Smash Notes

Back to Submittable CEO talks startups, life, cancer and living in Missoula, Montana., with Michael FitzGerald.

How Did Clutchmasters Make Money From Free Clutches?

After moving to Missoula, FitzGerald went to work for Clutchmasters . It was a company stated by a high-school dropout who figured out how to get free clutches, remanufacture and sell them at a massive markup. For FitzGerald, this was a great lesson in how to turn a simple idea into a profitable company.

Transcript

Submittable CEO talks startups, life, cancer and living in Missoula, Montana. ·

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  1. Who Is Submittable CEO Michael FitzGerald?Michael FitzGerald is the founder and CEO of Submittable, the Missoula company that runs submissions and applications.
  2. Where Did Michael FitzGerald Get His Start in SoftwareMichael first started his career a copywriter, in San Francisco in the 90s, during the first dot-com wave.
  3. How Expensive Was San Francisco During the First Dot-ComSan Francisco was "too expensive" in the 90s. Michael was paying about $650 for a Studio apartment in the Mission.
  4. Do Startups Now Look Like the First Dot-com Crash?The first crash and what we are going through today does not sound alike.
  5. How Did Michael FitzGerald End Up in MissoulaMichael has always wanted to be a writer, but there were not many entry level jobs for a novelist.
  6. Which Other Montana Entrepreneurs Does Michael FitzGerald Name?FitzGerald tells Kirill Zubovsky that small-town Montana is more entrepreneurial than Silicon Valley or New York, because for years the only steady jobs in…
  7. How Entrepreneurial Is MontanaMontana and small-town America are ridiculously entrepreneurial. In a small town, there are no regular jobs.
  8. What Are the Advantages of Running a Company From Missoula, MTDue to lower costs, better quality of living, and availability of willing talent, companies are able to hire fair-priced employees, which enables them to…
  9. What Did Ghost-writing Teach MichaelBy writing books for executives in top software companies Michael was able to get a front seat in whatever business they were in and to learn, while getting…
  10. What Does It Take to Publish a NovelFor three years he would write in the morning, go to his job, edit at night, and do it all over again until 400+ pages were ready.
  11. Does Being the CEO Change Your LifeMichael feels he is a very lucky person. He's been able to do what he wanted to do. He has a great family, and they are not starving. He gets to walk to work.
  12. Is It a Good Idea to Start a Company When You Have Young Kids at HomeFitzGerald started Submittable when his kids were 3 and 5, and in hindsight it was a silly idea.
  13. Why Did Paul Graham Try to Stop Submittable?During Y Combinator, Paul Graham saw a picture of Michael and kids and wanted to make sure that Michael really wanted to do a startup, and to inflict the…
  14. Does Submittable CEO Michael FitzGerald Think Startups Get Easier?Kirill Zubovsky asks whether the work never gets easier and only changes shape. FitzGerald agrees.
  15. What Are Some Challenges With Growing Employee CountAdding 10 more people does not make your company 10x faster, and in some cases it makes it slower, for a while. It's normal, but you have to anticipate it.
  16. What's the Story About Michael FitzGerald Getting Sick With CancerOne day Michael felt sick, went to see his doctor, and got scheduled for a colonoscopy. Missoula being a rural place, the procedure was three months out.
  17. Why Is Metastasized Cancer So DangerousMetastasized colon cancer gets into your organs, liver first, and liver is the hardest to treat.
  18. How Did Michael FitzGerald Tell True Ventures He Was Dying?The day after Submittable's Series A, Michael FitzGerald had to phone True Ventures and say he was terminally ill, then leave for major surgery.
  19. What Role Did Y Combinator Play in Curing Michael From CancerWhen Michael found out that he got sick, he posted a message on the internal Y Combinator board asking for suggestions.
  20. How Much Does It Cost to Cure CancerA typical scenario for a cancer patient, they first go broke trying to cure the disease, and then they die. Most people cannot afford stage four cancer.
  21. How Much Should a CEO Get PaidThis particular CEO is getting paid less than some of his employees, putting all his money and energy into the company, banking on the future success for all.
  22. Do Thoughts and Prayers Cure CancerIt might help people who believe it works, but there are also a lot of tangible things you could do to actually help a cancer patient.
  23. How Can You Help Someone Who Has CancerFirst, don't ask what you can help with. That simply puts the burden of creating and scheduling work onto the sick person and their family. Instead, just do.
  24. What Is the Hardest Part About Getting CancerWhen you are sick, the hardest part is lack of control. Chemo is basically poison for your body, and every two weeks you have to poison yourself.
  25. What Should People Do With Their LifeDon't get cancer. Have fun. Be kind to your fellow humans.

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