Forget Friction, Start Moving!

I recently got laid off from a 7-year job as a Senior Developer and Product Manager.

It was shocking, even though the company wasn't in the best state. It hurt, even if I was starting to feel numb.

Throughout the years, I had grown from Developer to Lead Developer to Product Manager, and I wore an array of hats that would make the mad-hatter jealous.

All that time, through rounds of growth and decline, my hope never ran out to try and fix the problems. I always wanted to make it a better place for fellow programmers and PMs. I had done it multiple times before, but I wasn't always in control and couldn't keep things clean. But now, without a job, it only makes sense to dive back in and continue that fight elsewhere.

What better place than your project or company?

Forgetting Friction

I've had Stabilize in the back of my head, like a dream just out of reach, for almost 10 years. I've had the logo and the domain for at least two. I've had plans ruminating for years. I've read the books, listened to the podcasts, seen the successes, and dreamt it for myself.

In our ecosystem, there's no shortage of success stories. Take your pick: Basecamp, Laravel, Laravel-News, Laracasts, Tighten, Thunk, Nuno Maduro, Caleb Porzio, Aaron Francis, Josh Cirre, and so many others! The list goes well into the past and will continue to grow into the future. And that's just in a small bubble, I'd run out of server space if I tried to list everyone that's gone out and made it work. All the teams, individuals, and dreamers-turned-doers that took a chance on their ideas and got the top spinning!

There's no less friction in a career path than when you have no clear path ahead. When you're starting from scratch and deciding what to do next. It can feel daunting, but you're not alone. You have support, and you have community, you just have to go for it!

So here's me going for it.

Starting to Move

Stabilize is, as the name suggests, an agency that gives a damn about your imbalances and wants to reduce them. It's a partner that focuses on getting you going, or leveling you out, to keep you moving. It's the place I want to work, doing the work I want to do.

Here's the quick list I've given friends and family of the three main tenets:

• An agency that gets your next web app going, with a stable foundation and process.
• An agency that uses both product and programming knowledge to mentor and foster solid processes and practices.
• An agency that trains on better tools or builds them when they're lacking, for the community and clients alike, to reduce process friction.

Those aren't ground-breaking, they aren't unheard of, but they are needed.

If those sound like items checked off of your project or company's list, then partner with us!

As the saying goes, the best time to start something was yesterday, the second best time to start is now. So I'm choosing to forget the friction, get the momentum going, and start moving.

Hope to help you stabilize something soon.