Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
The WebWell Podcast, Episode 1 - "WebWell 101 & Why should you care?"
51 Plays1 year ago
Ooof, where to start... well, at the beginning I suppose. I'm (Simon) excited to be your host along with Ben, and we can't wait to dive into all things internet tech, web development, and web design.
But that's not all - we'll also be discussing how we balance work and life, and exploring the fascinating world of digital innovation.
So whether you're a tech enthusiast or just looking for some entertainment, join us on this exciting journey as we explore the ever-changing landscape of the web.
Thanks for tuning in, and let's get started! Follow us where you listen to podcasts!!
Send us your questions or comments @ [email protected]
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to WebWell Podcast
00:00:06
Speaker
Welcome to the WebWell Podcast, brought to you by Cascade Web Development. I'm one of your hosts, Simon, along with Ben. And we can't wait to dive into all things internet, tech, web development, and web design.
00:00:20
Speaker
We'll also be discussing how we balance work and life and exploring the fascinating world of internet innovation. So whether you're a tech enthusiast or just looking for some entertainment, join us on this exciting journey as we explore the ever-changing landscape of the web. Thanks for tuning in and let's get started.
Why Podcasting?
00:00:39
Speaker
Welcome to the Web Well Podcast episode. Uno. I'm stoked to have you as you will also be hosting with me as we try this little venture of a podcast like everyone else. What are your thoughts? It's fantastic. Thanks to you for all your hard work getting us to this point. But yeah, after
00:01:00
Speaker
turning into quite the podcast junkie myself, and I know you are as well. It's really fun to take a stab at it and see if we can throw something of value out there. Have some fun along the way.
00:01:11
Speaker
Yeah, which is a perfect segue to web wall 101. So we're going to introduce ourselves, but also this important question of why should anyone listen? Why do people care what we listen to or say so they want to listen? You know, like I think of, like you mentioned, we both listen to podcasts. I pick apart those podcasts. I listen to the good ones that I enjoy, that I laugh, that I, I'm, I don't know, put into a mode of thought.
00:01:39
Speaker
So I then ask, what does Simon and Ben have to say that people would actually care about?
Ben McKinley's Career Journey
00:01:47
Speaker
So I think to start off is really just the introduction of who we are, how we met, how we started, how you started, what started Cascade, and put us to where we're at on this path right now. And then we'll go from there. So I'll let you kick off, introduce yourself in Cascade.
00:02:06
Speaker
Excellent. Yeah. So my name is Ben McKinley. I founded Cascade back in October of 2001. I was just coming off of a partnership known as Mountainhood Software with another gentleman the previous three and a half years. And yeah, you know, the quick and dirty is that 911 kind of killed some plans that I had to move beyond working in this in this arena as a web design and development
00:02:34
Speaker
provider. And so when that opportunity evaporated, I figured, well, I'll grab some of those Mountain Software clients and start something new as Cascade. Fortunately, I was introduced to Stefan Brewer a couple months later after toiling and trying to do all of the things myself. I think I missed that Thanksgiving for sure as I was building on a website for a wakeboarding magazine. And yeah, found Stefan and it was just a beautiful partnership.
00:03:02
Speaker
and it continues today and it's it's a I believe a true partnership in the sense that he does things that I don't understand I can't do and and I do things that he he doesn't understand and has no interest in doing and as excuse me as we'd like to joke he likes to talk to machines and I like to talk to people so that's really really carried us through some some lean times and some some high times over the last
00:03:28
Speaker
What are we talking here? 22 years and counting. So, um, yeah, excited to create a little lasting content here in the way of a podcast, dive a little deeper on the journey that we've, we've had and provide a little more transparency into the people and the, uh, and you know, the company that is cascade web development.
00:03:46
Speaker
That's awesome. Yeah, I'm looking forward to actually, we're going to get Stefan on the show too. So he will be forced to speak through machines to people, which I think he does very well.
Simon Hart's Path to Creative Director
00:03:57
Speaker
Even if he's insecure about it, I love his voice and what he has to say. So that'll be fun.
