2008 – the year it all began. This is when Sylwia and Paweł Rogowicz, after several years of working in Finland, decided to return to Poland and work as outsourcing partners for a Finnish IT company.
In the beginning, the plan was simple – start a civil partnership and work together for the same employer. However, the knowledge and sympathy for the Finnish market as well as high ambitions made them decide to expand the company with new people, with whom they started creating projects for Polish and foreign entities. At that time, the plan was to hire about 20-40 employees.
Today, Espeo has 65 people with a plan to hire at least several dozen more. Read more to learn about Espeo Software’s history.
The beginning: an office in an apartment and two employees
“I remember when we conducted our first job interviews on an old couch in our apartment in Jeżyce (Poznań district). Now such a situation seems comical. I am surprised that the first people trusted us at that time considering the conditions but we did not even have a problem with recruiting.” recalls Paweł Rogowicz.
As the company grew, the team extended and Espeo gained new customers. One of the first major projects was for a company from Warsaw, thanks to which the team increased by another eight people and Espeo temporarily operated in two cities.
“From the very beginning, we had no problem with trusting new employees – we always have great trust in the people who join us. It is very rare for us to have any problems with the teams. At some point, we noticed how important it is to adjust the culture of an employee to the company, and so far it is one of the most important aspects in the recruitment process. Our people are guided by similar values. This makes our team extremely well-coordinated and communicative which is highly appreciated by our clients.”, adds Sylwia Rogowicz.
Constant development: new office and the first Finnish employee
As the team expanded, it was a natural step to find a new office. It was located in the heart of Poznań, next to the Old Market Square. The team consisted of 13 people back then.
At that time, Espeo carried out projects for several markets, including Poland, where one of the largest recipients was the Polish Public Administration. These projects helped the company grow and gain a reputation.
In 2015, the first Finnish employee, a Sales Specialist, joined Espeo and the company acquired a Finnish identity. Following that, Sylwia and Paweł decided to focus their activities only on the Finnish market, which Espeo has been doing ever since.
“Finland is a very innovative nation. The companies there are up to date with trends, operating agile, and using the latest technologies. We took over the modern work model from the Finns. I think we were also the first company in Poland to work with Agile methodology.” says Sylwia.
Do you want to know more about working at Espeo and why you should join us? Read this article: 5 best things about working at Espeo (Part 1).
Breakthrough moments in Espeo Software’s history
Having been working for Espeo since the beginning (when the initial location of the company was still in Jeżyce district), Tomasz Liberski, our Service Delivery Director, became the first partner of the company.
“Thanks to the decision about starting a cooperation with the first partner, we were able to strengthen the team and expand the company.” recalls Sylwia.
Dominik Zyskowski, a Software Consulting Director, was the second to join the group of partners. As Paweł Rogowicz confirms, it was the shared vision and concern for the company that made Dominik and Tomek partners. After several years of working together, it was the natural order of things.
Espeo Software – a Polish company with a competitive advantage on the Finnish market
What has been distinguishing our company for 13 years? As a Polish company operating for Finnish clients, it is certainly a presence on local markets. Our team communicates with the client in Finnish from the very beginning and conducts the sales process in this language, being able to meet at any time. We also offer the same through local project management while working with the client. We are the only Polish company that can offer such a model on the Finnish market. “Thanks to this, we are able to build a unique relationship with customers for whom we are a “next door partner”, explains Paweł Rogowicz.
We can compete with local companies from Finland thanks to the larger crew and the number of programmers we provide.
As Sylwia and Paweł recall, despite many difficulties they experienced while establishing the company from scratch, these better moments, the trust of partners and gaining new clients determined the many years of success. As they say, the fact that a business is run by a marriage helps to run it through 100% trust in the other person and common concern for the success of the business.
