the field, which would make the most meritorious developers more valuable and respected. Good developers would no longer have to tolerate those that didn’t carry their weight because they simply wouldn’t be found on the same team together. This would result in higher job satisfaction and retention, in addition to better output and creativity.

Additionally, developers love new projects and business problems to solve. If the investment community could provide a capable and elite team with a continuous supply of cool concepts, I bet you’d have a happy team of developers.

The Grass is Always Greener

I’m not necessarily knocking the present state of affairs. I can certainly understand why investors don’t want to manage the hiring process to this extent, and why certain entrepreneurs would view this type of involvement as intrusive. My intent here, is to raise the point that investors usually have the know-how to assist entrepreneurs with their product development efforts, and that they should use that know-how to the benefit the value of their portfolio and benefactors.

That being said, there’s also the issue of observing how a team stands on its own, which is probably the strongest case against this model. The development team sponsored by the investor won’t always be there, so it would be important to recruit and phase in a technical cofounder at some point in the product’s development. An investor might not want to finance this endeavor, and they generally want to invest in a full-strength team from the onset.

In the end, we’re in unfamiliar territory. Perhaps all we need is a better way to match good developers with promising teams and ideas. Brain power and attention are becoming the scarcest of resources, and my desire is to create the most efficient economy to maximize the outlay of these resources. The idea, the founder’s passion, the developer’s capability, and the investor’s money are all necessary to create successful products, so let’s all work together to optimize what results.

Update: Nick Plante tipped me off to a company trying something like this named SproutBox.

I recently attended an excellent event put on by a few people from BetaHouse and TechStars. The premise was to meet and network with other entrepreneurs in the Boston area to potentially find cofounders for your next venture. I’m primarily a technical guy, and I’m not married to any particular idea. Finding and enticing great technical talent to join your startup is hard, which is a big reason why I started the consultancy. We help startups get the technology they need, but sometimes founders desire a technical partner in crime. So, if you’re looking to attract solid developers or designers in your venture, here’s some perspective from a technical person who’s on the venture “dating” scene.

What’s your name?

At the beginning of the event, everyone had an opportunity to introduce themselves, their business, and state who or what they were looking for. I was surprised at how many people with ventures did not introduce themselves. They jumped right to the idea. The idea is important, but free agents want to know just as much about you as your business. Briefly state your name and a little of your background – it won’t take away from the presentation of your idea, and it will definitely help people to get to know you better.

What’s your idea, again?

This goes beyond finding team members. If you cannot clearly articulate what your business is all about in one minute, you need to practice your pitch. After many pitches, I had to ask myself what problems the team members were trying to solve. Technical people are naturally problem solvers, so they want to know about what pains you’re setting out to remedy.

Great idea. Tell me more about your team

Any idea can sink or swim based on the team’s capability. I want to hear about your executive team and their background. I want to hear about your board of advisors or your board of directors. Who inspires you? Who keeps you accountable? If I’m going to jump in the water with you, I want to know that you’ll help keep us afloat by surrounding yourself with great people.

I lost you at “Revolutionary” or “Web 2.0″

You’re in a room with about fifty other entrepreneurs that are just beginning to conceptualize their idea. Is your idea really that revolutionary? These terms really don’t mean anything to me right now. What market are you going after, and why do you feel your company can be disruptive in that space? What’s the market cap, and how much market share do you project over a 1, 2, and 5 year period? How much revenue are you expecting in these years? At what point do you anticipate becoming profitable? Isn’t the social media hype all about Web 3.0 now?

Technical people like substance, and some like hard numbers. Throwing around hand waving terminology doesn’t instill confidence in your idea or you as a potential cofounder.

It’s a Slow Romance

Perhaps it was because the TechStars application deadline is fast approaching, but founders were a bit eager to get your commitment. So let me get this straight, I just met you and learned about your idea, but you want me to come on board next week?

