Three years of Reshape Digital
Oh well… I can’t even imagine that Reshape Digital is already three years old. It has been quite a journey thus far, but the best is yet to come.
I still vividly remember how Beni and I took on our first project, Lunsjkompaniet, Reshape’s initial digital venture. Yes, like many software companies, we followed the trend of two technical individuals starting a consultancy and development firm. We were fortunate to have complete ownership of the development lifecycle for our inaugural project. We handled the UI/UX aspect, development, testing, and launch. Furthermore, the client was receptive to our advice throughout the development phases on how to optimize technology for a more efficient business workflow.
We recognized that we could bring value to our customers and made the decision to expand the company and seek clients for whom we could manage the entire development lifecycle and provide consultancy services.
Shortly after the initial phase of Lunsjkompaniet, additional features were requested, prompting us to hire our first colleague, Emil. Everything went smoothly until it didn’t — the pandemic lasted longer than anticipated, and the feature requests ceased, leaving us without any work.
We began reaching out to potential clients, but had no success at all. I recall a time when we advised Emil to seek alternative employment, and we were on the verge of giving up. However, Emil didn’t give up on us; he didn’t search for another job. Soon after, we secured a client — a document management startup focused on the pharmaceutical industry. Emil initiated the greenfield project, which he continues to oversee after its successful deployment in the laboratories of several major pharmaceutical manufacturing companies.
That’s how it all started. We still faced challenges thereafter, but eight months later, another client entrusted us to form a team and manage the full software development lifecycle of a larger project. That’s when we moved into our first office.
From the beginning, we aimed to create a community where people feel secure, appreciated, and have fun while learning. What we now call our hackathons began as individual learning sessions on half-Fridays for all our colleagues.
After less than a year in our office, it was time to move on to a new one with more space to accommodate our growing team of twenty colleagues.
I believe that’s the point when we can truly consider ourselves a company. We became more organized and started placing even greater emphasis on our community, organizing various learning and team-building events.
Looking back, it was a challenging journey, even though it may have appeared effortless. Personally, it was a significant transformation for me. It helped me develop as a leader and as an individual, teaching me the importance of having faith, managing stress, and moving forward.
We are immensely grateful to our clients who placed their trust in us and aided our growth with each opportunity, and not least, we are thankful to our amazing colleagues, without them, Reshape Digital wouldn’t be where it stands today.
As for the future, we will continue to deliver our best for our clients, being there for them, assisting and advising on their businesses. Moreover, we eagerly anticipate expanding our community of talented individuals and adding many more businesses to our portfolio, as we strive to shape the future together.
