This week, we’re in for a treat. Guy, Founder and CEO, was on his way back from visiting one of our many global offices and got a few spare minutes between onboardings to share his perspective on the difference between Valere and other software agencies you can find.
So, tune in if you’re wondering what it takes to open 6 offices in roughly 4 years and scale a team from 1 to 150 in the same time span. A special treat straight from the horse’s mouth.
In the rapidly growing landscape of software agencies, it’s evident that not all agencies share the same qualities, and among them stands Valere, a venture that holds a special place in my heart. Sometimes, when you truly care about something, even if it’s an organization, you can’t help but refer to it as your own “child.” That’s the depth of my commitment and affection I have for Valere (which is why we thrive).
90% of agencies are terrible and do not know how to build high performing software with efficiency!
Personally, it’s disheartening to witness the prevalence of subpar agencies within our industry — it reflects poorly on the industry as a whole, and that doesn’t sit well with me (but I have no control over what others do). I can’t emphasize enough how many clients come knocking on Valere’s door (among 25% of our startup clients), often after enduring nightmarish ordeals with their previous contractors or agencies.
In this scenario, we roll up our sleeves, and put on our super-hero cape — ready to investigate the spaghetti-like code they’ve been left with. In some cases, we’re able to untangle the mess, salvaging their digital dreams. However, there are instances when the only viable option is to rebuild from the ground up, a decision that often proves more economical in the long run.
In moments like these, I can’t help but feel like we’re the startup’s savior, donning a black cape and fighting to rescue their entrepreneurial dreams, a responsibility that weighs heavily on our shoulders.
But let’s shift our focus back to my original point. In a market that has over 50,000 software agencies worldwide, variations abound — diversity in technologies, geographical reach, and time zones. However, the crux of differentiation lies in two critical factors that profoundly impact efficiency and quality: talent and internal processes.
The Talent Factor:
A Precarious Balance
At the heart of the matter is talent. Regrettably, approximately 90% of agencies lean towards hiring junior professionals, often with a mere 1–2 years of experience, primarily driven by economic considerations. While cost-effective on paper, this strategy often translates to sluggish progress, causing project launches to be delayed by months, and in some dire cases, years. Moreover, the aftermath rears its head in the form of subpar performance and questionable scalability.
The Perils of Inexperience
Junior coders, who constitute a significant portion of these agencies, often grapple with inadequate knowledge of proper coding practices, and lack the experience to craft well-structured, high-performance code. The consequences can be dire; while the application may go live, it might succumb to glitches, crashes, or sluggish performance in many scenarios. These agencies frequently rely on a single senior manager overseeing a multitude of junior developers, a model that is often unrealistic, resulting in project derailments in over 50% of cases.
Valere’s Distinct Approach
At Valere, we subscribe to a different ethos. A rigorous hiring process is our linchpin, designed to ensure we onboard the finest talent. Our selective approach, admitting only 4% of candidates, overwhelmingly comprises developers with a minimum of four years’ experience. This meticulous screening process alleviates a myriad of challenges, saving us from potential headaches down the line.
Our hiring process is a meticulous journey, encompassing:
- Candidate applies for the job.
- HR screens resumes for experience.
- Candidate undergoes a behavioral interview for cultural fit.
- A coding and logic examination assesses the candidate’s technical acumen.
- The candidate engages in an in-person technical interview with our Head of Engineering.
- Upon selection, the candidate embarks on a project shadowing phase.
- Continuous evaluation and assignment of the first project during the probationary period.
Beyond the initial hiring, a rigorous six-month evaluation process scrutinizes a candidate’s performance and necessitates feedback from their managers. This stringent approach allows us to refine our team continually, promoting the most talented and weeding out underperformers.
The Internal Process Dilemma
The Missing Link:
The second critical factor, internal processes, is where many agencies falter. A staggering 90% lack the coding standards and procedures that foster efficiency and high-performance software development. Critical processes like QA, code refactorization, caching, lazy loading, concurrency management, profiling, and algorithmic efficiency are often glaringly absent due to managerial unawareness or unwillingness to embrace change. If you are interested, I will include a glossary of coding processes and practices for you to review at the end of this article/rant.
Valere’s Process Evolution
Valere, a four-year-old company at the time of writing, recognizes the paramount importance of refining and implementing efficient processes. Our journey from a C+ in year one to a robust A rating in years three and four exemplifies the dedication required to optimize processes and set superior standards.
