
<Image
  publicId="newsletters/learn-from-a-dunning-kruger-expert/cover"
  alt="Left side: I am a Dunning-Kruger expert. Right side: the dunning-kruger chart, with an arrow pointing to the leftmost peak that is labeled 'Its ya boy'."
/>

You may have heard of the [Dunning-Kruger Effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect) - people with limited knowledge overestimate their abilities when compared to those with more know-how. We've all experienced it in one form or another.

Passionate people often mistake their newfound passion for expertise, which can lead to some pretty bad decisions.

Recognizing my own ignorance is useful when viewed as a two-way street. There are things in this world that I feel comfortable sharing my expertise for. I am also wrong _all the time_ -- and I'm okay with that, as long as I can learn from people who know better than I do.

So, is it possible to **flip Dunning-Kruger on its head**, and use it to build momentum?

By honing in on the fact that you don't know it all, and making a conscious effort to seek out and listen to experts, you have the opportunity to build on your own knowledge and expertise. By recognizing your own ignorance, you can use the Dunning-Kruger effect to propel your career and business forward.

Here's a concrete example: I've got some background in design, and a little bit of background in engineering (true story: I have an undergrad degree in Mechanical Engineering that has gone largely unused since 2009). For a while, I've been mulling over the idea of designing Open Source, flat-pack furniture that could be cut from a single piece of plywood. Sounds cool, right?

<Image
  publicId="newsletters/learn-from-a-dunning-kruger-expert/flat-pack"
  alt="A render of a flat pack table, and a diagram showing how it was cut from one piece of plywood."
  caption="Flat pack furniture, laser cut from a single piece of plywood. Image from Instructables."
/>

I've got a few ideas, and I've been doing some research, but I'm not an expert in furniture design. I'm not an expert in woodworking. I'm not an expert in small batch manufacturing.

I'm just a dude who is excited about an idea, and I have a lot of questions.

I spent a few hours scouring the web for people smarter than me (spoiler alert: there are _many_ of them). From there I found [/r/hobbycnc](https://www.reddit.com/r/hobbycnc/) and [/r/woodworking](https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/), where I can learn from experienced makers and woodworkers. Instructables has an article series on [flat pack furniture](https://www.instructables.com/Flat-Pack-Table-Design/), and there's endless youtube [reviews of home CNC machines on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IxPxcvc9Wg).

Now that I've found places where experts are sharing their domain knowledge, I can start to listen, ask questions, take notes, and follow heated conversations. Before long, I may be ready to execute on my idea, or I may decide to pivot and make changes that better suit my expertise and situation.

This is something you can apply to any problem space. The best product builders are those who see the world through their own expertise _and_ the expertise of others, to build something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

It's also important to be prepared for the Dunning-Kruger effect to show up again. As you continue to learn, stay tapped into the community. Be mindful of your perceived level of expertise, and the potential mistakes that come with that knowledge.

Finally, when you do find yourself in the position to share your expertise, do so with humility. It is so powerful to be wrong on the internet, and it's even more powerful to [be wrong and admit it](https://mikebifulco.com/posts/semantic-html-heading-subtitle#-update-i-was-wrong-).

## There are things I think I know

- 💼 **The cat's out of the bag...** at least a little bit. Last week I started listing my new job on my various profiles on line. I'm working on a new company called [Craftwork](https://craftwork.com). I'm working with an outrageously talented team on making it easier for homeowners to get their houses painted... and that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you know any full-stack engineers who love TypeScript and react... I'm [hiring](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1orbRYcbBd2UfSHM5mvgCm_gYSwjOQAeaTh7YqymWAkM/edit?usp=sharing)!

- 🫶 **I'm speaking at the [first ever Charlotte Open Source Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/open-source-charlotte/events/290694423/)** this Thursday (Jan 26) at 6pm. The topic is _Unlocking the Power of Open Source to Launch Your Startup and Career_ - not-at-all hyperbolic. Hope to see you there!

- 🎙️ **A new APIs You Won't Hate podcast** is live! [Funding Open Source, with Dudley Carr from Stack Aid](https://share.transistor.fm/s/9bb11fc4) was a great conversation with a new friend I met at All Things Open last fall in Raleigh. We talked about the importance of funding open source projects, and how Stack Aid is helping to do just that. Check it out!

## ...and the things other people know

- 📚 [**"Thinking, Fast and Slow"**](https://hardcover.app/books/thinking-fast-and-slow) by Daniel Kahneman is a must-read, continuing the pattern of sharing books I love. It explores two modes of thought (fast and intuitive vs slow and reasoned) which appear time and again in decision making and cognitive science.

- 🎥 **[@nolanperk](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRp352dc/) is a skilled designer** and TikTok creator who shares beautifully-made, thoughtful design tips on his account. Ever wonder how to make font sizes feel _just_ right on your app? Look no further.

