Flying nearly 6000 miles to Boston and back in two and a half days to see some of the world’s most talented product, marketing, and startup leaders? Count me in!
You know when you go to a conference with all the intention of applying what you learn? You turn up, you get a good seat, and then you listen to the presenter sharing their take on a subject. You nod away in agreement to what they’re saying, and you take what seems like 100+ photos of their slides, all with the best intentions of applying the learnings when you get back to the office.
And then you don’t do a single thing with anything you’ve learned. Not a single thing.
For me, this is what made BoS a completely different conference to what I had attended previously.
That’s because it was the first conference I attended where I *actually* came home, applied what I learned, and have started to see results.
As a newbie, I was pleasantly surprised by the tight-knit feel and authenticity of the whole thing. And the questions from the audience were just… *chef’s kiss*.
But, what made it really worth it was when I got home I instantly put into practice a lot of my learnings, for both my own business and for my clients.
Over the course of the conference, I watched a number of speakers present, including Elizabeth O’Neill, April Dunford, Bob Moesta, Katherine Thompson, Bill Spruill, Asia Orangio, and Bruce McCarthy. Some I had seen speak previously, others were new to me.
There’s something about in-person events that are just different. Although I can rattle off a list of awesome things that happened ‘over the pond’, some of the most exciting moments for me certainly lay with seeing people connect with other like-minded people over coffee, dinner, and – most importantly – happy hour.
The magic may have happened in these moments but what really lifted the event were the world class speakers who nailed their sessions throughout the week.
After BoS Conf USA 2022, the BoS Team decided to head out to Fenway Park to watch the Boston Red Sox play against the Baltimore Orioles. Did we know anything about baseball? Did we know the names of the players? Did we realise it was going to be three+ hours and very little scoring? Did it matter?
In baseball you’ve got to not only hit the ball (which is very hard) but then make it to the first base before your opponent can get the ball to the first base ahead of you. You’ve then got to make a call of can you go further or will you wait for you team mate to also hit their ball and both of you can progress in hope of scoring points.
We face the same issues in work life and in personal life. We might strike out a few times, but when we do hit the ball, we have to make quick decisions and trust our team mates can help us get round the diamond of life and help us make a difference.
Some of us are pitchers. Some of us are catchers. We all take our turn batting. We all need to be able to trust our team to have our backs.
“What’s this got to do with BoS USA 2022, Kirk?” I hear you ask. Well,
Jason Cohen of WP Engine fame introduced me to Jonathan Slain at Recession.com earlier this year. He and the WP Engine team work with Jonathan and he is a pretty interesting guy. We invited him on the podcast to discuss how SaaS and software companies can prepare for, and take advantage of, a recession.
We discuss:
How you define a ‘recession’, beyond the standard economist’s answer about GDP. Have you ever considered your company’s GDP?
The things that you should do to be prepared for a recession when they inevitably hit.
The opportunities that a recession can offer for those that are prepared properly and how to take advantage of them.
The common mistakes companies make when faced with a downturn.
You can take Jonathan’s recession readiness assessment here and see how you compare to over 1,500 other companies when it comes to being prepared for the next recession.
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As we prepare for our first in-person US conference for three whole years, we were looking back at some of the things that we think make BoS a special place for all who attend, as speakers, supporters and most important, attendees.
You can read some of the thoughts of previous attendees including Dharmesh, Des Traynor, Tobi Lutke and many more here.
I ended up spending more time than I meant to watching some of the old BoS summary videos that try to take some of the lessons learned at each conference, talk to the speakers and participants about what they learned and took away.
A real trip down memory lane but it did strike me that while many things have changed over the years in the world of software, the core values and spirit of BoS have kept consistent.
BoS is about providing a place for entrepreneurs and software folk to spend time with kindred spirits talking and thinking about how you can build great products and great companies.
Here are a few of my favorites, featuring some very young looking people, some of whom now look a little older…
Although BoS Conf USA doesn’t officially start till Monday 26 September we do also provide Sunday afternoon activities and this year Quiet Light have generously put on a Duck Boat Tour of Boston for attendees!
Join Quiet Light and the BoS team as you venture off on a tour of the city by road and water. You’ll cruise by all the places that make Boston the birthplace of freedom and a city of firsts, from the golden domed state House to the Boston Common, the historic North End to fashionable Newbury Street, Quincy Market to the Prudential Tower, and more. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, it’s time for a big splash as your ConDUCKtor drives right into the Charles River for a breathtaking view of the Boston and Cambridge skylines.
The tour sets sail from the Seaport Main Entrance on Seaport Lane and will drop you back off at the same place. BoS Legend (and scholarship supporter) John Knox will be on hand to provide more Boston factoids and information the onboard ConDucktors driving the boats may have missed.
We’d really appreciate if you could indicate if you’d like to go on the tour in advance by letting Kirk know and confirming we can look forward to seeing you about 4:45pm on Sunday 25 Sept.
If you’ve not got your tickets for BoS USA 2022 yet there is still time!
After 14 years of doing BoS Confs, we have seen dozens of supporters help us make magic happen for hundreds of BoS attendees. They power us to build a stronger community for you to enjoy and it’s our honour that they come back time and time again to meet more of you and to keep BoS an open and welcoming place.
This year, for BoS USA In-Person 2022, all of our supporters are returning patrons who want to be a continued part of the BoS story.
As we get ever closer to BoS USA In-Person, there’s a bunch of things we all need to think about. Over the next three weeks we’ll be sending you some information about what you’ll be doing over the three days you are in Boston for BoS.
When you are packing your bag for travelling it’s good to pack some items you might need whilst at conference. You don’t have to overthink things (like I did back in April for BoS Europe) but there are maybe some things you haven’t thought of.
We are saddened to learn about the death of Her Majesty The Queen and extend our condolences to the Royal Family.
As Brits, we have all grown up with her being a constant presence in our lives and her sense of service and duty was something that will define her rule for over 70 years.
For everyone around the world, this is a moment in history to pause for thought about how we live our lives, what we contribute to the world around us, and the legacy we wish to leave behind.
BoS Conf USA is just under three weeks away in Boston, MA, 26-28 September and WE CANNOT WAIT to see people in person after three years.
When my eldest daughter was 3, someone asked her what her Daddy did. She replied,
“He goes blah, blah, blah all day”.
Violet Littlewood
Probably true, but talking with people is how we learn, how we teach, and how we get more from life.
As always at BoS, there is going to be plenty to talk about. We ask attendees for a conversation starter to put on their badges and, as ever, there are some common themes and some, err, slightly weird interests…
Not all of us are lucky enough to stay just around the corner from the conference venue so it’s a safe bet you are travelling from outside Boston and could benefit from some basic transport and accommodation tips.
Bill discusses his experience building and selling the company successfully so that he could pursue a new goal, to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Raleigh.
Find out more about BoS
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It’s well known that moving your user base upmarket is challenging – but it can be done. Shopify Plus was launched in 2014 to offer large & hypergrowth businesses a customizable enterprise platform without the cost of existing options. Having created and dominated the online storefront market for SMBs, this was a key part of Shopify’s strategy to build a business to last 100 years.
At first, like many organizations trying to target higher value customers with more complex requirements, it was difficult to develop a product and approach that met their needs but there was clearly a market that was worth pursuing. It took a radical rethink of product, marketing and internal processes to make progress before ultimately, becoming a core piece of Shopify’s business.
What did Shopify do to make it work?
There were three areas that were key to making the jump for Shopify.
