SERENDIP's 2020 Learnings Recap

Serendip was 9 months old on January 2020. I had one client who absconded without paying us the $27000.00 due and I had learned 2 important lessons in 2019.

#1 - Stop work when your client hasn't paid for whatever period you can withstand.

#2 - Complete ownership of the strategy behind Serendip was important to me.

As I look back on 2020, there are so many more fails and great lessons learned. Here is a summary in short as it ties to our story.

#1 : Own the delivery

2020 opened with Serendip having established 3 partnerships where we would bring projects to the partner for a fee based on a percentage that would wane after a few years. As I spoke to more potential clients, they rightfully thought of Serendip as a sales broker. This did not bode well with my mission. How might Serendip guarantee delivery, if we didn't own the continuous delivery of the project? We switched the model. Partnership agreements had to be changed where contracts would now go through Serendip so that Serendip owns the delivery process. For partners who were weary of the change, we had to figure out added value to them.

• Serendip learns more about their strengths and weaknesses so we could sell and support them better.
• Serendip would provide them with additional quality checks and account management.

#2 : Do Not Pitch Partners Against Each Other

Early in the year, an opportunity showed up that seemed to fit two of my partners. My lead and I broached both of them and shared information about the project. I worked with both partners and started putting two proposals together. Within a week we were presenting fairly complex and detailed proposals to the client but a winner was clearly beginning to emerge. The client was delighted to sign the contract with one of them and at a moment when I should have felt elated, I could not enjoy it.

Was there a conflict of interest here? Had I sold one less than the other? It just did not feel right. That was the end of bringing two partners to the table simultaneously. Clients now have to disqualify one, before they get to another.

#3 : User Experience Design First

The more we started working on projects we realized how much user experience design in the form of user workflows and low fidelity mockups was important to strategize around the product, communicate the value behind the work and provide the development team with the business team's vision.

This in turn not only made the experience intuitive for the user, but also helped the business get excited about possibilities. It is a wonderful way for us to build our product development muscles.

#4 : Tech Learning from Detailed Specs

Transcribing the user experience into development specs has been an amazing learning process, thanks to Fanzoo Technology It has been a delightful challenge for me personally and a very useful skill. While we transcribe each screen and button that is part of a screen, one ends up weighing the development effort vs value it brings to the business. The more Serendip does this with partners, I can see how powerful and helpful it can be to everyone concerned.

#5 : Diversity

To say Serendip was focused on diversity when we launched, would be a lie.

It so happens that I am a woman of racial diversity but maintaining that kind of ratio for Serendip was not on top of my mind. However, I had the privilege of being asked by a client to try my best to make a racially diverse hire. They pointed me towards these communities and we hit the jackpot. Now Serendip ( 3 women, 1 man, 100% racially diverse) continues to pleasantly surprise clients and partners with its refreshingly kind, talented and radical personality.

It's definitely not easy to find diverse talent but we are making that a priority. It's paying off in spades.

#6 : Pricing

I do think general pricing for custom software is over-priced in North America and it is prohibitive for innovation. That was partly why I launched Serendip, however, this year at Serendip we learned that to grow a healthy company, we would have to reassess our pricing.

Our intention is to provide our people (those who are designing and writing the code) with a fabulous lifestyle. Interesting projects, great pay, flexibility with time, a stress free environment and the freedom to innovate. How might we do this at a price point that works for clients? How do we keep custom software accessible to entrepreneurs and businesses whilst keeping the pricing accessible? That is what we will continue to monitor and adjust.

#7 : Keep Telling the Story

One might call it marketing and yes it is but there is also cataloguing and transparency that go with writing the story. It is hard to tell your life story when you don't remember where it begins. Same is true for a business. There is always so much going on when one runs a business. If we wait to write a story about the hockey stick moment on the graph, we will miss out on celebrating the small moments of learning.

This year we got into a better rhythm of telling the story. Every time a Serendip newsletter or post goes out, it has a chance of hitting a soft spot for someone in the form of learning. I believe each person has an innovator within them and the daily grind stories of running a business can resonate or inspire someone reading it. It's also a great way to hold ourselves responsible for our thoughts while serving as a reflective journal.

#8 : A Culture of Giving and Gratitude

Turns out I could do better in the gratitude department. During the pandemic, like so many others I was introduced to the abundance meditations which focuses on gratitude. That in turn opened my eyes ( I am still working on it) to how much I could improve my thinking, my words, my actions and my intentions, not only for myself but for those I serve. This journey began with a book that a friend gave me about giving but it goes beyond giving. It's being open to receiving as well. Every time there is a challenge, a fail, I try to look at it with gratitude as an opportunity to learn and serve better.

Coming to the table with no ego and filled with gratitude to have the opportunity to collaborate is a big part of Serendip culture. It dictates how we communicate with our people, our clients and our partners.

As we begin a new year, we hope the small ripples we make in our little pond, turn into a large cultural wave that brings more balance to the world of technology.