Compared to the daily business of a software company, a rollercoaster ride is child's play :) We present here an exclusive insight into our past business year 2021, and what awaits us this year! (With a mega cliffhanger at the end!!!)
Subsidiaries
I don't know if you already knew, but we have 2 subsidiaries. Uh, I mean, we had 2. One of them is running smoothly: The LEAN-HIVE GmbH is our new consulting office for IT specialists and is an ideal complement to the software forge LEAN-CODERS, and we were cash positive here within half a year. In 2021, we were able to build dozens of new projects and serve clients from Europe to the USA. Both companies fit perfectly together strategically, as we can now offer all kinds of solutions around software development: LEAN-CODERS for software project outsourcing and consulting, LEAN-HIVE for personnel power needs.
Admittedly a bit blinded by this success, we immediately started another project: We also had a short-term partner company (strictly speaking, it was not our subsidiary) for programming services - MLABS.
And here we have our first epic fail of 2021: We did not define a dedicated person to lead this company. We did it "on the side" because we were fully focused on building LEAN-HIVE. That doesn't work; the commitment was too weak. Either you do it, or you don't. At least we learned that much.
Back to LEAN-HIVE: Here we offer the placement of technical personnel both on a contract basis and on a permanent basis. We started with 2 new CEOs: Klaus and Markus. A new company, as you can imagine, does not generate revenue per se - but the personnel and other costs hit from day 1. In the first half of 2021, we invested a considerable amount monthly to keep the new company running.
And then came the turnaround.
Because Klaus and Markus just have it! Within half a year, the company was cost-neutral, and we already brought the next reinforcement on board: Fiti takes over most of the recruiting activities.
The feedback is amazing: Both from the client side (quickly finding perfectly matching technicians) and from our freelancers (who particularly emphasize the technical competence and pleasant interaction) we receive massive positive feedback.
Over the past year, the company achieved remarkable profit figures, and we were able to expand the sales team with a new colleague, Boryana.
Without wanting to reveal too much at this point: LEAN-HIVE has big plans for 2022. Nothing is fixed yet, but we will keep you updated!
LEAN-CODERS becomes a full-service provider
When the story of LEAN-CODERS began, we primarily took on projects where individual developers from us were working on-site in client projects. This is one of the simplest business models in this country, but it is not the best for team cohesion. Great for the start! But we became increasingly unhappy with this model - and it was our mistake that we didn't move away from it sooner.
But with LEAN-HIVE, everything changed. Now we could offer this business model exactly to the people who like to work this way: the freelancers.
This created space for significant development at LEAN-CODERS. Within a year, we have transformed into a full-service provider. We understand this to mean that our development teams implement projects for our clients, optionally from requirements engineering to maintenance. This creates 2 advantages at once:
- It promotes collaboration and team spirit
- We can offer our clients significantly more comprehensive services
Thus, we can no longer only provide pure "programming power", but also support in analysis, project management, UI/UX topics, DevOps + hosting, up to the maintenance of our software solutions. Our focus is on the best possible implementation of custom software projects. And for this, a holistic approach is essential.
For our employees, this means: Exciting projects from A-Z, collaboration in interdisciplinary teams, and creating value beyond a monotonous world like "We have now implemented requirement number 4702".
- Mistakes made: Check
- Learned from it: Check
- Added value for clients and team achieved: Check
UI/UX team expanded
And since we are already talking about UI and UX: Our team tripled in 2021. This allows us to cover the different aspects in this area more deeply, and our clients benefit from:
- Lean, self-explanatory, and easy-to-use user interfaces
- Self-adjusting to all common screen sizes, browsers, devices, and operating systems
- Concepts and solutions for easy usability of the software for people with visual impairments
Okay, we admit, that wasn't a mistake. Sorry for the clickbait headline :)
But now we offer an exclusive insight into the biggest pain of the year 2021 for us:
OKR: The final boss of every modern-thinking company
O(bjective) & K(ey) R(esults) are a method to bring about changes/improvements in companies. The whole thing is a creative and elaborate process. Notable companies like Google and Intel use OKRs to secure their pioneering and thought leader role.
We have the mantra that we live from change. Change is in our DNA. That's why we founded LEAN-HIVE, that's why we transformed into a full-service provider. However, we do not want to carry out changes "on a gut feeling", but with structured, proven processes.
Last year, we therefore decided to use OKRs for change processes - with moderate to poor success. There were results, there were changes for the better based on the OKRs, but the whole process was still quite bumpy. It is damn difficult to implement OKRs really well.
But we do not give up, because constant improvement, process optimization, and modernization are one of the most important building blocks for us. Therefore, we have further educated and trained ourselves on the topic in recent months, and starting in February, we will begin our next OKR cycle. We will report on this, and we will not let up - promise.
Even more focus on LEAN
The core of LEAN-CODERS is: LEAN
But what does that actually mean? The Lean Software Development Methodology is the derivation of Lean Management to the field of software development. The basic principle is: Create value, shed ballast. We interpret this very specifically with our credo: "Create Value without Waste"
"Waste", that is exactly the ballast that typically arises in software projects. Here are a few tips to reduce waste:
- Deliver as quickly as possible (short release cycles, quickly gather feedback, develop and deliver the most important core functionalities of the software first, ...)
- Learn as quickly as possible: Understand and penetrate the processes to be automated deeply, develop prototypes/POCs and review them together with clients
- Test software! As banal as it sounds, but bugs in software are pure waste - they consume time and nerves. Software testing is essential, and yet unfortunately still not common practice in many projects
This increases productivity, efficiency, and ultimately the joy of (collaborative) work. We have recognized that the daily business often poses a danger that the LEAN approach is forgotten - our fail!
In 2021, we therefore refocused on integrating the LEAN method even more strongly into our daily work so that all our engineers and project managers can pass these advantages directly on to our clients.
Revenue and profit
The results blew us away. Just like from 2019 to 2020, we were able to double in 2021 compared to the previous year - in terms of revenue AND profit.
Is that a fail? Of course, one can always wish for more, that's clear. But we want to be honest: The result is great, and therefore we label it as a success :-)
However, it is also a result that is not yet 100% certain. Because the final accounting year-end comes only in the next few months. Only then will the exact figures be available. But the projections are promising.
The question now is: How do we use this additional profit?
10% of it will be given as a bonus directly to the entire team of our employees - because it was a great year, and above all a year of team effort.
In 2021, we used the previous year's profit to invest in LEAN-HIVE and build a new company.
And in 2022, we will invest the profit again. In what exactly? We can't reveal that just yet...
Outlook
And thus we come to the outlook for 2022.
The year is still young, and there are many new projects and ideas.
A lot of great and also unexpected things will happen.
One thing is certain: We were able to generate a decent working capital last year, with which we can now set new accents. Because we pursue a strategy of high reinvestment: Instead of distributing the profits, the shareholders invest in the further development of the company. This creates jobs, this creates opportunities.
As mentioned, we cannot reveal too much here yet. But one thing in advance: The next few months will be breathtakingly exciting.
Because this year we have a big goal.
Ready?
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-> LC goes international! <-
To a good collaboration and an exciting year 2022,
Your LEAN-CODERS
