It all started at military school.

Has been doing 43Folders since 2004

Was originally an Adaptive Path guy

All started with wanting a place he could write about topics that he was interested in

*NOTE – Merlin is hilarious *

Really started the site as a means to document notes to himself. Wasn’t really serious but it turned into something very real.

Feels lucky to have a partner who sells ads on his site and it generates a decent amount of revenue

Feels that if you are awesome and passionate about what you are doing you have a chance at success. You might not be rich, but if you are passionate and trying to server your users/customers you have a good chance.

Throwing youself at something 100% gives you a great chance at succeeding more than those who are not at 100%. The challenge comes when you have to do other stuff.

Long terms he’s looking to evolve his blog into just one part of his portfolio. Speaking and other engagements would be great.

When you are a small startup you have a clock ticking and you need to get things done. In order to make that happen you need to put aside petty issues and many of the things that tend to slow down larger organizations.

You need to find ways to tap into the entrepreneurial spirit in every employee.

People who are anal about the right things can really help you get things done. You need to get the mix right.

Culture starts to emerge from even the smallest startup.

You want to find people who solve issues, rather than just push bits.

Multi-talented people who can work together are an important key. Smart people who can communicate are important.

If you do choose to grow your business, make sure it grows into something you want and feel good about. Growth just for growth isn’t always a great idea.