adahm

Minneapolis, MN: Web Developer

Fast Horse seeks a front-end web developer to lead digital production on a wide variety of projects. We need a go-getter who can offer and implement innovative web design, UX and UI ideas. Candidate must be able to code standards-compliant sites and social applications.

Responsibilities • Create standards-compliant websites • Help design and build custom Facebook tabs and various other social applications • Customize and create WordPress templates • Provide valuable input on web design, user experience and user interface for digital development projects • Implement SEO best practices on all projects • Communicate effectively with colleagues and clients • Develop cost estimates for digital projects

Skills & Experience • Proven track record of coding standards compliant sites • Strong focus on front-end design and modern web/mobile design • Familiarity with implementing responsive design • Strong understanding of APIs • Experience in building social applications interfacing with Facebook and Twitter • Project management – including the ability to set and meet deadlines and budgets • Problem analysis – thoroughly defining challenges and solutions • Resourcefulness– integrating creative knowledge with business realities • Openness to new ideas and influences • Curiosity to seek out new techniques and innovations Intangibles We value initiative, a sense of humor, risk-taking and flexibility. You also need to have a thick skin and a long fuse to thrive in a creative, open, fast-paced environment

Workplace/Compensation Fast Horse has been named as one of Minnesota’s Best Places to Work by both The Mpls/St. Paul Business Journal and Minnesota Business Magazine, and was named to the The Mpls/St. Paul Business Journal’s “Fast 50″ list honoring the fastest-growing companies in the Twin Cities. We offer a highly flexible workplace, where Fast Horse staffers are untethered by a designated office or desk. We call it “hotdesking.” Our building is set up to facilitate communication and collaboration, and our people are offered the flexibility work wherever they desire, whether that’s at the office, at a coffee shop, at home, or anywhere else where they feel creative and productive. We offer highly competitive salaries and benefits, including a cafeteria healthcare plan, a SIMPLE IRA, and incentive compensation opportunities.

To apply for this position, email your resume and a link to your portfolio to info@fasthorseinc.com

I just feel like we should caution against stigmatizing large swaths of anyone, be them technical v non-technical, MBAs, Berkly CS v Standford CS, Vegetarians v meat eaters, or whatever the case may be. If there's one thing that's been proven by startups it's that it's all about finding exceptional individuals, in whatever shape or form they come in. I know there are qualifications at the beginning of the post, but I still feel like point number 2, "Entitlement" can be roughly translated to "MBAs are entitled, overvalued egotists". While I agree this happens to be the case sometimes, I do not have an MBA but did do business undergrad so I know the type, the best people will always rise to the top. So while I totally agree that hiring an MBA just to have an MBA is a terrible idea, there will be MBAs who provide startups with INVALUABLE help because of who they are as individuals. Just like hiring a Stanford CS major doesn't automatically mean you hired the best possible programmer, hiring the best possible programmer does that. Hiring based upon intelligence, perseverance, creativity, know how, how someone fits into the team, etc. etc. will put any startup in the best position to be successful. And those people come from everywhere. They may not have even finished college, maybe they worked in a completely unrelated field, maybe they traveled for a while, or decided to give professional archery a try. If they're smart, they're smart. If they fit in, they fit in. No need to limit where startups should be looking for people, its already tough enough to find amazing talent.

Have to say, I feel like being a "non-coder" is becoming shorthand for calling someone second class in this tech startup ecosphere. As someone with lots to bring to the table, especially domain expertise, business acumen, marketing, design, etc etc. I always feel a bit on the outside looking in. I have started to learn to code but more so to become conversational with hackers/programmers/coders. I'll never be that good though, I know that. I might be able to get to the point where I can hack together a prototype or speak to someone like a conversational Spanish speaker speaks to a native Spanish speaker. But will that be good enough?

I feel like the point that needs to be made here is that EVERYONE has something to bring to the table. Everyone is good at something and on a TEAM, that's what matters. Sure a team of amazing coders can make something great, but a great product does not a great business make. Sometimes, ie PayPal and others, all coders create a hugely successful business. But Zuckerberg is not a great entrepreneur because he's a great coder. He's a great entrepreneur who happens to be able to code. So instead of worshipping at the alters of coders, and I have TONS of respect for what you guys can do, we need to acknowledge that a successful STARTUP is more than code. So much more. Its about assembling the right team with the right combination of skills. Coding is one of them sure, but to say its the only one and labeling someone who doesn't as "non-technical" like its a bad thing, negates the notion that a business runs on more than just what can be hacked together. If a car were just an engine, we'd still be driving model-Ts. What makes something beautiful, what makes it successful, what makes it sell for 1 billion dollars is the specific combination of skills and how they work in chorus to solve a need better than anyone else. And those skills are varied, complex, and come from a lot of different areas.

