Hello Blink Show

Overview
In this episode of the Hello Blink Show, Harris and Shawn interview legal expert and attorney, Mark Tyson. Mark shares his knowledge and how he advises his clients into incorporating their business while minimizing liability. 

Specifically, Mark discusses how he helps entrepreneurs and creators as Shawn and Harris weigh in on the importance of legal counseling. The two give their insights as well as ask questions from listeners on recommended steps. 

One Powerful Quotation

• 26:29 — Mark: “What I would encourage listeners to do is to shift your perspective to… see lawyers…really the value you’re going to find is 'okay let’s do some planning, let’s talk through these scenarios. You know, what am I trying to do with my business? Where are the threats coming from?'”

Key Topics

• 1:35: Shawn asks Mark about an appropriate time to consult for legal advice. 
• 4:20: Harris asks Mark to share about Tyson Law and how he acquires clients from inbound marketing and flat fees.
• 7:03: Mark talks about seeking consultation and the benefits of having a lawyer. 
• 11:23: Shawn inquires with Mark on intellectual property and the cost of having legal representation for filing trademarks or patents. 
• 15:19: Mark is asked a question from Twitter on the patent filing process being costly and timely. Mark explains how it depends on the product and market. 
• 18:42: Mark shares his thoughts on forming an LLC or corporation. He highlights the differences between them as well as S-Level/C-Level incorporation. 
• 21:37: Mark addresses Shawn’s inquiry into the structure of LLCs and corporations having stock or owner interest in another company. 
• 23:25: Mark further discusses the tax treatment of a single member LLC from the IRS. 
• 24:38: Mark contrasts the legal perspective of how lawsuits are handled with sole proprietorships and LLCs. 
• 25:47: Mark comments on the value of having a good business lawyer for mitigating risk.
• 27:05: Harris and Mark discuss how strategic conversations are essential, and Mark shares a personal experience when he tried to hire an accountant. 
• 29:23: Mark explains the reasons why most corporations are filed in Delaware. He also notes some of the disadvantages that are associated with it. 
• 33:29: Shawn asks Mark his thoughts on the legal barriers in misclassifying workers as employees or independent contractors for a business. 
• 36:25: Harris and Mark discuss how treatment of workers and the culture of an organization is essential to any successful business operation. Shawn adds that a mission statement should serve to benefit customers, stake holders, and employees. 
• 41:45: Mark delves into the technicality of contracted work including hours, lump-sum pay, and length of engagement that government agencies may clue in on. 
• 44:27: Mark reminds listeners they have a responsibility in educating themselves on any legal engagements they participate in. 
• 46:17: Shawn asks Mark a question from a friend on arbitration and neutral jurisdiction clauses for intrastate/international business and if legal counsel is needed. 
• 50:17: Mark shares his views on interviewing lawyers based on their knowledge, personality, and communication. 
• 53:33: Mark suggests the communication style of your attorney should best suit your needs.
• 55:22: Mark explains why legal guidance is the surest way for trademarking intellectual property instead of doing it on your own. 
• 59:09: Mark comments why it is important and easier to copyright your medium. 
• 1:01:38: Mark details what are trade secrets and safeguarding that information from the public. 
• 1:03:26: Shawn and Harris wrap up the show with Mark, and he shares his contact information. 

Guest Information
Mark started his own law firm, Tyson Law PLLC, to help entrepreneurs and small businesses with their legal issues.

Twitter
LinkedIn
Website

Host Contact Information
shawnhymel.com
kennyconsultinggroup.com
LinkedIn - Shawn Hymel
LinkedIn - Harris Kenny
Twitter - Shawn Hymel
Twitter - Harris Kenny

License Information
“Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Special Guest: Mark Tyson.

Overview
This week, on the Hello Blink Show, hosts Shawn Hymel and Harris Kenny welcome Joel Murphy to the show. This episode focuses on Joel’s work on the Spiro Wave "bridge" ventilator system that can be widely used in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and how designers/small business owners can contribute to their network. 

Note that this episode was recorded about 2 weeks ago. As such, some of the information may not be up to date. Specifically, the Spiro Wave device is not necessarliy completely open source, although there are plans to release parts of the design to help other companies make similar devices. Read all about it in this The New York Times piece by By Steve Lohr.

