Defining success is defining a goal and that goal looks different for everyone. Every leader has a unique definition of success. Alex Circei, Co-founder & CEO of Waydev states that you have to understand and have a passion for what you do. If you don’t love each day of work, it will be very hard to continue. Alex has created a software development analytics platform for engineering leaders.
Leading a company to success isn’t an easy road to take
In 2017, Alex saw a really big problem that he believed he could focus on and fix it. He was an advisor to a company that was struggling with an offshore engineering team, he needed a way to measure their output, a way to see into their processes, workflows, and areas he could help improve. He was left wanting. “So this was the main problem, getting a better visibility intro engineering teams, a tool to track and measure their output and help improve performance. This is how Waydev started,” he says. The people, process, technology framework – Alex helps you learn how to implement and measure it in software development to create an efficient working environment.
There were some roadblocks when he was trying to get into Y Combinator, there was a harsh journey of trial and error that helped him face the reality of the business model. “The program’s rigorous vetting gave me a sense-check of what I was missing, and who I’ve been missing,” states Alex.
The beginning of Alex’s career
Alex started his entrepreneurship back in 2007 by building an IT&C online store called LiveMag. Later, he started developing products dedicated to eCommerce as Live2c, an eCommerce platform that helped small, local businesses create online shops integrated with their suppliers. “My greatest achievement as a leader is happily coming to work each day alongside an amazing team,” he exclaims.
Waydev’s contribution in redefining the industry with innovative ideas
One way that Waydev is contributing in redefining the industry is by helping businesses increase the efficiency of their engineering teams, and by sourcing data that is processed so that engineering leaders can gain concrete insights regarding issues and roadblocks. Most of the software development reports are related to manual input from engineers, Waydev generates useful reports for managers, without the input of the engineers. Waydev provides value with real-time metrics for your daily stand-ups, 1-to-1 meetings, code review workflow, history of your engineers’ work, and benchmarking the stats with the industry average.
Alex, who describes himself as a ‘determined’ person, states that for now his focus is delivering value to Waydev’s customers, and growing Waydev, if customers are happy, everybody’s happy. Before Waydev, he was focused on finding problems, and creating solutions for those problems, such as Live2c, which helped small businesses create online shops.
His plans for Waydev are to further grow and to help engineering leaders all across the globe. He recommends YC Startup School, which is an online free program similar to Y Combinator program, to every aspiring business leader. “Have a dream and have patience in achieving your dream. I’m constantly evolving and so are my dreams,’ he says.
Maintaining a balance in personal and professional life
“Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life” is a quote by Confucius that Alex claims truly gets him by. He states that he has yet to “work” since he launched Waydev five years ago, and the thing that helped build his business discipline is the fact that he is an Ironman competitor because; “the same mental struggle that you face in an endurance event is the same as in business life, day today,” states Alex.