Brilliant. Just brilliant. Felt like I just found a webpage I searched for in Magellan.

Love this idea. Also LA based, so I'll definitely be hitting this up. Lord knows I need the excercise...

Congrats! One of the first to post as far as I can tell.

The question is, can it continue to not be a bubble? With so many investors vying to invest in YC companies in angel rounds the demand is eventually going to reach an unsustainable frenzy. Good for them, as the author assumes, if they are being more conservative and not really asking what they could (25mm priced rounds) just because they could. If prices keep going up, and there's a bad batch or two (not saying there will ever be ;)) then it could go away in true bubble fashion. What won't go away is the consistency in tutelage and the invaluable, growing alumni network. The question is if there is a way to keep YC Companies from hitting that bubble and then bursting it, just by sheer force of demand and consistency of investment in an otherwise inconsistent environment?

Godspeed to all applicants!

The best case scenario is to find someone when the idea is in its nascent stages. That way the product can be developed with the market and consumer in mind, specifically how it's going to get to the consumer. Tweaks can be made along the way so the the product has a more perfect market fit. Then marketing is easier because, with that person on board, ideally lots pf testing has been done to see if the product ideally fits the marketplace's demand. If consumers don't really want it, then no amount of marketing will help them to buy it. And rarely does creating a fully birthed product and only then thinking, "Ok, now who wants to buy this and how do we get it to them?" ever work.

I say, find someone non-technical or someone who focuses on this from the beginning as a co-founder. Having all hackers means sometimes people can get lost in the trees of coding without even remembering what forrest they're in. Tons and tons of exceptions to this rule obviously but certainly what I've seen. Also, it's much tougher to bring a product to a marketing person that hasn't been throughly market tested and tweaked thereof, and simply say, "Ok, now you do the rest." The market and consumers should always, always be in anyone's mind the entire time they're creating a product.

Also. There are tons of non-technical types with wealths of experience in business, marketing, etc etc. on HN. I being one of them :) Hell, I think it's near impossible to find programmers since I don't run in programmer/hacker circles. So we always have the same question of where the hell do you find a great, technical co-founder who's a compliment to yourself. It's all a bit like dating I suppose.....

Really like the redesign. Great, great work Kyro! My one feeling, as a non-designer and merely as a user, is that the product itself is so much fun, I wish there would have been a bit more of that vitality infused into the design. Just experientially, I feel like using the site should closely mirror the experience of using the product. So something a bit more dynamic, maybe in color or vibrancy, might have punched it up a notch. That's a small quibble. Overall, really solid.

Wish this would have come out about 6 months ago. Spent about $350 on the Motorola MotoActiv. It's a great GPS fitness device with bluetooth, and right now is definitely more functional that this watch, but it's still fairly clunky. The fact that it isn't open source means that you have to rely solely on updates from Motorola themselves. The bike computer function is lacking and the bluetooth linking isn't great, especially when you're already using a heart monitor. Although obvious downside is having to carry your phone with you when working out but that's already something my wife does anyway. It will depends on how robust the apps become, but this could be a major win for these guys.

I'm 26 but couldn't agree more with a lot of what's said. I'm married younger than most in my industry and feel an intense pressure to work all hours of the week, essentially be on call 24/7. And most kids entering my field do, they make their job their whole life. I'm just not willing to do that and think it's very important to draw those work/life boundaries. It doesn't make you less of an asset at your job because most of the work I see is work for work's sake, to seem like they are putting in the effort. Working smarter, not harder is absolutely right. And there are also other tactics that are important. Working from home if need be, adjusting your hours so you can make time for your family/kids and still get things done, etc. Burn out is a big risk and my guess is that even though most kids in startups are young, there are many who are unsuccessful because they think they need to work 100+ hour weeks and just can't maintain the pace. They get burnt out, fail at what they're doing, and end up squandering a lot of talent. If they'd just rationed their energy, who knows what could have happened.