Our relentless pursuit of process optimization involves creating systems for accountability and hiring management capable of identifying bottlenecks and introducing new processes as needed. And of course, I have been one of the pushiest most OCD CEO’s you can imagine, setting the tone for my expectations for excellence. I push, repeat, and refine my push, until we get the proper results. Today, Valere stands as one of the industry’s most process-driven development companies, holding steadfast to the highest standards.
An Analogy to Ponder
To illustrate the criticality of these processes and the caliber of talent, consider this analogy: Imagine purchasing a house and entrusting its construction to novices rather than seasoned professionals. The result is a home with a shaky foundation, infrastructure flaws, and potential hazards lurking beneath the surface. While it may appear acceptable at first glance, a closer inspection reveals numerous issues. Over time, the foundation crumbles, systems fail, and disaster strikes. This analogy mirrors the pitfalls of hiring agencies with subpar employees and processes, emphasizing the importance of making informed choices. Your app may work at launch, but once it reaches semi-scale, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.
You Should Listen to Me
In making these bold assertions, I back them with a track record of experience. Having developed and launched over 100 mobile applications before founding Valere, my insights derive from extensive exposure to the software agency landscape.
Moreover, the endorsements from our diverse workforce of over 150 employees provide resounding confirmation of the worth of Valere’s stringent standards and unwavering dedication to excellence. When they draw comparisons to their previous experiences with different companies prior to joining Valere, our employees consistently attest that Valere has not only advanced their careers but also instilled a profound sense of pride in their affiliation with our organization.
Lastly, as I alluded to earlier, I’d venture to estimate that a solid 25% of our clients, many of them intrepid startup founders, approach us with applications that can only be described as, well, “less than stellar” — the handiwork of some of our competitors.
Work With Valere
In your quest for the right agency, I urge you to heed these insights carefully. Success hinges on not only the right technology but, more importantly, the talent and processes that underpin it. Choose wisely, and may your journey be marked by success and innovation.
Valere is going to be on the forefront of development. Heck, our mission includes building meaningful things. Contact us, right here on this post, or via email if you’re shy. (contact@valere.io)
As promised, here is a glossary of coding processes and practices in which Valere follows:
1. Algorithmic Efficiency: Selecting optimal algorithms and data structures to enhance software performance.
2. Profiling: Using tools to identify performance bottlenecks in code.
3. Optimized Data Structures: Choosing data structures tailored to specific operations.
4. Memory Management: Efficiently handling memory to prevent leaks and excessive allocation.
5. Concurrency: Leveraging multi-threading or parallel processing while avoiding synchronization issues.
6. I/O Optimization: Minimizing I/O operations and using buffering and asynchronous I/O when necessary.
7. Caching: Storing frequently accessed data in memory to reduce costly disk accesses.
8. Lazy Loading: Loading data or resources only when needed to reduce startup times and memory usage.
9. Minimizing Object Creation: Reusing objects and using object pooling to reduce overhead.
10. Compiler Optimizations: Utilizing compiler settings to improve performance.
11. Code Profiling and Optimization Iteration: Continuously profiling code and making targeted optimizations.
12. Low-Level Optimizations: Using low-level optimizations sparingly and when necessary.
13. Reducing Redundant Work: Avoiding unnecessary calculations or redundant work.
14. Minimizing Dependencies: Reducing external dependencies to simplify code.
15. Testing and Benchmarking: Regularly testing and benchmarking code to track improvements.
16. Code Reviews: Collaborating through code reviews to identify performance bottlenecks.
17. Documentation and Comments: Documenting code and adding comments for clarity.
18. Energy Efficiency: Considering energy efficiency, especially for mobile and battery-powered systems.
Valere is an award-winning digital transformation, innovation, and software development company. As an expert-vetted, top 1% agency on Upwork, Valere has re-invented the way software design and development agencies operate — mitigating issues related to communication and process inefficiencies while partnering with clients to architect the right solution for the right problem.Valere utilizes emerging technology in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enable startups and enterprise businesses alike to execute, launch, and scale their vision, transform organizations, and build something meaningful.
Valere has built over 300 successfully launched applications –ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies! Valere has experience developing for both consumer and B2B audiences across a myriad of verticals such as healthcare, finance, sports, fitness, education, and more!Valere has a successful track record of building applications that have yielded millions in revenue, downloads, and Venture Capital — while also getting apps featured by the New York Times, Apple App Store top featured apps, TechRadar and Google Play Store top featured apps!
The Valere team consists of expert engineers, project managers, designers, and quality assurance specialists, with offices in the United States, India, Croatia, Peru, and Uruguay. Schedule a call with us today to learn how we can help your team create the perfect software or application that can Accelerate Your Business Goals!