Joel is an electronics design engineer and startup entrepreneur who has co-founded four startups specializing in customizable interface sensor devices ranging from heart rate and brain computing to hearing aid development and an open source fitness tracker. He presides as a board member at the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) where he organizes hackathons and engages in public speaking seminars. As a designer, teacher, and engineer, listeners will hear about Joel’s latest project and how makers and small business owners can step up to help their community. 

One Powerful Quotation

• 35:28: “I think the maker community and the DIY community is really well placed and already has it baked in to share, to help, to give freely, to make a difference and to understand that you can make a difference in ways that may be are not necessarily direct. You don’t have to be the person doing to the magical, wonderful thing. You can actually be contributing a little bit.” 

Key Topics

• 1:31: Shawn recaps with Joel about the protocols involved with hospital treatment of COVID-19 patients and the demand around medical equipment needed. 
• 4:38: Shawn inquires with Joel about the shortage of ventilators and why they are used. 
• 6:18: Harris and Joel discuss the severity of the situation and the risks surrounding vulnerable departments of the world.
• 13:00: Joel talks about his latest project, a makeshift ambulatory bag that is customized to act as a ventilator. Joel explains the difference between the two and how its implementation is used for emergencies.
• 22:13: Shawn asks Joel about his team and if they experienced problems deploying their device across the medical field.
• 26:30: Harris and Joel talk about how the sharing of maker/open source community knowledge with their networks can be leveraged into a formal corporate partnership. 
• 33:55: Harris asks Joel about his position and how his flexibility allowed him to take on his most recent project. Joel agrees and adds that the maker/DIY community can indirectly help give back to their network.
• 38:05: Joel shares with how listeners can get involved. He includes associations needing volunteers and being “hyperlocal” in your neighborhood.
• 43:46: Joel gives his final thoughts and why he believes in upholding regulations as a gate-keeper for safety and care. 

List of Resources
Spiro Wave in The New York Times
OSHWA
Tympan
Contagion movie
Open Source COVID-19 Medical Supplies Facebook Group
Make4Covid
MIT e-vent project

Guest Contact Information
Joel's background is in visual arts. He made kinetic sculpture for years before he became an electronics design engineer. Joel taught physical computing at Parsons from 2006 to 2014, and has participated in several successful crowdfunding projects since 2011 when he co-founded World Famous Electronics, makers of the Pulse Sensor: an open source heart rate monitor. In 2014 he co-founded OpenBCI, a Brooklyn based company that makes high quality low cost EEG amplifiers for science and education, and was President of the company until 2018. Most recently, he has created and co-developed Tympan, an Open Source hearing-aid development platform. Joel also owns the technology consulting firm, Flywheel Lab. Joel lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

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Instagram
LinkedIn
Website

Host Contact Information
http://shawnhymel.com
http://kennyconsultinggroup.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnhymel/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriskenny/
https://www.twitter.com/ShawnHymel
https://www.twitter.com/harriskenny

License Information
“Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Special Guest: Joel Murphy.

One Powerful Quotation

• 1:01:30: “When you’re looking for early customers, you probably don’t have a ton of leverage. You are probably gonna be more open to… changing some features or adding some features… If you’re getting started and you don’t have that leverage in the beginning, and if you really are very focused on bringing money in the door and getting started, that’s probably gonna happen in some form or fashion in the beginning, and then over time, you can adapt and move away from that if you need to.”

