Guide to Successful Products from Bart Decrem: Founder of Tap Tap Revenge, Ex-SVP at Disney, Worked on Firefox 1.0
Learning from failure, how to find ‘winning ideas’, and everything you need to know about product development.
A few weeks ago, we held an AMA for our invite-only Remote Students Community members with Bart Decrem! Members got to ask the seasoned entrepreneur questions about his many experiences, how he reached his level of personal success, and how they can get involved. Apply here to join the professional development community and get access to endless job postings, discussions with peers, and conversations with professionals like Bart!
Bart is a serial entrepreneur with 25 #1 App Store hits, was a key part of the Firefox 1.0 launch, has 1 billion app downloads, and is now one of the founders of a Mozilla incubator that’s working with 250 college student teams building cool projects. Bart also worked at Disney as SVP and GM for Disney Mobile, where he headed a series of App Store hits including Where’s My Water and Temple Run, dramatically expanding Disney’s App Store presence. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of Tapulous, one of the first iPhone startups and makers of Tap Tap Revenge, the most popular music game of all time. Bart has headed the development of 25 #1 App Store hits. He also founded the social web browser company Flock (acq., Zynga), co-founded open-source desktop startup Eazel, and headed marketing and business affairs for the Firefox 1.0 launch.
What advice do you have for starting your own business without any funding or ’great’ ideas?
Instead of spending lots of time arguing about whether an idea is good, and then spending lots of time building something that maybe nobody would want, just test the idea without building anything. Even if all else goes wrong, you can still make some money and get super valuable insights about what a business should look like.
What would be your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs to find that next idea?
Always be doing stuff. What are you doing right now that you can do more of and the world needs more of? Even if it’s a hobby or volunteer work.
Always be connecting with people you know, or people you want to know. For instance, I had NO IDEAS one year ago, so I forced myself to work 3 hours a day. And the work was: (1) read up on stuff I’m curious about (2) connect with people I’ve lost touch with and (3) if I read about something/someone interesting, then cold call them.
What is your approach to product development? Do you plan ahead extensively or just iterate and iterate until whatever it is takes shape?
There’s no one size fits all, but in general, it’s good to mock up something rough & quickly, and get feedback, then iterate quickly. But, sometimes, it’s just not that kind of idea, and sometimes, you have an amazing team that has a very particular way they like to work.
For example, on Where’s My Water, the team was VERY FAST at paper prototyping and basically finished developing in a few weeks. But the team was also really insistent on shipping something really special, so it worked. I think we got something like 1 billion app downloads over time, but they weren’t flying dark: at all times there was feedback from all sorts of people around how things were shaping up.
What got you started? Why do you do what you do?
I have a desire to meet amazing people that leads me to naturally do things and then figure out how to get paid for it. Some things it's for social good, and sometimes I do it because it's important, but overall, I work on projects I want to do badly enough that it takes priority over everything else.
Develop fundamental confidence; you can’t be afraid to fail. Big ideas are weird at first. Having the confidence to say “I don’t know” and then asking for help is huge.
It doesn’t matter where you start, it matters that you start. Be curious. Evolve.
What are some of the life beliefs that you think have shaped your creativity and enabled you to create such popular platforms?
Be a little insensitive, and don’t get too down when ideas fail. It’s definitely helped protect me from spending too much energy wondering about “what people will say/think” or “what if this fails”.
I am always looking for things & people that GIVE ME ENERGY. Many of the things I’ve failed at were things I did “cuz I guess it’s a great idea” or someone said it was. BUT TO WIN, the idea/people need to suck me in. Be on the lookout for the people and ideas that you want to spend time on, and those will be the ones to succeed.
How often did you stop pursuing or evolved your projects into something new?
Very few of my projects “stayed the course”. For instance, with the company behind Tap Tap Revenge, Tapulous, we thought we were building a mobile social network, and Tap Tap Revenge was more of an accident/side project.
What makes the difference between failures and successes?
1- Luck & timing.
2- Commitment. I’ve started some projects because someone mentioned them, and they seemed like good ideas, or because “the time was right”, but those never worked out. Find something you are really passionate about doing.
3- Good idea, but the “mechanics” are all messed up. Like, having the right tech, time on the calendar, capital, team etc.
I think it’s time to give up when you’re out of ideas you’re excited about trying.
What was your entry into the tech space and motivating drive to stay in it?
For me, it’s about doing what I’m passionate about. As a kid going through high school and college, I was excited about what computers could mean for people. Plus, I was drawn in by the allure of Silicon Valley and wanted to be a part of that dynamic, which led to a few of my very first projects. As I developed these projects, I asked: “How can I grow this? How can I make an impact in the community?” This guided the growth of my projects.
The next biggest factor for me was the importance of people — I’m mainly driven by the energy of others. Curious, motivated, interesting people. I tried to find it in different industry spaces by going to law school and working a summer at McKinsey as a management consultant, but I realized it wasn’t right for me. It is super important to expose yourself to different dynamics and different experiences to see what’s right for you. For me, that was entrepreneurship.
About Remote Students
Remote Students is an online professional community made for college students, by college students. We provide mentorship, networking, access to opportunities/jobs/internships, and provide all the help you need to grow your career. Learn more about us on our website and apply to join!
