Jeremy Phelps
Startup developer, traveler, human
New site, who dis?
Apr 30, 2025
After 10 long years, this site finally has a new coat of paint. Previously, it served as a marketing site for my skills as a startup builder, but now it's just for me. And anyone foolish enough to read my more-or-less coherent ramblings. It seemed like a good idea to add my voice to the cacophony…
Words to ban from your dev team
Jul 6, 2018
Okay, maybe not completely Before we get started: don't actually ban your dev team from using these words. Ban them from the behaviors associated with these words and your dev team will communicate more effectively, get along better, and produce higher quality products. "Just" You've probably heard…
The #1 thing stopping you from building your MVP
Jun 21, 2018
You're planning too much Humans love to make plans. The desire to plan is natural, but is ultimately based on fear. You have limited resources to make your dream a reality and the worst thing that can happen is that you get halfway through the project and run out of time or money. To prevent this,…
The MVP development mantras
Jun 1, 2018
First, make sure you're ready The usual rules apply here: make sure you've talked to potential customers, validated the need, and done the necessary planning. You're confident in what you need to build, and you have a co-founder, employee, or freelancer ready to get started. Speed is everything You…
How to interview a freelance developer
May 17, 2018
So you've decided to hire a freelancer For one reason or another (maybe you've gone through my process) you've decided to hire a freelancer. You've posted on job boards, scoured Upwork, and you finally have a list of candidates you'd like to speak to. Problem is, you're not a programmer, so how on…
Developer 1-on-1s
May 3, 2018
What's a 1-on-1? So glad you asked! A 1-on-1 is a meeting between a manager and their direct report. The purpose of the meeting is not to discuss the actual work that needs doing, but is instead a meta discussion about how the work is being done. Think of it as an annual review that happens weekly,…
I have an idea and want to build software. Now what?
Apr 18, 2018
Let's talk validation, briefly The conventional wisdom on building software is to avoid it if you can. If you must build software, it should solve a really painful aspect of your business, and you should only build it after validating that people are willing to pay for it. This is great advice, and…
Zero to one vs. one to N developers
Apr 5, 2018
On the book This post builds on many of the ideas of Peter Thiel's book Zero to One, so if you haven't read it yet you should! The thesis of the book basically boils down to this: there are two types of businesses, those that create value by building something new and those that do so by scaling to…
A simple guide to software task estimation
Mar 23, 2018
Who this guide is for This post is for people who are new to estimating software development tasks or want to take a more structured approach to it. It isn't meant for scrum masters, seasoned project managers, or JIRA ninjas. It's meant to get you thinking about the problem yourself rather than be…
What developers look for in a startup
Mar 15, 2018
Will they pay me enough? It should come as no surprise to you that this one is most important. It's easy to get lost in your business' needs when you're looking for a developer. You have to remember that people don't want to work for your company because they love it, they want to work there…
Translating developer BS, part 1
Mar 1, 2018
It's not all BS I'd like to make an important dinstinction upfront: developers rarely BS! Most of the time they simply say things that the listener feels is BS. The purpose of this post is to translate common things developers say in to non-tech friendly terms. As with any human communication, be…
From idea to revenue in 5 working days
Feb 16, 2018
The goal and the result I needed to ship something. I was stuck in the midst of several larger projects, both for clients and myself, with no end in sight, and to keep going I needed the confidence boost that only shipping code can provide. So I spent part of my weekend, shifted some priorities…
Getting your development talent mix right
Feb 8, 2018
Why bother? You’re probably wondering why you should even care about talent mix. We need to ship more code! We need more developers to do it! Hire some already! Here’s why you should bother: hiring a developer with the wrong talents can slow you down and lead to a worse product. Odds are there is a…
Why technical debt matters
Jan 25, 2018
What is technical debt? Think about every time you've asked a developer to do something quickly. He or she probably protested a little bit and explained that there isn't enough time and that you need to cut the scope of work to meet the deadline. It was critical for the business to meet the…
Frustrated with a developer? Read this first
Jan 24, 2018
Deep breath Before you do anything, get yourself to a state in which you can think and act rationally. Go for a walk, play with your dog, have a cocktail, whatever it takes. Only by approaching the problem objectively can you hope to get to the root of the issue and prevent the problem from…
Keeping track of developers
Jan 18, 2018
Herding cats A developer tells the team something will take 2 days. After 3 days, you ask him when he will be done and he answers "tomorrow". After 5 days, he asks for more time. Finally, after 2 painful weeks he's finally done. Your customer is furious and you're frustrated that your developer is…
Finding a developer you can trust
Jan 10, 2018
First, make sure you're ready Before you start looking for a developer you need to be sure you know what kind to look for in the first place. You also need to be sure that you've addressed any internal problems that will prevent developers from wanting to work for you. If you're looking for a…
How to find a technical cofounder
Dec 28, 2017
Trust is a problem Think about the last time someone on the street asked you for money or to sign a petition. You probably tried to avoid eye contact and kept walking, right? Even if you stopped to engage, you felt deeply uncomfortable. The cause of your discomfort probably isn't that you dislike…
Why you're having trouble hiring developers
Dec 19, 2017
Let's (briefly) talk about pay Pay market rate. If you can't afford it then your equity compensation (when adjusted for risk!) must more than make up for it. That's the reality of the market; you can't get around it. Look for the right type Not all developers are the same. Before you do anything…
Giving developers good requirements
Dec 12, 2017
Put everything in writing This applies to all things in business: get it in writing. Your team should be collecting your requirements in some kind of issue manager like JIRA, Github issues, or Gitlab. If you aren't then it's probably best to stop reading and schedule a free consultation so I can…
Developer retention 101
Nov 29, 2017
They're assets, not expenses You must make this mental switch for all your employees, not just developers. Your team is not just a collection of inputs that create the output (product) your company sells. They are humans with their own needs and goals, and if you help them fulfill these things then…
Why your developers' time estimates are terrible
Nov 16, 2017
You can improve but not perfect Software development time estimates are notoriously difficult to get right. In fact, it's probably impossible to get 100% accurate estimates, but that doesn't mean your team shouldn't try! Just like everything else your team does, you should continuously improve and…
Hiring a developer? Make sure you get the right kind.
Nov 7, 2017
Focus on the pain (if it exists) Before you do anything else: take a step back and ask yourself why you want to hire a developer in the first place. Is someone quitting? Do you want to build a new feature? Is your team too slow? Prior to beginning your search you need to write down your pain…
Why your developers are slow
Nov 3, 2017
Your job ain't easy Building a business is difficult. Building software is complicated and confusing. It's no wonder, then, that building a software business is like fighting with both hands tied behind your back. You have to spend a fortune to pay other people to fight and rather than fighting it…