Leading 11 engineers at Shift Code

Context

I founded Shift Code as a software house serving clients in a range of industries. The company grew to 12 people at its peak, including 11 engineers under my direct management, and delivered more than 100 client projects over four years.

My role and constraints

I carried both the business and engineering-management responsibilities: client communication, discovery, scope, estimates, delivery plans, staffing, mentoring, technical decisions, and hands-on implementation when needed. We needed to deliver varied work with a small company, a limited salary budget, and a continuing need to retain and develop engineers.

Decisions and execution

The operating model centered on keeping business context close to the team. I worked directly with clients to turn needs into scoped work, make tradeoffs visible, and set delivery expectations before engineering started. Internally, I used regular 1:1s, transparent communication about project and company decisions, and performance bonuses when possible to keep motivation connected to real constraints.

The team delivered web applications, mobile applications, APIs, microservices, and SaaS-style products. Representative work included Barbearia Vip, a scheduling and discovery app for a franchise with 50+ barber shops, and an Aurum Software companion app that let lawyers access tasks and lawsuit information through Aurum APIs.

Outcome

Shift Code delivered 100+ projects across services, health, legal, fashion, education, and startup markets. The company operated with a 12-person peak team, and many engineers I mentored later progressed to senior roles at other companies.

What this demonstrates

Founding Shift Code taught me that engineering leadership must connect team health, technical standards, delivery commitments, and customer reality. Clear communication and early unblocking were operational necessities, not management theatre.