00:04:03
Speaker
So I, uh, so I'm Simon Hart. Uh, I came, uh, I'm the, the remotest. Actually no, Stefan, uh, sometimes is out of the state too. So I'm over, uh, in Spokane, Washington, uh, where cascades, uh, predominantly in the Portland area. Um,
00:04:20
Speaker
I came on actually by happenstance. I was working for a software company that was based out of Portland remotely and basically my boss and I needed to be finding a new job. And so the company decided that they wanted to outsource a lot of their marketing, which baffled us because we did a lot, quite a bit. So her name is Stephanie and I look forward actually, we should get her on here too because she's a
00:04:49
Speaker
a character, to say the least. Eventually you'll see behind her head, for all those listening, she'll definitely have at least one pair of antlers, but definitely has a bunch of animals on the wall behind her. Not real ones, of course. Just art. Anyways, so that company was a client of Cascades.
00:05:13
Speaker
I was on a few calls briefly with you as well, I think with, was it Michael? I think it was Michael, right? Either way, one of our developers, I think it was Michael. So Michael was on the call. I was coming in kind of late. Anyway, so we left that job and that weekend actually through just great, excellent timing and circumstance, I was able to get a phone call from you.
00:05:41
Speaker
and talk about the possibility of coming over to Cascade. I got a nice little one-week or two-week paid vacation and then started coming in in a project management role for Cascade, as well as introducing some of the creative aspects that I have a history in.
00:05:58
Speaker
Current title is Creative Director for Cascade Web Development. This is a title that I take seriously. This is something that I've worked for a long time for with other companies kind of working up from just graphic design marketing assistant to brand manager, which is definitely something that I keep close to heart. That is my passion is brand.
00:06:20
Speaker
Maintaining that voice and communicating those intangibles is so fun. So yeah, so that's kind of coming into my role for Cascade now two and a half years. I'm still playfully the new guy for Cascade, considering I think Michael is going on like 15 or 16 years with Cascade. Me coming in, introducing these ideas and everyone's like, Simon,
00:06:44
Speaker
We tried that six years ago. We did that eight years ago. Let me give you the history first before you make these suggestions. It's always fun, but I'm creative. I'm flexible, and I'm going to push that envelope, if you will. I'm going to keep giving those creative ideas, I guess.
Balancing Work and Personal Life
00:07:00
Speaker
Yeah, so that's that is I guess web all one-on-one intro For for why we're doing this is really just kind of share our voice One of the other aspects. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this Ben is really with what we do personally behind the scenes when the cameras are off When our computer laptops finally close at whatever time of day because it's not a nine to five How we're balancing that work life so
00:07:27
Speaker
Maybe you can open up and talk about kind of what's going on with you, personal life, uh, life, um, hobbies, passions, uh, outside of work that come into work and, and kind of contribute to that as well. Yeah, it sounds great. And actually, uh, your slip of the tongue, uh, by saying wife, uh, she is a huge part of my life and, and really cascade's life. She served as the controller for cascade.
00:07:51
Speaker
going on 17 years now. She started right before we started our family coming from a teaching background and has just absolutely been the glue that allows us to continue on and thrive all of the less glamorous elements associated with taxes, administration, a lot of HR duties and really kind of keeps that foundation solid.
00:08:14
Speaker
You know, our personal lives in the winter are a little bit hectic. By design, I've been a coach in the sport of skiing, ski racing, and most currently big mountain in backcountry for the last 28 years. Started doing that as a sophomore in college. Actually, when we first started dating, Christy, my wife and I.
00:08:34
Speaker
And for some reason she stuck with me then and has stuck with me through it all. But these are rowdy times of year. This is an exciting phase of our lives where my oldest daughter Tatum has been on my ski team with me for the last seven years. And my youngest daughter Lauren is really passionate about ski racing, which is something I really enjoyed all the way through high school and coached for another 11 years after. So really fun to support them both on that journey
00:09:01
Speaker
And, and it's just one of those areas that I continue to thank my parents for introducing me at a young age to sliding on snow, being in the mountains and, and, you know, the, the love and appreciation for, for, um, beautiful natural places and spaces, uh, especially in the back country where we can get away from some of the crowds that now descend upon, uh, our ski resorts and a way to, you know, help some of these young, young people to, you know, find love and passion in the outdoors to, to understand.
