Answers to Q&A Round 3 - With David Dellanave

Luis asks:

What motivates you to be with shoe and not doing all that stuff by yourself.

David Dellanave: Same reason I don't clean my own house. I can be far more productive focusing on what I'm good at, and letting a great marketer do the marketing that I'm not great at.

Teddy asks:

What are your interests outside of programming?

David Dellanave: I have way too many hobbies. Auto-racing, skiing, boating, traveling, motorcycles and food among others.

Blogging Experiment asks:

I think the most obvious question is "How is it working with Shoe?" I'd also like to know whether you've received and obviously turned down any other impressive offers.

David Dellanave: I don't know how to answer that. We work very well together. I have turned down some pretty impressive offers including Google. Why would I want to do anything else when I can work from home, work on exciting projects that I basically choose, and work with a good friend?

Stavanger asks:

DJ and rapper? Why not Woz and Jobs? My question, so Dillsmack how much hack have you done? I see some wardriving stuff at http://www.dellanave.com/projects/.

David Dellanave: Woz and Jobs would be pretty lofty. I've done a lot of stuff that hasn't made it to my web site. Updating that is one of the lowest priorities I can think of.

corey asks:

What do you think every web developer should know about security as it pertains to server-side code?

David Dellanave: I think its vital to know the implications of what you're doing when you're coding. If you don't have a clue about security, I can guarantee you will write exploitable code. Get out there and look at some exploits of common software like Wordpress or phpBB and see what they did wrong. Learn from that, and try not to make the obvious mistakes.

Kiley asks:

I don't have a question, but I do have a comment. The relationship between you two is one that ALL programmers should pay FULL attention to. Why? Because 99.9% of programmers are FLAKES! FLAKES who either start a project and can't finish it, or just do a half a$$ job. Dave obviously did his job right from the jump, in turn you gave him more work, and eventually made him a full time employee, whom I'm sure is payed very well. ALL programmers should take ownership in every project they do, there are plenty more Shoemoney's out there who will pay you for a job well done.

David Dellanave: Yes.

Paul Bradish asks:

Do you still reside in Minnesota?

David Dellanave: Yes, Minneapolis.

Modern Worker asks:

Dave, did you originally begin programming at a young age or was it something like front-end design that led you into hard coding and such?

David Dellanave: I don't do design at all, I don't have any eye for it. I know what looks good, but I can't create that. I was always a coder. In high school I worked for a great company that had a great web designer. He would crank out the front-ends, and I wrapped them around the code. Too bad he was a back stabber, or we'd probably hire him.

koen asks:

Dave, have you got a mac too, like shoe :) and how did you get in contact with shoe?

David Dellanave: I've always been a Mac guy, thats how I meant Shoe in the first place many years ago. The Mac community is pretty small. We have a lot of friends in common in that community. You'd be surprised who is a huge Mac user.

eTown Landlord asks:

Dave, what's up with your own personal website? It's pretty lame for a guy with such killer skills... Do you think you will ever put up a site that is more interesting or do you not have the time to put into your site? Thanks in advance, Corey

David Dellanave: Lame? What would you like it to do? I think it serves its purpose pretty well. It is extremely low-priority for me.

Joe asks:

Who helps you guys structure the equity sharing/ partnership deals and how does that work?

David Dellanave: We just do what's fair.

web professor asks:

Do you like to watch movies about gladiators?

David Dellanave: I like Gladiator...

Theo asks:

How many hours a day do you work?

David Dellanave: Anywhere from 0 to 18. It just depends on what needs to get done.

aRo` asks:

Would you suggest to other webdeveloppers to work together with a marketer ? I'm talking about the programmers who want to launch there own projects/sites.

David Dellanave: Find someone you can trust and have a good working relationship with. If a friendship grows out of that its a bonus. Don't try to make something work because your buddy thinks he is a good marketer and you're a good coder.

Leonid Shalimov asks:

1 Million?!?! Ahh, congrats. Good for him :).

David Dellanave: Answer

Bjorgvin asks:

Why did you decide to stick with shoe, and what do you believe is the most vital thing in your relationship with him?

David Dellanave: I stuck it out because I knew that we'd hit it out of the park sooner or later. We have, and we'll do it again.

michael webster asks:

How is possible from something like spyfu to work, even though I know you guys don't like the data?

David Dellanave: Answer

Chon asks:

why have you not tried dating shoes babysitter?

