This document discusses various topics related to being a CTO, including that CTOs do still code, the importance of problem solving and critical thinking skills, using version control to track changes to data over time, and not waiting for perfection but instead learning from mistakes by taking on big challenges. It encourages breaking big problems down into smaller parts and shares the story of how the author learned to take on big problems despite initial failures.

2. I’m a CTO

3. Women in Tech (*cough* Startups) Event
CEO
CEO
CEO
CTO
Baby Products
Fashion
Dating
Data Infrastructure
&
API Services

4. The Truth About CTOs

5. CTO
NON TECHNICAL
ASPIRING

7. Do These People Still Code?

8. Good Enough?

9. Skill comes from experience

10. The only way to win the
game is by not playing it

11. But this is still hard

12. Thank you Amy Sutherland

13. OF COURSE
IT
DOES

14. Ignore the bad

15. <- the dress is okay though

16. Don’t ask permission,
apologize

17. Don’t ask
permission
+
Blind to
negatives

18. CTO
Or really any startup executive

19. It’s about being
resourceful

20. You have all the skills
you need right now
Because you program

21. Why do we encourage
people to learn to code?

22. Why Programming?
• Problem solving
• Critical thinking skills
• Increasingly technical world

23. Document Your Code

24. Our servers
are down!!!

25. No one
complained
Yes!

26. You can pretend
nothing happened

27. ...or you can make it
an opportunity

30. Think About Scaling

31. Elevator pitches are
bullshit

32. !!!

33. The more important a person is the
less effective pitches are

34. If this was code how
would we fix it?

35. Process too large
for one machine

36. Who is
this guy?
Person too important
for one pitch

37. Break big problems
down into small parts

38. Big Problems
• Overwhelming
• Risky (+1 female)
• Perfection is not possible

39. Why is there no place to host data?

40. Hello

41. my

42. name

43. is
EXVERSION
• Allow users to create different branches
• Data can be edited, added to, or
removed

44. {
Version Control
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }

45. {
Version Control
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }

46. {
Version Control
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jonathan” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }

47. {
Version Control
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }

48. {
Version Control
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jonathan” }
{ name: ”Jonathan” }
”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }

49. {
Version Control
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jonathan” }
{ name: ”Jonathan” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }

50. {
Version Control
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jonathan” }
{ name: ”Jonathan” }
{ name: ”Jon” }
{ name: ”Jon” }

51. Now Undo It
• Restore state of one data point
• What if a child no longer tracks?
• Feeling of brain exploding is normal

52. This is a BIG problem

53. Secret: I didn’t get it right
the first time

54. Second time? ...Nope

55. Third time? ....Uh...

56. This is actually starting to
make me look bad, right?

57. How I Learned to Go Big
or Go Home
Spoiler Alert: I didn’t go home!

58. The Benefits of Big
• This is not Facebook
• Handselling
• Lots of room for mistakes

59. Don’t wait for
perfection!

60. Perfection does not
wait for you :)

61. @bellmar
exversion.com