Constant Variables: Recent Episodes
The Jed Mahonis Group
Constant Variables takes a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build and grow digital products. Focused on helping non-technical people become more comfortable with the nerdy jargon related to mobile software development, we break down technical topics to make them less complex and more accessible, because as Steve Jobs said, “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.”
From project managers charged with managing a digital project, to app-based startups looking to scale, to organizations tackling digital transformation initiatives, we share our insights and regularly interview individuals who have "been there, done that" to leverage their expertise and learn from their mistakes.
A poor email reputation can make it difficult to do business if a password reset, order confirmation, or account signup email doesn’t reach a customer’s inbox.
As a developer, Tom Whitten has helped several companies protect their email reputation, and he’s sharing tips on how businesses can improve email credibility and deliverability.
Show Links
Find full show notes at https://constantvariables.co
Chat with JMG | https://jmg.mn/chat
Tom Whitten on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-whitten-5857a52b0/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Learn more about The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
When using payment processing software within an app or website, you’ll find dozens of provider options.
JMG’s CTO, Tom Whitten, shares why developers prefer to work with Stripe and the value business owners can get from discussing payment provider options with their development team.
Show Links
Find full show notes at https://constantvariables.co
Chat with JMG | https://jmg.mn/chat
Tom Whitten on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-whitten-5857a52b0/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Learn more about The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
Dynamic links are intrinsic to marketing campaigns, and Google’s discontinuation of its popular Firebase Dynamic Links tool has businesses concerned about the status of their URLs.
JMG CTO, Tom Whitten, joins Michael Roth to address the implications of Firebase no longer supporting dynamic links come August 2025 and why business owners should start migrating their links to another service provider right away.
Show Links
Find full show notes at https://constantvariables.co
Chat with JMG about dynamic links | https://jmg.mn/chat
Tom Whitten on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-whitten-5857a52b0/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Learn more about The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
How do alt tags work? Why are they important for a website? Can an AI tool create alt tags for you?
Tom Whitten hears questions like these daily in his role as CTO of a software development company. He joins Michael Roth to explain the impact alt tags can have on SEO and when an AI tool can help implement them.
Show Links
Find full show notes at https://constantvariables.co
Chat with JMG about alt tags | https://jmg.mn/chat
Tom Whitten on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-whitten-5857a52b0/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Learn more about The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
How does a research project turn into a company with a story to sell? When “How does this not already exist?” is the overwhelming response to the idea.
CEO Mike Pitt shares the obvious need behind the development of Q-rounds, the complications around testing a product intended for hospital use, and why he hasn’t accepted the entrepreneur label.
SHOW LINKS
Email Mike Pitt | mike@q-rounds.com
Q-rounds.com | https://q-rounds.com/
Q-rounds on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/q-rounds
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Learn more about The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
Technology is a crucial component to living in today’s society, and Liz Tupper joins the show to explain why technologists like herself hold a powerful responsibility to build technology accessible to everyone.
She shares how even the most well-intended software often leaves people out, what challenges come with not thinking about accessibility from the beginning, and how her career path led to the creme de la creme of impact work.
SHOW LINKS
Full show notes at https://constantvariables.co
Liz Tupper on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethtupper/
Email Liz at liz.tupper@civicactions.com
CivicActions website | https://civicactions.com/
Amplify website | https://www.amplify100.com/
Mobile Developer Shorts newsletter | https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6998359398859374592/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
After working with three different overseas development teams to build out the software behind his company, Mike Franz took a different approach for the development of his company’s mobile app.
Mike dives into why his experience makes him a proponent for non-technical individuals to work with local tech teams over offshore development agencies and gives advice to startup founders facing similar development challenges.
SHOW LINKS
22 Questions to Ask a Development Team guide | https://jmg.mn/resources
inSuppli website | https://insuppli.com
Manufacturing Power website | https://manufacturingpower.com
Mike Franz on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefranz1/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Learn more about building your digital product with The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
The Vertige App is helping individuals with vertigo by using habit tracking to identify trends and recognize potential triggers. Kristy Carabello is founder of Vertige, and a vertigo sufferer herself, and she shares why she made the leap into building a mobile app and how she did so without a technical background.
Show Links
Full show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Vertige App | https://vertige.app/
Vertige on Instagram | @vertige_app
Vertige on Twitter | @vertige_app
Vertige on Facebook | @vertigeapp
Email Kristy Carabello | kristy@vertige.app
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
JMG Website | https://jmg.mn
Babbl is navigating the noise of market news in order to help DIY investors stay on top of the market. Babbl Founder, Ramsey Shaffer, joins Michael Roth of The Jed Mahonis Group to explain how the technology uses sentiment tracking, why they focused on a web-only platform, and when a mobile app might come into play.
SHOW LINKS
Babbl’s website | https://babbl.dev
Promo code for Constant Variables audience for $4/mo subscription for life is ALPHA (limited time offer)
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Full episode show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
The passive aggressive nature commonly associated with Minnesotans isn’t prevalent when it comes to collaborating in the healthcare and technology sectors of the state.
Frank Jaskulke joins Michael Roth of The Jed Mahonis Group to share how Medical Alley invests in the growth of not only its members but its employees (himself included), and why the community here is different from that famous place of innovation on the West Coast.
SHOW LINKS
Full show notes at https://constantvariables.co
Medical Alley website | https://medicalalley.org
Frank Jaskulke on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankjaskulke/
Jed Mahonis Group Medtech Apps | https://jmg.mn/industry/medtech
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
The Vitals App is bridging communication with a mobile app that aids first responders, caregivers, and self-advocates during an emergency.
Vitals CMO Joe Meyers joins Michael Roth of The Jed Mahonis Group to explain how the technology works, how restraint can actually move you forward when building tech, and how he prioritizes feature feedback for the development team.
SHOW LINKS
Full show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Email Joe Meyers | joe@thevitalsapp.com
Joe Meyers on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemeyers19/
Download The Vitals App on iOS | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-vitals-app/id1189639265
Download the Vitals App on Android | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.awareservices.vitalscaregiver&hl=en_US≷=US
The Vitals App website | https://thevitalsapp.com/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Learn more about The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
The Vitals App is bridging communication with a mobile app that aids first responders, caregivers, and self-advocates during an emergency.
Vitals CMO Joe Meyers joins Michael Roth of The Jed Mahonis Group to explain how the technology works, how restraint can actually move you forward when building tech, and how he prioritizes feature feedback for the development team.
SHOW LINKS
Full show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Email Joe Meyers | joe@thevitalsapp.com
Joe Meyers on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemeyers19/
Download The Vitals App on iOS | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-vitals-app/id1189639265
Download the Vitals App on Android | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.awareservices.vitalscaregiver&hl=en_US≷=US
The Vitals App website | https://thevitalsapp.com/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Learn more about The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
Repowered (formerly Tech Dump and Tech Discounts) is a local industry leader in electronics recycling and refurbishing, and their Senior Director of ITAD Processing, Sam Drong, joins the show to share what fair chances for people, planet, and technology look like.
SHOW LINKS
Repowered’s website | https://getrepowered.org
Sam Drong on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/samdrong/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Full show notes | https://constantvariables.co
OG podcast contributor, Rob Bentley, returns to the show to break down how Apple and Google’s newest operating systems will impact app owners.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Android 13's changes for handling sensitive data within apps
- Push notification permission requirements for Android apps
- Why iOS 16 is requiring apps to have permission to access users’ pasteboards
- Lock screen widget customizations for iOS apps
- How iOS apps will be able to better integrate with Siri
- How iOS apps can take advantage of Apple Wallet changes
- Updates to in-app purchases for iOS apps
- How many operating systems to target for iOS and Android
- What app owners should expect from their dev team when a new OS is released
- OS adoption rates of iOS compared to Android
This episode is brought to you by The Jed Mahonis Group, where we make sense of mobile app development with our non-technical approach to building custom mobile software solutions. Learn more at https://jmg.mn.
