About
Hello, and thank you for stopping by! My name is Avi and I’ve been a software professional for more than 20 years. Earlier in my career, when people asked me what I did, I had simple, short answers that made sense such as: “I’m a software developer” or “I run a software development shop”. In recent years, things got a bit more complicated. I firmly believe in providing straightforward answers, so if you asked me today I would have to say: “I talk to people about technology”. There’s no need to protest — I totally agree that this is not a complete or sufficient answer and I’d be happy to elaborate if you could spare a few minutes of your time and read on.
A few years ago I took a look back at my career — a winding path driven by both planning and opportunity through a string of small software product companies. I quickly came to realize that the various titles I held (Intern, Developer, Development Manager, VP of Dev) did not provide an adequate description of what I actually did or of what I truly loved to do. I do love to be part of a small team, and when the team is small roles and responsibilities tend to blur. The fact is that regardless of title, I always did whatever needed to be done, including tasks that traditionally fall under “marketing” or “sales”. I had to be versatile and, honestly, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Versatility is great, but saying “I’m a versatile contributor” is just too vague. While searching for a better description for what I do, I realized that the one line that runs through it all, the thing that helped me excel in all of these different roles is my ability to bridge the gap between people and technology. Talking to developers, customers, executives, administrators and everyone else, and helping them understand how technology applies to their problems, each on their own level. “Talking to people about technology” is about much more than just talk — it’s about helping people get the most out of the technology available to them.
Since 2008 I’ve been helping software product companies reach their goals faster by speaking with their clients, prospects, executives and technologists, and helping them all come together. I speak at conferences, on panels but also with individuals at trade shows or pre-scheduled meetings. I build go-to-market plans, carry ideas back from the marketplace to development teams and even engage in downright sales, when the technology is interesting enough. If you want to learn more about what I do for a living please visit my company’s web site.
Contact me at: avi@murkygrey.com
My profile on LinkedIn (please identify yourself as a MurkyGrey reader if you add me to your LinkedIn network)
