Digital Stories

At the end of March, we swapped our cups for glasses and toasted to [e-spres-oh]’s 10th anniversary! Besides throwing a legendary party, we took some time to reflect on this major milestone we’re deeply grateful to have achieved. We’d like to start by thanking our amazing team and you – our clients, for trusting us with your software ideas, our friends, and our community, for your continued support. 

A decade in tech is no easy ride. Learning to thrive on challenges has brought us this far and it’s what keeps us going. Thus, to wrap up [e-spres-oh]’s first decade and code our way into the next one(s), we thought we’d share a cupful of challenges that fuel our vision for the future, one sip at a time. A memento, if you like, and a sort of vision statement altogether, this article will hopefully offer you a cupful of inspiration in return.

The original blend

If you know our story by now, you also know that we like telling it. 10 years ago, we were just a small team of developers, working on a single project from coffee shops in our hometown of Timisoara, Romania. Besides a shared passion for code and coffee, we had yet another thing in common: we wanted to build great software and have a good time doing it. A simple mix, you could say, perfectly suited to our taste. We called it [e-spres-oh].

What’s code got to do with it? 

Back then, we didn’t imagine how many times we’d have to explain to people that we do software, not coffee. It’s still kind of funny, to be honest. To further confess, we can’t think of a better name for fresh code delivered with great energy. Or one that would’ve better matched our distinctive company culture. And oh, the coffee puns… we still like them a latte!

I remember the early days when we were a small team with a big can-do attitude. There was this nice startup vibe at [e-spres-oh]… this will sound cliché, but we were like a family away from family and felt there wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle. Like, you know, the sky’s the limit.

Arnold Ispan, Senior Software Developer at [e-spres-oh]

The big-picture mission

A decade later, the key ingredients to our blend are the same. Only that now there are more of us: developers, product owners, UX/UI designers, and business analysts, all pouring energy into complex projects for clients worldwide. And among us, some that were here from the very beginning (here’s to you, Cristi and Arnold!). Our common goal has since been translated into a big-picture mission: to create an environment that helps everyone thrive – our team, our tech partners, and the community we’re part of. 

The environment we refer to is a sum of opportunities meant to bring people together, drive learning, enable growth, and spark innovation. Our mission is our promise. It’s what pushes us to get out there, get involved, share knowledge, and collaborate closely towards building excellent products that we can be proud of. 

Level up the playground, level up the game

A highly skilled team feels empowered by projects that allow them to unleash their full potential. It’s simple, great projects inspire great work. In an increasingly competitive market, the real challenge is finding them, and we know it all too well. To accomplish our mission, we want to be able to dedicate our work exclusively to building products that bring value to users and our clients, and invaluable experience to our team. 

We’ve been lucky enough to work with amazing clients and aim to add more meaningful projects to our portfolio in the coming years. Speaking of which, we’ve recently started several new local engagements and we’re glad to say fulfilling partnerships can also happen closer to home. 

Beyond the code

Early on in our journey, we felt that besides delivering great software solutions, [e-spres-oh] can bring so much more to the table. This belief still inspires our constant search for ways to enrich our work life and give back to the community.

Creative and forward-thinking ideas appeal to us, and we’ve pursued many of them – game-changing office spaces that made the headlines for their design, bold initiatives, such as a members-only club for the tech community, and the list could go on. Even though not all of them proved sustainable in the long run, taking the road less traveled helped us realize we can do things in our own way. And that by putting people first we can do them better, in here and out there, and make a positive impact in our day-to-day work, and beyond ourselves. 

What makes you different? 

Over the last decade, the tech job market has boomed. Flexible work conditions, generous employee benefits, and state-of-the-art offices have become the norm. The real question today is: what else can you offer? 

We’re still rather small compared to many large-scale local companies. Nonetheless, our 10-year growth journey has been ‘horizontally’ impressive, to put it this way. Exploring new grounds has helped us figure out what suits us and what doesn’t and shape a place we can call our own: a place where you can build meaningful relationships, take ownership of your work, and have a say in the decision-making process. [e-spres-oh] is intense but cozy.

Ever since I joined [e-spres-oh], I was impressed by everyone’s drive to go the extra mile to do more, do better, and support each other along the way. I believe it was only natural for this culture of belonging to go beyond our circle and into the community we’re part of. This is what I love most about us – we always have each other’s back.

Alexandra Chifor, Operations Manager at [e-spres-oh]

The energizing mix 

A lot of things have changed throughout the years, but we’re the same fun-loving code and design perfectionists, who can’t go three months without a party or more than a minute without thinking of whatever brainteaser we’re trying to solve. We can be ourselves around each other, and that’s liberating. Not to mention time-saving. Genuine communication and strong collaboration put the ‘oh’ in [e-spres-oh]. 

Finding the best match

Over the years, our cup of [e-spres-oh] has taken different forms. We’ve gone through several changes in ownership and subsequent transformations. Our business development strategy has been put to the test time and again, making way for more clarity and a renewed sense of community. Tough times do forge stronger bonds.

The challenge has always been to keep culture and strategy aligned, no matter the size or the shape our cup of [e-spres-oh] takes. The twists and turns along the way have been eye-opening in many ways, and we’re hopefully better prepared to face any changes to come if we are to mix and match again.

Long live the blob!

A few years ago, when our designers gave the logo a facelift, they also added a backdrop in the form of a blob. A free-flowing shape associated with growth, adaptability, and endlessness, the blob also speaks of something more. 

A decade of [e-spres-oh] meant a lot of exploring – new stacks, technologies, frameworks, and whatnot; cutting-edge software projects we’re proud of and many others in the making; long-lasting partnerships, strong community ties, and a valuable ever-expanding network; challenges we’ve lived up to, plenty others to rise to, lessons learned and even more to be earned; a lot of adapting, shifting into something else, and reemerging as we once were, only to be ready to shift again. 

A true blob in spirit and form, [e-spres-oh] is not perfect, but one thing’s for sure: we pour our minds and hearts into what we do, and we always strive to be better while taking good care of each other.  

[e-spres-oh] version 10.1, with important updates

The most exciting challenges are the ones to come. What shape will our blob take next? Can it flow freely, grow, and prosper at the same time? We’re committed to making sure it does. 

[e-spres-oh] is entering a new decade of change that brings along new opportunities. We will expand its potential and bring it to the forefront of the IT industry by delivering high-value services to our clients while staying true to the core values that make [e-spres-oh] a unique workplace.

Daniel Markovits, CEO at [e-spres-oh]

We can already see the future in our cup of [e-spres-oh]: we’re coding, designing, building great products, and having a good time doing it. How about you, how do you see your journey unfolding? Here’s to us and rising to each challenge in the decade(s) to come! Let’s make it meaningful and worthwhile.