Recorded September 15, 2022 | Edited by Jordan Daoust | Produced by Jenny Karkowski
Show Links
Android 13 features and changes list | https://developer.android.com/about/versions/13/summary
iOS 16 feature list | https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-16/features/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Rob Bentley on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-bentley-47804b29/
The Jed Mahonis Group website | https://jmg.mn
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER | https://jmg.mn/news
OG podcast contributor, Rob Bentley, returns to the show to break down how Apple and Google’s newest operating systems will impact app owners.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Android 13's changes for handling sensitive data within apps
- Push notification permission requirements for Android apps
- Why iOS 16 is requiring apps to have permission to access users’ pasteboards
- Lock screen widget customizations for iOS apps
- How iOS apps will be able to better integrate with Siri
- How iOS apps can take advantage of Apple Wallet changes
- Updates to in-app purchases for iOS apps
- How many operating systems to target for iOS and Android
- What app owners should expect from their dev team when a new OS is released
- OS adoption rates of iOS compared to Android
This episode is brought to you by The Jed Mahonis Group, where we make sense of mobile app development with our non-technical approach to building custom mobile software solutions. Learn more at https://jmg.mn.
Recorded September 15, 2022 | Edited by Jordan Daoust | Produced by Jenny Karkowski
Show Links
Android 13 features and changes list | https://developer.android.com/about/versions/13/summary
iOS 16 feature list | https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-16/features/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Rob Bentley on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-bentley-47804b29/
The Jed Mahonis Group website | https://jmg.mn
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER | https://jmg.mn/news
Connecting with curiosity led Tim Schuster to found a church, which then evolved into a business to help other founders.
He joins Michael Roth of The Jed Mahonis Group to talk about how his company, Popup Think Tank, is helping founders get to the next level.
He shares why it’s never too soon for feedback, how to foster better conversation, and what leads to a productive community event (and why you should avoid hosting hybrid ones).
What makes Popup Think Tank different from other community events? Listen in and attend one yourself at this year’s Twin Cities Startup Week.
SHOW LINKS
Popup Think Tank website | https://popupthinktank.com/
Twin Cities Startup Week website | https://www.twincitiesstartupweek.com/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER | https://jmg.mn/news
Connecting with curiosity led Tim Schuster to found a church, which then evolved into a business to help other founders.
He joins Michael Roth of The Jed Mahonis Group to talk about how his company, Popup Think Tank, is helping founders get to the next level.
He shares why it’s never too soon for feedback, how to foster better conversation, and what leads to a productive community event (and why you should avoid hosting hybrid ones).
What makes Popup Think Tank different from other community events? Listen in and attend one yourself at this year’s Twin Cities Startup Week.
SHOW LINKS
Popup Think Tank website | https://popupthinktank.com/
Twin Cities Startup Week website | https://www.twincitiesstartupweek.com/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER | https://jmg.mn/news
Tim Bornholdt hands over hosting duty to Michael Roth, but not first without taking a trip down memory lane.
Tim shares how Constant Variables and The Jed Mahonis Group are related, what his most memorable development project is, and what his first question is when approached about building an app, before signing off with an update on his passion project and Iowa-sized fitness goal.
SHOW LINKS
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Tim Bornholdt's website | https://timbornholdt.com/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Visit The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
Tim Bornholdt hands over hosting duty to Michael Roth, but not first without taking a trip down memory lane.
Tim shares how Constant Variables and The Jed Mahonis Group are related, what his most memorable development project is, and what his first question is when approached about building an app, before signing off with an update on his passion project and Iowa-sized fitness goal.
SHOW LINKS
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Tim Bornholdt's website | https://timbornholdt.com/
Michael Roth on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-roth-508772183/
Visit The Jed Mahonis Group | https://jmg.mn
If the term “Serverless,” has you uttering "Oofda", this episode is for you, where Bryson Tyrrell and AJ Stuyvenberg prove why they’re serverless subject matter experts.
SHOW LINKS
AJ on Twitter | https://twitter.com/astuyve
Bryson on Twitter | https://twitter.com/bryson3gps
Serverless MN Meetup | https://www.meetup.com/Serverless-MN/
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
If the term “API,” has you uttering "Oofda", this episode is for you.
Eric Caron, Senior Director of Digital Experience at Caribou Coffee, is back to talk nerdy with us about APIs.
To get to the very core of what an API is, Eric uses examples of APIs we use daily (and probably never realized).
He explains why APIs need good documentation, why an API should (and shouldn’t) be public, and why an API management solution should be utilized.
If you’re looking to learn more about APIs after listening to this episode, or want to teach others about APIs, don’t miss the links in our show notes where Eric has provided incredible resources.
SHOW LINKS
Eric Caron’s website | https://ericcaron.com/
Eric Caron’s first appearance on Constant Variables | https://constantvariables.co/episodes/94
Kin Lane's site | https://apievangelist.com/
Government API design guidelines Eric loves | https://github.com/18F/api-standards
API client Eric likes | https://insomnia.rest/
Open source project giving new life to old exercise equipment | https://github.com/ptx2/gymnasticon
Cool tool for mocking APIs | https://apimocha.com/
Great tool for documenting APIs | https://github.com/slatedocs/slate
Awesome API list | https://github.com/n0shake/Public-APIs
Great list of API tools | https://github.com/Kikobeats/awesome-api
Also if anyone is curious, Eric’s rowing machine game is at https://github.com/ecaron/home-rower-game & he attached a picture of his kid trying it out.
Faker | https://fakerjs.dev/
analytics.usa.gov/ | https://analytics.usa.gov/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
If the term “Agile” has you uttering "Oofda", this episode is for you. Tim Bornholdt chats with expert project and product manager, Sarah Peete, about the nuances between project management methodologies.
SHOW LINKS
Sarah Peete on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-peete-5117057/
Cprime | https://www.cprime.com/product-agility/
Project Management Institute | https://www.pmi.org/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
If the terms “Artificial Intelligence,” “Machine Learning,” and “Deep Learning” have you uttering "Oofda", this episode is for you.
Tim Bornholdt chats with Indico Data’s Slater Victoroff about these emerging technologies and best use-cases for the future.
SHOW LINKS
Indico Data | https://indicodata.ai/
Slater on Twitter | https://twitter.com/sl8rv
Slater.website | https://www.slater.website/
The Toaster Project | http://www.thetoasterproject.org/
Cassie Kozyrkov, Chief Decision Scientist at Google, on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kozyrkov/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
If the term quantum computing has you uttering "Oofda", this episode is for you.
Tim Bornholdt chats with Alexander Braun, Professor of Physics at Duesseldorf University of Applied Sciences, about how to understand current and future capabilities of quantum computers.
SHOW LINKS
Beyond Weird by Philip Ball | https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07H9HNDYL&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_FC3BQ0HG9PB0C6KT2FZ1
Factfulness by Hans Rosling | https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814
Alex Braun on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/profdralexanderbraun/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
What should be in your design or Github portfolio if you’re job hunting? What are the hardest technical roles to fill if you’re hiring?
OST Senior Recruiter Hannah Staal joins the show to share how the technical recruitment landscape has changed, why to be mindful of mid-level career changes, and what recruiters are looking for in an applicant’s portfolio.
