Writing by Bart Loranghttps://bartlorang.com/https://bartlorang.com/blog/the-joy-of-jardin-du-luxembourg/https://bartlorang.com/blog/the-joy-of-jardin-du-luxembourg/I haven’t written publicly in a long, long time, but a few days ago, walking through Jardin Du Luxembourg in Paris, I felt the urge to…Mon, 01 Aug 2022 12:50:03 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/save-a-glass-of-wine-and-a-dance-for-me/https://bartlorang.com/blog/save-a-glass-of-wine-and-a-dance-for-me/Early morning on Friday, September 8th, 2017, my older sister Michelle Lorang Nichterlein passed away after a courageous eight year battle…Mon, 18 Sep 2017 17:39:00 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/happy-4th-anniversary-sarah-lorang/https://bartlorang.com/blog/happy-4th-anniversary-sarah-lorang/Dear Wifey,Thu, 29 Sep 2016 12:43:27 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/finding-comfort-in-discomfort/https://bartlorang.com/blog/finding-comfort-in-discomfort/This morning I am sitting at Ozo in Boulder, having a coffee and a breakfast burrito alone, pondering the mysteries of the universe while…Sat, 18 Jun 2016 18:19:03 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/addition-by-subtraction/https://bartlorang.com/blog/addition-by-subtraction/After several weeks of heavy international travel and an intense 2016 H1, I decided to Be Awesome With Myself and not work for a few days.Fri, 17 Jun 2016 16:47:33 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/founder-fights-presented-by-fullcontact/https://bartlorang.com/blog/founder-fights-presented-by-fullcontact/A few months ago, my good friend David Mandell told me about a unique event he was putting together for Boulder Startup Week.Tue, 10 May 2016 18:42:54 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/happy-mothers-day-sarah-lorang/https://bartlorang.com/blog/happy-mothers-day-sarah-lorang/My wife Sarah is amazing in many ways. For her birthday in January, I tried to articulate this by giving her the gift of 366 reasons I…Sun, 08 May 2016 10:00:13 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/happy-2nd-trip-around-the-sun-greyson-lorang/https://bartlorang.com/blog/happy-2nd-trip-around-the-sun-greyson-lorang/Well kiddo, congratulations. Today is your 2nd birthday!Mon, 02 May 2016 12:51:09 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/deleting-social-and-news-apps-to-improve-focus-and-creativity/https://bartlorang.com/blog/deleting-social-and-news-apps-to-improve-focus-and-creativity/I was in New Orleans this week for Collision, and one of my colleagues asked me how I maintain productivity and energy.Sun, 01 May 2016 04:11:24 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/red-yellow-green-bringing-personal-check-ins-to-the-office/https://bartlorang.com/blog/red-yellow-green-bringing-personal-check-ins-to-the-office/Two years ago, I learned about the “Personal Check-In” from the folks at Reboot.io. Subsequently, I introduced this concept to meetings I…Fri, 05 Feb 2016 15:16:14 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/fullcontact-makes-super-bowl-monday-an-official-company-holiday/https://bartlorang.com/blog/fullcontact-makes-super-bowl-monday-an-official-company-holiday/At FullContact, we have a bunch of fun HR policies. There is the world famous Paid Paid Vacation. There are Powder Days. There is One…Thu, 04 Feb 2016 22:03:48 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/the-10-to-10-scale-openness-to-learning/https://bartlorang.com/blog/the-10-to-10-scale-openness-to-learning/It’s extremely similar to the Victim vs. Leaders framework that I like to employ. Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I attended a Baird…Thu, 15 Oct 2015 08:52:56 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/be-awesome-with-yourself/https://bartlorang.com/blog/be-awesome-with-yourself/At FullContact, the single overarching and most important core value we hold is “Be Awesome With People.”Tue, 13 Oct 2015 07:42:15 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/warren-buffetts-berkshire-hathaway-took-18-years-to-become-a-unicorn/https://bartlorang.com/blog/warren-buffetts-berkshire-hathaway-took-18-years-to-become-a-unicorn/I am back in Boulder after spending much of the last week in San Francisco at Dreamforce.Sat, 19 Sep 2015 16:09:43 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/the-8-capital-allocation-decisions-ceos-face/https://bartlorang.com/blog/the-8-capital-allocation-decisions-ceos-face/While I was visiting our office in Riga, Latvia a few weeks ago some folks asked me how my job has changed as CEO on the journey over the…Tue, 25 Aug 2015 06:21:40 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/working-remotely-from-copenhagen-for-30-days/https://bartlorang.com/blog/working-remotely-from-copenhagen-for-30-days/This