David Dellanave: I live in Minneapolis.. they live in in Nebraska..

chrisblogging.com asks:

How did you get hooked up with Shoe?? How did you get a job working with him?

David Dellanave: This has been answered so many times. We knew each other from the Mac community. I offered my services to help out with one specific web site he had. Things went well with that and we've gone from there.

Blain Reinkensmeyer asks:

Dave, at 22 and a millionaire I gotta know man, what kind of car do you drive?

David Dellanave: Black on black H2.

Dave Dugdale asks:

Dave, when Jeremy comes to you with an idea how do you start working on it? For example I like to sketch out what each page will look like on paper (paper prototype) and then I create a logic flow chart of how it will work.

David Dellanave: You're wasting too much time. I just start working on it. Open up a text editor and create index.php. You'll be surprised what flows from there.

Mong asks:

Wow, good what constitutes your net worth of million dollar?

David Dellanave: Assets - liabilities.

Jay Tillery asks:

And now for my questions.. How do you know when to trust an entretpreneur when working for equity? Do you draw up a contract? Do you do half equity, half pay? Do you guys go through planning on paper first then you hit the programming or do you just start with an idea and you start moving it around until it's finished?

David Dellanave: OK thats a 2-part question. As far as partnership goes we are well-established so its not something we have to do every time we work on a new project. If I had to offer advice, I would say equity or profit-sharing is the way to go. It is all about the amount of risk you're willing to take. Someone might come to me with a project that they think is a great idea and I think the idea is crap. In that case I might (probably not, but for the sake of argument lets say I might) do it for a flat fee. That might work out great for the guy with the crappy idea, when it blows up and all I got was my fee. Thats the name of the game though, sometimes you have to take a risk. In my case I'd rather take the risk if I believe in a project and get a lot more in the long-run than just a flat fee. I also like passive income.

As far as planning and stuff, I think everyone knows how we work by now. We just do it. There is very little planning and talking about how great its going to be, we just hammer it out. I know the point has been pretty beleaguered, but it bears repeating. Just do it.

Rob asks:

When did you start programming, and what languages did you start with? Did you go to college, and if so what did you major in? I know I know it's a two part question, but I'm quite curious.

David Dellanave: I started with Perl when I was about 14. I had this fantastic mentor who worked at IBM named Bruce Winter. He wrote the most popular home-automation software on the planet completely in Perl. He really made me fall in love with Perl, and from there it was easy to learn other languages. I went to the University of Minnesota and I was an Electrical Engineering major. It was a colossal waste of time and money. I spent most of the time running the Ski and Snowboard Club, which was awesome. I'm glad I quit school when I did, I think it would have sucked the life out of me.

Georgie Casey asks:

For the two of ye really, how did you learn how to load balance and scale auctionads? Did you get someone else in. Seems like a big and important job for people with no experience.

David Dellanave: You're right, it would be a big job for someone with no experience. Fortunately, I have a tremendous amount of experience in the area which is why I am in the position I am in in the first place.

Scott asks:

I find this interesting, since my business partner and I have a similar relationship. David, what is the craziest idea Shoe has come up with and what did you have to say/do to get him off the track?

David Dellanave: I still haven't gotten him off the paintball gas station idea.

devtrench blog asks:

How do you guys work remotely? Do you IM, Skype, etc? Any secrets to making that work?

David Dellanave: We basically have an IM window open all day long. Its like an open line of communication all day. Since we both came from the IRC world, typing conversations is nothing new to us. We use the phone, but surprisingly little.

CristiâˆšÂ°n asks:

Do you have personal projects that you would like to share?

David Dellanave: No not really. At this point, whats mine is ours. Why would I go off and do a "personal project" without bringing in the best marketer I can think of?

More M asks:

If you were new to the internet today and wanted to make a living at it, where would you start... what would you do?

David Dellanave: I'd start by reading Shoemoney.com. That guy always gives tips on how to get started. You really have to find your own opportunities though.

Grivon asks:

Which language did you (and how old were you when you when you?) first learnt programming? I'd also like a bit of information on how your first "equity split" went? Not too sure how to go about that but I think that's what I'd like to do for my next project (with my own davey of course :p )

David Dellanave: I started learning Perl when I was about 14.

Jeremy basically offered me 40% of the site, if I was willing to go and build a Sprint version of one of his ringtone sites. It went very well, to say the least.

JeffPosaka asks:

How is your truck dashboard? Did you ever get sued by that sucky company?

