Episode 218 | John-Daniel Trask - Provide More

Guest: John-Daniel Trask @traskjd John-Daniel Trask talks with Dave Rael about business, creating, providing value, and being lit up John-Daniel Trask is the CEO and co-founder of Raygun.com, a software intelligence platform that monitors how your applications are really performing for users. Prior to Raygun, JD's entrepreneurial spirit was stoked by running a PC repair business while studying for a Bachelor of Information Science, which then led to working as a software developer at an IT services company. Driven by a frustration around poor software tooling, JD co-founded a company called Mindscape with Jeremy Boyd, before focusing on the Raygun product which gradually grew more attention. This varied background has given JD unique insights into understanding how to build healthy software. He is also known to enjoy a well aged whiskey! Chapters: 1:25 - Dave introduces the show and John-Daniel Trask5:26 - Raygun, Mindscape, and the workings of John-Daniel's businesses8:37 - How Raygun got its name10:45 - What is Raygun?15:06 - Platforms, languages, and technologies for and by Raygun and the Raygun team18:07 - JD's interest in both technology and business18:37 - The things that "light JD up"21:35 - Selling software to peers at 14 years old23:44 - JD's story of failure - the pain and difficulty of losing a business partner26:34 - JD's success story - being a creator of a business providing real benefits and making livings for real people29:07 - How John-Daniel stays current with what he needs to know31:37 - JD's book recommendation34:19 - The things that have John-Daniel most excited35:53 - JD's causes of pain and suffering37:24 - The things about which JD likes to geek out38:55 - Inspiration and the importance of being lit up on what you do and JD's joy in his work41:17 - Taking action, self-mastery, self-awareness, and persistence45:54 - John-Daniel's top 3 tips for delivering more value49:00 - Keeping up with JD Resources: Raygun - Software Intelligence Platform Mindscape Jeremy Boyd Lightspeed Object-Relational Mapper Railgun IN Quake 3 Real user monitoring Gear VR Oculus Dave Rael as the guest on Developer On Fire John-Daniel's book recommendation: The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt - T.J. Stiles Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader - Brent Schlender John-Daniel's top 3 tips for delivering more value: Always try to provide more value than you are taking Take note of things that matter to people and demonstrate that you care Build relationships and have high quality relationships