Measure it to Manage it.

It was evident from the beginning of the ToBeWise™  adventure (ten years ago) that it would be important to be able to measure user metrics, that's just common sense. However, when we started with this project funding was severely limited and the timeline was tight. In order to stay within budget and achieve the deadline, some features that were wanted had to be eliminated. One of those major features was to be able to measure user engagement. And without that, any marketing efforts would just be a shot in the dark.  Reminds me of one of the more memorable insights on this topic:

I don't want to be in the position where I don't know how I'm wasting money. If there were going to be a new target market for the app, it would be imperative that we be able to measure the effectiveness of our efforts. And that brought the next big coding job: a Management Dashboard that would show me who does what and when.  What's amazing is that now I have a granular look at what users are doing with the app, what features they use, how long they spend on the app, how often they sign in... so much more. And it's instantaneous. The app "phones home" every time it's loaded.  So if I would do anything to juice the number of users, I would get immediate feedback. Beautiful.

I can build, and now I can measure. The world is mine!  Bwahahaha! (evil laugh).

That took about a month to get the Management Dashboard working, but still nothing done on the repositioning.  Stay tuned...

Get a Coach!

Atul Gawande is one of my favorite inspirations. 

He wrote the excellent book "The Checklist Manifesto" (a must read for entrepreneurs).

In this video, he makes the case for becoming the best version of yourself by getting a coach.

"We cannot live better than in seeking to become better"  (Socrates)

Feedback vs. Advice

 

Asking for feedback creates a critic. 

Asking for advice creates a partner.