Key Topics

• 0:49: Shawn and Harris open the show welcoming listeners. They both comment how well received the podcast has been and what they’ve learned from guests on the platform. 
• 2:38: Shawn shares his latest project he’s working on with neural networks and machine learning. He describes how he’s using these to manipulate micro controllers and the challenges asso-ciated with it. 
• 6:27: Harris shares his latest workshop on new outbound methods/approaches from small businesses that can be applicable to larger, founder-owned corporations. He notes the importance of a structured, high value, and personalized approach are the keys for generating that sales conversation.
• 9:18: Shawn asks Harris about his techniques he uses to engage his audience when he presents. Harris admits it can be challenging, but the goal is to have an interaction that is resourceful/useful. 
• 12:32: Shawn and Harris discuss how influencing your customer is to have them do something for you. Harris explains this and how building trust for your customer to take a series of steps/actions will ultimately make it easier to close a deal. 
• 16:04: Shawn and Harris switch topics and talk about formulating your business and creating the first transaction. They offer tips on how to create accounts, limit your liability, and save you money. 
• 23:05: Shawn shares the story of how he landed Digi-Key as his first customer. Harris shares a similar story and they talk about the importance in building your network. 
• 33:14: Harris mentions another approach in finding your next customer through content market-ing conversations. He and Shawn talk about generating feedback from your audience, handling criticism, and how to monetize it. 
• 40:02: Harris illustrates how crowdfunding can be used for projects and how to allocate the funds. Shawn agrees and adds that these campaigns have become more of a pre-order system than for marketing/creating outreach for a project/business. 
• 46:40: Harris brings up the importance of cold outreach and how to successfully implement it. He lists critical steps to follow that highlight drawing attention/interest, crafting contextu-al/personal messages, and offering opt-in/opt-outs preferences to customers. 
• 56:34: Shawn expands on this topic during his time at SparkFun, and he and Harris acknowledge how to leverage the bridged gap between markets, cataloged audiences, and using distributors. Harris also contrasts the differences between larger, VC backed companies versus smaller, lean operations and what they represent as a medium. 
• 1:01:26: Harris and Shawn wrap up the show and give their final remarks.
   Bullet List of Resources:

Additional Links

• Josh Braun - https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-braun/

Host Contact Information

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnhymel/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriskenny/
https://www.twitter.com/ShawnHymel
https://www.twitter.com/harriskenny

Follow Hello Blink Show

https://helloblinkshow.com
https://twitter.com/helloblinkshow
https://www.linkedin.com/company/helloblinkshow/

License Information

“Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Show Note

We hope this podcast is of value to the you as the situation unfolds. We wish all of our followers and listeners their health and safety at this time. Please reach out @ShawnHymel or @HarrisKenny if there is anything they can do for you. 

One Powerful Quotation

•  26:00 – “If you’re a business owner or you’re a CEO, I think this is an appropriate time to practice good interpersonal management with your people. I would say don’t try to panic people… But in the same sense, be honest. Be upfront. This is a scary situation we are looking at.”

Key Topics

• 1:00 – Shawn and Harris open the show with how they are dealing with their self-quarantine and social distancing. They admit they are fortunate with being able to work from home and mention of how many Americans cannot. 
• 4:00 – Shawn and Harris talk about the content marketing strategy from big brands in response to the coronavirus. Shawn says many have taken a bare minimum approach with large email outreaches, and they each give their take on what companies are doing that works. 
• 6:50 — Shawn considers making his online Arduino course free for a period of time and the value of offering free learning tools to everyone. Harris agrees with this, and they delve into how some organizations/events have handled this situation better or worse than others. 
• 10:40 — Shawn and Harris describe their experience attending the online Open Hardware Summit. They highlight their virtual experience with attendee engagement and how presenters are able to format their activities with polling, online streaming, etc. for future events. Harris notes that presenting this way is a skill set and a great opportunity to grow your business. 
• 20:08 — Shawn asks Harris his opinion on what small business can do to alleviate some of their problems. Harris says they should assess their short/long term risk by trying to increase inventory supply and focus on diversifying their offerings such as consulting or starting a new project. He mentions that this is only optimal if cash is available, and your business is in a position to take on more work. 
• 22:24 —Shawn and Harris discuss how operators can pivot to using a local distributor/supplier to continue running their business. They offer their opinions on how owners should handle this crisis and implement interpersonal management to everyone. 
• 27:16 — Harris inquires with Shawn on how he handles his own personal management at home and with work. 
• 29:50 — Shawn and Harris share with listeners their views on how organizations/institutions now have a larger responsibility to give value to others as a sign of empathy and compassion. 
• 37:45 —Shawn and Harris surmise that investment opportunities and industry trends will change as a result to the evident economic turmoil. 
• 41:30 — Shawn and Harris wrap up the show with their final thoughts to everyone. 

