The time has flown: Jott on the move.
December 18, 2007It wasn’t long after Shree and I started Jott that our wives got sick of us being/brainstorming at home, and we needed to find a place for a developer or two.
HQ v1.0
We found ActivSpace, a wonderful menagerie of psychics, massage therapists, guitar teachers– you name it. Their proposition is simple: they provide a spartan room, heat, rubber sink, secure access, month to month terms, and nothing else. At 250 square feet, we got the biggest room in the place, and it was perfect. It just needed a little TLC:
Next, we had to get furniture, and for this we went to semi-legendary Beoing Surplus. Some guy had a brilliant idea to sell the enormous amount of still useable ’surplus’ the giant pumps out every year. Where else can you buy, in one place, huge drill bits, sheets of aircraft aluminum, white boards used by the B-1 bomber teams, 200 lb. steel desks, and hundreds of perfectly usable office chairs (note, in the picture below, that chairs with wheels cost double: $2)? The final tally (3 white boards, a conference table, four desks, eight chairs, and a filing cabinet): $250.
(Candyland, aka Boeing Surplus)
We would have been quite content to stay at ActiveSpace had not the evil wood worker moved in below us in December 2006. The guy was running his lathe all day, and the whole side of the building vibrated enough to make one of our devs nauseous. Shree tried to talk to the guy, but he had a chisel. Neither did we get much love from the management: they reminded us it was called “ActivSpace” for a reason.
HQ v2.0
So we had to move, into the teeth of an insane Seattle commercial real estate market, with the cash runway of a bridge note. Happily, we found a place just down the street that was essentially a reworked apartment, and it was perfect: an actual kitchen, a bathroom, and pantry for servers. And Paseo was a block away (the best Cuban food you can get legally). Over the next six months, we had ‘good problems to have’. Our team was getting stronger, the product was thriving.
In July though, with 20 PCs and 10 humans baking in 935 square feet, we cracked… there was just no way to get rid of the heat. So we packed up again.
HQ v3.0
We’d managed to stay really cheap, and avoid long term, expensive leases. But we were growing fast, and we needed to provide humane conditions for our team. We couldn’t have conversations without stepping next door for a cup of coffee. So we took the plunge. It’s not huge or posh, but it does give us a little breathing room.
Perhaps the best thing about the new space are the beverage options: Victrola Coffee Roasters are next door, and the Six Arms Brew Pub is downstairs. So far that’s been a good thing, but not too much of one.
So it’s been a great ride. The team is rock solid. Ajay, Chris, Howard, and Mattias are incredible people and great investors. Jott’s product roadmap is amazing. We are lucky.
–John
Sure sounds like a fun ride, I’m kinda jealous you kids are having all the fun when the rest of us “grown ups” are going to our real jobs!
Love the product and have turned a handful of people onto it, keep up the good work.
Comment by SPK — December 18, 2007 @ 6:48 pm
Hey guys, congratulations on your success and growth! It’s really cool seeing pics of all your offices and where you guys started. I really respect the determination it takes to grow a company. Thanks for a great service and making things simple.
Best of luck in 2008
Josh Hughes
Comment by Josh — December 18, 2007 @ 7:03 pm
Guys, congratulations on a job very well done. Jott is a fabulous tool that I am telling ALL of my clients and coleagues about. So many people have challenges with to do lists and thought management. This tool allows for those random thoughts that come into your head to be put in a logical location EVERY time. This is great compared to the random back of an envelope, sticky note, scrap paper, etc. (Come on! You know that is where many of you used to put your to dos most of the time!) My clients hire me to help them become more productive with their time, space and information. This tool is awesome for all three areas of service!
Here is another tip:
If you jot your to dos you can have key words in your list
Use the “Rules” function in your email to filter the different jotts into the appropriate categories.
volia! You have a sorted to-do list that you did not have to sort or type!
Again, guys. Great job. I cannot wait to see what you bring us in 2008!
Stephanie
Comment by Stephanie L. H. Calahan — December 18, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
Jott accuracy is AMAZING me thinks! Good job!
Comment by David Steinbrugge — December 18, 2007 @ 7:30 pm
You guys are great and wonderful for making this go! It covers lots of bases. I’ve already gotten many friends signed up to this…I posted your youtube ad on our blog.
I can’t wait ’til more people are signed on so that I can really use this the right way.
Comment by Tasha LDV — December 19, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
It’s really fun to actually see a development team along with the history of your accommodations. You folks deserve even better, and I’m sure that is coming your way.
Thanks for the service. It has become pretty indispensable to me - and a lot of others.
Take care and Merry Christmas!
Jim
Comment by Jim McGowan — December 26, 2007 @ 10:17 pm
Congrats on your continued success. I’ve become a big fan of Jott (and especially the integration with Remember The Milk for to-do’s) and recently got both my wife and my boss to sign up.
On second thought, was that a good idea?
Happy New Year, Jotters!
Comment by JG — January 9, 2008 @ 11:24 am
I just found out about Jott and I want to say “Thank you” for comming to Canada. I have just started using this tool and I love it.
Thanks again.
Margaret
Comment by Margaret Johnson — March 14, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
Glad you have a new great team! Hope all is well!
Comment by Scott Hannah — May 20, 2009 @ 6:45 pm