8-year Journey and 8 things I learned running DBSync
On DBSync’s anniversary I decided to write about what has brought me and my team where we are today. What follows isn’t a “walk down memory lane” but a brief summary of the key lessons I’ve learned in getting the company to its 8th birthday.
Let’s dig in!
#1. Customers are our heart
We’re happy to have the most outstanding customers of all, and this is not an exaggeration. Some have been with us for 10 years since we served as a product line of Avankia, with others we are just starting to build a story. But each and every one of them have pushed us to go ahead and improve vigorously with their demands, challenges and feedbacks.
Our success story would be incomplete without the support of our clients and customers. Not only have they made us a part of their lives but also helped us reach out to the world.
#2. Working atmosphere is vital
As everything comes with experience, over time we improved our talent search techniques and we’re proud of being able to find, grow and retain savvy experts. Nowadays, we have folks working from the USA, India, Europe and Latin America. We embrace the technological era by providing our employees with the opportunity to work from home or remotely. I think it’s a quite healthy approach.
#3. Be open-minded
Many times I hear that “the bigger the company, the more squared-minded it is” or “I left because there wasn’t space to grow”. We can’t brag with thousands of employees or vast international presence (even though we have some), but I think it’s our size which dictates us to look for new ways to do things, and not to stick with the “trusted way”. We’re always open for new ideas and businesses.
“The greatest thing in DBSync is that many of the team members don’t stick entirely to their job description as it happens in more conservative companies, but rather rotate from services to sales team, to support and so on. That ensures that everyone knows the product inside-out, as well as have fun and gain new experiences,” – David Sudheer, Global Sales Manager at DBSync.
#4. Stay focused but not closed
In all these years running DBSync I’ve had many exciting opportunities, but chasing a new project every time means draining energy and focus away from your main enterprise. That’s why focusing means a lot to me when it comes to run my business.
Focused on the business needs but opened to market and even to business model changes. I think that’s a golden mean between pursuing new projects and staying completely closed to a potential big deal.
#5. Be prepared for expanded horizons
Every time the company introduces a new product it expands not only market range but also the horizon of its possibilities and new coming challenges. Over the years we learned not to chase the number of releases but rather the quality of each. We follow the process of market research and analysis before each release. Which leads us to the next lesson we learned.
#6. Listen to the market
Not always my confidence about what would be the best solution was approved by the market. Only by listening to the market and clients we are able to deliver the most awaited products. And the valuable lesson to remember here is that there are so many ideas around but not all are worth your attention.
“Salesforce and Intuit could both learn a lot from them [DBSync] about customer service” – Kim Girolimetto – Satisfied after more than a year.
#7. Be flexible
Our company occupies a unique place in the iPaaS market because of its ability to execute custom projects. It’s the ability to pivot, change and adapt that is essential for being a competitive market player. That was an important step to take in order to ensure our growth, and we can’t be more satisfied with the results.
Providing a custom product isn’t an easy thing to do. It takes time, hiccups and even occasional glitches before everything can run smoothly.
“Everyone has their own unique workflow when it comes to integrating Salesforce and QuickBooks. Luckily, there are companies like DBSync who recognize that and are willing and able to create customized workflows to satisfy our requirements. … This is our second year using DBSync and we look forward to a continued relationship with both the product, the people, and the company.” – Tom Stawicki – Great Company and Great Product to Work With!
#8. Partnership is everything
I consider we are fortunate to have wonderful partners by our side. Many of them have been with us for 6-7 years. And the best way we practice building new ties is through conferences like Dreamforce, ServiceMax, Microsoft Inspire and of course visiting the offices of our partners and customers. You never know what foundation that one meeting may lay 🙂
Wrapping up this post, I’d like to gaze at what the future has in store for me and my team. There are many companies to compete with and many projects to build, but what matters is the technology in use. New opportunities emerge with the union of iPaaS and AI; what impact it will have on DBSync and how far we will be able to push boundaries of the market’s digital transformation, we shall see sooner than one might expect.