year, Sarah, Greyson and I decided to experiment and live from Copenhagen, Denmark during the month of August as part of…Tue, 18 Aug 2015 08:32:42 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/linkedin-just-removed-the-ability-to-export-your-contacts/https://bartlorang.com/blog/linkedin-just-removed-the-ability-to-export-your-contacts/Wow. Just wow. That’s all I can say. I’ve talked about how LinkedIn is a Walled Garden before, but they’ve taken it to new heights today.Thu, 23 Jul 2015 08:04:29 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/the-magic-of-miraval/https://bartlorang.com/blog/the-magic-of-miraval/Sarah and I just spent the past three nights at Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona.Mon, 29 Jun 2015 13:00:23 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/entrepreneurs-join-me-this-friday-in-supporting-dave-calone-for-congress/https://bartlorang.com/blog/entrepreneurs-join-me-this-friday-in-supporting-dave-calone-for-congress/It’s not often that we have a chance to put a real supporter of entrepreneurs into Congress.Mon, 08 Jun 2015 07:34:50 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/5-years-in-taking-a-deep-breath-and-settling-in-for-the-long-haul/https://bartlorang.com/blog/5-years-in-taking-a-deep-breath-and-settling-in-for-the-long-haul/This weekend Sarah and Greyson have been in New York for a special Mother-in-Law birthday trip, so I have been able to catch up on a lot…Sun, 07 Jun 2015 13:02:33 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/using-intuition-to-make-decisions/https://bartlorang.com/blog/using-intuition-to-make-decisions/The other day I was in the midst of an interesting lunch conversation when my lunch partner said something that hit home:Thu, 23 Apr 2015 07:17:41 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/how-do-you-expect-your-team-to-communicate-closed-loop-or-open-loop/https://bartlorang.com/blog/how-do-you-expect-your-team-to-communicate-closed-loop-or-open-loop/A few Saturdays ago I was cranking on work late into the evening, and as I wrapped up, I decided to watch Brad Feld’s Startup Boards…Mon, 06 Apr 2015 07:00:02 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/to-help-leaders-develop-focus-on-the-relationship-first/https://bartlorang.com/blog/to-help-leaders-develop-focus-on-the-relationship-first/Yesterday, we had our quarterly board meeting at FullContact.Fri, 03 Apr 2015 07:53:18 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/bad-actors-assholes-and-being-awesome-with-people/https://bartlorang.com/blog/bad-actors-assholes-and-being-awesome-with-people/Last night I was going back and forth with another CEO over email about a particularly bad actor we both know.Thu, 05 Mar 2015 07:40:59 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/job-1-of-a-leader-be-clear/https://bartlorang.com/blog/job-1-of-a-leader-be-clear/Being clear is very, very hard to do.Tue, 24 Feb 2015 07:13:08 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/how-do-you-measure-where-your-time-goes/https://bartlorang.com/blog/how-do-you-measure-where-your-time-goes/Calendars are really useful for keeping track of events, meetings and appointments.Fri, 13 Feb 2015 07:47:15 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/the-special-relationship-between-ceos/https://bartlorang.com/blog/the-special-relationship-between-ceos/I met with a fellow CEO last night for a quick get-to-know-you beer.Wed, 04 Feb 2015 21:40:05 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/scaling-up-requires-some-healthy-dysfunction/https://bartlorang.com/blog/scaling-up-requires-some-healthy-dysfunction/If a startup survives long enough, it has a chance to become a real company.Wed, 04 Feb 2015 07:47:40 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/old-man-mornings/https://bartlorang.com/blog/old-man-mornings/“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was…Tue, 03 Feb 2015 07:07:53 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/shit-happens/https://bartlorang.com/blog/shit-happens/“Shit Happens.”Fri, 30 Jan 2015 08:43:19 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/happy-birthday-sarah-i-love-you-to-the-moon-and-back/https://bartlorang.com/blog/happy-birthday-sarah-i-love-you-to-the-moon-and-back/Today is the birthday of my super awesome, amazing, outstanding, spectacular wife Sarah Lorang.Thu, 29 Jan 2015 07:43:13 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/accountability-vs-responsibility/https://bartlorang.com/blog/accountability-vs-responsibility/Lately I have been using the word Accountability instead of Responsibility when writing job descriptions and setting expectations with the…Wed, 28 Jan 2015 07:13:53 