From Small Team to Growing Family: Reflecting on My Journey at the Company

Gerry
StreetGroup
Published in
4 min readJun 16, 2023
Table Mountains, Cape Town

Joining a company during its early days can be an exciting and transformative experience. As I sit down to reflect on my journey at Street Group, I am amazed at how far we have come since I first joined five years ago and since I wrote my last blog in 2021. In this blog post, I will share some of my experiences and observations, highlighting the growth and changes that have taken place within the company.

A Small Family:

When I initially joined the company, there was only a handful of us. I remember being the eighth member of the team, and in such a small group of people, it really felt like family. Our first Christmas party consisted of a single long table in a private room — very cosy and intimate!

My first Christmas Party

The Evolving Products:

Back then, the company’s products were still in their early stages. One of the products I worked on was called ‘Hello Again.’ It was software that allowed estate agents to effortlessly maintain contact with people who had bought a home through them. It generated relevant statistics about their local housing market and generated letters at yearly intervals. When we realised the potential of this product, we integrated it into Spectre, our main/flagship product. The evolution of our products has definitely been a journey — filled with lots of learning and adapting to the needs of our customers!

Taking on Leadership:

As the company grew, opportunities for leadership arose. When some team members transitioned to work on our new product Street.co.uk, I found myself taking the lead in maintaining and improving Spectre. It was my first experience leading a team, and though it was initially challenging, I embraced the opportunity to learn and grow. Being responsible for Spectre’s growth and maturity also allowed me to expand my knowledge and gain confidence in areas I had not previously explored.

The Negotiator Awards

The Shift towards Processes:

As the company expanded further, we recognized the need for more structured processes. As the team grew, we wanted to find the best way of distributing siloed knowledge across the team more easily, without being overburdened. We looked at the business capabilities map and went with what felt most natural for everyone. Our development team, including myself, embraced these changes, appreciating the efficiency and organization they brought. Some of these changes include involving developers throughout product discovery, cross-team feedback on pull requests, continuous deployments, pair programming, and regular knowledge-sharing sessions (brown bags and Technical Chapters), etc.

New team members joining us often express their amazement at how smoothly everything operates. With fewer fires to put out and a focus on stability, we can now concentrate on enhancing UX, new features and automation.

The Growing Family:

Although the company has grown significantly, it still feels like a close-knit family. Many of us who have been here for years share a special bond, and we welcome new team members as they join our growing family. Onboarding has become a streamlined and impressive process, (hopefully) making newcomers feel at home from day one. Our culture of support and collaboration continues to thrive, fostering an environment where everyone can contribute their best.

Monthly Payday drinks

Changing Dynamics with the Commercial Team:

As the company evolved, so did our interactions with different teams. In the early days, the development team collaborated closely with the commercial team since we didn’t have dedicated product owners. However, with the introduction of product owners, the dynamics shifted. Nowadays, our communication with the commercial team is different; however, developers still have an opportunity to spend a day shadowing the commercial team in order to enhance their domain knowledge and see firsthand what our customers are asking for and why.

Conclusion:

Reflecting on my journey with this company fills me with pride and a sense of accomplishment. From being part of a small team to witnessing the growth of a large and thriving family, I am grateful for the opportunities and experiences I’ve gained. Street Group’s transformation, from a startup with a few small products to a mature organization with well-defined processes, demonstrates our commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. As we move forward, I am excited to contribute to the company’s future and be a part of its ongoing success.

The Events team at Summer Party

To find out more about life at Street Group, follow us on LinkedIn, see what our team are saying on Glassdoor, or visit our careers site.

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