Allen Scott ’s Post

Throughout 2024, there has been a real buzz developing in Boulder, CO. In 2025, this buzz will turn into an amazing opportunity for many. Suite Studios launched our storage product towards the end of 2023 in Q4. Today, flying back to the east coast for the holidays, I look over to my left and see someone watching Simone Biles - Rising, a documentary powered by Suite, and started thinking about all that the team here has been able to accomplish. Seeing the level of creative work we’ve helped enable (#1 music video in the world, #1 show on Netflix, #1 album on billboard, the list goes on…) is truly a testament to the amazing team we have. Thank you team for moving the line each and every day, striving to keep progressing, keep learning, and for giving it your best. It’s working. In 2025, we are hiring across the board, and for the right people, this is an amazing opportunity to join something special. For my engineers: Suite is a true technology company and we solve REAL technology problems. Like - enabling one team that needed to collaborate on 60FPS (frames per second) footage @ 1GB per frame, in real time, across the world, nonstop, 24/7, for 2 months to hit a deadline - type of problems. Our open roles can be found below. For my sales reps: Before Suite, some teams would wait days for hard drives to arrive through the mail, or wait days for downloads to hopefully complete without failing. There is so much demand and need for what we do, we work with amazing teams and amazing creative people, and you’ll be on the front lines. Our open roles can be found below. If you’re looking to make a change in 2025, to join a team that values great ideas and progress over doing something “because it’s easy”. I urge you to take a look at Suite in Boulder, come feel the buzz, and amplify it. 🚀

"Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to embark on a journey that will redefine the very fabric of our existence! Introducing Net Studios Inc., where innovation meets community, and dreams are born anew. In a world where technology often pulls us apart, Net Studios Inc. is here to flip the script. We're not just another company; we're a movement—a movement toward real connection, toward treating each other with the respect and dignity we all deserve. Gone are the days of isolation; with Net Studios Inc., you're not just a cog in the machine, you're part of something greater, something truly extraordinary. But let's rewind a bit, shall we? Remember when the financial world took a hit, and hope seemed like a distant dream? Well, that's when Net Studios Inc. stepped onto the scene, blazing a trail of innovation and inspiration. Founded by visionaries Adam and Miguel, Net Studios Inc. isn't just a business; it's a testament to the power of collaboration and shared success. So, what sets us apart? It's simple: community, friendship, and good old-fashioned humanity. Sure, we've got technology on our side, but at the heart of Net Studios Inc. lies something far more profound—a commitment to values that pave the way toward a brighter future. So, who's ready to join us on this incredible journey? Who's ready to be part of something truly unique and extraordinary? Because at Net Studios Inc., the future isn't just bright; it's positively radiant. So come on board, and let's change the world together!" 🌟🚀

"Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to embark on a journey that will redefine the very fabric of our existence! Introducing Net Studios Inc., where innovation meets community, and dreams are born anew. In a world where technology often pulls us apart, Net Studios Inc. is here to flip the script. We're not just another company; we're a movement—a movement toward real connection, toward treating each other with the respect and dignity we all deserve. Gone are the days of isolation; with Net Studios Inc., you're not just a cog in the machine, you're part of something greater, something truly extraordinary. But let's rewind a bit, shall we? Remember when the financial world took a hit, and hope seemed like a distant dream? Well, that's when Net Studios Inc. stepped onto the scene, blazing a trail of innovation and inspiration. Founded by visionaries Jason and Nick, Net Studios Inc. isn't just a business; it's a testament to the power of collaboration and shared success. So, what sets us apart? It's simple: community, friendship, and good old-fashioned humanity. Sure, we've got technology on our side, but at the heart of Net Studios Inc. lies something far more profound—a commitment to values that pave the way toward a brighter future. So, who's ready to join us on this incredible journey? Who's ready to be part of something truly unique and extraordinary? Because at Net Studios Inc., the future isn't just bright; it's positively radiant. So come on board, and let's change the world together!" 🌟🚀

I made some expensive mistakes when scaling my studio. Here's what I'd do differently: 1/ First mistake: Being a generalist I spread myself too thin trying to serve everyone. You need to make a huge splash in one niche, not tiny ripples everywhere. For me? Web3 was the sweet spot. 2/ Second mistake: Ignoring red flags when hiring I always want to see the best in people. But rushing hires damaged our quality and reputation. Lesson: Take time to find the right fit. 3/ Third mistake: Underpricing our value Started at $9k/month per client. Senior talent costs ate our margins. Doubled prices to $18k/month. Result? Fewer but better clients. Higher profits. 4/ Fourth mistake: Dropping the content game Got busy with 13 clients. Stopped showing up online. When projects ended, our lead pipeline was dry. Never stop sharing. Even my mistakes led to $180k/mo. Best decision I ever made.