- 🎙️ [**The Happiness Lab, with Dr. Laurie Santos**](https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos) is a podcast that explores the science of happiness... that's right, the _science_ of **happiness**. It turns out that personal happiness is something we can study, measure, and quantify. It's an occasional listen for me, and I always learn something.


Learn from me: a Dunning-Kruger expert


I spent the last week spinning up tools for a new startup I'm working on. Although I've built several products in the past few years, they have all been solo-efforts, so I haven't had to think about setting up collaboration tools. I haven't started from scratch with a new team since somewhere around 2017, and I was surprised at how much has changed.

Here's what I learned:

<Image
  publicId="newsletters/tools-for-building-a-new-company/cover"
  alt="Tiny Improvements Newsletter: Tools for building a new company"
/>

### The basics - the best got better

The first few tools I set up have been constants in my work life for a while - we're using [Google Workspace](https://workspace.google.com) for email, access to GSuite, and Google Drive, [Slack](https://slack.com) for team communication.

Notably, onboarding for both of these has gotten _much_ better - both for administration _and_ end users. I was able to get both of these set up in a few minutes, and adding new teammates was flawless.

I also set up [GitHub](https://github.com) for code collaboration, [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console/about) to keep an eye on SEO, and [Cloudflare](https://cloudflare.com) for managing DNS and protecting our web properties from abuse. These are tools I've used for years, and I'm happy to see that they've continued to improve -- and they all have generous free tiers, which is helpful if you're in the early days of bootstrapped products.

### First time tools for me

Believe it or not, I haven't used [Notion](https://notion.so) before. I've been using [RoamResearch](https://roamresearch.com) for personal note-taking years, and GSuite / Google Docs for authoring and collaboration since about 2014. I'm definitely a bit set-in-my-ways when it comes to collaborating - having worked at Google for a couple years, I got to see how the best-in-the-biz use Gmail and Google Docs to get things done.

_With that being said,_ I'm already really impressed by Notion. They've got an incredible set of templates for all sorts of use cases, and the ability to embed all sorts of content makes it easy to get started. To boot, my teammates have used it extensively, so I'm looking forward to learning from them as well.

We're using [Rippling](https://rippling.com) for Workforce Management -- in other words, for things like HR and payroll. Although I didn't set up Rippling, I have been plugging other tools into it - and I've been delighted by the automations they've built in for provisioning and deprovisioning services. This makes it easy to spin up services for new teammates - when they're added to Rippling, they're automatically added to the tools we use (and just as well, when they one day leave the company, Rippling makes revoking access a breeze).

Somewhere in the past few years, I started using [Figma](https://figma.com) as a design tool alongside my longtime staple [Sketch](https://sketch.com/). At this point, Figma is definitely better suited for collaboration, and I'll be using it with my new team to design our product UI and design language. I still use Sketch for design assets for mikebifulco.com, as well as many quick operations -- but I'm looking forward to using Figma for the bulk of my design work.

I'm sure we'll end up adding plenty of other services as time marches on - and I'm really interested in the things you use to get work done. If you've got a favorite tool that I missed, reply to this message and let me know. I'd love to check it out!

---

## Top tip: Browser profiles keep your work and personal lives separate

If you use Chrome (or any Chromium-based browser like Brave or Edge), and you're setting up a Google account that will live alongside your personal one, it's a good idea to set up different [browser profiles](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2364824) for each. This means your personal and work browsing histories will be separate, and you'll be able to install different extensions for each profile. I also tend to set up a third profile which I use for testing.

## Resources for fluorishing developers

These are a few of the things that have been occupying my brainmatter lately. I think you might like them, too!

- 🖇️ Growing on LinkedIn - now that I'm no longer using twitter, I've been working on strategies for increasing my area of influence in places like [Mastodon](https://hachyderm.io/@irreverentmike) and [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/mbifulco). My friends at Taplio (who previously sponsored Tiny Improvements) are currently hosting their [LinkedIn Growth Challenge](https://taplio.com/linkedin-growth-challenge-2023), where they're sharing their best tips for growing your network on LinkedIn. I'm participating, and looking forward to figuring out what catches peoples' attention on LinkedIn.

- 💼 Are you building a portfolio? [Victor Eke (@Evavic44) on GitHub](https://github.com/Evavic44/portfolio-ideas) has a great list of portfolios built developers, which is a great place to start if you're looking for inspiration for your own portfolio. I was flattered to find my site featured in the list alongside many others I admire.

- 🎥 I talk a lot about [Design for Developers](https://mikebifulco.com/newsletter/design-rules-everyone-should-know). I have a strong belief that most developers would benefit from learning just a few design basics. This week I came across [The missing guide to grids](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIabVp0Hh8U) on YouTube. Whether you've used a grid system before or not, this video is a great introduction to the basics of grids, and how they can help you build better layouts.


#startups: 2 posts tagged

Learn from me: a Dunning-Kruger expert

Tools for building a new company