Author: Joel Gross

Joel Gross is the CEO of Coalition Technologies.

Self Ban Registry for Addictions

I had an idea that I thought could help smokers, alcoholics, and gamblers.

Create a national registry that people can voluntarily add themselves to that associates their drivers license number with a self-ban list for their addiction of choice.

For example, a smoker could add themselves to the cigarette ban list. Any time the smoker went to a grocery store or convenience store to buy cigarettes, the clerk would scan their license.… read more “Self Ban Registry for Addictions”

Ongoing Feedback Tool

I built a tool for giving my team ongoing feedback and launched it last week. What is my team’s reaction so far?

First, check out how it works:

A user can:

  • Write in their feedback
  • Select who should receive it
  • Decide whether the feedback is positive or negative
  • Decide if the feedback is small, medium or large

Lots of team members have been using it so far, here is a running log of the most recent feedback:

Seems to be quite helpful for people to share their thanks!… read more “Ongoing Feedback Tool”

Permanent Mob Mentality

“Mob mentality” is a powerful phenomenon sociologists have observed… a single human will seldom heckle another person or riot. However, throngs of sports fans will torch cars, protesters will storm government offices, and gangs will go to war over very small slights. Scientists have actually shown that your brain shuts off your sense of self during these times of collective endeavor.… read more “Permanent Mob Mentality”

The Cloud

Ten years ago or so, the Cloud was supposed to be the next big thing. It actually already was a huge thing with software as a service products hosted on the cloud exploding in popularity (Gmail, BigCommerce, MailChimp, and others).

Now most people take it for granted that their website and the apps they most frequently use are not installed on their computers, but are installed in the cloud somewhere.… read more “The Cloud”

CEOs

Vistage so far has been a pretty great experience. I learn a lot doing the once a month all day training session with other CEO’s and it is good to have a coach who holds me accountable in 1 on 1s monthly.

I also have had the unexpected benefit of going to lunch with several of the CEO’s so far and they have shared a lot of good ideas with me and helped inspire me in new directions in the business.… read more “CEOs”

Winner Take All & Accumulative Advantages

This blog post inspired my post here.

A fascinating phenomena occurs in both human society and in the natural world: a small percentage of sports franchises / businesses / species end up with a vast majority of the success. Why is this?

First, let’s look at some examples in human society as well as the natural world:

  • 1.4% of tree species account for 50% of the trees in the Amazon
  • Just two franchises have won almost half of all the championships in NBA history.
… read more “Winner Take All & Accumulative Advantages”

Fake Church Facts

Growing up, I attended a redneck Christian elementary school and high school. I also went to a pretty goofy church. Both places told me lots of “facts” that turned out to not actually be true upon further review:

  • That if the Earth was one inch closer to the Sun we would burn up, and if it was one inch farther away we would freeze to death.
… read more “Fake Church Facts”

Work & Happiness

I have realized that work can provide purpose which is essential to happiness in life. I read a fair bit of Reddit and the people who always complain of being the most depressed are those who are unemployed. I have noticed in myself that when I am on vacation or on weekends are the times I am most susceptible to depression.… read more “Work & Happiness”