Joining a startup is not something I want to decide on overnight. Finding team members that you jive well with is a time intensive process, and it shouldn’t be rushed for either party. Have coffee regularly, jump on a few calls, then maybe pursue a short or part-time contractual relationship before everyone commits. You’re going to be spending a lot of time together, so chemistry is vital. Enjoy the courting phase, and pop the question when you know it’s the real thing.

TechStars held a very enlightening information session at Andala Cafe this morning. Shawn Broderick did an excellent job conveying what TechStars is all about and what a TechStars startup looks like. Some other people involved with TechStars provided insight as well.

While I didn’t take notes directly (standing room only), here are a few, quick takeaways I gathered. I think these thoughts go beyond TechStars and really speak towards general entrepreneurship.

It’s about the team first, and the product second

Great ideas without a team to execute on it is about as useful as a car without an engine. Find enthusiastic, passionate people you like working with – you’re going to be spending a lot of time together. Refine the idea together. I’ve heard this quite a bit – investors weigh the team’s capability and dynamic heavily, perhaps even more than the product idea.

It’s common for the product’s vision to change

It’s common for the idea of your product to morph into something different. Perhaps the distribution channel won’t work, or the revenue model needs to be tweaked. Embrace these changes as your product matures and you learn more about your audience and yourselves.

Moonlighters need not apply

The expectation is that you’ll be dedicated to the business and present in the program. If you’re thinking you can work on this in your “free time”, you should have a lot of it! Just like split focus hinders daily productivity, split career focus can definitely hinder the progress of your business. In fact, most TechStars companies had prototypes or initial funding prior to entering the program.

Being a solo founder is difficult

It’s hard to do it alone, and TechStars recognizes that. If you’re a solo founder and you want to apply, recognize the problem and identify the resources you need to make your business a success. Seek those resources out actively. Personally, it was a clear message that I need to make connections with more entrepreneurs.

Apply or Start It Up anyway

Shawn said something really great towards the end of it. I’m paraphrasing, but he basically said the only thing definite is that if you don’t apply, you won’t get in. Don’t talk yourself out of applying – take the time to do it and see what happens. Even if you don’t get in, at least it was a good exercise in thinking about your business.

Even if your business fails, you’ll become a stronger and more experienced entrepreneur in result. Personally, I believe the largest asset of being a TechStars company is the access to those that have tried, failed, and succeeded in traveling on the roads you’re approaching.

One tenet of Getting Things Done is to always have a tool that you can use to capture thoughts and actions as they pop into your head. I get crazy ideas in the oddest places and times, so it’s important to have a tool at my disposal to quickly capture them. I always have my cell phone on me, so it’s a natural choice for a capture tool. I needed a service that I could dial into and leave a message which would be then transcribed and in my inbox when I returned to my computer. For a long time, I’ve been using Jott, but Google Voice has taken over as my tool of choice for capturing next actions and ideas.

Why the switch to Google Voice?

1. It’s free
2. It’s easily accessible – In addition to a great web client, GV has a great Blackberry application.
3. Better transcription quality – I’ve found the quality of voice transcription to be better. That means less corrections to make for me when adding actions to my GTD system.

Set up your Google Voice Account for Getting Things Done

1. Add your cell phone to your list of contacts if it’s not already present

   

2. Edit your google voice settings for the contact you just created. Select “Send to Voice Mail”

   

3. If this is a phone that you’ve connected to the account, you’ll need to navigate to settings and then the phone tab. Click edit and then show advance settings. Set voicemail direct access to “no”. Be sure to save your changes.

   

Calling your new capture tool for the first time

1. Dial your google voice number
2. Press 1 to go directly to voicemail once it starts ringing
3. Leave a message

Setting up more automation

• If you have a GMail account, you can set up filters to have a specific inbox for captured voicemails
• If you use Remember the Milk, You could also set up a rule to automatically forward the email notification to your inbox there.

Google Voice has become a vital part of my GTD workflow. Even if you’re on a low tech system like an excellent Moleskine, using Google Voice as a capture tool when you’re on the road is a safe and free alternative.