2021 in review: Merge Development and I
2021 has been a hectic year for me and Merge Development. Looking back at the beginning of it, I couldn’t imagine that we’d be in such a place right now.
Today we are more than 30 employees (starting from 8 at the beginning of the year). In January, we earned a bit over $40k, and we ended the year with almost $1M revenue.
We did more than 30 projects in different fields focusing on fintech and SaaS. Today we have so much experience with blockchain and crypto that we can design them blindfolded. The geography of our clients is more comprehensive than ever: from Singapore and Australia to Canada and United States. We still don’t have clients from Japan, so if you’re reading this in Tokyo — drop a message, let’s work on something extraordinary.
Our team became more experienced than ever. On the one hand, we did a lot of projects that helped us become better; on the other hand, we started hiring more experienced talent by default. The churn rate is still low than ever. We did part ways with some of the employees, but I feel like sometimes it’s better to end the working relationship early than to struggle down the road.
We upgraded the perks and benefits of working at Merge. For some big companies, these are self-explanatory, but for us, it’s a big step forward to making Merge the best company to work at. Merge employees can learn new skills and things and take care of their health (from physical to mental) at the company’s expense, with no exceptions. For example, we offer a $1,000 grant for education of any sort. So, if someone wants to learn how to play guitar — we provide the funds. Our approach is simple: whatever makes you happy is good.
And it shows. Recent anonymous employee engagement survey results are simply lovely. No one has voted that they want to leave the company. For me, that’s the first indicator that I’ve chosen the right direction to develop the company. We also asked about the company culture, and most of the employees feel that they belong at Merge. It’s heartwarming to read.
I always thought that the team is the number one asset every company has. It has been true for me for many years now, but in 2022 I’ll focus even more on helping everyone at Merge to become better and smarter.
We updated our branding, redesigned the website (almost twice), and launched our blog. Starting from September, we published 18 blog posts, and there are some pieces I’m proud of:
- Blockchain design principles.
- The text about the best SaaS landing pages.
- Everything you should know about the benefits and drawbacks of working with React Native.
We published 50 Dribbble shots and a couple of high-quality case studies on Behance and did dozens of cool Instagram posts. Feel free to subscribe if not yet.
We are still far from what I want Merge to be, but we are getting closer to it each day.
Now to something more personal.
The challenges I had and the mistakes I made
One of the core values of Merge says, “Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” When I was writing it, I was thinking more about myself than everyone else in the company. When I make mistakes, they strike me hard. So what I was trying to do in 2021 and will be doing in the following years is to be easier on myself.
In Summer, we reached the ceiling in terms of monthly revenue, and I knew if we didn’t start growing soon enough, we wouldn’t hit the $1M revenue target. Then I decided to part ways with our Head of Growth and began managing all sales processes and closing the deals. It was a tough decision, and it didn’t go smoothly. I don’t want to share all the details, but I learned never to let emotions control you or your decision-making.
You might hire the best sales managers in the service business, but the best deal closer will always be a CEO. In the future, I’m planning on working with enterprise clients only, while the team will be taking care of SMBs, but for the time being, I’m focusing my energy on every lead and prospect that we have.
The improvements
I feel like I became wiser and more experienced. The impostor syndrome is still there, haunting me, but I understand my value and importance to the team and clients.
As you’ve might read in my previous blog post here on Medium, I started doing more health-related stuff this year. I wouldn’t be here without yoga, dopamine detox, working out, and swimming. Taking care of your physical and mental health is as important as taking care of your business’s finances.
I started doing sports every day. At first, I pushed myself to go to the gym, but it became more effortless with every training day. Today, even though it’s freezing outside, I still wake up and go to the gym, and I’m proud of it.
New projects and perspectives
In 2022 we will launch Merge Academy — the best place to study how to code and design things. I will share more details about the Academy in one of my next blog posts here and on the Merge Development blog later. For now, I want to share my vision and how we approach education and courses in general.
Due to the recent growth of remote and IT jobs, countless schools and academies appeared. They offer tons of programs for beginners and promise that they will become skillful enough to find a new job in a couple of months. The reality is that the students graduate with no practice and knowledge and get disappointed by the whole industry.
My vision is to create a place that will focus on students and their knowledge, rather than a conveyor that produces undergraduates. The quality was my focus when creating Merge Development and it will be the same for the Academy as well.
The second big announcement is that I got involved with an NFT project this year. More details on it later, cause I don’t want to spoil anything, but it will blow some minds for sure.
Looking into the future
2022 would be my most ambitious year ever. I plan to grow Merge Development to 100 employees and become one of the world’s best UX UI design and development agencies. The revenue goals are even crazier, as I want to reach $5M revenue by the end of the year.
I will continue to make it the best place to work at. Merge is a huge family, and I want everyone in the company to feel the same.
As for Merge Academy, I’m looking forward to launching it and doing the first lessons. Stay tuned for more updates.
Stay strong and healthy. I wish everyone who struggled during 2021, that 2022 would be a lot better. Don’t put your head down, your time will come.
This year will be yours!