SHOW LINKS
OST’s website | https://www.ostusa.com/
Hannah Staal on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahstaal1/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
The tech job market is booming, but the fundamentals of getting hired haven’t changed all that much. William Bushee wrote the book for how to land that first job as a developer (literally, it’s called “Wired For Coding: How to Stand Out from the Crowd and Land Your First Job as a Developer.”) Will joins Tim on the show to talk about the challenges of today’s job market for both the employer and the job seeker and explains how to bridge the gap to be a win on both sides.
SHOW LINKS
MarketBeat’s website | https://www.marketbeat.com/
JMG Business Development Representative job posting | https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2990387002/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
If you have an app on the App Store that allows users to create an account, then by June 30, 2022, users must be able to easily delete their account from within the app as well.
In this episode, Tim and Jenny break down everything you need to know about Apple’s account deletion requirement.
SHOW LINKS
JMG Business Development Representative job posting | https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2990387002/
Deadline for in-app purchase and account deletion requirements extended |
https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=i71db0mv
Chat with Rob at The Jed Mahonis Group about making changes to your app | https://app.simplymeet.me/jmg/15
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Merging two companies is hard work, even for someone seasoned in the practice of overseeing acquisitions. Managing a migration for the first time, however, while maintaining key employees and 95% of clients? That wins gold in the M&A Olympics (which totally exist).
CEO (and M&A gold medalist) Kelvin Johnson joins the show to share how his experience leading a M&A in only 27 days took years off his life, how fundraising has changed over the last few years, and how he found a gap in the market for helping entrepreneurs perfect their pitch.
SHOW LINKS
Brevity’s website | https://brevity.one/
Brevity on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/brevitypitch/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
You know those adorable book-sharing boxes you see around neighborhoods? The organization behind them is Little Free Library, and they just made it easier, and even more fun, to find and share books with the launch of their mobile app. Megan Hanson, Senior Digital Producer at Little Free Library, joins the show to share how the journey of building a “simple” app took a lot of hard work for this non-profit team.
SHOW LINKS
Download the Little Free Library app | https://littlefreelibrary.org/app/
Little Free Library’s website | https://littlefreelibrary.org/
Connect with Megan Hanson on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-hanson-34583638/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
If the terms “Web 3.0,” “Ethereum,” and “Metaverse” have you uttering "Oofda", this episode is for you.
Tim Bornholdt chats with Arena’s Chase Thompson about what makes up the next generation of web and how this cutting-edge technology will become the foundation of applications in almost all fields.
SHOW LINKS
Arena website | https://arena.gl/
Arena on Twitter | https://twitter.com/ArenaGL
Arena on Discord | https://discord.com/invite/aar
Blockchain & Crypto: Oofda! with Chase Thompson of Arena | https://constantvariables.co/episodes/104
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
If terms like software dependency, open source, and InnerSource have you uttering "Oofda", this episode is for you. Tim Bornholdt chats with Jason Walker, Director of Technology at American Airlines, about how software dependencies work like Lego pieces and how we all rely on them to get our jobs done.
SHOW LINKS
Follow Jason Walker on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/desktophero/
What Happens When | https://github.com/alex/what-happens-when
JMG Tech Glossary | https://jmg.mn/glossary
JMG Pricing Page | https://jmg.mn/pricing
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
If terms like “NDA,” “IP,” and “Patent” have you uttering "Oofda", this episode is for you.
Legal jargon like this is prominent in the tech space, and knowing when (and if) you need protection can be confusing. In this episode, Tim Bornholdt chats with dynamic business attorney Susan Markey about when and where NDAs and patents play a role in protecting intellectual property.
SHOW LINKS
USPTO.gov Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs | https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/inventors-entrepreneurs-resources
University of Michigan College of Engineering Center for Entrepreneurship Video Series | https://cfe.umich.edu/entrepreneurial-basics-video-series-launched/
World Intellectual Property Organization | https://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html
Maslon LLP | https://www.maslon.com/
Connect with Susan Markey on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-markey/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
If you've ever heard a technical buzzword like "robotics" and uttered "Oofda", this episode is for you.
Okay, maybe you aren't Minnesotan, so your expression of confusion is more like "Huh" or "What", but robotics is one of those buzzwords that gets thrown around a lot in the tech world, and it's a fractured space that can be overwhelming to get started in.
In this episode, Tim Bornholdt chats with Useabot's Aaron Oesterreich and Katie Youtsos about what makes up the complex field of robotics and how it relates to everyday life and business.
SHOW LINKS
Useabot website | https://www.useabot.com/
Email Katie Youtsos | mailto:katie@useabot.com
Email Aaron Oesterreich | mailto:aaron@useabot.com
JMG Tech Glossary | https://jmg.mn/glossary
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
If the terms “Blockchain” and “Cryptocurrency” have you uttering "Oofda", this episode is for you. Okay, maybe you aren't Minnesotan, so your expression of confusion is more like "Huh" or "What", but digital currencies can be hard to wrap your head around and understanding the basics is essential for understanding progress in the space. In this episode, Tim Bornholdt and Arena’s Chase Thompson go back to basics about what makes up the digital world of crypto and how it’s shaping life and business as we know it. SHOW LINKS
The Internet of Money | https://theinternetofmoney.info/
Arthur Hayes on BitMEX | https://blog.bitmex.com/author/arthur/?lang=en_us
Jordan Fish “Cobie” on Substack | https://substack.com/profile/8555922-cobie
“Cobie” on Twitter | https://twitter.com/cobie
Arena website | https://arena.gl/
Arena on Twitter | https://twitter.com/ArenaGL
Arena Discord | https://discord.com/invite/N8a5WscheN
JMG Tech Glossary | https://jmg.mn/glossary
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Connect with us | careers@jmg.mn
In the most Minnesotan podcast ever recorded, Mick White joins Tim Bornholdt for a walk and talk along St. Paul’s riverbanks on a snowy, below-zero December day. The crunch of snow underfoot and gusts of wind coming off the water have nothing on the warmth radiating from Mick’s personal journey that led to his creation of the 100 Year Manifesto.
He shares how his framework for being helps people live with more intentionality, why we should only be competing against our best selves, and how his six year old has a Rolodex envious of most entrepreneurs.
SHOW LINKS
100 Year Manifesto | https://www.100yearmanifesto.com/
Mick White on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/100yearmanifesto/
Mick White on Twitter | https://twitter.com/MickWhite7
Learn more about Tim’s Walk and Talks | https://jmg.mn/blog/walk-and-talk-walk-away-from-coffee-meetings
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android or Rails developer? Visit the JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Some of the best innovations are born out of frustration, which was the case for the founders of the property management software company, ZenLord Pro.
CEO Tom Spaniol chats with Tim Bornholdt about running a software company without a technical background, building a web app over a mobile app, wanting others in his space to succeed, and how the most important meetings can happen on a pontoon boat.
SHOW LINKS
ZenLord Pro website | https://www.zenlordpro.com/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Follow The Jed Mahonis Group on LinkedIn | https://linkedin.com/company/the-jed-mahonis-group
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android, or Rails developer? Email us! | careers@jmg.mn
Education technology should be intuitive and easy to use, and Edmentum’s Chief Technology Officer, Paul Johansen, joins the show to share how they’re working to save educators time, not take more of it.
Paul chats with Tim Bornholdt of The Jed Mahonis Group about how emerging technologies are being implemented in education (and the privacy concerns that go along with it), how feedback and stakeholder buy in fuel innovation, and the challenges and benefits of dispersed technical teams.