List of Bulleted Resources

 7:06 - Shawn's online Arduino course:
 https://www.udemy.com/course/arduino-programming-and-hardware-fundamentals-with-hackster/

Host Contact Information

 http://shawnhymel.com
http://kennyconsultinggroup.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnhymel/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriskenny/
https://www.twitter.com/ShawnHymel
https://www.twitter.com/harriskenny

License Information

 “Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Overview
This week, on the Hello Blink Show, hosts Shawn Hymel and Harris Kenny welcome special guest, Jonathan Georgino. Jonathan is a business owner and hardware engineer who focuses on working through distribution channels and closing multi-unit enterprise deals with his company, Binho. Listeners will hear from Jonathan about the steps he took to land his first deals, market to early customers, and build a quality product that delights users. 

One Powerful Quote
23:02 – Jonathan: “I really recommend building your first boards by hand because you will understand if there is any problem whatsoever; if there is anything that can be improved, it will reveal itself when you build them by hand.” 

Key Topics

• 1:18 – Shawn asks Jonathan about his business Binho, and Jonathan highlights key points including his team of contractors and going to market strategy. He also explains their product, the Nova host adapter, and explains the many benefits that come from it.
• 6:18 – Shawn inquires with Jonathan about his thought process for wanting to develop and find a product-market fit for the host adapter. Jonathan admits it is wishful thinking but explains how he wanted to incorporate his previous projects into a user experience.
• 8:16 – Shawn follows up with how likely someone will purchase his product. Compared to his competitors, Jonathan explains that his product is sleek, convenient, and low-profile for users. He also notes how functional it can be for teams of developers.
• 12:33 – Harris acknowledges Jonathan’s presence in this space, and they delve into how his experiences inspired him to form a business. Jonathan shares his insights into how he became his first customer and truly understood his competitors. He says advice from his network and addressing these issues early on helped build his team. 
• 15:40 – Shawn and Jonathan have a follow up discussion on the influence of Jonathan’s network that inspired him to market and sell the Nova host adapter. Jonathan says this group came from from varying industries that had different projects and use cases. 
• 17:08 – Shawn, Harris, and Jonathan have an open conversation about the challenges with scaling a business centered around software and hardware applications. Jonathan mentions how his relationship with a reliable and flexible supply chain manufacturer has set a foundation for his company’s scalability.
• 19:02 – Jonathan shares the process of how his product was manufactured and his success in calculating order demand. He also explains the outsourcing process to China and why it was important to originally keep quality control in the U.S.
• 27:18: Shawn and Harris commend Jonathan on his focus between launching product and business development. Jonathan describes the details used in their website which handles their e-commerce, product features, and support backin.
• 30:30: Shawn, Harris, and Jonathan discuss cold marketing and public relation approaches that helped Binho find their niche audience segment. Jonathan also illustrates what marketing tactics have/have not been successful and explains why. 
• 38:08: Jonathan expresses how distributors have been the leading source for sales recently and the advantageous benefits that have come from this. 
• 41:56: Harris asks Jonathan about his business model strategy for go-to market and his decision to use distributors. Jonathan highlights that his experiences as a buyer convinced him these platforms could help him as a seller including their marketing and customer outreach value. He also remarks the importance of having direct customers and keeping the end-to-end product cycle relevant.
• 48:10: Shawn and Jonathan discuss the purchasing process for Binho and why Jonathan values this aspect of his operation. 
• 51:10: Harris asks Jonathan about his scaleability and multi-unit enterprise purchases. Jonathan mentions that this has recently started to happen and acknowledges that this trend validates that users are solving their problems/challenges better and faster. 

Guest Information
Jonathan, a passionate hardware engineer, routinely found himself creating tools to assist in the projects he’d been working on for several years. In late 2018, he began to merge several of his personal projects into a single tool and the Binho Nova Multi-Protocol USB Host adapter was born. A veteran of several Bay Area hardware startups, he enjoys wearing many hats and doing whatever it takes to bring high-quality products to market, from proof-of-concept through mass production. Above all, he wants to share his enthusiasm for developing quality hardware products with as many people as possible.

