Expert to know: Jerry Beers (Q&A Interview)
Jerry Beers is the Co-founder and CTO at Five Pack (based in Frisco, Texas) listed on 50Pros as a top 50 firm in Web Design, Software Development, and UX.
In this Q&A, Jerry shares his in-depth perspective, unique background, robust experiences, and insightful tips.
How did you get into your industry?
I always wanted to be a programmer and have done software development since high school, but when Apple opened the iPhone to 3rd party developers, I knew it was going to be great and wanted to focus on it. I started finding as many projects as I could and soon began building a team, teaching other software developers all I’d learned about mobile development.
How do you manage work-life balance as an agency owner or executive?
It’s important to have a separate space for work. If you can’t have a physical one, then at least a mental one. I setup start and stop times for work and, except for emergencies, keep work limited to those times. I also communicate clearly with others in the house, “this is work time” or “I’ll be in a meeting for the next hour”.
What activities or hobbies outside of work do you enjoy that help you recharge and stay creative?
I love to play pickleball and try to play 2-3 times per week. It’s a great sport that a variety of skill levels can play. Recently, I’ve been pursuing my pilot’s certificate. I’m close to completing that. I’m also very active in my church.
When you first started, how did you get clients?
The very first thing I did was start working on my own project. I think that helps get you real world experience and a platform to demonstrate to potential clients that you know what you’re doing. Then I just started to look for small side projects that I could be excellent at. I leveraged these into bigger and bigger projects.
...and how do you get clients today?
We get a lot of referrals and repeat business. We do get some cold contacts, but I think doing excellent work and making sure you’re proud of what you’re putting your name on is important for growing your client base.
What is your approach to continuous improvement and learning within your agency?
We’re continually learning and teaching. We reflect on projects, good or bad, to see what we can learn.
How do you stay updated on the latest technologies and tools relevant to your industry?
The pace of change is very rapid and that can make it feel overwhelming, but I try to stay shallow on what’s new in the industry and only go deep on a topic when I need it. That keeps me aware of what’s possible without overwhelming me too much.
What changes do you foresee occurring in the future?
I think many changes are coming, big and small. AI will change how we develop and what goes into the apps we work on. New platforms will emerge, like the recently announced Vision Pro by Apple. But the underlying need for someone to take the new platforms and new technologies and make elegant solutions that help make life simple will always be there.
If a company was looking to hire your firm, or a firm like yours, what questions should they ask themselves as a team before approaching you?
I think the best question they could ask is, “what kind of partner do I want?” Many times a company will conceive of a solution and try to find a partner that will develop that solution. A better relationship is to find an expert in technology and help them understand the problem you’re trying to solve. Together you’ll come up with a better solution.
When a company is interesting in hiring your firm, how should they approach you and how should they do business with you?
We have a process called a Launch Lab where we work together to understand the problem and help define a plan to solve it. This gives us a short period of time (usually a couple of days) to work together and produce a good plan. At the end of that, if you want us to execute the plan, we can. But if you want to take it to another technology partner, you have a well-defined plan to help communicate with them.
How do you maintain strong relationships with clients to ensure long-term partnerships?
We take ownership of every project we work on. Not just ownership of the solution, but ownership of the problem. We work with our clients to understand what they’re trying to solve and why and then make sure the solution we’re creating solves that problem well.
What role does networking play in growing your agency's business?
I think solid relationships should be the foundation on which business is built. If you build the relationships, the business will follow. That makes networking an important part of creating those relationships.
