I think every entrepreneur thinks about giving up at some point. The services local, state, and federal government agencies provide touch millions of Americans across all economic levels, geographies and backgrounds. I was bored. Keep investing your way through turbulent times. Delali Dzirasa is the CEO and founder of Fearless, a full-stack digital services firm in Baltimore, Maryland with a mission to create software with a soul — tools that empower communities and make a difference. Our business and culture was built on the principle to be remarkable. I would take a software programming job at Raba Technologies, but only if I could learn the business side. We recently announced the creation of a $50k fund to match donations from anyone, not just our employees, to 9 organizations in Baltimore and Montgomery, Al where we have offices. He’s also the UI lead at Sparkypants, which is getting ready to debut a new game. When we were building Fearless, we had to get comfortable with being ourselves and comfortable in our own voice and skin. Please share a story or an example for each. Adapt when needed. Building a business is hard; about 50% of businesses fail in the first five years. How can our readers further follow your work? I knew many members of my team were experiencing the same thoughts and feelings and I needed to create a safe space for them. Some people are doers, others don’t want to talk — they all need different spaces. The early years […] I always try to ping him before major life decisions and when I thought about starting Fearless, he recommended people I should talk to and I received great feedback. Though it’s important to know your own limits when it comes to being vulnerable at work, being your authentic self, owning up to your mistakes, and sharing who you are with others is part of building rapport and trust with your team. I created a program that did my homework for me with a click of a button. The husband-and-wife team have a shared love for robots and flight. Delali Dzirasa Contributor Delali Dzirasa is CEO and founder of Fearless, a full-stack digital services firm in Baltimore, MD with a mission to create software with a soul — tools that empower communities and make a difference. Fund intends to commit $5 million in Baltimore over the next five years to lead a community-driven process to attract innovative, proven programs and break down barriers to prosperity Baltimore, MD – January 27, 2021 – The GreenLight Fund, with support from more than 80 local philanthropic investors, today announced Baltimore will be the tenth GreenLight Fund city. What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team? It’s easy for people to feel discouraged or depressed so anything you can do to lighten people’s spirits- even a virtual happy hour. Plus: A call to action for business owners Delali Dzirasa Contributor Delali Dzirasa is CEO and founder of Fearless, a full-stack digital services firm in Baltimore, MD with a mission to create software with a soul — tools that empower communities and make a difference. UMBC, ‘stepping up’ for students Terps have 4 score in double figures and shoot 52.9% in victory 2021-02-15 - By Letitia Dzirasa and Delali Dzirasa Letitia Dzirasa (letitia.dzirasa@baltimorecity.gov) is Baltimore City health commissioner. Keep morale up- what are the things your employees need whether at home or in the work they are doing. Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. We are celebrated as a small software development company, but overnight we will be competing with huge companies, there is no in between and we need to be remarkable and stand out in our space. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy? Delali Dzirasa graduated with a B.S. I know that you are a very busy person. This will help attendees enter the conversation with a focused and productive mindset and ensure the dialogue moves the company forward in some way. When you think you’re purple, once you’ve arrived, think about what comes next and keeps you purple. Another mistake businesses make is to go quiet. John was also in Maryland but did not get a job right away. During the pandemic, using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as our guide, we moved our focus away from the higher levels (esteem and self-actualization) and concentrated on how we could meet our people’s more basic needs (physiological and safety). He chaired the inaugural DevOpsDays Baltimore and is a founding member of the governing board of the Digital Services Coalition. You can’t predict the future. So it makes sense that founded a drone company, Elevated Element, that was among the early pioneers in the space. Having the HUBZone requirements made us think about structuring the company differently than if we didn’t have the certification and requirements. I had some offers for jobs and he recommended Raba Tech, which is where I learned business skills — he brokered that introduction. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started? We’re always on the lookout for innovative ways to help our most vulnerable citizens so that they, and the entire city, can realize their fullest potential. Building a business is hard; about 50% of businesses fail … He opens doors, not just for me, but for many others, and that is what I am trying to do for the next group of emerging entrepreneurs. Taking a truly agile approach, we communicated constantly with our team and created tight feedback loops so we could quickly identify issues as they arose. He eventually got a job and moved into my basement, but was working in Atlanta Monday to Thursday. A recent new hire from Silicon Valley shared, “In Baltimore, Fearless is Google — there is a vision unlike many other tech companies in this area focused on federal work.”. Delali Dzirasa is the Founder and President of Fearless Solutions, a software firm based out of Baltimore. We offer multiple all hands meetings as well as provide anonymous ways for people to provide feedback. Last year, they joined forces with Mindgrub Cafe. A leader should never assume to know what his/her employees need and want. What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers? When you try to be safe, you are a brown cow. From that first boss at Raba who was enthusiastic about me wanting to eventually start my own company to the folks at the DoD Mentor Protégé program who took Fearless under their wing, countless individuals have touched Fearless along the way. ... For instance, we've been able to accommodate one employee by allowing him to telework permanently, when his wife accepted a … Executive Creative Director at Bitbean Software Development, Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times? Fittingly, they also have their own drone video for Valentine’s Day, shot in 2015. Tired of black entrepreneurs not able to get loans from banks. Sign-up for daily news updates from Technical.ly Baltimore, Daily updates from Technical.ly Baltimore. We do this in a series of ways at Fearless. In honor of Valentine's Day, here's a look at some of the innovative and entrepreneurial couples in the Baltimore tech community. Have a good sense of the needs inside the organization. So, we chose to focus on our people and their needs. Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? Whatever the goal, communicate clearly to all attendees why you are meeting. To do this, we started having weekly mental health check-ins, switched to mandatory remote work early on, established continuous support mechanisms, and rapidly created a COVID-19 Leave Policy. You’ll stop being novel and you will need to sprint. Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? Digital services touch every part of our lives but civic tools don’t keep up with technology evolution. We didn’t want to lose our culture during the COVID pandemic while our employees worked remotely so we figured out a way to keep employees engaged beyond zoom meetings. Take a stand even if it’s not a popular decision but one that is important for the business. It’s so hard early on because you don’t have any business or customers, and the assumption is that everyone in the space works one way and you need to do that to work. What sustains your drive? Here’s a look at some of the tech scene’s power couples: The husband-and-wife team are cofounders of Code in the Schools, the nonprofit that gets kids programming. When he isn’t busy running Fearless, he enjoys working out and hanging out with friends and loved ones. Especially in a remote environment, employees get discouraged. When starting my digital services firm Fearless, I convinced my wife to rent out our home and move in with my mother so we could have an extra income while I built Fearless in my mother’s basement. Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? Delali currently lives in Baltimore City with his wife Dr. Letitia Dzirasa (Baltimore City Health Commissioner) and two sons Dominic and Jaden. The experience of advancing to a leadership role on a massive contract, with a good mentor led me to build a similar culture at my own firm. x Build a business It is difficult; About 50% of businesses fail within the first five years. In addition to shooting for the stars when it comes to ideas and living the Purple Cow principle, Delali sets the vision for Fearless. This demonstrates respect and makes it more likely that others will give you the same consideration. Companies can make it through difficult times if they are able to be authentic. Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? This past summer following the deaths of George Floyd and others at the hands of law enforcement, I was struggling emotionally, mentally and physically. But he got another job requiring weekly travel, this time to Arkansas. Safe is risky and risky is safe — the temptation is to play it safe. We send out weekly surveys. You have to create your future and make bets. Leadership Lessons from Authorities in Business, Pop Culture, Wellness, Social Impact, and Tech. Join 30,000+ readers who receive daily email updates from Technical.ly, These tech companies are finding room to grow in College Park’s Discovery District, Flatiron School’s Women Take Tech initiative is empowering the next generation of diverse tech talent, Resource Roundup: Mindgrub Ventures is providing funding and support for tech startups. Open dialogue is not just about speaking, but it’s also about listening. For 10+ years, Delali has been the de facto leader of Fearless, first as our founder and now as CEO. Here is the primary question of our discussion. Those who are on the offensive and carving off a new market or sub-industry — those folks will do really well. in Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), and has over 15 years of experience leading agile software teams and programs. Both are involved in organizing Code for Baltimore, of which Etheredge is captain. Delali Dzirasa ’04, Computer Engineering Founder/President, Fearless Solutions, LLC. Ensure there are good feedback loops. But in March of 2020, we realized we would need to re-evaluate these goals in light of our new reality. (Courtesy photo). Delali currently lives in Baltimore City with his wife Dr. Letitia Dzirasa (Baltimore City Health Commissioner) and two sons Dominic and Jaden. I havenbt attended a tech event since leaving San Diego in 2018. Lazy people always find an easy way to get something done.”. Delali graduated with a B.S. It’s hard but be yourself, but if you can be authentic, your tribe and people will find you. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Our annual spring hooky day was reimagined instead of cancelled, creating a series of crafts in a box for the staff to select such as making kombucha or brewing beer, that they made together via Zoom- even taking a lunch break with a GrubHub gift card from us. During challenging times, people’s feelings, experiences and needs can evolve, and as leaders, we need to recognize that and support them. In this space, there are lots of opportunities. Be innovative. Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that? Now, they’re two of the leaders teaching youth tech skills at the Digital Harbor Foundation, where Shawn is Executive Director and Steph is Director of Education. He was also awarded the National HUBZone corporate citizen of the year in 2020. “My wife Julie Rothman and I are delighted to support the launch of Greenlight Baltimore. We are inspired by Seth Godin’s book, The Purple Cow. Create physical space and time for crisis communications. What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times? Early last year, a close friend connected me with Delali Dzirasa, President of the Baltimore-based company, Fearless Solutions. They work together at data firm Meta Studios, and they’re also here for the community. Can you share a story? But when you have a once in a lifetime event like a pandemic, it is okay to revisit those strategic plans and evaluate if you are still headed in the right direction, or does the existing operational plan still make sense for your business. Assign a key spokesperson. Every founder and company talks about giving back when they get to a certain size or make a certain amount of revenue. Thank you for all that. Now instead of taking on after-school side hustles, Delali spends his off-work time with this wife Letitia, former Fearlesss Health Innovation Officer and current Baltimore City Health Commissioner, and his two sons. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. It’s easy and free to post your thinking on any topic. It is important to ask them and keep a dialogue open to provide opportunities for feedback and iteration. HUBZone forces you to give back from day one and look at where you’re hiring and invest in the community and give back and support. I found out later that I was the only entry-level hire the company made before they got acquired. Catalog; Home feed; Baltimore Sun. The best way to predict the future is to create it. Top local executive: Delali Dzirasa. Delali founded dev firm Fearless, which has been growing with work on community-oriented government projects. As part of my series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Delali Dzirasa. Before my first job out of college, I asked for advice and feedback.
