New Chapter as CTO: Driving Storimake to the Success

A New Beginning in Technology

Joining Storimake as the CTO, I faced the challenge of transforming a somewhat dysfunctional technical environment into one that encouraged collaboration and efficiency. The team members were individually talented, but were used to working individually, lacking direct collaboration. I took on the responsibility of improving communication among developers, urging them to break down departmental barriers (allowing them to think more about the product rather than just ticking off Jira tasks) and to work as a unified team.

I introduced dynamics that encourage debate, successfully aligning the various parts of the technical team towards a common goal. This cultural shift was crucial from the start to translate business needs into technical solutions and to promote a stronger sense of purpose and camaraderie among the engineers.

Building a Solid Team

Our initial strategy required building a strong internal team, a key transition from relying on external talent. My focus was on building trust, demonstrating that Storimake was not just a workplace but an environment where every talent could thrive and where we all could have a real impact on the final product.

It's common to find engineering teams where engineers are merely "code monkeys" who aren't allowed to contribute ideas or solutions. At Storimake, I ensured every engineer had the chance to offer ideas and solutions, which not only improved the quality of our product but also boosted team morale and, I hope, talent retention, although time will tell!

Quality Over Quantity

Addressing technical debt was a critical step to ensure the sustainability of our development in the medium to long term. I initiated a strategic refactoring process, working with the team and allowing engineers to spend time improving the existing code base, which has left us with a much more robust and scalable system.

This methodical approach to managing technical debt not only optimized our operations but also strengthened our software architecture. While there is still much room for improvement, what we have now is far more solid and adaptable to change. Engineers are happier with the code they write, and the product team is pleased with the speed at which new features can be implemented. Establishing these standards from the beginning secures a solid foundation for Storimake's innovation and future growth.

Launching and Evolving the Product

We came from a purely B2C product, but the product team, along with the business, discovered a significant opportunity in the B2B market. We decided to tackle this with a web application, and after months of hard work, we have just launched it, thus redefining our market value proposition.

Furthermore, to the surprise of some, I took the initiative to develop a complete backoffice, giving the company unprecedented visibility and control over our operations. This backoffice has not only improved the efficiency of the operations team but also fostered a climate of trust and transparency.

I know that everything can be done in Excel, and you can download a CSV table and see what happens, but having a backoffice that allows you to see the real-time status of the company is a significant advancement.

The Future

We are just getting started, but we have already achieved a lot. I am excited about the future of Storimake and the role the technical team will play in the success of the company. I am confident that with the team we've built and the culture we've fostered, we are in a strong position to reach our ambitious goals. I will surely write more on this topic in the future, but for now, let's keep working!