Enhance Your Business Software

Software Falling Behind Business Growth?

What to Do When Your Software Developer Can't Handle New Challenges?

If you run a small or medium-sized business, and your success relies heavily on your software, you've probably faced the challenge of keeping it up-to-date.

As your business grows, the demands on your software increase, and at some point, you might realize that your current resources just can't keep up.

When you were just starting out, having one in-house developer or a freelancer was enough to create the initial versions of your software.

But as your business expanded, new requirements and complexities arose.

Your current development team, whether it's one person or a small group, might now be struggling to maintain and improve the software to meet your evolving needs.

Now, you're in a tough spot:

your business needs new features and improvements in the software, but you don't have a clear understanding of how to manage the development process effectively, especially if you're not an IT expert.

You might feel stuck because the software that used to work perfectly is now falling short. Or you might find it really tough to upgrade to a new version with the features you need.

The resources you have, whether they're in-house developers or freelancers, just aren't cutting it anymore.

They lack the skills or the time needed to develop the software according to your business's new demands.

Failing to update your software can lead to lost productivity, missed opportunities, and even impact your bottom line.

This situation can really hold your business back, and it's something you need to address urgently.

So, what can you do?

External Development Team?

Sure, you could hire a regular development company, but for small and medium businesses, this is often too expensive.

Plus, it's a completely different type of relationship.

To these traditional development companies, you're just another project, while for you, it's your product, something you've poured a lot of effort and emotion into.

You're used to working with your current developers and have built a relationship with them.

Bringing in an outside team can be challenging — they may not fully understand your values and goals, making collaboration less effective.

Additionally, hiring an conventional external development company can be financially overwhelming because such projects often come with a high starting budget.

So, what's the solution?

We've encountered this problem many times, and probably 80% of our clients came to us in this exact situation.

Over our 20 years in the industry, we've developed a unique approach that stands out from the usual client-developer relationship. We don't see ourselves as just an external company.

Imagine integrating external expertise so seamlessly that they feel like an extension of your in-house team.

Perhaps the most fitting term to describe our approach with our clients is "technological marriage."

From the very beginning, we're focused on long-term cooperation, where we treat your product as if it's our own software.

To us, you're never just another client or project.

But before we dive into our ‘technological marriage’ approach, let’s look at some real results our clients get compared to handling software development on their own.

For example, consider a company from the UK that manages health and safety risks for the TV, film, and creative industries. Initially, their critical business software was handled by just one developer.

When it was time to tackle more complex tasks and update to a new version, that developer worked on it for a year, but the new version never really took off. Disappointed, they turned to an external development firm, spending another year without success.

They switched firms again, but still no results after another year. When they came to us, they were completely frustrated with these unsuccessful attempts to upgrade their software.

Once we started working with them, using our ‘technological marriage’ approach, we thoroughly immersed ourselves in understanding their business essence, processes, future vision, and technological base.

Within just three months, we released a new software version.

According to the client, collaborating with us practically saved their business.

In the next three months, we had already prepared another software release. The client was amazed at how effective the turnaround was.

Here’s another case.

Another mid-size business that provides software solutions to some of the top hospitality players had been trying for two years with an offshore company to launch their product, with no success.

They turned to us for help.

After analyzing the current state of the product, we realized it needed to be completely redeveloped.

In just three months, we released the first version of the software — a task the previous company couldn’t accomplish in two years.

What makes this case particularly interesting is that the software isn't just for internal use; it's a product that this company markets and sells to its clients. This added an extra layer of complexity and a need for impeccable quality and reliability.

The results of our work were so impressive to the client that now all of their products are developed by our team.

Today, all of their products are developed by our team. We not only create software solutions, but also select and configure hardware (a rare skill for software companies).

Now, why is our 'technological marriage' approach so effective?

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Deep Business Understanding

We recognize that software is not just code; it’s a vital part of your business model.

That's why we start by diving deep into your business from an entrepreneur's point of view, not just a programmer's.

An important distinction about our company is that it's led by experienced entrepreneurs with 30 years of business experience, which helps us quickly and thoroughly understand our clients’ businesses.

(You can find more detailed information about our managing partners further down this page)

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Comprehensive Technological Expertise

Our extensive experience, over 20 years in the industry, enables us to find the most optimal and efficient solutions for each specific case.