00:09:30
Speaker
their role in our universe, in our planet and trying to live intentionally so that we can protect these beautiful places and hopefully do the things we need to do to ensure there's lots of snow falling for generations to come.
00:09:47
Speaker
Um, lots of, lots of, uh, fun layers there as I try and inspire the, these adolescents that are between, you know, 10 and 18 years old and, uh, provide them with some fun skills. And also, boy, I sure, I sure benefit dramatically just hanging out with that young energy and, and, uh, trying to wrangle it in some time. So.
00:10:05
Speaker
I'm wrapping up this ski season this coming Saturday for my coaching duties. We've currently got a program of about 65 athletes and 10 coaches. It's been a great season. We launched our first big mountain competition here in the state of Oregon and at the Mount Hood Meadows Resort in early February. After several years of going out to the Wallauas and doing one day trips where we go out on snowmobiles in the morning, backcountry ski during the day and then motor back out.
00:10:32
Speaker
I actually took a group of athletes and board members out there for three days, stayed two nights in a year in a soft wall tent, as well as I got a nice sauna set up. And that was served as our base camp and we backcountry skied for three days. So we're really seeing some nice growth and excitement there. And that's a huge source again of joy in my life and fulfillment.
00:10:52
Speaker
And so now as we look beyond this weekend, I'm just excited to then shift gears and be a regular citizen that slides on snow. So you'll probably see me more in the back country than fighting lines at the resorts and spend lots of time with my close friends and family to really enjoy this sport on a personal level.
00:11:11
Speaker
That was actually, I was thinking about this or I think about it actually pretty often. It's the first time you and I met in person. It was to hand off the laptop. So, cause I'd been using my personal laptop for a short time as I started with Cascade and I met you at Tollgate Campground, which is just on the south west side of Mount Hood, just down the highway.
00:11:37
Speaker
We were on a mountain bike trip, so we go up and shuttle from Timberline Lodge down to Rode Dendron or through Rode Dendron the town. And that's the first time I met you in person, which, so yeah, this is definitely outdoor passion. Outdoor being outside is definitely something that we always share in. So Cascade, we always do a 10 a.m. morning check-in meeting with the whole team.
00:12:03
Speaker
And the first half of it is, you know, what did we do over the weekend? What'd you do? And you can tell all of us who participate and do things that we're passionate about is come back and just are like, we have this grin. I remember Paul even recently came back from that skate comp and he was just glowing. He was just happy, excited and brought that back and just was like, all right, let's do this thing. Let's do work, you know.
00:12:27
Speaker
I love that mix. You have to have that mix. You should have that mix of those passions on the weekend and you bring them into the work on Monday, I think Cascade.
00:12:39
Speaker
Uh, we're pretty fortunate that we, we all share in that and understanding of that mix, that balance, right? Yeah, it's, it's really fun. I, I've said that for years and my, I've been told my interview, um, approaches is not super structured, uh, or, uh, well-defined, um, but it is one that, you know, starts with passion and curiosity.
00:12:59
Speaker
And I think that's one of the things that's really kept this incredibly loyal group together all these years is that shared passion and shared curiosity that carries us through. And I just enjoy looking at, you know, Stefan, having this this deep background as a lead singer and multiple instruments in a metal band.
00:13:20
Speaker
And Paul with inline skating and you know, he's just an incredible costume maker and and just crafty guy in general, woodworking and the like. And so he's made some incredible costumes for Renaissance Fairs and various comic-cons.
