This anniversary inspires me to thank Salesforce for providing the canvas on which we’ve built CodeScience. Over the past seven years, our little consulting firm has produced a gallery of over 70 products on its platform. Along the way, the AppExchange has stood as the backdrop for me to learn some valuable life and business lessons.

  1. Long Term Partnerships Matter
  2. Never Stop Evolving
  3. Company Culture is King

Long Term Partnerships Matter

In 2009, we started our loose relationship with the AppExchange team. We enjoyed solving problems so they would refer ISVs to us when a nascent partner was having trouble developing their app. This sparked my co-founder and I to incorporate, with a goal of building to a ten person company focused on product development. In 2011, Salesforce formalized our relationship into a new Product Development Outsourcer (PDO) partnership. The AppExchange niche had grown to the point where it justified its own type of partnership, and we had birthed enough apps that we made the initial round of entrants. CodeScience also hit the ten person milestone.

The next year we sponsored the ISV team’s sales kickoff. Over the two days, about 20 people I hadn’t met introduced themselves, and offered that they would like to work with us, but heard we were too small. With each introduction, the message became more clear: our partner needed us to grow beyond my self image. We had become complacent and they pushed us forward.

In the years since, CodeScience doubled in one dimension or another every year. At each step of the way our investments in our partnership with Salesforce have increased and so have the returns: sometimes personal, sometimes professional. At each milestone, Salesforce challenged us to up our game. They’ve invited and encouraged us to join them on their meteoric growth path.

Never Stop Evolving

Just as the AppExchange evolved over the past 10 years to become the world’s #1 business app marketplace, the evolution of CodeScience has also been transformational. Our company will hit the 100 employee mark this year, and has moved beyond just building apps for our clients. CodeScience now supports the unique needs of an ISV company, guiding them through the full lifecycle, including the plan, build/test, distribution, marketing, sales and support phases. Our practices help our clients avoid common pitfalls companies encounter when they grow.

Company Culture is King

I am extremely proud of our company culture. We have purposefully and thoughtfully created a company that mixes equal parts precision and play. I captain a ship of professionals consistently recognized as the best in the business. I get to watch as they speak on stage at Dreamforce, win MVP awards, and build applications of increasing complexity and quality. The long road it took to build our sales, leadership and operations team bears fruit on a daily basis.

My favorite part? I spend as much time smiling and laughing during the day as I do heads down and focused. We celebrate weddings, births, birthdays, and achievement. We support each other through loss and the tough times. This team is my family and the AppExchange is our community.

Happy Birthday AppExchange! elieve we’ll be here when you turn 20.