Twitter
LinkedIn
Website

Host Contact Information
http://shawnhymel.com
http://kennyconsultinggroup.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnhymel/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriskenny/
https://www.twitter.com/ShawnHymel
https://www.twitter.com/harriskenny

License Information
“Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Special Guest: Jonathan Georgino.

Overview
On this episode of the Hello Blink Show, hosts Shawn Hymel and Harris Kenny welcome friend and innovator, Kitty Yeung. Kitty has lead extensive positions as a research scientist, hardware engineer, and user experience designer at Intel and Microsoft. With her degrees in Applied Physics and Natural Sciences from Harvard and Cambridge University, Kitty is passionate about integrating technology, science, design, and art into her fashion brand, Art by Physicist. Listeners will enjoy hearing Kitty’s perspective on building a sustainable, eco-friendly business as she and Shawn/Harris discuss the essentials into launching your next start-up.

Kitty currently works as Senior Program Manager at Microsoft Quantum Systems on quantum computing education and enjoys her many roles as a physicist, artist, maker, fashion designer, and musician. She frequently gives talks reflecting her personal passion and career experience in the wearables industry, digital transformation, quantum computing, and internal startups. If you are interested in seeing her work, check it out at: www.artbyphysicistkittyyeung.com

One Powerful Quote
“I think there’s some culture differences between the engineering community and fashion community that those two industries haven’t been helping each other enough and for 100 years we’ve been developing very separately. Fashion hasn’t benefitted from the latest tools that we developed as engineers. It created all these huge problems, global problems, and it doesn’t support the individuals at scale to do more creative work.” 

Key Topics

• 1:43: Kitty shares what inspired her to start her own fashion brand and how it transformed into a full-fledged business. She mentions she was always curious about the industry and how she could solve its many complex issues. 
• 6:00: Harris asks Kitty her thoughts on the balance between operational and environmental impact over demand and efficiency. Kitty shares that designing and manufacturing processes do not have the tools to streamline their operations; they are only concerned with cheap, mass produced items. 
• 12:27: Kitty expresses her concerns in working with foreign partners and manufacturers. She says this was when she started using 3D printing for on-demand production and adds the many benefits associated with it. 
• 21:34: Shawn and Kitty discuss the advantages in descaled production for boutique owners and the disconnect between engineering and business operators. 
• 25:07: Harris comments on the difficulty of each stage for Kitty’s business. She agrees and suggests that there must be an ecosystem that aligns these procedures; her biggest challenge is in the design process. 
• 29:42: Shawn inquires with Kitty about the profitability of her business. She says that, although she is not concerned about that financial aspect, she would like to donate the profits to environmental impacts and STEAM education. 
• 35:41: Shawn and Harris wrap up the show with Kitty. She shares her contact information and what Art by Physicist is about. 
• 39:19 (Post Show): Kitty asks Shawn and Harris their sales and marketing advice for her business. They include tips on networking, business development, and content creation. 

List of Resources
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kittyyeung1/
https://artbyphysicistkittyyeung.com/

Guest Information
Kitty Yeung is a physicist, artist, maker, fashion designer and musician based in Silicon Valley, California. While working on quantum computing in her day job, Kitty is passionate about integrating technology, science, design and art. Her fashion brand, Art by Physicist (shop.kittyyeung.com) creates unique and timeless science- and nature-themed clothing and accessories. Using her paintings printed on fabrics through eco-friendly processes and 3D printing on-demand production to achieve sustainable and STEAM fashion.

Kitty's early career had been conducting research in condensed matter physics while pursuing artistic endeavors through painting, music and graphic novel creations. She received her Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University (thesis: Engineering Plasmonic Circuits in 2-Dimensional Electron Systems) and a M.Sci., B.A. and M.A. in Natural Sciences from University of Cambridge. After grad school, Kitty worked as a research scientist, hardware engineer and user experience designer at Intel, and Manager of the Microsoft Garage program in Silicon Valley. She now works at Microsoft Quantum Systems on quantum computing education.

Kitty frequently gives talks reflecting her personal passion and career experience in the wearables industry, digital transformation, quantum computing and internal startups. See her work on www.artbyphysicistkittyyeung.com.

Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
Website

Host Contact Information
http://shawnhymel.com
http://kennyconsultinggroup.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnhymel/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriskenny/
https://www.twitter.com/ShawnHymel
https://www.twitter.com/harriskenny

License Information
“Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Special Guest: Kitty Yeung.

Overview

On this episode of the Hello Blink Show, hosts Shawn Hymel and Harris Kenny talk about content marketing and how the right approach can help your business. They discuss their own experiences with creative marketing and how they go about finding their audience. Listeners will hear Shawn and Harris’s insights on servicing their clients and how to deliver valuable content. 

One Powerful Quote

"Make content that’s useful for people and they will continue to engage with you. Do it not to push your product or service on them. Do it from an actual, genuine, authentic way of 'I want to help somebody have a better day.'” 

Key Topics

• 0:40: Shawn and Harris open the show with what projects they’re working on. Shawn briefly mentions the latest book he’s reading, “Talking to Strangers” by Malcolm Gladwell. 
• 5:50: Shawn and Harris discuss an overview on content marketing and understanding the difference between inbound and outbound marketing. Harris mentions how businesses should assess their position in the market and determine the necessary steps to learn about their audience.
• 13:00: Shawn inquires with Harris about the suggested expense for marketing. Harris says that, although it depends, he recommends that a realistic business should only spend what is available considering production costs. He also adds that consistent presence in industry events and free PR stunts can alleviate the costs.
• 19:02: Staying on the same topic, Harris asks Shawn if business owners should be responsible for creating and promoting inbound marketing. Shawn agrees with this but isn’t opposed to outsourcing a partner to truly represent your brand in discovering the right audience. 
• 22:00: Shawn and Harris delve deeper into finding your audience segment and offer their perspectives for the important questions to answer such as identifying your audience and maximizing content channel delivery. They also note the common pitfalls some business owners may have with their marketing strategy. 
• 39:44: Shawn recommends the book Youtility by Jay Baer for its outlook of, “If you sell something, you make a customer today; if you help someone, you make a customer for life.” It summarizes why outbound market is failing and how authentically helping others will build you a loyal following. 
• 42:13: Shawn asks Harris his success using HubSpot as a customer relationship platform. 
• 48:50: Shawn and Harris sign off with their final overview thoughts on content marketing. 

List of Resources

 https://www.gladwellbooks.com/
https://www.youtilitybook.com/

Host Contact Information

 http://shawnhymel.com
http://kennyconsultinggroup.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnhymel/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriskenny/
https://www.twitter.com/ShawnHymel
https://www.twitter.com/harriskenny

License Information

“Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Overview
On this episode of the Hello Blink Show, hosts Shawn Hymel and Harris Kenny welcome special guest, Moheeb Zara. Moheeb is a hacker, roboticist, installation artist, and software engineer. He currently works as a Senior Developer Advocate at Amazon Web Services (AWS) where he enjoys crafting new projects and generating content for those interested in learning more about AWS. Listeners will hear from Moheeb as he talks about helping businesses leverage their marketing/content strategy. 

One Powerful Quote
29:40: “You’re building a better and better product and then you also have a community that’s like, 'Hey, we can also build these tools,' and then, there’s the opportunity for them to build more tools and resources on top of it...when you have those key developers in your community, they become evangelists for you.”

Key Topics

• 1:18: Shawn asks Moheeb about his role and the responsibilities as an evangelist to his product development team. He remarks he has to keep a balance with managing his team and upholding customer interests. 
• 5:41: Harris inquires with Moheeb on how he receives consumer feedback. Moheeb mentions various approaches and how his team addresses specific issues.
• 9:39: Shawn and Moheeb discuss how companies provide formal methods to support their internal teams. Moheeb says that it depends on the organization and mentions how AWS operates. 
• 14:11: Shawn and Moheeb have a follow up discussion on how companies gather feedback from their users. Moheeb mentions that his favorite are hackathons but notes that corporate driven events take away from the spirit of learning and collaborating. He also notes webinars and talks can be useful tools as well. 
• 25:09: Moheeb notes the difference between hackers and business owners and says how the importance of building an inclusive community can be invaluable. Although hard to measure, Moheeb remarks why evangelists can be beneficial to companies.