00:13:36
Speaker
Michael has been super dedicated with Boy Scouts and just being an incredible father and getting outside with his family. Obviously, you have no shortage of desire to hop in the truck and go do fun stuff outside every single weekend. And that just runs consistent with our family every year, whether we're sitting on a sideline, cheering our girls on, playing soccer, you know, all of these years or getting out into some more rustic areas. I think having that
00:14:02
Speaker
that bring that passion that joy sharing it and all of us kind of looking at it and going man I don't get how that might maybe fires you up so much but I know what it's like to be fired up and I just like being around people that are fired up. So yeah those Monday morning meetings I find are a great way to kick off the week during a time when you know otherwise it might feel a little bit rough. We get to come and you know start with that kind of a spark
00:14:26
Speaker
and, uh, and have that carry through that day and the rest of the week's been a real positive thing. Well, and even, even other organizations that I've been at where it's kind of like, I'm going to take some days off attached to a weekend. So it's a long weekend and they're like, why? What are you doing? Where are you going? Right. Where us it's like, good, good. Go, you know, have that time. So you come back and we get you all recharged. Right. I just know that like, when I later
Community and Social Gatherings
00:14:51
Speaker
this year, I have a,
00:14:52
Speaker
big, decent two-week vacation that I had planned and we've been planning for a while. And I remember what you said to me when Christy saw the request of two weeks, like, oh man, are we going to be okay? And your response was like, yes, good, go. And I thought of that going back to other organizations again that I had worked at where
00:15:13
Speaker
It's not necessarily that it was frowned upon, but it was just one of those things where it's like you tried to sneak it in so that no one knew, right? Versus here at Cascade, it's no, we want to celebrate those things. Tell me about it. How was it? What was the planning like? Was the weather good? You know, all of those share in there.
00:15:33
Speaker
This weekend, speaking of going up the mountain, so we go up every Saturday, we go up to 49 degrees north up in Chewila, Washington. Definitely a country ski hill, smaller ski hill. I did hear on the radio though that they have more runs than any resort in Washington state. So that's pretty, cheers to 49. It's seafood boil weekend though.
00:15:59
Speaker
Yeah, so you buy these tickets or whatever and it's full on seafood, boil like potatoes, corn on the cob, crab, I mean, they listed out all the stuff, hush puppies, potatoes, if I didn't say that already, like it's, I'm stoked for that, that's gonna be fun, yeah.
00:16:17
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. Those types of, as the season starts to wind down, you start seeing resorts doing some more things, not only to draw more people back and say, I'm not sure it's pickleball season just yet, but also just to celebrate a great season and bring that community together. We're actually having our end of season barbecue Saturday afternoon.
00:16:37
Speaker
associated with our largest race of the year that we host as a ski team, the Meadows Challenge. And it's great, you know, we got dogs, we got, you know, a bunch of junk food, some good beverages, and it's an opportunity to hang out and toast a great season, talk about, you know, what went well, how we could improve in the future and really just a chance to be with each other and not be running around with these tight windows of operation.
00:16:59
Speaker
So I'm excited to see that kind of community gathering as well. And those are really fun things that resorts and organizations are doing this time of year. I think that aspect, you just said it right there, we're able to hang with these people that normally we just be busy doing race stuff. I think that is some of the appeal that you and I enjoy when we get to the office, when we're on a call with the team and sharing with those moments is these are people that I work with. These are people that we're building out projects where it's just work mode, right?
00:17:27
Speaker
But then to get those silver linings of, my weekend was awesome, I did this. Or Paul, travel kind of sucked because of weather and cancellations. So I had this detour. In hearing that, it's kind of that just everyone can relax and take a breath. We build those relationships on that. And then, okay, switch gears. Now we're into work mode. Let's do this. I think there's an interesting dynamic there too.
00:17:53
Speaker
I think so. Yeah. I mean, I, it even just reminds me of when we were talking about, you know, interacting with clients on client calls and it's just kind of like this.
