Eric Yim · Personal · 20 answers
Storytelling helped me find my voice. Listening to other people gave that skill a purpose.
Explore questions 41–60 ↓
Speech and theater were where I started getting comfortable sharing stories. At first it was easier to tell someone else’s story than my own. That turned out to be a useful way to learn how to listen.
The conversations with business owners keep bringing me back to this work. People can describe years of effort as if it is nothing. Hearing the reason behind a small choice often changes how I understand the whole business.
I bring an interest in software and design to that relationship. I care about how the product feels, the words it uses, and whether the owner can use it in the middle of a working day. The details matter because a relationship can be thoughtful while the tools around it are still frustrating.
Personal · 41–60 of 100
Question 41
I bring together an interest in storytelling, software, and the experience of using a product. I like listening to people and working out how to make something complicated feel clear. Protocol lets me apply those interests to the same problem, with real owners shaping what we build.
Question 42
I was not always comfortable talking about myself. Speech and theater gave me a way to practice sharing stories, and that confidence grew over time. When an owner struggles to explain why their work matters, I recognize something in that. Helping them find the words feels personal.
Question 43
I have heard an owner begin with a simple description of what they sell, then explain the experiences and values behind it as we kept talking. That changes the whole picture. A stranger seeing only the service category would miss the part that made the business feel personal and meaningful.
Question 44
Website and software work taught me to care about structure, clarity, and the details of an experience. Storytelling taught me to pay attention to the person inside that structure. I need both: a useful system and an explanation that still feels like the person it represents.
Question 45
The owner already has expertise. The challenge can be making that expertise visible while they are busy using it. I want to begin with respect for what they know. They can tell me what happened and why; we can help shape the explanation around the customer who needs it.
Question 46
I think about the introduction between two people. What would I need to know about the owner, and what would I need to understand about the customer, to connect them thoughtfully? That keeps the work grounded in fit while we use technology to make more of those connections possible.
Question 47
I believe there is value in helping people tell the truth about work they care about. The details can be more compelling than a broad marketing claim. I want Protocol to help bring those details forward and make it easier for someone else to understand why they matter.
Question 48
The story needs to represent the person. If a sentence sounds impressive but the owner does not recognize themselves in it, we need to keep working. I care about clarity and presentation, but I also want the person whose name is attached to feel comfortable standing behind the result.
Question 49
I spend time in the conversation. I ask another question when a detail feels important, and I value meeting people where they work when I can. That takes more attention than filling in a template. It is also where I learn what should actually go into the story.
Question 50
I’m willing to show up in person in these early stages, listen, and work closely on the details. I cannot speak for what every competitor would do. What I can describe is how I want to work: close enough to understand the owner and practical enough to help them move forward.
Question 51
I would not want to sell someone a solution when I think their problem needs something else. The first conversation should help us understand whether we can be useful. A relationship built on an honest answer matters more to me than forcing every business into the same package.
Question 52
Choose me if you want to work closely with someone who cares about the details of your business and the experience around the work. I am involved in both the conversations and what we build. That closeness helps me connect what an owner tells me to the next improvement.
Question 53
I want the value to come from understanding and follow-through. A low-cost output is not very useful if it leaves the owner to figure out the message, the tools, and the next step alone. Protocol is meant to help with that whole experience, from sharing the work to reviewing the draft.
Question 54
You can do it yourself. The question is whether you want another job on top of running the business. I want Protocol to help you stay involved in the parts only you know, while we handle more of the preparation and make the review clear.
Question 55
It fits an owner who cares about their service, wants people to understand it, and is willing to share a little of the real work. They value staying involved but do not want to spend their evenings learning a collection of marketing tools. That is the person I keep in mind.
Question 56
It is a poor fit if someone wants a story invented for them without participating or sharing anything real. We need the owner’s experience and judgment. I also want to be honest when their immediate problem would be better served by something outside what we offer.
Question 57
The person who has a lot to say about their work but does not know how to get it out often understands the idea quickly. They can imagine sending a text or having a conversation. The value is in helping that become something other people can find and understand.
Question 58
The owners I’m drawn to care about the work and want to be represented accurately. They are willing to explain a detail, answer a question, and tell us when a draft misses something. That willingness to participate makes it possible to build a clearer picture of the business together.
Question 59
I want them to experience being listened to and having the next step prepared. The conversation should feel personal, and the product should make it easier to act on what we learn. I care about the connection between those two things because either one can fall short without the other.
Question 60
The relationships would still be hard to copy. The screen is visible, but the understanding comes from time with people, the questions we ask, and the details we remember. I want the product to support that relationship and become better because of it.
The difference between writing down what a business sells and understanding why it exists.
How I’m learning to balance a long view with the work that needs to happen today.