Content Creation

VIDEO OVERVIEW
In this 45-minute tutorial, Sarah demonstrates how to build a REST API
with Node.js and Express. She covers authentication, database integration,
error handling, and deployment best practices. Perfect for intermediate
developers looking to level up their backend skills.

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Introduction & Project Setup
05:23 - Setting Up Express Server
12:45 - Database Connection with MongoDB
19:30 - Authentication with JWT
28:15 - Building API Endpoints
35:40 - Error Handling & Validation
41:20 - Deployment to Production
44:10 - Recap & Resources

KEY HIGHLIGHTS
• JWT authentication with refresh tokens for better security
• Mongoose schema design patterns for scalable data models
• Custom error handling middleware that actually works
• Docker containerization for consistent deployments
• Environment variable management best practices

NOTABLE QUOTES
"The biggest mistake I see developers make is skipping proper error
handling. It seems tedious until your app crashes in production."

"Authentication doesn't have to be complicated. JWT with refresh tokens
gives you security without the headaches."

KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Always validate user input before hitting the database
- Use environment variables for configuration, never hardcode secrets
- Implement proper error handling from day one, not as an afterthought
- Docker makes deployments predictable and reproducible
- Testing your API endpoints saves hours of debugging later

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this week's episode, we sit down with Alex Chen, founder of DataFlow,
a Series B startup that went from 0 to $50M ARR in 3 years. Alex shares
the exact playbook they used to scale their sales team, the hiring
mistakes they made, and why they turned down acquisition offers.

GUEST INTRODUCTION
Alex Chen is the founder and CEO of DataFlow, a data analytics platform
serving enterprise customers. Prior to DataFlow, Alex was VP Sales at
TechCorp and has 15 years of experience scaling B2B SaaS companies.

TOPICS DISCUSSED
05:12 - The early days: Finding product-market fit
18:34 - Scaling from 1 to 50 sales reps in 18 months
27:45 - Hiring mistakes and lessons learned
38:20 - Why they turned down $200M acquisition offer
49:15 - Advice for first-time founders

KEY INSIGHTS
• Product-market fit feels obvious when you have it - customers are
  pulling the product from you, not you pushing it to them
• Don't scale sales before nailing the playbook. One rep closing
  consistently beats ten reps guessing.
• Culture breaks at 50 people if you haven't been intentional about
  values from day one
• Saying no to acquisition offers gets easier when you believe in the
  long-term vision

NOTABLE QUOTES
"We had three false starts on product-market fit. Each time we thought
we had it, but the data showed otherwise. Trust the data, not your gut."

"Turning down $200M was the hardest and best decision we made. Five
years from now, that will look like pocket change."

RESOURCES MENTIONED
• Book: "The Sales Acceleration Formula" by Mark Roberge
• Tool: Gong for sales call analysis
• Framework: "T2D3" growth model for SaaS (Triple, Triple, Double,
  Double, Double)

ACTION ITEMS FOR LISTENERS
- Review your sales playbook - can a new hire follow it and succeed?
- Calculate your CAC payback period - if it's over 18 months, fix that
- Interview your best customers to understand why they really bought