00:18:01
Speaker
this work sandwich, but the bread really is just, it's, you know, using very technical terms, just bonding and rapport. It's just sharing those personal moments and, and, you know, just being people in that moment. And then, yeah, we got work to do. And then we're gonna, you know, we're gonna wrap it up with, you know, some, some fun closing stuff and keep it light. But, you know, that's always been something we've touted as, you know, try not to take ourselves seriously while absolutely taking the craft, the work seriously. So finding those opportunities just to,
00:18:30
Speaker
You know, bring some levity and enjoyment and, you know, little moments of joy along the way that those are huge in this longevity game of, you know, the work, the careers, the organization that's endured this long. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting a Podcast: Motivation and Audience
00:18:45
Speaker
All right, so we'll kick it over to topic of the day. So basically it's kind of in the title. If you didn't read the title already, why you should care. Uh, why, why little cascade is doing a podcast and why anyone really should care. Um, so yeah, we're, we're doing this. This is episode one. Uh, maybe, maybe one point a 1.1. I don't know. Well, we'll see how it goes. Um, but I like where it's headed so far. So, um,
00:19:13
Speaker
I think some of what I wanted to share about it at least was kind of the intro to it, the conversation. As with most ideas that I have, bringing them to you in Cascade is kind of like, yeah, let's try that. Or that's interesting. You know, it's never, no, we're not doing that. Get it, go away, go back to work. And so then it kind of like challenged, okay, Simon, I got to research this thing, you know.
00:19:34
Speaker
i already listen podcast i have an idea kind of of the operation okay what services are out there what services are other people using what makes sense for. I think what a starting point for us whether it's a starting point long term you know this is what we're gonna stay with her starting point.
00:19:51
Speaker
as a whole. And then we go to hardware, right? How do we do this remotely with you in Portland area or on the mountain, me here and potentially elsewhere? Maybe someday I'll do one with my feet in the sand, Lord willing, right? Like we'll be somewhere else and still be able to record these segments.
00:20:17
Speaker
I tested out like three or four microphones at a good budget rate, stuff that was kind of recommended. Part of it, you know, the stand, I've got one that was just a crappy stand. Like I stripped this knob that holds the mic vertically or just slides down. I stripped one on one of the stands. It just was not quality. Thank goodness for Amazon because we sent it back. No big deal.
00:20:42
Speaker
You know, is, is this the best mic? No, probably not, but you know, you can hear me. Like that's the point, uh, is more about what we're saying versus how we're saying it or what we're saying it on. So, um, I think that's, that's definitely, uh, some of that learning curve for all of you that listen to podcasts, any of the listeners, uh, Ben, you and I.
00:21:02
Speaker
Um, that is something that I always watch. Like for those podcasts that record video, um, I'm looking at what their mic is. I'm looking at the stand. I'm looking at the stuff that's behind their head, right? Like, cause of course I'm, I'm analyzing every aspect of it. Um, so trying to share that with you, I don't know, um, kind of your mindset, uh, as we sit here and talk about why people should want to listen to us.
00:21:26
Speaker
I'll tell you, when I listen to podcasts, I think one of the things I'm enjoying, whether it's listening to podcasts or even a lot of content that's coming through streaming media in this day, I would say that I'm a huge fan of nonfiction, documentaries, docu-series, docu-dramas. I just like access. I like hearing and seeing what's actually, to the extent they're willing to share, right? They all have control of what they release, but it just gives you a little closer sense of what that actually looks like.
00:21:55
Speaker
Again, love skiing, love adventure sports. So I listen to some podcasts of athletes and adventures that have made it their lifestyle and their career. It's just cool to get that added insight. What are they really thinking beyond that highly produced curated message that's pushed out through channels, social media and whatnot for organizations, certainly for social media, for these athletes and see what's really going on or what that journey looked like.
00:22:22
Speaker
I guess, as I look at this, I think to myself, you know, I really enjoyed chatting with you. You're an engaging fella. And, and I like, you know, what, what we're thinking about and working toward. And so just being vulnerable and talking about those things, we're not, we're not claiming we've got it all figured out. But just bat these ideas around, you know, and encourage some feedback. Certainly want people to let us know what they're thinking, seeing, should we be talking to somebody else? Are there other resources we should be gathering?
