Positioning + Storytelling for Startups with Camille Ricketts

/ Cali, Me

Camille sharing some major keys about marketing for early stage companies.

Camille covered a lot during her preso, but the one awesome take-away was to focus on our HXC–Highest Expectation Customer. The HXC are people that are potential customers/users of your product, but they are the hardest to convince. However, once they believe in your product, they will be the biggest advocates. Companies like AirBnb and Dropbox used this technique, and it also humanizes the language and voice you need to use in order to speak to this audience.

Side note, Camille shared an additional preso that captured the Voice Brand Standards for First Round… and I need to get a copy of it. There was some really juicy information in there too.

Little Yosemite

/ Cali, Me, Photo

Photo of Joe exploring the dried up waterfalls in Little Yosemite.

It was kind of a last minute decision to go to Little Yosemite in Sunol (located about 1 hour south of SF). I pretty much looked at google maps and pointed at a little patch that looked green and decided that I wanted to go on a hike. Joe and I have been talking about doing more outdoorsy stuff for a while now, and it was so convenient hopping in a car and getting out of the city.

The images don’t really do the scenery justice, but this was one of the gorgeous trails

The trail was really easy and absolutely scenic. However, you’ll noticed the sound of planes fly overhead ever so often. I guess it’s really hard to get away from it all… but overall, it was really relaxing spending the morning doing a light hike.

This is where we stopped and turned around.

I’ll probably come back here again soon… and maybe bring my bike. I’ll need to do some research first to see if they allow it in this park.

If you notice the sign, it says “Watch out for snakes!”

I may need to bring a longer lens next time as well. There’s a ton of wild life–we saw deer, turkeys, etc. Also, a little tip, if you decide to visit Little Yosemite make sure to bring extra water–it’s hella dry.

Happy Birthday Patrick!

/ Cali, Me

Photo of Patrick enjoying the day on a beautiful saturday afternoon.

A couple years ago, Patrick years threw a birthday party and cooked for everyone. This year, he took a more practical approach and invited everyone out to Washington Square Park.

We spent most of the day laying out getting vitamin D and eating plenty of food. It was great seeing everyone and catching up.

The pizza from this place was insanely delicious.

Walking to china town to get egg tarts. Apparently, there was some sort of fall moon festival.

Is that a woman?

/ Cali, Me, Photo

Photo of a homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk along the Embarcadero.

“Is that a woman”, a stranger asked me as I road my bike down the Embarcadero this afternoon. If you look closely, you’ll notice another person in the top left hand corner walking away, wearing a fur coat and having a casual conversation with a friend.

As beautiful as San Francisco is, it’s a majestic backdrop juxstaposed by a reservoir of sadness. I went to the Embarcadero to get some fresh air and clear my mind, but now I’m weighed down by this imagery.

Sorry my blog is a little all over the place. I just share what I think and see. I wish there was more of a theme, but it’s just a stream of my ephemeral thoughts.

VW GTI

/ Cali, Cars, Me

After 4 years in San Francisco and being car-less, I finally caved in and got one this weekend. I appreciate everyone supporting me. I play it off like it’s not a big deal, but it kinda actually is.

I’ve been trying to save money and live minimally for a while now. But, it’s time to make the most of the west coast. I still love my e-bike, however, I needed something that could extend my radius and transform California into a true playground. If you’re in the Bay Area, let’s find some twisties and do a weekend run.

I wanted to take a moment to honor one of my closest friends, Mark Smith, who passed away in 2014. He and I used to talk about everything, but most of all, cars. I’m going to do something a little different this time—I’m going to share something more personal. There are plenty of car reviews on the GTI, and I don’t want this to be another one just echoing the same things. If Mark were still alive, I’d write him an email like this (picking up where we left off):

–

Hey Mark,

As you know, I’ve been test driving some cars. I finally landed on something–the new VW GTI. I know it’s not a Porsche, but it’s still German and has a ton of character.

I’ll get the GT4 one day. Until then, this will have to do. Hah!

I needed something practical—so it’s got 4 doors, a 6 year bumper-to-bumper warranty, and has a dual clutch auto transmission. As respectable as it is, the DCT isn’t as good as PDK. I was reeeeeeeeeally leaning towards a manual, but all my friends in SF recommended me to get the auto since there are so many hills… and traffic can be brutal, even on weekends. So this seemed to be the most logical choice.

I’ll be honest, I still miss my 911. I probably should have never sold it, but I’m happy (and lucky) that I was able to own one for a while. It would have been a thrill to have it here in Cali. Some of the roads here are pure driving nirvana. And, it seems like there are less cops hiding around each corner! Hah!

Anyway, the GTI packs a respectable amount of performance for the price, and it’s better suited for the city. I got mine for under $6k MSRP—it required a lot of haggling, but I managed to walk away with a deal that felt like a tremendous bargain. I got the base model, and it’s honestly just as good as fully loaded version. I just needed something for the weekends.

I went for a short run this weekend, but there was a little too much traffic (b/c of labor day) to really open it up. However, I fumbled with some of the settings and experimented a little. I think the key is to keep the car at higher RPMs (above 4k), sport mode, with the turbos spooled. When the turbos kick in, the GTI pulls. It’s a car that you can really applaud because it does so many things well. It even has heritage, and fan base loves each new iteration. The GTI isn’t a flashy car, but I actually kind of like that it flies under the radar. It’s really growing on me, and I’m also really digging the color.

By the way, Annie got a new car too. She got a new Accord–the safety features are amazing. She was driving a used Accord that had over 180k miles on it, and we were worried about it breaking down at some point. I’ll have to send you some pics soon.

Hope your GTS is running smooth! Don’t make the same mistake I did—don’t ever sell it!! I’ll be back on the east coast new a few weeks. Perhaps I can make it down to Richmond to say hello to you and Julie. We have a lot to catch up on. Let me know if you’re free!

Cheers!
Jeff

Ps. I started BJJ again… it’s like riding a bike!

Pss. Noel is in SF as well. I was able to quickly catch up with her over the phone. We wanted to collab on a project together, but the timing didn’t work out. Anyway, you should ping her sometime too. She was asking about you.

Hot Pot with Joe and Jho

/ Cali, Me, Photo

Justin and Joe in front of our first hot pot dinner together.”

It’s great to see these two back in town. It was fun hearing their tales of travel. Both Justin and Joe have been wandering around the world for the last couple months and their stories are pretty inspiring. They have endless tales of meeting new people, blazing new trails and getting occasional food poisoning. I’m hoping to have them over again so they can share more.