Takeaways from 2022: Our most transformative year yet

In 2022 we went from startup to scaleup. That means we have so many of the initial bumps in the road behind us, and are really hitting our stride. As we get ready to begin a new year as a bigger company coming into its own, here are my takeaways on a year of transformation:

 The year that proved our relevance

 Automation is on the rise, and we are here for it. This is the year that we really hit our stride and owned our place in the world. Our own growth and the build-up of several economic and societal factors came together to prove our relevance in the global food processing industry.

 Our second machine is doing great, and a lot of customers tell us that they are ready to use the next ones we put on the market. This is music to our ears, because it shows that our customers see us as long-term partners. That partnership has been at the heart of our mission from the start, and it is great to get that confirmation of how much customers need our product.

 A growing teams (in more ways than one)

 This has also been a transformative year for Qcify as a company. We grew from 10 to 21 team members, and we’ve also grown as individuals. I can speak to that myself. For a long time I was very involved in the operational side of things. I used to go into the field and help install the machines. Now I’m starting to take a step back from that. I thought it would be hard to let go, but it’s gone surprisingly naturally. I’m no longer on top of operations 24/7. This has gone smoothly because this company doesn’t revolve around me as a person, but around a higher goal.

 I have been supported in making this shift by a personal and business coach. She advised me that surrounding myself by the right people can help us achieve consistent growth. We are becoming a larger organization active on multiple continents: the US, Australia, and Europe. That means activating our company locally, not just in terms of sales but also in terms of customer support. This has made us more robust as an organization, and better organized too. Our team members have always had a lot of freedom to shape their careers, but they are realizing more how to take ownership as individuals within Qcify.

 A more defined culture

 The future looks promising. In the beginning as a startup you have to experiment a lot and look at how much traction you get within a certain period. Now that we are approaching the scaleup phase, it’s great to reflect on how much we’ve grown and how fast we will continue to grow in the future.

 This makes us pay even more attention to culture. It has become easier than ever to see when job candidates aren’t a good fit, despite their qualifications. We created a culture manifesto recently to make it clearer to everyone what our team stands for. We don’t expect everyone to think the same way about everything, but they do have to be wired in a certain way if we want to continue growing like this. This way we will keep evolving, while holding on to the dynamic charge that has fueled us so far.

 I’m curious what this year is going to bring. Soon we’ll follow up with a blog on trends for 2023!