00:22:51
Speaker
But I think more than anything, it's just an invitation to connect and to share and create lasting content. You know, I find myself in my role where I'm doing a lot of new business development and or account growth with our clients wanting to refer back to something that we had talked about in the previous week, month, quarter, year, and to have some of this content that's available and say, hey, you know, if you got time on the drive home,
00:23:14
Speaker
Hit play on this fast forward to, you know, minute 17. If you don't want to listen to all the other stuff, but we, we bat that around a little bit, uh, listen to it, get a sense of work, where we're coming from and, you know, let us know what you think. I, I like the idea of that and having some of this lasting content versus, uh, more of the.
00:23:32
Speaker
you know, the the let's say Instagram story approach where you have that conversation and unless you capture it in a meaningful way, it's easy to lose it. So yeah, this will be fun to look back on and you know, check us out in episode one versus episode 100 is the gray hairs come in and the hair lines start creeping back and you know, just you know,
00:23:51
Speaker
realizing everything we've learned and how we've evolved this kind of log of our professional thoughts and where we're at as an organization will be, I think, really fun to look back on and reflect upon. So you're talking about those that commuting, push play and whatnot. Who do you think is not our demographic, not like our target audience, but who do you think this podcast and hopefully our topics, what we bring to the table, who do you think that's for?
00:24:22
Speaker
You know, I think ultimately it's, it's probably for people that are, are tackling a lot of the issues that we're tackling professionally. Um, you know, I'd like to think that obviously a couple of white fellows here with families, there's, there's a lot of commonality between the two of us that might resonate with others that are.
00:24:39
Speaker
out there trying to find that balance between being really good family men and being great fathers and having this meaningful career that affords us the opportunities that we as a family value and the opportunity to contribute to our communities. But I think really that common thread probably is someone who's at least involved in professional services at a high level and then probably a little bit more specifically that care about what's going on with the web.
00:25:07
Speaker
you know, what's going on with the way in which people are communicating online. It doesn't have to be someone who's professionally engaged in that, but I think someone who's really curious and interested in that general topic will have a little more stickiness as compared to someone who, you know, has a family and not a lot of other relatability. So yeah, business, small business owners,
00:25:27
Speaker
marketing professionals, sales professionals, technical professionals, people that are managing and organizing teams within their organizations. I think all of those folks would hopefully find some stuff that's of value in here. And again, will let us know where they think it's really great, where we're missing resources and perspective, and perhaps they could come on and share some of their perspective as well.
00:25:52
Speaker
Yeah, so I was thinking about that yesterday, is the who we will appeal to. And I think about, again, podcasts that I'm listening to. There's some, I looked up a ton for web development or creative design or creative process, creative directors. And a lot of them were so niche that it was tough for me to really connect. I got a bunch and I understood what they were doing, but it just didn't appeal to me because I wanted the whole story. I didn't get to know who they were. I didn't get to know what the business stood for and all that.
00:26:21
Speaker
And I think what you just said right there of like kind of just getting the whole picture of us as individuals is I think our strength and that we're not just talking about, you know, this specific development code process or even biz dev talking about how we're getting these clients, how we're talking to new clients, how we're approaching, how we market ourselves.
00:26:42
Speaker
It's kind of all of it, everything, you know, all boiled into one. Yeah. What do you think we hope to gain out of doing a podcast? I know you'd mention maybe some traction just as we get to like episode 100, hopefully, that, you know, maybe our followership is starting to engage with us.
00:27:06
Speaker
On that note, I need to talk to Stefan. But pretty much, I think we're going to do web well at cascadewebdev.com. I think we're going to basically have to just make an email. So don't hold
00:27:20
Speaker
that against me. If we don't, I'll figure out kind of what the email will be. But basically, we'd love to get that engagement with viewers that have questions, comments, want to join, you know, have something else that they can contribute to our conversation, I think would just be, for me, what I would love to see out of this. What are your thoughts on that too?
