In 2018 we validated idealism
This is how we felt after knowing we were going to be acquired by the investment fund behind Dribbble and Metalab
Puedes leer esta historia en español aquí.
Seville, August 2018. The year looks good so far. We have already reached several important milestones such as increasing the team by 30% and moving to Magma, a 600-square-meter workspace conveniently located in the city center. We share this office with other friends’ projects we admire like Sensa Design and Upwelling.
Anyone could think that the Andalusian capital is dead during the summer, but we are happy under the AC. While the summer lethargy of Seville is a reality, this year August was different for us. Andrew Wilkinson tweeted he was looking for a digital design and development studio to partner with through Tiny, the mutual fund he shares with Chris Sparling. So even though our city and part of our team was on vacation, we saw that message, and we had a crush ❤️.
Regardless of the dimension of the challenge you face, trying is the only way to achieve it.
Then began an adventure as tremendously idealistic as it was strangely realistic. We emailed Andrew to introduce ourselves, he liked our portfolio, and we started the negotiations right away. Just like that. Unlike the typical tedious and frustrating process required to sell part of your company, Tiny Capital chooses the simple method of business tycoon Warren Buffet: a cover letter, an analysis, an offer, and eight weeks max a virtual handshake and hey! We have a deal. (Andrew Wilkinson explains it in detail in this post in Medium, and we can attest he fulfills it to the letter).
But let’s be honest: We would be lying if we said that the mere fact of imagining we could share the stage with companies such as Metalab or Dribbble didn’t make our hearts miss a beat. However, if there is one thing we learned last year, it’s that, regardless of the dimension of the challenge you face, trying is the only way to achieve it. Yes, in 2018 we’ve learned to be ambitious, to dare, to verify that we shouldn’t limit ourselves.
For several days our logo appears proudly on the Tiny Capital website along with those of Pixel Union or Unicorn Hunt. Something that is not only important for the new business opportunities that will open for us but because it means validating everything we have been doing so far. It says we’ve been successful in relying on our team, prioritizing on quality and details, listening to the advice of our partners, letting ourselves be guided by our instinct and maintaining a business philosophy based on values that are far from what the old school dictates.
In the business world you have to get used to chaos, nobody but the health of your business will tell you if you are doing right or you are wrong.
Lots of challenges will come along with 2019, but we have consolidated our business model and validated our philosophy, so it’s time for a self-reflective exercise: redesigning the brand ( stay tuned! ), making the team grows, optimizing processes and continuing to evolve professionally and personally.
Something we often repeat is that in the business world you have to get used to chaos, nobody but the health of your business will tell you if you are doing right or you are wrong. That’s why, when someone like Andrew Wilkinson offers us the opportunity to join his elite family, we can not help feeling that, in a way, everything we’ve done so far made sense.
In 2015 we created Commite based on idealism: build a studio in Seville with flexible schedules, wonderful colleagues, customers we liked and projects that will challenge and delight us. In 2018 we found out we were not crazy, that all of it was possible. Yes, we live happy moments.
2019: There we go!
If you feel identified with our values, and would like to join the team, you can give us a shout at careers@z1.digital
