BIOGRAPHY

In May 2015, I finally took the first step and founded division5. Picture this: A 23-year-old with no connections, no money, no references, and no experience. How hard could it be? That's exactly what I thought. Boy, I had no clue.

I wanted to build a game development company, but soon after starting, we found ourselves without money. The only way to keep the business going was to provide software development services. I guess this was the first big lesson in my entrepreneurial journey: The market doesn't care about what you want to do.

Without connections, it's tough—especially when your clients are businesses. Most collaborations in the B2B space happen within internal networks. You need a strong value proposition to gain customers. So I cherished every client I got. I did my best to deliver exceptional service and make my clients happy. Profit wasn't my priority at that time. Maybe that was a mistake. I've left so much money on the table, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Some clients referred us to others. Slowly but surely, we built a customer base that kept coming back. Not only that, they promoted our services to their inner circles until we had to hire just to keep up with demand. Unwittingly, we were able to provide a service people love to share.

For the first four years of division5, we acquired customers solely through word of mouth. We spent no money on marketing or sales; we just focused on the service we provided and the relationships we built. It's a slow way to grow, but it ensures you get the basics right.

As we grew, I realized that if I wanted to provide great service, I needed to hire great people and build a culture focused on the quality we aimed to provide. Culture starts at the top. As a leader, it's your responsibility to shape and steer the culture in the right direction. The best way to do this is by leading through example, hiring the right people, and not tolerating behaviors that go against the culture you want to build.

Today, division5 has customers dating back eight years. They keep coming back because they know they can trust me and that I'm reliable. Prioritizing relationships is the best investment you can make. From a single staff augmentation company, we've evolved into a comprehensive ecosystem of specialized divisions, each focused on delivering exceptional value in their respective fields.

The journey has taught me that business is simple. We tend to overcomplicate things, but in reality, running a successful service-based business means getting the basics right: provide a valuable service, keep customers happy, and serve as many customers as you can. How do you know you're doing the right things? If you provide a service people love to share, that's a great indication that you're headed in the right direction.