SHOW LINKS
Edmentum website | https://www.edmentum.com/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android, or Rails developer? Let's connect | careers@jmg.mn
Meet the people and business behind Constant Variables as the mic gets flipped on show host, Tim Bornholdt.
SHOW LINKS
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Connect with Jenny Karkowski on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennykark/
Connect with Jordan Daoust on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-daoust-b55a53b5/
Send a guest recommendation for Constant Variables | hello@constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app | https://jmg.mn
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Are you an iOS, Android, or Rails developer? Visit the JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Wherever entrepreneurs are in their journey, podcasts can take them further, whether as a guest or a host. Ryan Estes, co-founder of Kitcaster, joins Tim Bornholdt of The Jed Mahonis Group to chat about why podcasting is the Trojan horse of marketing for startups, how audience quality over quantity results in conversions, and why everyone should sit down with a couple friends, grab a bottle of wine, and start a podcast.
SHOW LINKS
Kitcaster.com | https://kitcaster.com/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS or Android developer? Visit the JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
With increasing awareness around diversity, equity and inclusion, there’s a greater need to improve conversations on difficult topics.
Eri O’Diah joins the show to talk about how her involvement with the Superbowl in Minnesota led to her creation of the “Grammarly of bias”. She shares how her company, SIID Technologies, is harnessing the intuitive power of machine learning to build tools that facilitate better understanding of all groups and how privacy and health concerns correlate with training an effective model.
Show Links
SIID Technologies | https://siid.ai/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android, or Rails developer? Let's connect | careers@jmg.mn
Not everything needs to be big to be big. ILT Academy Founder, Nick Tietz, is proving that with the impact his startup program is having on underserved markets.
Nick joins the show to chat about building up communities of underestimated entrepreneurs, embracing failure as a way to learn, and getting deliverables to customers early and often at the lowest fidelity possible.
Show Links
ILT Academy | https://iltacademy.io/
Nick Tietz on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-tietz/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android, or Rails developer? Let's chat! | careers@jmg.mn
The job market for mid-to-senior level software engineers is booming, so where does that leave developers who are just getting started?
Software engineer turned developer advocate, Joe Karlsson of SingleStore, chats with Tim Bornholdt of The Jed Mahonis Group about why it’s challenging to land that first job after bootcamp, where junior developers have the most value, and what others in the industry can do to support juniors.
Show Links
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Show notes and transcript | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android, or Rails developer? Email us | careers@jmg.mn
JoeKarlsson.com | https://www.joekarlsson.com/
Joe Karlsson on Twitter | https://twitter.com/JoeKarlsson1
Joe Karlsson on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/joekarlsson/
Getting data to talk is harder than it should be. That’s why Michael Zuercher co-founded Prismatic, a complete embedded iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) solution for B2B software teams.
Michael joins the show to chat about why software companies should use an iPaaS provider over building an integration internally, what he’s taken away from growing a startup during a pandemic, why rewriting code is often better than starting from scratch, and what makes acquisitions work.
Show Links
Things You Should Never Do by Joel Spolsky | https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you-should-never-do-part-i/
Prismatic Website | https://prismatic.io/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Full show notes and transcript | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS, Android, or Rails developer? Visit the JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
If there’s a record for the most analogies used in a podcast, this one might break it. Eric Caron, Senior Director of Digital Experience at Caribou Coffee, and Tim Bornholdt of The Jed Mahonis Group use their analogy-making skills to break down how startup mentality works in corporate settings, why non-technical people should care about APIs, and how there’s value, not shame, in retiring legacy apps.
Show Links
CIO Review Article “Is Your App Sparking Joy?” | https://www.cioreview.com/cxoinsight/is-your-app-sparking-joy-nid-28566-cid-19.html
Eric Caron on Twitter | https://twitter.com/ecaron
Email Eric Caron | me@ericcaron.com
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS or Android developer? Visit the JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Trent Sorbe, President of Central Payments and Founder of Falls Fintech, joins the show to chat about why banks should become more like utility companies and focus on enabling experiences.
He shares how his company’s accelerator is helping early-stage fintech startups, why they created a banking-as-a-service open API, and how mature banks and fintechs can best partner to build better customer experiences.
Show Links
Central Payments | https://www.central-payments.com/
FinTech Brews Podcast | https://fintechbrewsnews.sounder.fm/
Falls Fintech | https://www.fallsfintech.com/
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Are you an iOS or Android developer? Visit the JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
The term “smart city” may have you imagining The Jetsons’ flying cars and Skypad apartments, but Director of Innovation and Technology at the City of Sioux Falls, Mike Grigsby, joins the show to talk about why technology isn’t part of his definition of a smart city. He explains why cities need someone internally to champion innovation, why data is a major pillar of a connected community, and how smart city technologies impact everyone, either directly or indirectly.
Show Links
Mike Grigsby on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegrigsby/
City of Sioux Falls Innovation and Technology Department | https://www.siouxfalls.org/innov-tech
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Looking for a new gig? Visit the JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
One of the first decisions to make when building a mobile product is to determine which technology it will be built on. Austin Betzer from Stride Development joins the show to discuss high level differences between native apps, hybrid apps, and PWAs (progressive web apps) then dives into the benefits and limitations of each before ending with his (slightly biased) recommendation on which technology is best for developing apps.
Show Links
Strides Development website | https://www.strides.dev
Austin Betzer on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/betzeraustin/
How to Build an App Podcast | https://www.strides.dev/podcast
The Google Graveyard | https://killedbygoogle.com/
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Twin Cities Podcast Hosts UNPLUGGED event details | https://emamo.com/event/twin-cities-startup-week-2021/s/twin-cities-podcast-hosts-unplugged-part-1-okd8rN
Last year alone, over 60 million incidents of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) were reported online. Social enterprise Krunam is stopping that cycle of abuse with its breakthrough platform.
Krunam CEO, Chris Wexler, joins the show to talk about how technologies like computer vision and deep learning are aiding content moderators in identifying and removing CSAM from the internet, how social algorithms incent the distribution of harsh content, and why it’s also important we don’t create an Internet that’s entirely encrypted.
Note: This episode contains discussions around child sexual abuse.
Show Links
Show Notes | https://constantvariables.co/episodes/90
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Krunam’s website | https://krunam.co
Krunam on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/krunam/
Chris Wexler on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswexler/
Chris Wexler on Twitter | https://twitter.com/ChrisWexler
Twin Cities Podcast Hosts UNPLUGGED | https://jmg.mn/tcsw21
Think globally. Act locally. Infrastructure Engineer, Solomon Anderson, joins the show to chat about how data operates, the art over science of balancing new features with supporting existing infrastructure, and the vast environmental impact of something as miniscule as open browser tabs on our laptops. Show Links
Solomon Anderson on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/solomonranderson/
Solomon Anderson on Twitter | https://twitter.com/1991DBA
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Episode show notes | https://constantvariables.co
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | https://constantvariables.co/review
Twin Cities Podcast Hosts UNPLUGGED event details | https://emamo.com/event/twin-cities-startup-week-2021/s/twin-cities-podcast-hosts-unplugged-part-1-okd8rN
Organizations that implement project management methodology see a 70% increase in success rates. Profile by Sanford’s Director of Project Management, Renae Livingston, joins the show to talk about how to effectively manage large technical projects, and how cost, bandwidth, and capabilities factor into hiring a development team.
Show Links
Email Renae | renaeliving@gmail.com
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Email careers@jmg.mn
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Empowering the people making software is as important as the people using it. Yash Khandor is an engineering manager with a passion for mentorship. He joins the show to talk about the intangible traits of great developers, how not to hire developers, how to keep up with tech changes, and how to find software jobs that are less obvious.
