Apart Design Studio’s Post

Healthy organizations value the contributions of all their people. When companies work together with love, gratitude, and care, there is a noticeable difference in the workplace. It creates an environment that promotes the release of oxytocin and dopamine, which are essential for the well-being of employees. #HealthyOrganizations #WorkplaceCulture

As someone who has interviewed many developers, I can tell you that I know when you’re fake laughing. But I don’t care. I know many of the best developers are extreme introverts. During an interview they’re about as comfortable as they would be if their skin was inside out. I find this discomfort to be indicative of how inwardly focused their mindset typically is. I value such a mindset as it thrives in the minutia of writing and editing code. I seek to put them at ease enough that they can be themselves and nerd out with me about a topic they truly find interesting. Not as a test, but to help them get comfortable enough to reveal their brand of genius. If I can’t do that, I’m not very good at managing people. I’m probably rushing through the interview too focused on their technical skillset, and not focusing enough on how we might enjoy working together daily. I’m sharing this so that you, job seeker, can understand that a good manager looks past your nerves and awkward laughter and sees your talented and true self. You’re not just being evaluated, you’re also sizing them up. Do you want to work with people that make you feel awkward and small? Or in an environment where you leave the meeting feeling ten feet tall? You’ll do your worst work in the former and your best work in the latter, so this matters a lot. Managers, I know you hear a lot of nervous laughter in interviews. How much you care about cutting through the veneer and empowering the candidate in that moment says a lot about you and your company. Job seekers, pay attention to whether you feel like you’ll be able to bring your full and authentic self to the table in this role. Ask bold questions and test to see if your perspective would be valued or minimized. In my experience, nothing matters as much to your professional success as being comfortably yourself, empowered in moments of stress, and truly listened to by upper management. Happy hunting! 🐰

Meet the Team: R&D 🧪 Usually we use this series to introduce you to individual team members. This time around we’re excited to introduce you to an entire team.  The idea to launch an internal R&D Team has been around for quite a while at Black Label. Although we are technically an IT Services company, we have a strong culture of innovation and a lot of devs and non-devs with entrepreneurial mindsets. We finally heeded the call and late last year we started putting together our R&D team, or should I say the “RnD” team as they like to be known. Avengers Assemble! 🦸🏻 It took a few weeks to finalize the squad and as a result we have a strong core R&D team made up of Maciej K., Mateusz Bernacik, Michael Pasławski, Oskar Matysiak, Paweł Dalek and Sebastian Bochan. Additionally Grzegorz Iwacz, Grzegorz Blachliński, Timothy Chase and Tomasz Kołek are acting in an advisory role. While it is still early days for the team, they are already hard at work pretotyping and prototyping a few initial ideas 💡  Look out for an upcoming blog article about the origin story of the R&D team and a preview of what they are currently working on! #blacklabel #rndteam #dataviz #innovation

Austin and I have done some pretty amazing collabs since starting SixTwentySix. But what excites me most (more than working with this or that big brand or celebrity) is seeing the consistency and growth in the caliber of jobs we're doing year after year. When we first started the company, we were doing super small $2k to $10k music videos. Landing our first $30k or even $70k gig felt insane. I remember running the numbers, trying to understand how much money we could really make and how big the company could be if those kinds of project became consistent. Fast forward to today… It's crazy to think about how we used to go nuts over something for $10k. Now, we're working on projects with an average budget of over $200k, and we're consistently taking on million-dollar-plus jobs. What I’ve learned is that every project is cool and unique in its own way (even the small ones), and some will resonate with me or Austin or our team more than others. But what's TRULY fulfilling and exciting is watching our business grow — adapting to changes in the industry and technology, and constantly pushing the scope of what we do. Now that I’m more behind the scenes focusing on supporting my business and my team, it’s just the most fulfilling to see the capacity and consistency we’ve built. That's how I know we're achieving the mission and goals of the company.

🚀 Exciting News: Tweezerman enters Pet Grooming! 🐾 Tweezerman is thrilled to announce the expansion into the pet grooming market, an industry valued at over $9 billion and growing rapidly. 🐶 Why This Move? The rising number of pet owners means a greater demand for high-quality grooming tools. Pets deserve the same exceptional care and precision that Tweezerman delivers to human customers. 🛠 A Natural Fit: Tweezermans legacy of craftsmanship and durability makes this expansion a logical step. Tweezerman is excited to bring their expertise to the pet grooming world, ensuring that furry friends look and feel their best. Stay tuned for product launches and updates. After all, why should humans have all the fun? 😉 #Tweezerman #PetGrooming #NewMarket #PetCare #QualityFirst

When life gives you lemons, make Rupert! Great event last week, excited to see Rupert in action. Automating your social media comments with a simple, user friendly (and way too cheap) platform. #marketing #letsrunmarketing #socialmedia #lemons

Doubling Down: OR is it Dublin' Down this weekend? 🍀 Three words: I want one! 👀 I don't care who you are, This is cool! 😎 James Barlow - What are we talking here for stick? 🤔 Jib attachments? 😄 #constructionmanagement #whoneedsacraneanyway #trusssettercentral #construction #Trackzilla

WELCOME TO FEBRUARY!🎉 Techies, it's a brand new month! 🚀 Let's crush those goals, debug those challenges, and celebrate our tech triumphs. What exciting projects are you diving into this February? Share with us in the comments section below! 👩💻 #TechFebruary #happynewmonth #techenthusiast #innovatetogether