It’s been a year since I started at 0smosis, this is what i’ve learned…
When I joined 0smosis as a developer a year ago, I became the first employee of a newly founded venture studio. The idea was to create fintech ventures and scale them inside of the ‘studio’. 365 days later, 0smosis counts nine members (from devs to analysts) and has a dozen ventures in its arsenal.
These are a few takeaways from my first year:
Decide and commit
The thing about developing ventures at a rapid pace is that you can’t dwell on the details. I’ve found that building the minimal required version of a product and deciding on details at the end helps you to get a lot of work done faster. If you do get stuck on something, just decide on a solution and commit to it. Finished work is better than no work.
At 0smosis we do a lot of design sprints where this attitude comes in handy, building and testing prototypes in one week.
In this bonus post you can find three golden rules for a better design sprint.
See everyone as an expert in your own field
This one may sound weird but it’s something I find myself thinking about a lot.
Even though you might think you know the answer to something, try to find inspiration in what your team says. They can often provide different perspectives even if they’re in a different field than you are. If you open up your mind and consider every piece of information as inspiration, you might be surprised with what you come up with on your next challenge.
The thing I love the most about working at 0smosis is that, however, most of us have a different field of expertise, we are all able to fill in for each other which makes us better as a whole.
Try everything
Everyone has his field of expertise, but that doesn’t mean one should step aside from challenges that don’t trigger your skillset. Nowadays there is a guide or a tool for everything. Try to use them to your advantage and get out of your comfort zone. If there’s anything you’re having trouble with, talk to your team. There’s always someone who can provide guidance on any given topic.
Never miss out on an opportunity to learn
As I have always been keen on learning and finding out new things on my own, I’ve noticed training, courses and workshops are a great way to take giant leaps towards becoming a true expert in something.
It’s important however to deliberate on which training you should go to, as in my opinion, with training, it’s quality over quantity. Also, I’ve noticed that taking a course or a training which might seem too advanced, can help you get even better at things you thought you already excelled in.
Deliverability
Working on (difficult) tasks can be slow and cumbersome. Setup goals as something you can actually work towards and make your tasks deliverable. Everything has an acceptance point (the point at which something is considered done). don’t say: “I have to write this report”, say: “I have to write a report which will be read by 20 developers”. This helps break down tasks during the week. Personal goals, on the other hand, help you break down longer periods of time, as they provide small finish points during shorter periods of time. This way of setting tasks and goals will help you deliver in no time.
If you’re interested in knowing more about working as a developer in a fintech startup or about fintech startups in general, don’t hesitate to contact me at
arno@0smosis.com