00:27:41
Speaker
Yeah, I think in the world we're living in, as you mentioned, hopefully we'll gain followers. But I also think it's one of those things where it's really fascinating to run this remote organization. And we don't get a lot of time to just chat and connect. And so creating space for that is something that I'm really interested in doing, allowing us to kind of unpack some of these topics and explore how can we
00:28:09
Speaker
you know, work through this stuff. And, you know, sometimes I wish I took better notes. So I think I can view these sort of as digital notes as well in terms of things that we tackled and, you know, want to put into practice. So I think those are those are things that I'm excited about. Really, like I said, create the space, have the conversations and then have that log of discussion that builds upon itself as we try and grow a community and gather other perspectives.
00:28:36
Speaker
get better at what we do. Ultimately, I think that's what this is all about is ultimately delivering better service for our clients and putting ourselves out there, exposing ourselves.
00:28:45
Speaker
Uh, so we're in a position to learn and improve is, is something that I mostly enjoy, right? Obviously sometimes with the deficiencies are serious and you're like, wow, I got a big gap to cover here that can be, uh, you know, challenging, but, you know, opening up for, for opportunities for growth like that, I think are, are really
Engagement and Collaboration with Listeners
00:29:02
Speaker
exciting. I think even inviting customers, clients, you know,
00:29:07
Speaker
And stop. I got Christie at the the the tire shop trying to figure out a problem and I'm guessing she needs me. So five minutes later. This is the reality of Ben and I our lives is sometimes our spouses call and we have to stop what we're doing and help and figure this out.
00:29:30
Speaker
When I have Josiah home, my son, who is 11, fifth grader, I shut this door to my office, but somehow the barrier of this wall here in these doors does not suggest that it's closed, like stay out, right? Cause I'm just trying to work, just trying to, I'm here, we all know I'm here, but this idea like I'm at work, right? Like, so pretend that I'm at work in another building, you don't access me unless something's on fire, right? That's funny.
00:30:00
Speaker
Um, I think you were talking about, and I'll cut all this together, but talking about, um, what we gain, uh, what we're, we're hoping to gain from this podcast.
00:30:14
Speaker
viewership, listeners, you know, um, so I was going to jump in actually right as you were talking, but basically inviting clients into that conversation, I think is, is something that I would, I hope to invite. I hope we can get some clients that we work with and not to brag about what we can do for them, what we've done for them, not to brag necessarily about what they're doing, but really to say we're all learning.
00:30:41
Speaker
And to say that we've learned it all was just so ignorant and so wrong. But just to continue to modify what we're doing process-wise, technology-wise, speaking of technology, like how we're using it, I look forward to that.
00:31:00
Speaker
Which actually goes to my last question, Ben, is what kind of topics people are probably going to be looking for as we produce these? What are we going to be talking about?
00:31:12
Speaker
Well, there's certainly some stuff that's really driven by media right now. And it feels like AI is just at this fever pitch of hype.
Exploring AI and Technology in Business
00:31:24
Speaker
So I think unpacking that's kind of fun and dissecting it. What are we seeing? Where are opportunities? Where is it just total noise where people are throwing
00:31:32
Speaker
throwing money at something that, you know, has no chance of getting them a meaningful return. So I think, you know, following some of those media headlines will be kind of fun. As an organization, we've got some really exciting things we're looking at as it relates to how we're developing our software, right? So getting into the weeds of some things like content management systems that are closely connected to the front end of the website, as compared to what are referred to as headless CMSs, where you've got
00:31:59
Speaker
this data repository and it's pushing content and data out to a variety of different web properties. You know, we've got a client now who has sort of a main website that is a traditional distributor type relationship with a bunch of brands and now they're wanting to stub off and create these separate brand websites for some of their international brands they represent that are looking for representation of the brand
00:32:24
Speaker
in the United States. And so them expanding their offerings. And so I think at the end of the day, you know, we've got what I was kept me involved in this business all of these years is it really allows me to chase after and support organizations that I'm fascinated with and and causes.