Show Links
Connect with Yash Khandor on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/yashkhandor/
MentorCruise | https://mentorcruise.com/mentor/yashkhandor/
Plato | https://www.platohq.com/mentors/yash-khandor-1635369491
Mark43 | https://www.mark43.com/
ICN360.com | https://icn360.com
Episode 79: Balancing Managerial and Technical Responsibilities with Anand Safi of Mark43 | https://constantvariables.co/episodes/79
ClimateAction.tech | https://climateaction.tech/
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Email careers@jmg.mn
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Managing expectations builds trust. J.C. Granger of Infinity Marketing Group joins the show to talk about the dangers of user data not being siloed, where software companies struggle the most when it comes to marketing, and how to break into new markets, but not without first sharing how he once smothered a computer with a pillow to get online.
Show Links
Infinity Marketing Group | https://infinitymgroup.com
J.C. Granger on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcgranger/
Email J.C. at jc@infinitymgroup.com
The Future of BizTech Podcast | https://www.infinitymgroup.com/the-future-of-biztech-podcast/
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Email careers@jmg.mn
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Stability isn’t a growth hack. Sam Lerdahl is Head of Product at Pikup, a neighbor-powered delivery app that pivoted its strategy during the pandemic.
Sam joins the show to talk about being a young entrepreneur, when not to build an app, how to change user behavior, and why the era of “We’ll make money later” is coming to an end (sigh of relief.)
Show Links
Follow Sam on Twitter | https://twitter.com/samldahl
Follow Sam on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/samldahl/
Email Sam | sam@pikup.io
Pikup | https://www.trypikup.com/
Techstars | https://www.techstars.com/
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Email careers@jmg.mn
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Do good by doing well. The new social enterprise taking that to heart with a first of its kind tele-legal service is TurnSignl, with an on-demand app that facilitates and records real-time interactions between drivers and law enforcement during traffic stops.
CEO and General Counsel Jazz Hampton joins the show to chat about building the bike as they were riding it, and how investors, individuals, companies, media, and police officers are responding to their service.
Show Links
TurnSignl’s website | https://turnsignl.com
Contact Jazz | info@turnsignl.com
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Email careers@jmg.mn
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Businesses who aren’t exploring smart technologies will eventually go the way of the dinosaurs. Justin Grammens is an expert on IoT, AI, and where the two meet. He joins the show to chat about how and why businesses should start exploring these emerging technologies and where they’re making the most impact.
Show Links
JustinGrammens.com | http://justingrammens.com/
Justin Grammens on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/justingrammens/
Lab651 | https://lab651.com/
Emerging Technologies North | https://www.emtechnorth.org/
Conversations on Applied AI Podcast | https://podcast.appliedai.mn/
The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang | https://www.amazon.com/War-Normal-People-Disappearing-Universal/dp/0316414247
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari | https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-21st-Century-Yuval-Harari/dp/0525512179
ThingCloudApp | https://lab651.com/thingcloudapp/
The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen | https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244
TimBornholdt.com | https://timbornholdt.com/
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Email careers@jmg.mn
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Digital transformation looks a lot different for today’s companies than it did in the 90’s. Howard Tiersky, founder of digital transformation agency FROM, joins the show to chat about the rapid evolution of technological innovations, how organizations can shift their mindset to the “new normal,” how solving customer pain points leads to competitive differentiation, and how to balance cost and thoroughness when conducting customer research.
Show Links
Howard Tiersky on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiersky/
FROM, The Digital Transformation Agency | https://from.digital
Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance | https://winningdigitalcustomers.com/freechapter
Registration for Tim’s upcoming talk at the Twin Cities Business Webinar on Technology: Fraud Prevention Tips | https://tcbmag.com/events/tech21/
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Email careers@jmg.mn
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Spearheading IT departments of higher education institutions was a harried job even before a global pandemic. Casey Gordon, Chief Information Officer at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, joins the show to chat about balancing IT priorities, gaining cooperation amongst diverse stakeholders, preventing social engineering attacks, and how an IT department can support the mission of the organization.
Show Links
Casey Gordon on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyjogordon/
Women of Influence Summit | https://www.eventbrite.com/e/women-of-influence-summit-2021-tickets-153053634541
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University | https://www.csbsju.edu
Farnam Street Blog | https://fs.blog/
The Full Story of the Stunning RSA Hack | https://www.wired.com/story/the-full-story-of-the-stunning-rsa-hack-can-finally-be-told/
JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Email careers@jmg.mn
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev questions | https://jmg.mn
Stakeholders over shareholders is the B Corp motto changing the world for the better. The growing B Corp movement is touching every industry, and Tim Frick of Mightybytes joins the show to talk about how companies around the world are coming together to make the Internet more sustainable.
Show Links
Mightybytes website | https://www.mightybytes.com/
Sustainable Web Design website | https://SustainableWebDesign.org
EcoGrader tool | https://ecograder.com/
Wholegrain Digital website | https://wholegraindigital.com
Constant Variables Episode with Tom Greenwood of Wholegrain Digital | https://constantvariables.co/episodes/74
We’re hiring! Check out the JMG Careers Page | https://jmg.mn/careers
Email careers@jmg.mn
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Group about your app dev needs | https://jmg.mn
Not all software engineers want to become engineering managers. Anand Safi is an Engineering Manager at Mark43, and while his career journey from software engineer to software manager was rather intentional, he joins the show to chat about other options for promoting your best engineers.
He also shares how Toastmasters helped him become a more empathetic speaker, how to deal with non-technical bosses, and how companies can keep their metaphorical plates spinning while adding more.
Show Links
Anand Safi on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/anandsafi
Mark43 website | https://www.mark43.com/
Toastmasters International website | https://www.toastmasters.org/
Mentor Cruise website | https://mentorcruise.com/
PlatoHQ website | https://www.platohq.com/
Connect with Tim Bornholdt on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbornholdt/
Chat with The Jed Mahonis Groups about your app dev needs | https://jmg.mn
If you have a passion for change, you should consider yourself an entrepreneur. Diane Rucker, Executive Director of University Enterprise Laboratories, has extensive experience in technology and innovation, and she joins the show to chat about redefining entrepreneurship, the soft skills needed to be a well-rounded developer, the criticality of business partners who look at things differently than you, and the state of startups in Minnesota compared to the coasts.
Mickeli Bedore, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Closers Media, joins the show to talk about sales-informed marketing and how to incorporate user feedback into your product. Then Mickeli and Tim dive into why they have heat with pitch decks and the entrepreneur lifestyle before getting personal about how they deal with the roller coaster of emotions that comes with running your own business.
Every 20 seconds, someone loses a limb to diabetes. Scott Brown, Chief Technology Officer at Revealix, joins the show to share how his company is taking a digital approach to preserving limb health using artificial intelligence. Scott chats about how AI is transforming the healthcare space, the importance of testing for failure, the privacy concerns around AI, and the ease and difficulty of working with new technologies.
You don’t have to know how to code to successfully manage a technical team, project, or startup. Nelly Yusupova, CTO, Startup Tech Advisor, and Creator of TechSpeak for Entrepreneurs, joins the show to discuss how to build tech teams when you aren’t a technical person, from understanding lean and agile methodologies, to deciding what tools to use, to earning a CTO, to not impeding progress with NDA’s.
Every Google search you do affects the environment, and Tom Greenwood, Managing Director at Wholegrain Digital and author of Sustainable Web Design, joins the show to chat about the issues of web sustainability. He shares techniques and processes for making digital products more sustainable, as well as gives advice on how to be a champion for sustainable tech within your company and with your clients.