Our design studio is 5 years old this month 🎂 What an achievement for me personally as a Scotsman living as an expat operating out of Germany. It’s not easy to navigate the complex and often at times, strict business systems and laws. It’s been an amazing run, but it’s getting more tough as time passes. We’ve not really recovered from the freak layoffs in November last year and personally it raises lots of questions about myself as a designer, partner and business owner. How do you stay motivated when your design studio is losing around 85% of the general yearly income that was consistent for 4 years in a row until around 9 months ago? This last year we’ve taken a beating with the clients lost, a lack of long term projects, and to top it off a non-paying client who is now ghosting us, which is a first ever (in my career). For me personally, I’m struggling language wise in a foreign country. Not that I can’t speak German — I can but just not so good and frustratingly it’s just really hard to speak from the heart and with passion. I’ve always been lucky to have worked 80% of the time in English speaking teams and projects. But the pressure feels overwhelming at times that I’m fading away, out of reach, knowing there’s so much to offer. At 46, am I too old? Have I become unemployable? Perhaps I’m too expensive? Maybe I’m misunderstood, or just not good enough anymore? Is it because I’m high functioning AuDHD? These questions eat away at me daily. But also motivates me to keep on my toes. When the same amount of passion and quality of work is still present, it’s hard to assess why things have ended up this way in the last year. However, the struggle is real right now wondering if I should pack it all in and head home to Scotland. But that’s where I’m also trapped having 2 daughters who have a life here in Germany. It’s their culture. Their future and my fight. Plus I’m so passionate about the power of design for positive change. Guess I’ll have to fight another day 💪 We hope to toast the 6th studio birthday next year, but for now will be laying low on this one.

On my way to Munich today, where I’ll be hosting an exclusive dinner for some members of Women of Colour Tech Connect this week. As I watch the scenery rush by, my mind keeps returning to a conversation I had earlier this week with a friend who is a Senior Frontend Engineer. He asked me, “Elizabeth, why do you think I’m good at what I do?” Without hesitation, I replied, “Because when you run into issues, you know how to navigate through them—and you keep improving your approach to challenges every single time.” That moment sparked a deep discussion about what makes problem solvers stand out. Whether it’s classmates asking for help because they trust you’ll figure it out first, or gracefully guiding someone to the right documentation or the right expert—you’re valuable when you can tackle challenges head-on and turn them into opportunities for growth. It’s easy to shy away from difficult problems, but what if we leaned into them instead? Yes, finding the solution may take time. It might be messy or even uncomfortable. But in the process, you gain so much more—new insights, alternative solutions, and a deepened understanding of the problem space. Think of it this way: Instead of waiting for someone else to solve it and return to tell you the one-line solution, you uncover that solution and twenty possible root causes, and ten tools or approaches that can help you in the future. That depth of knowledge transforms you into someone others turn to when it matters most. So I ask you—do you avoid challenges, or do you embrace them, knowing they’ll leave you sharper, wiser, and more resilient? Let’s keep growing, one solved problem at a time. P.S.: Attached herewith is a picture of my Builder’s Mug of Endless Energy 😌.

I almost didn't make this post. There was a part of me trying to convince myself that I'll work on this project whenever I have time, and that I don't need Buildspace or Nights and Weekends to keep me on task. But to be honest, that would have been a lie. I'm 3 weeks into a position working at an Exelon data center and it's been an incredible experience so far, but I underestimated the impact that a full-time position with a 1-2 hour commute would have on my ability to do personal projects. It takes a lot of energy, and it can be hard to convince myself after waking up at 5:40 in the morning and working all day to pursue a personal project. But from listening to Farza Majeed and taking part in week one of S5 of Nights and Weekends, I realized that this program could be the extra motivation that I need. Nights and Weekends is a program designed to help people commit to projects that they want to work on but haven't had the time or motivation to, and I'm so grateful that S5 came when it did to help motivate me to continue with personal projects. With that in mind, for Nights and Weekends I want to work on a custom video game controller designed specifically for video game challenges. I love crazy video game challenges and wacky control schemes, and so I wanted to put my own solution into the mix. I want to design and develop a system that supports various controller bases with swappable components and allows you to develop and load custom firmware for whatever challenge you may want to do. Now, I don't anticipate being able to finish this during the span of Nights & Weekends (especially considering that I've just only recently gotten into hardware and electronics), but I do think I can design and develop a controller and take it from there, using Nights and Weekends as a springboard. Thanks to Buildspace for helping keep me motivated and the incredible experience that I believe Nights and Weekends will be! And thanks to Max Yee for getting me into Nights and Weekends! #buildspace #alterok #nightsandweekends

Dianna Lesage had a great post, sharing some of the  staffing trends of Studios over the last few years. Average Studio full-time staff size? 27.3 And part-time staff? 4.1 on average. Call it 31 total. Even building 10 companies a year, that’s 3 full-time employees in the studio per company built. And most studios build less than 10 companies per year. And those that do  tend to have a touch more full-time staff. Pull out a 6 staff members for studio operations support, and a studio building 10 companies a year would still deliver 2.5 FTEs or 100 hours a week of hands on support building portfolio companies. That’s the data that helped us come up  with the question within this carousel Which enables you to see if we are dealing  with a Venture Studio, or Vulture Studio P.S. For more insights on navigating venture studios,  follow (Matthew Burris) for tips and strategies  on building/investing in Venture Studios.

🤔 #Designed by an #engineer or a 5 year old? This (maybe bad?) joke came up often while working on internal tools at Reddit, Inc. As an #ops-facing team, getting design resources was difficult. ➡️ Design plays a crucial role in highlighting important information, guiding calls to action, and reducing the cognitive burden on users. At Camino, we learned the hard way that hiring a #designer sooner would have made a world of difference. 😔 Manuela Navarro, our designer, has been doing amazing work! Here is a before and after of reviewing scheduled emails for a new hire. Let’s be honest, my joke might not be fair to 5-year-olds. The lesson? Identifying and addressing team gaps, and hiring for them, can be vital for your teams success. ❓ What key hires did you make too late that you wish you’d done sooner?

The type of posts I want to see on LinkedIn