Develomentor Podcast

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Noah Labhart traced his path from math/computer science student to corporate IT manager, then to entrepreneur and podcast host. He discussed how family, faith, and a desire for impact pushed him to leave Alcon, build TouchTap, co-found Variable, and launch Code Story, emphasizing gradual growth, strong teams, and learning through failure.

Main Topics: From math to computer science (Priority: 5/5): Noah explained how he began in computer engineering, shifted to applied math after academic struggles, then rediscovered a passion for coding and completed the extra computer science coursework needed to pursue software professionally. Corporate career and management growth (Priority: 5/5): He described an eight-plus-year run at Alcon, where he moved from technical work into management, earned a PMP and MBA, and developed a desire to eventually become a CIO. Leaving corporate life to start TouchTap (Priority: 5/5): Noah detailed the pivotal decision to leave Alcon in 2015 after feeling disconnected from the direct fruits of his labor, using savings, family support, and faith to take a calculated entrepreneurial risk. Variable’s founding and fundraising path (Priority: 5/5): He recounted how a chance introduction led to Variable, a labor marketplace for manufacturing and distribution, and how the company bootstrapped early, then raised seed funding after extensive investor outreach. Lessons from startups and team culture (Priority: 4/5): Noah highlighted the importance of taking small steps, not overcommitting, and investing in culture through autonomy, collaboration, daily standups, happy hours, hackathons, and 'donuts' check-ins. Code Story podcast and audio craft (Priority: 4/5): He explained the origin of Code Story as a tech-focused, narrative podcast inspired by How I Built This and shaped by his love of music, audio production, and founders’ human stories.

Key Arguments: Career paths can evolve dramatically; early academic setbacks do not prevent later success if you adapt and refocus. A corporate role can provide stability and education, but entrepreneurship becomes compelling when effort no longer feels tied to impact or ownership. Family support, financial runway, and personal conviction are critical to making a responsible leap into entrepreneurship. Networking and referrals are the most effective early client-acquisition channels for a new agency, especially in tech services. Agency work can help build credibility, but positioning oneself as an individual versus a firm is important and can be difficult to navigate. Marketplace startups must solve both supply and demand; assumptions about which side is harder are often wrong. Strong team culture and autonomy accelerate execution more than process-heavy management does. Failure and being overwhelmed are normal in entrepreneurship; growth comes from iterative scaling and learning from mistakes. Podcasts can serve as both a medium for storytelling and a way to capture valuable operational knowledge from builders. Building products that solve real problems is more rewarding than creating noisy software without clear value.

Data Points: Years at Alcon: 8 to 8.5 years - Noah worked in IT management at Alcon before leaving to found TouchTap. Marriage year: 2009 - He mentioned getting married to his wife as part of a major life transition while at Alcon. Children at time of departure: 1 young child and pregnant with a second - He said this was the family context when deciding to leave Alcon for entrepreneurship. TouchTap founding year: 2015 - Noah left Alcon in April 2015 and renamed/ran the agency as TouchTap. Variable founding year: 2016 - He and Mike Kinder formed Variable in 2016. Variable pilot launch: February 2017 - The first pilot for the marketplace launched after initial prototype and fundraising. Current Variable footprint: 10-11 states - Noah said Variable was operating across roughly 10 or 11 states. Variable team size: 80 people strong - He described the company as having grown to about 80 people. Early TouchTap project timeline: first year and a half - He said most early work came from referrals during TouchTap’s first 18 months. Donuts cadence: weekly - He described random one-on-one team pairings as a recurring culture practice.

Pivotal Quotes: "I really want to work hard and I wanted to see the fruits of that labor." — Noah Labhart: Explaining why he left the corporate path and eventually started his own company. "You have to eat the elephant one bite at a time." — Noah Labhart: Describing the lesson learned after an early project went badly and overwhelmed him. "We are a technology, a tool, a marketplace to connect these individuals." — Noah Labhart: Clarifying Variable’s business model and how it differs from staffing or temp agencies.

Implications: The episode shows that sustainable tech careers often come from layered experience, patient risk-taking, and strong relationships. For founders, it reinforces that execution, culture, and market education matter as much as the idea itself.