In this episode, Tim chats about the impact our digital world has on our physical world. Using an Uber thought experiment, you will learn how tech affects energy consumption, which parts of your phone consume the most energy, what our power grid looks like, and how we store energy.
Custom software isn’t always the right solution, particularly for a nimble non-profit. Adopt A Classroom’s Technology Project Manager, Ryan Jordan, and Executive Director, Ann Pifer, join the show to chat about how to make a massive transition from a legacy platform over to Salesforce, how to adjust an organization’s mindset to be agile, and how to work with users to make sure you are continuing to invest in features that provide the best return on investment.
When skilled developers become engineering managers, they often face a challenge in their transition from computer science to people science. Senior Engineering Manager at Target, Kate Wardin, joins the show to chat about how her own experience going from developer to manager resulted in her founding Developer First Leadership. She shares tips on how engineering managers can embrace the human side of software development, suggestions for companies struggling to fill open technical roles, and best practices for retaining tech talent within an organization.
With design in its name plus 50 years of industry experience, Design Center knows more than a thing or two about best practices for building a digital product. Design Center’s Director of Strategy Chris Cornejo joins the show to chat about how design thinking has shifted from “how it looks” to “how it works”, the advantages of an outcome mindset over a solutions mindset, how COVID has impacted strategy and design processes, and how to prepare for a project’s initial strategy session.
What got you your first customers won't get you the next ones. Jordan Ambra of Serenity Software joins the show to talk about the challenges of going from a startup to a “real” business, transitioning from a people-oriented business to a process-oriented one, and preparing for growth by focusing on fundamentals.
A podcast episode about everything and nothing. Tim riffs with SalesReach Founder & CEO Josh Fedie on a number of topics, including how to protect your idea from getting stolen, the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur, why it’s important for companies to have a CEO who is publicly visible and vulnerable, and the future of Clubhouse.
There’s no content that can’t be made interesting to learn. Even installing a printer can be fun as long as the experience is made to be “meaningful, memorable and motivational.” Dr. Michael Allen of Allen Interactions joins the show to chat about how his company builds interactive learning programs around organizations’ best practices that leave people asking for more and shares his advice for designing impactful user experiences.
In an era of subscription overload, apps with subscription revenue models have their work cut out for them acquiring (and retaining) subscribers. That’s why Dan Burcaw founded Nami ML, a machine-learning company focused on helping app developers grow mobile subscription businesses by reducing churn and focusing on the core user experience. Dan joins the show to share his insights on the plight of a subscription-fatigued economy, how data collection and user privacy don’t have to be enemies, and how the app landscape has changed since the launch of the App Store in 2008.
Are the tech geniuses behind the likes of Uber, Facebook, or Groupon born with a magic dust that’s contributed to their success? Short answer: No. However, global fascination of these companies has created a dangerous barrier of entry into the tech industry. Software engineer, consultant, and tech startup founder Shawn Livermore is dispelling the myth of the tech genius with his best-selling book, Average Joe. Shawn joins the show to breakdown how the idolization of tech geniuses has shaped the tech industry and how tech is actually made by everyday people, how communicating complexity can be more powerful than writing code, and how anyone can become a “tech genius”, but it may not be what you think it is.
When life gives you rain, puke a rainbow. That’s the motto of Erica Hanna, Emmy Award winner and owner of Puke Rainbows Creative. Erica joins the show to chat about the power of video for a business, and the role it can play in getting people to adopt a product or new way of working. She shares tips on how to use video to establish the voice of your business and tells some fun stories along the way, from the origin of her unique company name to her uplifting experience working with Prince.
Clifton Manneh is on a mission to teach 100,000 youth how to code through his company Konduct Coach Learning, an edtech platform where youth and professionals gain employable skills and enhance their professional development. He joins the show to chat about how his mom’s cooking influenced his passion for community-based learning, the lessons he learned as a solo-entrepreneur, and the impact he hopes Konduct Coach Learning will have on the community.
Ever been hosed by a developer? It’s an unfortunate story we hear time and time again. Understanding the high-level milestones associated with most development projects can give you confidence in knowing your project is on the right track. In this episode, Tim chats about the tangible assets you should expect to receive at each development stage, along with a fair pace for completing each stage.
With a proliferation of low code/no code development tools on the market, these platforms can be an attractive option for businesses looking to build an app quickly without the use of an experienced software developer. But these tools have their limitations. Tim chats about the benefits and challenges of this development approach to help businesses determine if low code/no code apps are the right solution for their project.
Audio is booming, and as more organizations recognize its value, a proliferation of podcasting tools, platforms, and shows are hitting the market every day, making a highly-accessible medium feel intimidating to noobs. Founder & CEO of Matriarch Digital Media Twila Dang is no stranger to the power of audio, and she joins the show to share how simple it is to get started with podcasting, with just a cellphone and a plan. Twila gets into the weeds of how businesses can be successful with podcasting and the doors that open when you make something you’re proud of.
Think your email's private? Think again. Big tech email providers use your data as a way to get rich. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Fastmail CEO Bron Gondwana joins the show from the Land Down Under to chat about why “free” email isn’t free. Bron explains how email is the biggest social network in the world that isn’t ephemeral, why building digital products should align with your moral values, and how open source and open standards benefit all.
Every week, millions of people come online for the first time, and how they use technology plays into the future of tech. Heading into 2021, we’re looking at how we can use tech to work together to continue to make everyone’s lives better. In this episode, Rob and Tim come together for their annual chat about technology trends for the coming year, from the breakup of tech giants, the next stage of autonomous vehicles, and machine learning in healthcare, to ultimately where companies will be investing when it comes to tech in 2021.
Building a company comes with a learning curve for any entrepreneur. Building an app-based company as a non-technical entrepreneur can make that learning curve sharper. Mike Jackson, founder of The Premium Experience, joins the show to discuss his experience building a tech based business as a solo, non-technical founder and how it prepared him for the launch of his next company, Black Tech Talent. Mike shares what he wishes he’d known when he first had an idea and didn’t know where to start, how he pivoted his focus when the global pandemic shut down his company’s growth plans, and how he’s opening doors by educating different viewpoints on hiring Black talent.
Murphy's law of "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” doesn’t exclude software development (unfortunately). In this episode, Tim outlines common risks associated with app development and how to get on the same page as your development team to have systems in place to mitigate them.
With experience building two tech-based companies from the ground up, serial entrepreneur Eric Martell has gathered an impressive collection of analogies around succeeding in the startup space. He joins the show to chat about building his recent venture Pear Commerce, marrying product philosophy with business philosophy, hiring people who buy into your mission, investing in repeat customers over acquiring new ones, and using tech to scale, before finally nerding out with Tim over database tech.
One of the first development decisions you’ll make when building an app is whether to build on a native platform or a hybrid platform. In this episode, Tim gets into best use cases for hybrid and native apps, along with each platform’s limitations, so you can decide the best approach for your project.
When looking for a technical team for your project, you’re not asking for a product. You are asking for a relationship that results in a product. You’re not asking for lines of code. You’re asking for solutions that produce meaningful outcomes. Founder & CEO George Brooks of digital product agency Crema joins the show to discuss how to find the passion and posture of a digital agency, the no-win situation that is RFPs and why it’s important to go outside the RFP process to have a conversation, why his digital agency vets clients in return by finding out if they’re ready to be a tech company and whether they want a relationship or a transaction, and how he didn’t name his company after a Mexican sour cream.
