I was paid less than someone doing the same job at the same company as I was many years ago. When there were layoffs, one of the reasons they kept me instead of him was that I was cheaper.
I understand you're the sole tech guy at your company, but the same dynamic may apply.
I love that most of the dogs seem to be adoptable. It's a great hook. I wonder if you could allow users who've logged in with Facebook to only see dogs near them.
Alternatively, have something like: "Think this one's cute? Adopt a dog just like it near you." Then, take a post code and link to a particular breed/colouring.
Chris's advice is predicated on having a good relationship with your investors. That's not always the case. If a CEO is hesitant to invest in transparent communication with investors/advisors/board, it might be worthwhile to ask him or her why not. If it's solely a case of lost opportunity cost, there are plenty of tips here on how to minimize that. But if it's a deeper issue, that deserves to be explored, too.
OP here - my proposal is that we might benefit from women-only support groups where we can share the frustrations and experiences of being in the minority, not women-only workplaces.
That said, there's some research that single-sex education leads to better student outcomes, especially for girls. I wonder if similar research has been done for work environments.
I'm also very grateful to Katie and Shanley for being brave enough to stand up and write about their experiences.
A strain of academic literature suggests that single-sex higher education may be problematic in that it accentuates separateness. Separateness can build confidence, but in my experience it's local confidence, pertaining only to the controlled environment that produced it. Otherwise, separateness is simply different, contributing to a sense of being an outsider. And I think that this is a bad thing.
While there is some great advice here, I don't think it's necessarily for people who haven't done a ton of public speaking before.
What I agree with: Find your power animal (the pose or gesture that feels natural/empowering to you), pick two people in the room to speak to (I prefer to pick four, only two of whom I can usually see due to stage lighting), and practice as much as possible in front of an audience.
What I disagree with: Don't "um" (it's distracting and unless you have the gravitas to pull it off, you sound like a Valley Girl), and memorization may be exactly what you need to be comfortable speaking publicly. Like another commenter, I've memorized my pitch almost verbatim, but use conversational language based on bullet points. The "script" gives me something to fall back on if I get distracted.
For context, I was a competitive CX debater in high school and recently had to relearn public speaking 20+ years later as a startup founder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClznRU8-Xfw
This tracks with my anecdotal experiences working in startups for 15+ years. Namely, that companies need audacious, aggressive leaders in the early days of initial fundraising, customer acquisition, etc. But those domineering, borderline-sociopath leaders are rarely adept at maintaining and growing a stable, established company.
Another vote for Posterous. I also like the simple customization, and the fact that I can easily add new members/contributors - a nice feature for a company blog.
I love the idea ("Uber for carwashing!") but I have some doubts.
The price point is too low for me to believe they'll do a decent job. There are already mobile car detailers here in Portland, and a good exterior detail costs around $100. That's because the companies are licensed and bonded. If I'm going to go cheap on a car wash, I'll do a $6 drive-through special at Washman on my way to the grocery store.
Not knowing the coverage area before signing up is a problem for me as well. My email address and phone number are private - I'm not giving them up until a company gives me something in return.
It's clearly not a detail. I'd guess the quality will be a little better than a $5-10 wash from a machine- a little more expensive because of the "we come to your car", and also because they cannot bring along the machinery and water recyclers that allow $3 washes.
If they are willing to break out the mitts and buckets of soapy water though, you could have a real nice wash there. Wash != detail, but leaps and bounds ahead of a machine. This is not outside the realm of possibility; I remember my local hand wash place back in the Valley was about $20.
They need to define what's in a wash. A detail usually involves a bit more than a basic "wash", if that is in fact all they are offering. Maybe their MVP?
I understand you're the sole tech guy at your company, but the same dynamic may apply.