The Advantages of Building a Startup in a Smaller Tech Community

I'm a believer in startups. The opportunity, the economic advantages, the inspiring founders. All of it. While there's much to be said [http://www.civilbeat.org/2016/09/civil-geeks-2-experts-explain-why-its-ok-for-startups-to-leave-hawaii/] about companies moving from a

Three Reasons Why Airbnb Should Offer Hosts Mortgage Refis

Airbnb is valued at $25.5 Billion according to WSJ's Stock Tracker [http://graphics.wsj.com/tech-startup-stocks-to-watch/]. That means the startup unicorn is more valuable then Marriott and Hilton [http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2015/06/22/is-airbnb-best-lodging-stay.html] . Airbnb

Why Designing For The Average Is Designing For No-One

Russell Allen Phillips, or Phil as his friends called him, was a B-24 pilot in the U.S. Army during World War 2. Phil is first from the left The distinguishing characteristic about Phil was his height. Some of the men called him "Sandblaster" because, said one

Sydney, Australia: My Trip in Ten Photos

I took 196 photos on my recent trip. And I probably deleted another 40 pics. So why choose only 10? Well, it's very difficult to summarize a trip succinctly, and the 10-photo constraint helps crystallize the best moments of the trip (I got this idea from Henk

The Magic of Spending 22 Minutes On a Problem

I have a post-it note on the inside of my journal that just says "22". It's a reminder for me to persevere. I can't actually remember where I got the data point, but I believe I was listening to a podcast that discussed

I am Divergent

No, this is not a missive on the teeny bop dystopian novel turned film series. Although I could do that because I've read all the books (ugh, that ending). No, this is about how people think and behave, more specifically actually, about how I think and behave. Last

Launching The Startup Catalyst™ Podcast - Part 3

Launching something is half the battle. Granted, it's easier once you get everything setup and start creating a process. But the consistent, quality content creation and creativity is what will keep people coming back. This is the last installment of a 3-part series where I dive into

Launching The Startup Catalyst™ Podcast - Part 2

Start a podcast they said. It would be easy, they said. Podcasting can be a lot of work. So you better enjoy doing it. Luckily for me, thus far, I'm enjoying it quite a bit. If you happen to like it as well, or just want to check

Launching The Startup Catalyst™ Podcast - Part 1

On May 12, 2016, I sat at my desk in The Sultan Ventures HQ in downtown Honolulu and with the click of a button, officially launched The Startup Catalyst™ Podcast [http://sultanventures.com/podcast/] into the ether. Of course, a lot went into that launch moment, and much of that

On Giving Feedback

I was having a conversation the other day with a friend who brought to my attention how some of my feedback to people was being received as negative, hurtful, or the like. It got me thinking, about how I give feedback. In all honesty, I thought I was really good