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Personal Commitment to Software

As we mentioned earlier, we treat your software as if we were developing it for ourselves. It’s not just ‘another project’ for us.

We work with our clients for years; there’s no client turnover. Clients who come to us stay with us almost forever.

That’s why we came up with the term 'technological marriage' :).

It's also more cost-effective for our clients.

How does it work? First, we figure out what size team our client can afford right now, and we get to work within those limits.

For instance, let's say our client can only afford two in-house developers at the moment. So, we start working within the budget that was initially planned for these programmers' salaries.

This means our client won't have any extra costs beyond what they had initially planned for.

But they get a whole lot more than just two new developers – they get an entire team. It's just that the work of other developers fits within the person-hour limit that's on par with two developers' hours.

And the best part?

The quality and systematic approach to development in our case far exceed what you'd get from just two programmers.

See, every developer has their own comfort zone, like specific technologies or programming languages they know best.

But our focus is on the big picture, carefully orchestrating the right mix of our talented team members to get the job done faster and more effectively.

In fact, that's why our approach is often more cost-effective for a company than hiring in-house developers.

With us, you'll find lower expenses and greater flexibility. This can be easily explained with a simple example:

The most expensive specialists (like a system architect) are only needed at specific points in the project.

We can bring them in as required. With in-house development, you'd have to keep them on staff and pay their salaries constantly.

So, you get a flexible, highly skilled team at a lower price.

Here's a quick rundown of why our approach rocks:

1. Speed: We can usually put together a small team for you in no time flat.

In fact, they're typically working on your project within a week of us shaking hands on the deal.

2. Flexibility: Imagine we agree to dedicate the equivalent of two developers to your project.

The beauty is, we can bring in different team members as needed.

Let's say you've got a tricky JavaScript problem to tackle – we'll bring in a specialist for that specific task.

So, you're getting all this high-level expertise, but you're only paying for one person's time.

Plus, if priorities shift or tasks change, we'll adapt the team's composition accordingly.

This means you gain access to diverse high-level expertise, while only paying for the work of a single individual.

Take this example:

A client wanted an iOS app initially, but once it was done, they needed an Android version too. If they had in-house staff, they'd have to hire extra Android specialists.

With us, we just reshuffle the team while staying within the agreed-upon hours. Now, the focus is on Android programmers.

3. Scalability: Need to ramp up your team quickly?

No problem. We can scale up the size of the team in a snap – something that can be tough to do with in-house hires.

4. Access to top talent: We've got unique specialists on our team that can be hard to find on the job market, especially for part-time work.

Need an artificial intelligence expert for occasional tasks?

No sweat. We've got dedicated specialists ready to jump in when you need them.

So, if our approach resonates with you, let's set up a video call to chat about your project.

We'll share our insights on the most effective development process, and we can see if we're on the same wavelength and if it makes sense to join forces.

Some facts about our company:

5Pro App Development is a division of our company, 5Pro Software, which was started in 2001 in Frankfurt/Oder, Germany.

We have clients in 28 countries around the globe.

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On one hand, we know how to work with big, complex projects for large companies:

Our first client was Deutsche Telekom :)

For a long time, we were an official partner of Nokia (during their heyday in the mobile device market)

Among our clients are:

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On the other hand, we've got a bunch of clients who are small and medium-sized business owners, and with our help, they've launched and grown their very first mobile app or business software.

What really gets us excited are those challenging tasks that demand out-of-the-box solutions and seem like mission impossible at first.

And few words about our managing partners:

Alex:

Serial entrepreneur, started his first business in 1993.

Since then, he's launched successful ventures across different industries - wholesale trade, commercial real estate, business process consulting, language school, countryside property development, marketing agency, and more.

He implemented his first IT project in 2002, which was the simplest and most user-friendly CRM system in its market segment.

Thanks to his extensive experience in business process and marketing consulting, he knows many industries inside out.

This allows him to quickly understand and finds common language with entrepreneurs from different businesses

Konstantin:

If IT had belts like martial arts, Konstantin would undoubtedly have a black belt and a guru status.

Initially, a skilled applied mathematician and cybersecurity expert, he's been in the mobile tech industry from the beginning.

One of his killer skills is finding optimal solutions to complex problems that are also several times cheaper than what other companies may offer.

Such high-level specialists are rare - probably only 2-3 in Europe and a few more in the US.

If our approach resonates with you, let's schedule a video call to discuss how we can help enhance your business software.