Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Seattle 2.0, and imported to GeekWire as part of our acquisition of Seattle 2.0 and its archival content. For more background, see this post.
By Jennifer Cabala
Scott Porad is the CTO of The Cheezburger Network, a collection of humor and entertainment websites. He writes a popular blog on tech and entrepreneurship, and speaks all over the country on technology, social media and startups. I caught up with him to talk about how he got his start, getting a successful product to market, and what he will be speaking on at Seattle 2.0’s event for technologists, Deploy 2010 on June 24th. (Tickets are on sale now.)
Why did you pick your career as a technologist?
I didn’t really pick being a technologist as much as I picked doing something I think is fun! I like doing things that are creative, plus web sites have a relatively short development lifecycle, and I enjoy the thrill of getting things done quickly, too.
What was your first start-up and why did you decide to go the startup route?
My first startup was a company in New York founded by Seth Godin called Yoyodyne Entertainment. Yoyodyne created web-based permission marketing campaigns for consumer brands.
I wouldn’t say I decided to go the “startup route” as much as go “the exciting route”. That was 1995, pre-dotcom bubble, and the commercial Internet was completely embryonic and crazy…it was half Wild West and half revolution. Looking back, I feel like I was part of something completely special…I didn’t plan on that at the time…I did what seemed new and exciting and feel very fortunate to have been a part of it.
What do you believe it takes to get a successful product to market?
To get a product to market takes focus and a willingness to accept imperfection. But, to “get a successful product to market” takes both those things plus an intense understanding of your customer and how they relate to your product.
What has been the biggest surprise so far?
The biggest surprise has understanding how emotionally connected and moved people are by Cheezburger. There’s a complete difference between sites that “satisfy the customer” and sites that “make them happy”. Cheezburger makes them happy. When I meet people–literally, like the waitress at the restaurant where I had dinner last night–who love our sites and gleam with joy over them…that’s really wonderful and makes doing this so much fun!
What are some of your challenges in building a product and how are you overcoming them?
Obviously, there are day-to-day technical challenges, but with enough time and money they can typically be solved. As they say, everywhere is walking distance with enough time.
To me, the biggest challenges are people challenges…getting everybody on the same page, keeping people focused on the most high priority projects, finding ways for people to build things more rapidly. These are the things I work on every day…I can’t say I’ve overcome them, but I’m trying.
What are you proud of?
Obviously, the whole “Cheezburger project”, so to speak, has been a huge success. We always thought there was an idea and an opportunity, but we’re still surprised sometimes at how big the whole thing has grown. Clearly, we’ve touched on some sort of human emotion or cultural phenomena that very powerful.
Also, I look back with a lot of pride at the work we did at drugstore.com. We created a lot of excellent technology that was way ahead of its time. Back then, we were creating everything from scratch; we spent tons of time building technology that you can basically get for free these days. It’s a little mind-blowing when I think about it.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by people who live in the moment and live from their heart; by people who are grounded and live with balance and perspective; by people who care like they mean it.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
I’m a perfectionist. In other words, I’m never really satisfied. (Frankly, I do not view this is a positive trait, but it has served me well professionally, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain.)
What are you speaking about at Deploy 2010, and why is it important for people to know?
I’m presenting a framework for how to setup a dev shop at a web startup. One of my mentors taught me that software is merely a function of the people and processes that create it, so the way things are organized has a big impact on the success of your startup.
Based on my experience, it turns out that there’s a pretty straightforward pattern to follow. It may sound cheezy (no pun intended), but I really enjoy sharing this with others because I really, genuinely want everyone to succeed.
Any links you want me to include?
My blog, of course! http://scottporad.com. In addition, my Deploy talk is the basis for a book I’m writing, so if anybody would like to be notified when it’s available they can sign up at http://scottporad.com/setting-up-shop. And, if any of your readers want to have a good laugh, check out http://cheezburger.com/sites.