Guest Information
Moheeb Zara is a hardware hacker, roboticist, installation artist, and software engineer. Currently a Senior Developer Advocate at Amazon Web Services (AWS). In the past he has served on the board of HeatSync Labs, Arizona’s first hackerspace, and helped organize South West Maker Fest’s inaugural events. He is also known for being a founding member of the Autonomous Space Agency Network, a science and space art collective known for “the first protest in space”.

Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube

Host Contact Information
http://shawnhymel.com
http://kennyconsultinggroup.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnhymel/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriskenny/
https://www.twitter.com/ShawnHymel
https://www.twitter.com/harriskenny

License Information
“Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Special Guest: Moheeb Zara.

Overview

Welcome to the Hello Blink Show. This week, hosts Shawn Hymel and Harris Kenny introduce listeners to the podcast and what key themes will be discussed. Shawn Hymel is a technology marketing strategist and content creator specializing in technical content and product development for clients. Through content creation and in-person workshops, he is passionate in creating memorable experiences for his audiences. Harris Kenny is the principal of his own consulting group which focuses on providing sales and marketing services for helping businesses grow. He has helped close deals with numerous businesses, schools, and government institutions based on their aligning goals and objectives. 

The duo wants to share this platform as an inspiration for those who may be considering starting their own business and what that entails. Listeners will enjoy their views on what that means, their words of advice, and upcoming interviews with those who have done the same.

One Powerful Quote

"This decision to start your own business or start a project that you think could really become something bigger is a mental and emotional journey first, and then, it proceeds to those more practical things."

Key Topics

• 0:55: Shawn and Harris talk about their latest works. Shawn discusses his recent contract project with security cameras and having to learn the features of C++. Harris mentions his work and how networking at events helps his business.
• 4:23: Shawn asks Harris how he acquires clients and the specifics behind it. Harris shares that some events he attends are with early-stage companies he may advise for distribution and product development. Shawn compares events he attends that have successfully earned him clients. 
• 6:33: Shawn inquires with Harris about why he values working with hardware companies. Harris says this is because the constraints forces owners to align their offerings closer to their customer. Shawn agrees that he also enjoys the tangible and manipulative use of hardware.
• 9:32: Harris and Shawn openly discuss the nature in finding their audience and advising them to start their own business. Shawn expresses the disconnect in corporate environments for engineers and the necessary steps to help them launch their project or business. Harris agrees this was a one main reason why they formed the podcast. Shawn and Harris both express that it will be an open platform to help those with business and marketing expertise.
• 17:30: Shawn explains the name of the Hello Blink Show. 
• 20:00: Harris and Shawn express how to be in the “driver seat” of your business. They mention what that means and the responsibilities associated with it. Shawn adds how certain inefficiencies inhibit people from taking the next step; Harris suggests asking tactical questions. 
• 30:00: Shawn and Harris discuss the pros and cons of independent work. They mention important factors to consider such as time, compensation, and effort needed to be your own boss. Shawn and Harris hypothesize that humanizing the experience and collaboration are more beneficial compared to working in the corporate environment.
• 36:06: The book Shawn could not remember is Culture Code by Daniel Coyle. You can read a summary about the airline crash incident here: https://aplusala.org/best-practices-center/2018/05/03/how-to-create-a-great-culture-within-your-organization-or-team/. Shawn is also working on correctly pronouncing “aileron” from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/aileron.
• 40:00: Shawn offers his advice on the planning needed before leaving your regular job and how to prepare before launching your own brand. Harris adds how service support can help navigate this process. 
• 49:52: Shawn and Harris preview their work background and how this overview will be incorporated into the show. 

List of Resources

 Culture Code by Daniel Coyle

Host Contact Information

 http://shawnhymel.com
http://kennyconsultinggroup.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnhymel/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harriskenny/
https://www.twitter.com/ShawnHymel
https://www.twitter.com/harriskenny

License Information

 “Hello Blink Show” by Kenny Consulting Group, LLC and Skal Risa, LLC is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Intro and outro song is “Routine” by Amine Maxwell is licensed under CC BY 3.0