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/dont-be-a-pinewood-derby-dad-ceo/https://bartlorang.com/blog/dont-be-a-pinewood-derby-dad-ceo/When I was a kid, I remember the Pinewood Derby. Do you remember?Tue, 27 Jan 2015 05:20:21 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/riding-the-bus-every-day/https://bartlorang.com/blog/riding-the-bus-every-day/Last year, I started riding the bus fairly religiously between Boulder and Denver.Mon, 26 Jan 2015 07:38:32 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/goodbye-grandma-dort-you-were-awesome-with-people/https://bartlorang.com/blog/goodbye-grandma-dort-you-were-awesome-with-people/Late this morning, my Dad called to let me know that my amazing Grandma Dort passed away.Sat, 27 Dec 2014 18:05:45 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/how-the-fullcontact-team-surprised-shocked-and-awed-their-ceo-on-his-35th-birthday/https://bartlorang.com/blog/how-the-fullcontact-team-surprised-shocked-and-awed-their-ceo-on-his-35th-birthday/Today, I turn 35 years old.Sat, 16 Aug 2014 12:42:49 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/welcome-startup-baby-greyson-lorang/https://bartlorang.com/blog/welcome-startup-baby-greyson-lorang/Thoughts on a great first week.Sun, 11 May 2014 21:19:49 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/whats-in-a-startup-baby-name/https://bartlorang.com/blog/whats-in-a-startup-baby-name/On the trials and tribulations of naming your new kidSun, 16 Feb 2014 01:15:07 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/holy-shit-im-having-a-startup-baby/https://bartlorang.com/blog/holy-shit-im-having-a-startup-baby/Holy Shit! I’m having a Startup Baby! A few months ago I came home from work exhausted and mentally drained. As a CEO of a rapidly growing startup , mostSat, 14 Dec 2013 23:19:55 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/42-people-this-startup-ceo-is-thankful-for/https://bartlorang.com/blog/42-people-this-startup-ceo-is-thankful-for/Last night, I had a brief text message exchange with our VP of Engineering, Wim De Pril, about a possible downtime event. It was a false…Thu, 28 Nov 2013 13:42:48 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/startup-community-doerocracy/https://bartlorang.com/blog/startup-community-doerocracy/It’s Denver Startup Week and the energy in Downtown Denver is off the charts.Wed, 18 Sep 2013 17:45:43 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/boulder-is-flooding-and-ive-got-writer-s-block/https://bartlorang.com/blog/boulder-is-flooding-and-ive-got-writer-s-block/Right now, I’m in my house in Boulder, looking outside at the pouring rain.Thu, 12 Sep 2013 16:48:47 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/startups-should-have-exec-off-sites-too/https://bartlorang.com/blog/startups-should-have-exec-off-sites-too/The week before last, the FullContact exec team went on its first ever “offsite meeting.” I had been fiddling with the idea for awhile…Tue, 13 Aug 2013 14:53:58 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/mentoring-entrepreneurs-try-hiking-a-mountain-together/https://bartlorang.com/blog/mentoring-entrepreneurs-try-hiking-a-mountain-together/I just got back from a hike up Mt. Sanitas with Yoav Lurie, CEO of Simple Energy (Techstars Boulder 2011), and Techstars Boulder 2013…Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:35:36 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/the-totally-awesome-startup-community-fund/https://bartlorang.com/blog/the-totally-awesome-startup-community-fund/I get asked the question all the time: “Bart, after coming out of TechStars Boulder why did you locate FullContact in Denver and not…Wed, 24 Jul 2013 14:10:16 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/thats-not-your-customer/https://bartlorang.com/blog/thats-not-your-customer/A few days ago at the FullContact offices our team had an in-depth, knock down, drag out discussion about our roadmap.Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:19:49 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/overwhelmed-by-startup-life-theres-a-bfeld-and-abatchelor-book-for-that/https://bartlorang.com/blog/overwhelmed-by-startup-life-theres-a-bfeld-and-abatchelor-book-for-that/Yesterday afternoon, a man named Masashi Fujita from Hitachi Japan came to our office with a translator to interview me about Paid, PAID…Sat, 09 Feb 2013 13:15:12 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/john-fox-belongs-in-a-fortune-500-company-not-a-startup/https://bartlorang.com/blog/john-fox-belongs-in-a-fortune-500-company-not-a-startup/I just watched the Denver Broncos get beaten by the Baltimore Ravens in Double Overtime, 38–35.Sat, 12 Jan 2013 20:13:14 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/the-saas-fiscal-cliff/https://bartlorang.com/blog/the-saas-fiscal-cliff/I was recently on Money with