David Dellanave: It turned out really well. They never followed through, and I will take that page down out of respect at some point. I didn't like being threatened though, so its staying up for a bit.

Ron asks:

Shoe has to be one of the smartest guys in this business. If you had to start over with nothing, what one piece on internet wisdom from Shoe would you want to use. Please use something other than "just do it" phase.

David Dellanave: So you want me to answer your question, but you've pre-conceived what you want the answer to be? OK, instead of "just do it": fake it 'til you make it.

Mike asks:

Which programming language are you most proficient at? Thanks, Mike

David Dellanave: I love Perl but I think I've slipped since I do so much with PHP now. PHP rocks.

ferrarislave asks:

2 questions in 1 post. Please answer both if you can :) Do you use any web frameworks (django, cakephp, rails). I know Perl is your favorite language, but what do you think of Python? Those are my two questions. Thanks Shoe and thanks Dave!

David Dellanave: I don't use any frameworks. In fact I think ruby on rails is asinine. I also don't use Python, but more because I don't have a use for it that I couldn't use Perl or PHP for than because I don't like it.

Tim Linden asks:

Did you ever get carpal tunnel or tendinitis from programming? I did (tendinitis) so I quit doing work for other people..

David Dellanave: No, but my eyes are bugging the hell out of me and I have to believe the computer monitor has something to do with it.

eddie asks:

dave, what is your 5 years goal? how do you forecast about make money online in 5 years from now?.

David Dellanave: In 5 years I'll increase my net worth by 10 times. I don't know what we'll be doing online 6 months from now, much less 5 years. Mobile is going to be HUGE in a few years. It will probably change the way we interact with the world, and more importantly buy things online.

nate asks:

What are you going to do with all the cash you made from AuctionAds?

David Dellanave: Double it within a year.

Gecko Tales asks:

Why do you think so many programmers have no idea how to make money with what they do, except from paychecks? You are an obvious exception, but I'm always working with programmers that put in 60+ hours for 70K or so a year when they could use their skills to rake in twice that on their own.

David Dellanave: The risks I've taken and the lifestyle aren't for everyone. I know a lot of great coders that like to be able to leave their work at 5pm, and want to know for sure they're going to get the same size paycheck every month. If thats what you want, who has a right to tell you thats wrong?

Jonathan Volk asks:

Seriously, when are you and Shoe coming out with a Rap single I can promote for my ringtones campaign! :P I kid, actually I'm just curious as to what you plan to do in the future? Goals, ambitions, etc.

David Dellanave: I'm just going to keep doing what I enjoy. I'd like to own a portfolio of businesses over the next 10 years, a bar, a restaurant, rental properties etc.

eTown Landlord asks:

How much does an eyeball weigh?

David Dellanave: Answer

CPA Affiliates asks:

*LOL*.... here is a good question.. How do you put up with Shoe Day in and day out it has to get old... ? *L*

David Dellanave: It doesn't really. Maybe not working in the same office buffers that.

art asks:

When working on new business ideas, what step by step process do you go through to determine which tasks to do daily. What process do you use to evaluate new business ideas? # of users, costs? revenue potential?

David Dellanave: Jeremy throws out an idea, and I try to bat it down with negativity and reasons it won't work. If he can come up with valid responses to all of my reasons not to try it, its probably a pretty solid idea.

Tom asks:

When you first graduated from high school, where did you see yourself at age 23?

David Dellanave: I decided I'd be a millionaire before 25. That is all.

Mason asks:

Is your relationship with shoe more than just a friend thing? ;) j/k j/k Here's my real question... Do you have a college degree?

David Dellanave: Nope, I quit with a year left. If I do decide to go back to school it will only be for fun. I think it would be fun to get a law degree.

Tracy asks:

When you and Shoe are in the same room, can you really see yourself off the reflection on his head if the lights are bright?

David Dellanave: I've never looked that closely. You should try it.

John Wallace asks:

Hesitate to ask, where did moniker Dillsmack come from and if printable what does it mean?

David Dellanave: When I was like 11 my best friend's brother called me Della-dillsmack. Around the same time I started IRC'ing and I needed a nickname. I didn't know I would have to own it for the rest of my life :(

BlueDevilMedia asks:

Smack! What advice would you give to noobs about programming? i.e. where to start, what languages to focus on, what to prepare for in the near future....

David Dellanave: I don't know that I'm in a position to. I'd say pick a language and get proficient in it, but make sure you have a toolbox of several tools so you can choose the right one for the job. I love Perl but I don't feel like its the right tool to build sites with so I use PHP. I use Perl to build tools.