There’s no such thing as a free app or website. If you’re not paying for a product, you are the product, and when it comes to “free” apps, the product is your private information. Apps collect, store, and use data in ways that are both purposeful and nefarious. In this episode, Rob and Tim chat about why apps collect data and how it’s used, how app owners can be intentional with user data, and how app users can protect their information.
Building an app isn’t just about the technology but about the lives it makes easier. Ashley Bennett, Sook Jin Ong, and Pamela McCauley share the inspiring story behind the development of the Minnesota Family Investment Program’s pilot app, MFIP Connect. They discuss the app’s powerful role as a communication tool, along with the unexpected questions around social equity it brought to the table. They dig deep into how they prioritized initial features, knowing they wouldn’t meet the needs of every user, and how feedback gave them space to innovate.
Some app features are seemingly easy to develop but are actually complex to implement, driving up development costs. These are features we see everyday, and therefore take for granted. Rob and Tim chat about the nuances of features like data sync, search, push notifications, in-app purchasing, messaging, and more to help you understand where to get the most value with the least amount of effort when building your product.
For a restaurant, a customer leaving with a bad taste in their mouth is the ultimate faux paus. And we’re not just talking about food. A stellar user experience when ordering from a restaurant’s app can be a differentiator in this competitive industry. Rob and Tim chat about their experience building a delivery app for a Midwest pizza chain, then take a trip further down memory lane to the hip days of AOL, floppy disks, AIM, and Space Jam.
When we put humans first, we can learn a lot. Stephanie Hammes-Betti is the Senior Vice President of Innovation Design at US Bank, and her 18-year career there has given her extensive know-how in UX/UI design, usability testing, and technology solutions. Stephanie joins the show to chat about how innovation happens within a large organization, how to go about listening to customers, and the benefits of teaching an innovative mindset to employees.
Apple has traditionally put itself first, users second, and developers third, but some big names are going to bat for all developers in a fight against Apple’s commission rate. Tim and Rob discuss the ongoing controversies surrounding Apple and the App Store and their thoughts on how it might play out.
If we were to write a playbook on how to start an app-based business, the first-time entrepreneurs behind Parrot.MD would be our case study. But every story has its conflicts. Parrot.MD’s CEO and co-founder Tim Steele joins the show to talk about the creation of the app, the role social equity plays in fundraising, and the essentiality of focus groups.
Every company thinks they’re a special snowflake, and when it comes to digital transformation, they actually are. Jen Swanson is a digital consultant who guides companies in their digital transformation journey with her philosophy of placing small bets often. In this episode, Jen breaks down how digital transformation is not just a technology integration, but a people and process integration, that ultimately delivers a more valuable customer and employee experience in every part of a business.
Building an Android app requires overcoming several idiosyncrasies. Tim and Rob share their tips for building Android apps so you can successfully navigate Google’s unique requirements. (If you’re looking for tips around building iOS apps, check out the previous episode.)
The Jed Mahonis Group has been building mobile apps since 2012, and we’ve tripped over many hurdles when launching iOS apps. Tim and Rob share their tricks of the trade for building apps specifically for iOS, so you can learn from our mistakes and successfully navigate Apple’s unique roadblocks. (And if you’re looking to build an Android app, our next episode has you covered.)
Minnesotans love to talk about Minnesota, and nothing proves that more than PodMN’s collection of over 760 Minnesota-focused shows. Jeremy Sinon and William White of PodMN join the show to discuss the custom podcast platform they built to help Minnesotans discover all the great audio entertainment Minnesota has to offer. They talk about what it took to build a podcasting platform from scratch, how they deal with a huge amount of data to create a curated, personal touch inside the app, why they chose to build their apps natively, and tricks they’ve learned from the radio industry on how to retain listeners.
Building an app is easy. Building a business is hard. Sean Casto of app marketing agency PreApps joins the show to discuss how your app’s initial success doesn’t rely on its unique features, but on how you market it and present it. Sean breaks down both organic and paid marketing strategies to grow your users and make more money, where user acquisition models play into each strategy, and how it all boils down to understanding your data.
When it comes to design, simple is not bad; simple is good. Amber Christian of Wonderly Software Solutions has worked really hard at making her product Bella Scena simple to use, and she joins the show to discuss a design process few people are talking about and even less are doing: Human Centered Design. She shares some practical applications of Human Centered Design, how continuous integration (CI) can save your developers tons of time, lessons she learned in the ERP world, what to do when you receive contradictory pieces of feedback from your users, and the pros and cons of bootstrapping a business.
Solving the technical challenges to make learning fun is the specialty of Andamio Games, and its President, Adam Gordon, joins the podcast to chat about the unique infrastructure challenges educational game developers face, from funding to design to feedback. Adam shares why partnering with textbook manufacturers might not be the panacea Tim thought it would be, how to incorporate feedback from both educators and students, and what grants can do to boost your organization’s chances of success.
The “Don't Repeat Yourself” (DRY) development approach of writing code as simply as possible to make it reusable can also be applied to standardizing and automating workflows to reduce repetitive patterns. Virtual CFO and software expert Susan Boles joins the show to discuss the evolution of automating workflows and how the process doesn’t start with software. Susan shares actionable tips on where you can get started with automation, what to work on after you’ve automated the low-hanging fruit areas of your business, like onboarding and delivery, why you should work with virtual C-Level persons like CTOs and CFOs, and how you can find experts to help you take your business to the next level.
Building a successful app requires both art and science work in harmony. CTO Brad Ash joins Tim on the podcast to discuss the development of Fruitful, a fertility mentorship service he co-founded with his wife. Brad chats with Tim about the personal story that led to the creation of Fruitful, how difficult it is to supervise yourself when you’re building out the software, the importance of user feedback and focusing heavily on the user’s experience, and how to give users a reason to be excited to use your app.
Accelerator programs can have a measurable impact on your business’s growth, but when is your business ready to join one? Tim interviews Kate Evinger of gener8tor Minnesota, and she breaks down what accelerator programs can do for your business and your community, along with how to vet the right program for your business.
Business owners often wear multiple hats, but to scale a business, you need to take off some hats, so to speak, in order to focus on growth. Tim chats with Stephanie Scheller of Grow Disrupt on the first steps to take when thinking about growing your business, how to decide what parts of the business to focus on, and how to properly use outsourcing to scale.
Social engineering is a catch-all phrase to describe the various ways criminals trick you into giving them access to your system or confidential information. Because humans are prone to relying on their cognitive biases when making decisions, social engineering can be very effective. Tim talks about the most common types of social engineering attacks and some tactics to implement to ensure you stand the best chance of protecting yourself from yourself (and from your employees accidentally making a mistake).
Tim chats with Clare Stead, creator of the Oliiki app for parents! They talk about a plane ride to Zambia that altered the course of Clare’s life, the educational study that led Clare to creating Oliiki, how important marketing is to the success of an app, impostor syndrome and how to overcome it, and why you need to draw your app out on paper before you begin programming it.
Automating your business processes can save you a ton of time and money in the long run. Rhamy Alejeal joins us on this episode to discuss how you can get started with automation in your company (specifically around your HR process).
User privacy can be a key differentiator between you and your competition. Adam Stone of Secure Digital Solutions joins us on the show to talk about several concepts around privacy, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Privacy by Design, risk management around third party dependencies, and how you can take steps in your process to ensure your user’s private information is secure.
How does one of the largest companies in the world get a mobile app built? Tim chats with Savon Sampson, former senior marketing director for McKesson, to find out how! They discuss her process for finding a development team, how they took the app from an idea to a real product, and what she might do differently if she were tasked with building an app today.
