A little more
about me.

Design came first.

I started college in computer science, then switched to art and design. I liked making websites, but the way programming was taught didn’t click for me. I wanted to build something I could actually use.

A few years later, I had an idea for a business and needed to build it myself. That’s when Python and Django finally made sense. Learning by making a real project worked much better for me than starting with theory.

That experience became Hello Web App, my books for people learning to build their first web app. I later wrote Hello Web Design for people coming at design from the other direction.

Then I ran a company.

WeddingLovely started as a directory of wedding vendors and grew into a marketplace and planning app. I designed it, built it, joined 500 Startups, and spent eight years figuring out how to keep a small business going.

I shut it down in 2018. I’ve written quite a bit about that decision, including how a business can be technically profitable and still take more from you than it gives back.

Finding my place at TinySeed.

After WeddingLovely, I wasn’t sure where I’d fit. Running a company had given me a broad set of skills, but I didn’t feel like an obvious match for any one job.

I joined TinySeed as program manager in 2019. It turned out that being comfortable with design, development, and all the other parts of running a business was useful when building an accelerator from scratch.

Today, I lead operations across TinySeed and MicroConf. My work has grown to include our events and founder programs, including helping launch the SaaS Institute.

I’ve been on the other side of the table as a founder. I like being able to use that experience to help other people with their businesses.