Web Design & Marketing asks:

There are a lot of freelance websites where people are prepared to work for next to nothing. Do you think that makes it difficult for people in a similar position to you to achieve success?

David Dellanave: If they want to sell themselves short thats their problem. Frankly most of the freelancers aren't worth half the pennies they sell themselves for. The ones that are need to grow a pair and market themselves better. If you're waiting for your ship to come in on elance.com, you better get comfortable for the wait.

Paul. asks:

Where is a reliable place to get good PHP programmers, both US and foreign?

David Dellanave: I don't know, I don't hire programmers.

Matthew asks:

Do you spend time on learning projects simply to try out some new API, language, or piece of technology? Or do you mostly learn new things along the way with "real" shippable projects?

David Dellanave: Not really. My friends who are more bad-ass coders than I (cloak, fuka) do stuff like that. I guess I don't see the point of "trying out" a technology unless I can use it. I wish I had that mentality but it doesn't jive with me.

Web Designer asks:

How much harder is it to break through as a programmer when there is so many foreign providers offering cheap services? What did you do to compete with them?

David Dellanave: See the other answer. I don't compete with those people. Never have, never will.

Coin Counter asks:

Do you see yourself as a marketer as well as a programmer since working with Shoe and do you see yourself taking marketing projects of your own in the future?

David Dellanave: I've certainly learned a lot but I'm not a marketer. Like I said in another answer, why would I want to do a side project without a great marketer?

Sami asks:

what programming tools do you use?

David Dellanave: I'm not sure what you mean. I use Perl and PHP mostly, and my editor of choice is emacs. I don't use a development environment like Eclipse or Zend at all.

workingcanuck asks:

When you started with Shoe 3 years ago did you imagine you would be this successful 3 years later? Or did you just think of it as a stepping stone to something better down the line?

David Dellanave: Within 6 months of "starting" with Shoemoney I was in Colorado with my friends skiing and I was generating about $300/day in passive income. I absolutely knew we'd be this successful. It was never a stepping stone.

Grivon asks:

Ok last one I promise!! Do you think you could've been just as or more successful with anyone else?! Or was it the Shoemoney + Dave equation that = Success do you think?

David Dellanave: Thats hard to say. We're a very dynamic team. I think a great marketer and a great programmer are bound for success. Its not like we are the only 2 people doing well online.

Tim Spangler asks:

Do you know Max Action?

David Dellanave: Yes.

JohnC asks:

How would you go about building an auctionsniper-esque widget for drupal/wordpress?

David Dellanave: I'd start by learning PHP.

TechZilo asks:

Hmm....all hail the mogul, Dave. Here's my 2cents - who'd win GenX OS war? MS or Apple?" No apple biased answers please.

David Dellanave: Apple.

Bulbboy asks:

DDN, when you were 5, what did you want to be when you grew up?

David Dellanave: A fighter pilot like Maverick and my uncle.

SEO Blogs asks:

What is your sleeping schedule? How many hours of sleep do you average per night?

David Dellanave: I usually crash around 2am and get up around 10am. I pull a nice espresso and make a cappucino, and then go to work taking over the world.

mrrbob asks:

Do you know any young hardworking programmers that want to (and are capable) accomplish what you did? I got some killer ideas but no programming skills. Hook me up.

David Dellanave: I get the same question from recruiters all the time. If I knew of any, I'd probably hire them to lighten my work-load of more trivial tasks.

Matt asks:

What are the specs on your computer(s)? What OS do you run? What's your programming editor of choice (eg. Notepad)? Thanks.

David Dellanave: I have a Quad-G5 Power Mac with a 30" Apple display and two 24" displays. Obviously I run MacOS. I ssh to all the machines to do work locally, and I always use emacs if its available.

TechZilo asks:

how many hours do you work? and how's your offline world?

David Dellanave: See above. How is my offline world? I couldn't possibly be happier. I've got a sweet house, a great job that I basically consider a hobby, I've made some great money and I can be flexible enough (both financially and time-wise) to have a lot of fun pretty much whenever I want. I literally couldn't ask for anything more.

stupid 3gp asks:

What you think where you will stand if you dont find Shoe?

David Dellanave: Who cares? Asking "what-if's" is a waste of time.

TechZilo asks:

i say, ur design uses tables a lot... not a good idea...it loads a bit slow

David Dellanave: Design a better one and send it over.