Michael Sacca is a designer, writer, and founder who’s passionate about creating software that improves lives. He was the President at Crew before it was acquired by Dribbble. A serial entrepreneur, Michael previously has worked in the trenches of tech startups for since 2008 and has founded a few along the way. He currently serves as the Head of Marketing and Business Development at Dribbble. Michael also currently co-hosts Rocketship.fm where he interviews successful startup founders sharing tips, tricks, and stories about the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Hi Michael! Tell us about Crew.

Crew is the easiest way to hire a trusted creative freelancer. You can create your app, website, logo, or brand with Crew. A perfect companion for your design or development project.

What was Crew’s journey leading up to its founding?

Crew was founded by Mikael Cho after he saw the first-hand struggles of freelancers. Crew’s mission has always been to build trust in the freelance economy and solve problems that freelancers face every day so they can do more of what they love to do and less of what they don’t.

What is your role at Crew & Dribbble and how has it changed from day one to now?

I joined Crew 2 years ago to lead our Partnerships and Sales. Originally I was focused on agency partnerships but it quickly evolved into sales and specific product developments as well. Four months ago I stepped up into the role of President and am now involved in all of our day-to-day activities from product development to support and even leading the negotiations of our recent acquisition by Dribbble.

What tools do you use or have you built that make managing your company’s finances easier?

We built a comprehensive admin dashboard that tracks all of our project statuses and financials. We also use Klipfolio to visualize our data and pull out key insights.

What advice would you give a new entrepreneur that would help them spend more time building their business and less time managing their company’s finances?

Unfortunately, someone needs to be focused on the finances, it’s one of the main roles of the founding team in order to provide the opportunity for the company to survive. So you have two main options: Build a business model that makes money from day one or seek financing. No matter what you choose you always have to keep your eye on your finances. You can use services like Bench to alleviate some of the headaches of bookkeeping and as you grow you can bring on a part-time CFO. But you should never lose sight of your revenue.

What can you tell new entrepreneurs about choosing a bank for their business?

Most banks look the same these days on the outside, but you should consult with other founders in your area to see what issues they’ve hit or positive experiences they’ve had.

What were the most and least enjoyable parts of founding your business?

Building something out of nothing is such a rewarding experience, but keeping it going day after day can become a grind. There’s always a balance and founders really need to find that for themselves before they burn out or their business flounders.

Recommended reading or listening for entrepreneurs?

Podcast: Rocketship.fm and ThisNewEconomy.com

Books: The Social History of the Machine Gun and Scaling Lean