How to succeed by making others look good

Want to build an app? Alan Van Arden is the man in the Kootenays turning app dreams into digital realities.

Name: Alan Van Arden
Social Media: Linkedin
Bio: Alan Van Arden spent a decade in the video game and hosting industries, developing creative solutions to allow creative people to excel in their roles. He has since gone out on his own as an independent software design consultant. If you're considering a new app or software for your business, Alan can help you get started on the right foot, translating dreams into digital reality.

Alan Van Arden.

What is your go-to energy boost?

I am absolutely a coffee guy. First thing in the morning I have  a cup of coffee and jump into work after that.

What one website other than your own do you go to all the time?

I am going to have to say Stack Overflow. It's a super nerd website. Q&A about all kinds of tech problems.

What one book would you recommend?

The mythical Man Month by Fred Brook.

What one app or resource makes your life easier?

For me being a remote worker it is about sharing software, things like Google Docs. My personal favourite is Join Me. It is a screen sharing program that runs over the web. It is super easy for clients to install and it is just a web browser that shares my screen. We can really collaborate as if we're in the same room.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

I worked for a guy starting a company called Thinkon in Toronto. He said hosting is just your day job. This was coming from one of the execs at my company, saying this job you are doing for me is just your day job and you need to go focus on things outside of work. That really got me going.

How do you wind down at the end of day?

I run. If I have had a really stressful day I have to get rid of the cortisol in my system. It is always good weather on the treadmill.

Twenty years from now, someone gets inspired and writes the book of your life. What is that story and who gets to play you in the movie?

I really hope the book is not about me but one of my clients I have helped them. It really is not about me. I might play a minor role as the guy who helped build the system, but I want their ideas to work and I want to see creative people do what they do best.