If you started your own company, there’s a good chance you did so for two reasons: you wanted to build something of your own, and potentially make a lot of money doing so. The problem? Most founders will have to settle for one of the two. This is what Noam Wasserman has termed the Founder’s…
Core values are the corner stone of a unique and healthy company culture. I’ve already shared how to come up with your own in a previous essay. For today’s essay, I’ve pulled together some core value examples from other videogame companies that you can use as inspiration. Before we dive in, let’s quickly review the…
Continue reading Core Value Examples for Videogame Companies
When your company is just starting out, there’s a good chance you’re acutely aware of most of the things going on inside of it. The team is still small, and the focus is often on creating a great product, whether that’s a game, a platform or a supporting service. When you start growing, it becomes…
2021 has been a year of small steps. One page at a time, I’ve read more books than I have in any year I can remember. Week after week, I’ve tweaked my workout routine until I found a version that worked for me, and that I could actually keep going. I’ve started a newsletter, and…
Another year has come and gone, and I’ve compiled another list of the some of the books, articles, movies, games and songs that meant the most to me this year. Like last year, I’ll preface this list with the disclaimer that, as a dad to a toddler, I do not have a lot of free…
Running a business is hard. In order to understand what’s going on and make effective decisions, you have to be able to wear many different hats, and take into account many different perspectives and types of information. Mental models can help to cut through the clutter and get to the heart of an issue. Mental…
At some point, when your game company is thriving and growing, you’ll have to hire new people. Maybe there’s too much work for your current team, or maybe your operations have grown too complex to manage yourself. Maybe it’s both. Unless your company has an HR department or you work with a recruiter, chances are…
This essay series examines best-in-class business and strategy models, and adapts them for use by creative enterprises. Check out the first essay for a short introduction, or dive right into the model below. — There are about a million sources out there explaining how to make a business model. There’s the business model canvas. The Lean canvas.…
Continue reading Beyond the business model: Porter’s activity system map
This essay series examines best-in-class business and strategy models, and adapts them for use by creative enterprises. Check out the first essay for a short introduction, or dive right into the model below. — I don’t like meetings. I don’t think anyone really likes them. A big part of that is probably the many ways in which…
This essay series examines best-in-class business and strategy models, and adapts them for use by creative enterprises. Check out the first essay for a short introduction, or dive right into the model below. — To start with a quick recap – In my previous essay, I explained that I feel very strongly that every company needs a…
Continue reading Mission, Vision, and Values – Part 2: How to make ’em stick