00:32:41
Speaker
And then through that, learn a tremendous amount about what their challenges are, what their opportunities look like, and work together to really make each other better, right? To understand how can we optimize the way you're delivering a service, communicating with members of your team, you know, selling a product? How can we reduce friction and all the things you're trying to create? And if we can build those tools once, we can use those in the world of software many times for many other applications. So
00:33:07
Speaker
that type of symbiotic relationship and evolving together has just been a really cool thing to be a part of. And you know, giving our our some of our clients an opportunity to share their story to shine a light on them as humans and their journey that got them where they are within an organization, whether they started it or
00:33:25
Speaker
are employed by it, as well as to learn more about these organizations and some of the really cool ways that they're leveraging technology to disrupt their markets, better serve their customers and clients, and seeing that relationship hopefully evolve and get tighter over the years.
00:33:43
Speaker
Yeah, I think to layer on to that too is is process as we learn and develop and evolve in process, figuring out the why right so as, as you mentioned, building software. It's not just building it to that need but figuring out the why the core reason behind that we talked about that.
00:33:59
Speaker
recently about the feelings of how that made you feel and the reasons for that. And so I think that will be something that will be definitely discussed in the future with us as we continue with clients. One of the things that I would love to do within that is even like you mentioned that client.
00:34:16
Speaker
at some point naming them, at some point bringing them on, you know, Don and Dave and see what they could contribute to it, but also following up with them at the end of said project or milestone, right? Because they're just continuing and ongoing, but bringing them back into that conversation, talk about what we tried, what we did.
00:34:36
Speaker
how we solved problems, and not because we're claiming we know it all. That is something that we're definitely, especially you and I have been, we're not claiming we know it all. We have developers that help for that, but as an organization, how we're solving for people's needs, for barriers, for what they're wanting in helping solve those problems. I think that to round out those conversations is definitely something that
00:35:03
Speaker
that we will be planning or should be planning to discuss here on this podcast. So I look forward to that. Yeah. So go ahead. Yeah. And I guess not to cut you off, but that's, that's one other thing. One of the things I love too about,
00:35:18
Speaker
you know, embracing the fact that we've been at this a long time, that we're along in the tooth, as they say is, is we've learned a lot through a lot of mistakes. And, and I enjoy mentorship, not only in the receiving end of it, which I've certainly required a lot of that over the years to get, you know, to get where I'm at, but also just sharing that, you know, gosh, I'm, I'm looking forward to just, you know, sharing in some of those, those setbacks. And, and, you know, there's so much opportunity for growth with those setbacks and,
00:35:45
Speaker
being able to put that out there and share it with others and hopefully help others avoid some of the mistakes we've made. That would be a huge positive that could come out of this effort as well. So yeah, we'll be looking to not just be patting ourselves on the back. In fact, it's definitely not in my nature. So I'd much rather just share where the incredible learning was and
00:36:06
Speaker
Um, you know, talk about, you know, the team that helped to bring that to life and, you know, the, the much more ideal future state that was created as a result of, of that learning. That will be, uh, that'll be fun to go back and, and, you know, revisit some of those, those experiences. Yeah. As we experiment really with the format of this podcast, I think that's going to be that section of like, um,
00:36:28
Speaker
okay, listeners, help us learn. Tell us what you learned by doing this. Did you have a similar project? Did you work on solving for this issue? What was your solution? I think I, like you, I think we thrive on that is asking those questions and like teach us too. It doesn't mean it's the solution for this, but maybe it'll help give us some insight that we didn't, so we don't have to go down this road to failure. We can learn from others.
00:36:54
Speaker
So in closing, that is really kind of some of the topics that we plan to talk about in the end or tail part of these. I just definitely wanna invite listeners to send us those emails. Like I said, probably gonna be webwell at cascadewebdev.com. I'll make sure that it's put into any of the descriptions that you see this here. I'm gonna actually send a Slack message to
00:37:20
Speaker
Stefan right now and get that going. But we really are excited to get this started, excited to invite listeners to join us in this journey as we don't claim to be podcast pros. And we really humbly ask that you continue to listen and contribute and let us know what you think.
00:37:40
Speaker
Awesome. Well, thanks again, Simon. Looking forward to heading down this path with you and, uh, and seeing who wants to come along for the ride. And, uh, I think it's going to be a real fun, real fun journey for us here. So look forward to doing it again soon. All right. Thanks everyone.