Tim talks about all things accessibility with Jonathan Hassell of Hassell Inclusion. They discuss the importance of inclusive design, how to shift your organization’s mindset to think about accessibility in everything you do, and what you can do to make your app usable by the 20% of the world with a disability.
Tim chats with Dr. Courtney Hill and Adam Choe of Yonder, an app for helping young children prepare to visit the dentist. They discuss the history of Yonder, how important it is to find the right fit for a development team, the brutally honest feedback that comes from having a target audience of 3-5 year olds, the joys of bootstrapping a business, and some tips for working together as a team.
How can you, as a budding app owner, decide which app development team to hire? Tim provides a list of questions you can use to interview potential developers, as well as what answers you should be looking for.
Predicting what will change in technology in the coming year is always a fruitless experiment... but let’s do it anyway! Tim and Rob chat about 9 technology trends and where they see the industry moving in the new year.
A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a type of app that you can ship to your customers with enough features to get the point across and collect their feedback for future improvements. Tim and Jenny take a look at popular apps and chat about what they would be like in their MVP form, along with the pros and cons to releasing an MVP.
Security is a never ending game of cat and mouse, and it is important to do the fundamentals correctly to reduce your chances of a breach. Tim chats about all things related to securing your mobile app system.
There are many different types of teams you can choose to build out your mobile app. Tim goes over 5 possible setups, complete with the pros and cons for each setup.
In Part 4 of our App Development Lifecycle Series, Tim breaks down the final stage of development: deployment. We share our process for shipping production-ready code to the App and Play Stores, what to expect during the review process, and how this phase loops back to the strategy phase.
In Part 3 of our App Development Lifecycle Series, Tim breaks down the Development and Testing Phases. We share how we work with our clients to develop custom mobile app systems, as well as how we test them to make sure they work how you (and your customers) expect it.
In Part 2 of our App Development Lifecycle Series, Tim breaks down the Design Phase. Design is not only how your app looks, but also how it works. In this episode, we share how we work with our clients to design a valuable and easy-to-use mobile app experience for their users.
In Part 1 of our App Development Lifecycle Series, Tim breaks down the Strategy Phase. A well-considered strategy is critically important to the success of any project, especially a complex mobile app project. In this episode, we share how we work with our clients to build a plan for delivering an app that meets their business goals and provides value to their users.
Show notes for this episode can be found at constantvariables.co.
Tim chats with Trinity Wiles, an entrepreneur and Global Coordinator at WatchPitch, about how to use your resources to your advantage when creating a mobile app.
Tim sits down with Amanda Brooks, creator of the FASTZach routing app, to discuss the lessons she learned in building a mobile app from the ground up.
Tim interviews Kurt Schmidt, President of Foundry and former Director of Project Management at The Nerdery, who takes him to school on how to effectively strategize and manage the development of a mobile app.
In this episode, you will learn:
- The importance of a mission statement in driving all product decisions
- What differs in managing a million-dollar app project versus a thousand-dollar app project
- Why you need to include your development team on the macro decisions of your company
- Why it’s not enough to know “who your user is”, but also “where your user is at”
This episode is brought to you by The Jed Mahonis Group, who builds mobile software solutions for the on-demand economy. Learn more at https://jmg.mn.
Recorded July 13, 2018 | Edited by Jordan Daoust
Tim interviews Chris Ruff of Glympse who explains how location-tracking works in a mobile app and how you can securely & accurately provide a service provider's location to your customers.
Tim interviews "Hot Lou" Abramowski of Evergreen, who gives practical advice for both running a business on Facebook and marketing your mobile app with Facebook Ads.
Tim interviews Tom of Kindu, who shares how he developed a mobile app which attracted hundreds of thousands of users with no previous development or marketing experience.
Tim interviews Jonathan Richter of Winnona Partners, a mobile app consultancy, who shares the lessons he's learned around the business of app development which you can apply to your own iOS and Android projects.
Tim interviews Pedram Nastaean and Yomiyu Hirpa of Kwikly, an on-demand dental staffing agency, who share how they were able to launch a mobile-based company with minimal previous technical experience.
Mobile app developers throw around a lot of jargon and buzzwords, but you don't need to fear them! In this episode, Tim and Rob explain several common acronyms and terms you'll hear when working with a development team.
Validating an app idea requires objectivity, introspection, and a bit of blind faith. Tim and Rob discuss three metrics they use when approached to determine whether or not it would make a good mobile app.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why you need to find 10 people who are dying for your app to exist before you begin building it
- How much commitment it takes to see an app succeed
- The importance of thinking long-term when crafting an app idea
This episode is brought to you by The Jed Mahonis Group, who builds mobile software solutions for the on-demand economy. Learn more at http://jmg.mn.
Recorded February 22, 2018 | Edited by Jordan Daoust
Even though we get paid to release apps for our clients, it has been a while since we've built and released one of our own. In this episode, Tim and Rob discuss the recent release of mncraft.beer, a new Minnesota brewery tracking app.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why we are app developers and not product namers
- How "free" work will always cost you something
- Making money isn't necessarily the only source of revenue
- That three years leaves a lot of time for self-improvement
This episode is brought to you by The Jed Mahonis Group, who builds mobile software solutions for the on-demand economy. Learn more at http://jmg.mn.
Recorded February 1, 2018 Edited by Jordan Daoust
Show Notes:
- mncraft.beer
- Random Celebrity Generator
- Half Staff App
- FTP Camera
- Minecraft
- Mimi
- Leeann Chin
- Great Clips App
Most mobile applications (especially on-demand apps) require a server to keep everything running smoothly. In this episode, Tim and Rob explain what a server is and the role it plays in your mobile software system.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why the server is "The One App To Rule Them All"
- How "the cloud" plays into your server
- What is the "front end" and "backend" of an app
- Enough about databases and APIs to make you dangerous
This episode is brought to you by The Jed Mahonis Group, who builds mobile software solutions for the on-demand economy. Learn more at http://jmg.mn.
Recorded January 11, 2018 Edited by Jordan Daoust
When building an on-demand app, who do you try to get on your platform first: customers or service providers? In this episode, Tim and Rob suggest 7 techniques you can use to sustainably grow your on-demand app.
In this episode, you will learn:
- How to get large by starting small
- The value in acting as the service provider yourself
- Why getting your 1,000 true fans is crucial to success
- That money really does solve all your problems
This episode is brought to you by The Jed Mahonis Group, who builds mobile software solutions for the on-demand economy. Learn more at http://jmg.mn.
Recorded December 14, 2017 Edited by Jordan Daoust
On-demand apps like Uber and Postmates are among the more technically complex apps you can build. In this episode, Tim and Rob explain how these apps work in an easy-to-understand way.
In this episode, you will learn:
- How your mobile apps allow users to browse products/services, place an order, and track the progress of the order in real time
- Steps you can implement to save battery resources for your service providers
- Why you need a third-party payment provider to do your credit card processing
- The way you can manage all of this chaos through an administrative dashboard
This episode is brought to you by The Jed Mahonis Group, who builds mobile software solutions for the on-demand economy. Learn more at http://jmg.mn.
Recorded November 9, 2017 Edited by Jordan Daoust
A common way to cut down on mobile app development costs is to only build out one platform at a time. Tim and Rob explain the advantages to building on either iOS or Android, and provide tips for choosing which platform is right for your product.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Which platform tends to bring in the most money
- Which platform tends to attract the most users
- The reason "fragmentation" can play a role in your decision to develop for Android
This episode is brought to you by The Jed Mahonis Group, who builds mobile software solutions for the on-demand economy. Learn more at http://jmg.mn.
Recorded November 2, 2017 Edited by Jordan Daoust