Peaks & Pivots presents short stories of the entrepreneurial journey – told through the eyes and solar plexuses of some colorful (and talented!) characters.

Derek Olson, Foraker Labs

Derek Olson

 

PG interviewed Derek Olson of Foraker Labs (pronounced FOR-uh-kur like the 17,400 ft mountain in Alaska).   The Boulder-based company builds web and mobile applications and specializes in content management, community applications and eCommerce for the nonprofit, educational and healthcare markets – and other folks, depending on the interesting opportunities that come their way.

 

Can you give us a snapshot of your career path?

My first non-paper route job was when I was 15, washing dishes at a diner for $3.70 an hour. After college, I got a job in the great north woods working as a cook for a spell (seriously, I was a cook at an adventure lodge in Alaska.)  My first job in technology was with Foraker Labs, back in 2000. Been here ever since!

What was the inspiration for Foraker?

When Foraker Labs came into being in 1999, the web was full of hard-to-use, ugly websites and apps. Turns out.. it still is! Our mission today remains unchanged: create software that people love to use by replacing clutter and confusion with beauty and clarity.

Can you tell us about one barrier to growth Foraker has encountered that spurred change?

For most of our history, our business grew through word-of-mouth referrals from existing customers. Now as a 20-person company, it’s much more important to have a consistent flow of new projects so that no one goes without work for long. While I used to do most of the business development, it’s become too big a job for me alone (in addition to the other jobs I have here). To accommodate this new reality, we’ve hired a full-time business development guy. This has definitely increased our ability to land new projects and customers.

Is there one project or customer close to your heart?

I’m most proud of the work we do for Breastcancer.org. This was my first project when I started at Foraker Labs 12 years ago. Back then, the site had a few dozen visitors each day, and was nowhere to be found in the search engines. Today, it is the most heavily-trafficked breast cancer website in the world, and provides empowering medical information and support to more than a million women (and men) each month.  We built their Breast Cancer Diagnosis Guide iPhone app too.

Can you share a peak experience that still motivates you today?

When I was a volunteer firefighter in Alaska, I got called out on a particularly nasty car wreck – on a day when the ambulance was out of service for repairs. I arrived at the scene (60 miles from the nearest hospital) to find one driver dead and two little girls fighting for their lives on the pavement. I was sent back alone to the ambulance hall several miles away to grab intubation kits, IV needles/bags, oxygen, c-spine collars, and all the other equipment that would normally have been on the ambulance. I was under extreme time pressure, but had to make absolutely sure I didn’t forget anything essential. It was the most terrifying day of my life. I didn’t forget anything essential, but I still sometimes wonder if I could have been faster and perhaps prevented one of the little girls from dying. While the pressures of commercial software development can seem extreme in the moment, they pale in comparison to a true life or death situation. I draw on that experience frequently.

How do you integrate your personal values into your entrepreneurial life?

I value community, environmental stewardship, and helping those in need. Foraker Labs has done hundreds of thousands of dollars in pro bono work over the years, and we are active in teaching the next generation of software designers and developers.  Each week I take home Foraker Labs’ prodigious output of coffee grounds and compost them in my organic garden!

Any words you live by?

“Weeks of programming can save you hours of planning.”

 

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http://www.pivotguild.com/blog/the-ten-commandments-of-website-usability-the-video

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