Melissa Francis on a panel talking about the fiscal cliff deal (hint: I’m the one in the red FullContact…Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:26:37 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/denvers-gschool-6-months-and-60-hours-per-week-turns-you-into-a-web-developer-making-60k/https://bartlorang.com/blog/denvers-gschool-6-months-and-60-hours-per-week-turns-you-into-a-web-developer-making-60k/As any software company knows, good software engineers are hard to find.Sat, 01 Dec 2012 16:43:35 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/31-people-this-startup-founder-is-thankful-for/https://bartlorang.com/blog/31-people-this-startup-founder-is-thankful-for/Startups aren’t easy. In fact, running a startup is one of the hardest things in the world.Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:13:00 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/its-your-brand-don-t-let-other-people-fuck-with-it/https://bartlorang.com/blog/its-your-brand-don-t-let-other-people-fuck-with-it/Most of my life, I never really understood the true power of a ‘brand.’ An engineer by training, I thought ‘brand’ was just a fancy…Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:11:59 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/email-has-taken-over-my-life/https://bartlorang.com/blog/email-has-taken-over-my-life/A few months ago, Brad Feld wrote about The Conundrum of Email and provided some stats on his email usage for the month of June while he…Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:05:21 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/two-startups-the-breakfast-club-and-pure-magic/https://bartlorang.com/blog/two-startups-the-breakfast-club-and-pure-magic/I just got done attending a Mocavo & FullContact “Breakfast Club” at TechStars Boulder.Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:23:08 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/my-23-page-psych-profile/https://bartlorang.com/blog/my-23-page-psych-profile/About a month ago, we had Professor Kerry Plemmons of the Daniels College of Business at University of Denver come in to work with the…Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:34:21 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/best-angel-investment-ever/https://bartlorang.com/blog/best-angel-investment-ever/I’ve made some angel investments that didn’t work out in my life.Mon, 06 Aug 2012 19:30:42 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/want-to-build-a-startup-ecosystem-theres-a-book-for-that/https://bartlorang.com/blog/want-to-build-a-startup-ecosystem-theres-a-book-for-that/I needed a quick break today after continuing to churn through over 3,000 applications as a result of our Paid, PAID Vacation post.Sat, 04 Aug 2012 15:55:06 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/your-mom-is-not-a-valid-test-market/https://bartlorang.com/blog/your-mom-is-not-a-valid-test-market/I recently asked a startup founder if he’d gotten some real feedback on his product.Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:00:27 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/dont-get-grinfucked-by-your-users/https://bartlorang.com/blog/dont-get-grinfucked-by-your-users/I woke up this morning and I couldn’t stop thinking about how evil “sugar coated” feedback is when trying to build great software —…Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:08:01 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/what-startups-can-learn-from-tim-tebow/https://bartlorang.com/blog/what-startups-can-learn-from-tim-tebow/I spent most of last Sunday standing in my living room, watching NFL football, screaming at the television. The past 13 weeks this has…Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:16:58 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/please-put-that-feature-out-of-its-misery/https://bartlorang.com/blog/please-put-that-feature-out-of-its-misery/Kill that feature. Put that feature out of its misery.Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:22:07 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/the-cloud-is-taking-over-and-why-you-should-apply-to-techstars-cloud/https://bartlorang.com/blog/the-cloud-is-taking-over-and-why-you-should-apply-to-techstars-cloud/The cloud is taking over everything. Whether it’s PaaS, IaaS, APIs, virtualization, security, infrastructure or hosting — everything is…Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:53:17 GMThttps://bartlorang.com/blog/15-mistakes-to-avoid-when-raising-capital/https://bartlorang.com/blog/15-mistakes-to-avoid-when-raising-capital/This afternoon, the Daniels College of Business at DU invited me to speak to an Executive MBA entrepreneurial class about my experiences…Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:18:17 GMT