Prototyping Partnerships

The Conversation Factory

How do you make a friend?

How do you become lovers with someone?

How do you become business partners?

In RomComs, there’s a “meet-cute”...the hilarious and unlikely way two people in this topsy-turvy mixed-up world collide and fall madly, rapidly in love.

In the real world, taking time and gradually testing, trying and yes, prototyping a relationship is ideal. In love, we call it dating. There’s no good word for “friend-dating”, especially when you’re doing it with someone of the same sex.

And with founding a company…where does the conversation start?

In this conversation, I sit down with Jane Portman and Benedikt Deicke, co-founders of Userlist, on how they connected through shared communities, and learned how each other really worked through real-world, previous projects.

They also share their insights on setting the stage for both a long-term vision for building a company AND for a possible exit from a partnership through thoughtful conversations.

Userlist is a tool for sending behavior-based messages to SaaS customers and recently completed a pre-seed round with 21 angel inventors.

Benedikt is a software engineer from Germany who loves to plan, build, and grow web applications. He co-hosts the Slow And Steady Podcast and organizes the Femto Conference, a tiny conference for self-funded tech companies. Jane is a leading UI/UX consultant specializing in web application design, and has been the host and founder of the UI Breakfast podcast since 2014 (she kindly invited me to join her show in early 2022).

Enjoy my conversation with these two delightful co-founders as much as I did.

Head over to theconversationfactory.com/listen for full episode transcripts, links, show notes, and more key quotes and ideas. You can also head over there and become a monthly supporter of the show for as little as $8 a month. You'll get complimentary access to exclusive workshops and resources that I only share with this circle of facilitators and leaders.

Links

UI Breakfast

Userlist

benediktdeicke.com

Better Done than Perfect podcast

Jane's Story: Turning Thirty: Story of My Life

Culture, Values, Operating Principles & More

Inspire, Not Instruct: How We Do User Onboarding at Userlist