As the founder of Chop Dawg, I have seen this company through all of its ups, downs, and progress. It’s been an incredible journey!
What I began as a project which barely existed as a company at all, has truly grown into an international team over the past decade or so.
Over the years, Chop Dawg has partnered with all manner of businesses to build apps. This includes small businesses, solopreneurs, startups, and even Fortune 500 companies.
If you want to see examples of our work check out the Portfolio page on our website!
However, throughout it all, I have wanted to create a company that operates on some specific core values.
Hopefully, in this post, you can get to know Chop Dawg and the mission which drives our entire organization!
Taking Ownership
I’ve always been adamant about this.
The reason Chop Dawg has been successful for over a decade now isn’t only because of me, the founder. It’s because we are a team of leaders.
Of course, every business requires leadership and an initial founder with vision. However, it is also true that, if you want your business to scale, you need much more than that.
One person, no matter how gifted, simply cannot do everything alone.
That’s why, when we onboard new team members, we’re looking for specific things. These are passion, a collaborative attitude, and most importantly: a strong desire to truly take ownership.
When I said this, I truly meant it:
“You don’t build a business, you build people, then people build the business.”
Whenever we sign on to work with new partnered companies and entrepreneurs, this is what we’re actually doing. We’re taking ownership of their dream.
Even if it’s just for a little while — ultimately, their new venture relies on us to start off on the right foot.
Boundless Optimism
It’s truly an honor to get to partner with so many incredible app entrepreneurs.
We consider it our true duty to provide top-quality app development and knowledgeable guidance to non-technical entrepreneurs and companies. If they are looking to augment their IT teams, we can help.
But, we also have a blast doing what we do.
We understand the tech space is far from equitable; nor is it easy to navigate.
From the very beginning, our service has been rooted in providing businesses affordable access to the technical toolset they need to succeed in the New Economy.
Once upon a time, this looked like making a website. Now, it’s apps for mobile devices and the web.
What’s happening right now in our society requires us to look far beyond just our own day-to-day (at work and at home). We need to find ways to personally improve ourselves. I think its important to positively impact our community too.
For us, as a company, this looks like continuing to align ourselves with companies and entrepreneurs looking to make a difference with apps and software.
We encourage the startups who partner with us to strive to become zebras, not unicorns.
Embracing Positive Change
For me, as an entrepreneur and CEO, I’ve been focused on continuing to alleviate any unnecessary job-related stress or burden off of my team.
There’s enough going on out in the world; the last thing they need is any additional stress at work.
I’ve also devoted more time to my favorite local non-profit, Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region. I am a member of their Board of Directors.
The years of the pandemic were truly a time of great change at Chop Dawg — and in the best way possible.
We zoomed in on our company operations, fine-tuning long-held procedures. We restructured our leadership team and retooled our project management team. In addition, we brought on a new Chief Operating Officer to help move us forward.
As a team, we remained optimistic and ready to create and thrive in the new economy.
Results, Not Just Productivity
From top to bottom, we are an output-focused company.
Our partnered clients pay a set rate for our services based precisely on what we’re building.
Our team members are compensated according to their assigned project milestones. They are also free to work whenever (and wherever) they’d like, so long as deliverable schedules are being met.
For many, this requires a complete shift in mindset to even comprehend.
How can we be okay with hiring contractors who aren’t working solely for us (P.S. -we don’t require degrees, either!)?
This also confuses some job candidates, who wonder just how many hours are expected each week.
The short answer is, that we trust our team. The longer answer is, that we seek out a very specific type of freelancer, a self-manager. This is someone who can do what they need to do, when they need to do it without wasting anyone’s time.
We believe that most true professionals in our field of work really do not actually need daily or hourly check-ins to do what they have agreed to do.
We want the kind of team member who thrives on flexibility and accountability and welcomes ongoing opportunities to sharpen their skillset.
This allows us to capture the attention of some truly spectacular individuals, who are usually too challenge-hungry to stay long at a more traditional 9 to 5 setting.
From designers, developers, and project managers — each member of our team is here because they love what they do, and they are confident in their skills.
They’re excited by the mere possibility of working with many different companies and entrepreneurs from all walks of life, shifting from one app to the next with ease.
We all truly understand what’s at stake with each and every single app in our pipeline.
Accessible, Affordable, Quality App Development
These are three things that shouldn’t be mutually exclusive, and yet often in the app development industry, they are!
We’ve always sought to be a one-stop-shop for non-technical entrepreneurs and startups. They are often budget-conscious and looking to methodically scale.
But the reality is, as we’ve grown, and app standards have risen (as well as our own company standards), our project costs have also gone up.
To combat this, we’ve started offering an alternate in-house development model for startups, nonprofits, and small businesses.
Working with non-technical entrepreneurs and growing businesses has always been where our expertise lies. However, the cost of quality US-based tech talent makes building a full-scale app under 100k untenable for us to offer today in 2023.
By outsourcing the programming of the app (something we typically don’t do here at Chop Dawg) to a trusted overseas team who works under the watchful eye of one of our US-based senior developers and your project manager, we’re able to pass those cost-savings on to you.
In this way, we can bring you into our wheelhouse for much less than using our core US-based development team.
Nothing changes about our overall app development process – you’d still partner with one of our US-based UI/UX designers for the design, and have a dedicated onshore PM to walk you through the entire process.
The only difference is, we’re able to pass those cost-savings on to our partnered clients (instead of pocketing steep margins), and bring partners into our wheelhouse to work within our proven methodology for much less than using our typical onshore development.
This isn’t exactly a new model (lots of agencies out there have been doing it for years). We began doing this in 2020.
We’re so excited to be able to continue our mission at a cost growing businesses can afford, and give our partners the option to choose where their development happens.
Our mission has always been helping non-technical entrepreneurs and companies Make It App’n®, and we hope this new, alternate development model opens the door to many more partnerships with next-generation startups and first-time entrepreneurs!
This is how we work here at Chop Dawg.
The Chop Dawg Core Values
Here are the principles at the core of our organization!
- Make the future
When imagination is combined with heavily concentrated effort, remarkable things happen. - Respect your team
From customers to colleagues, we want the best for each other. We also expect the very best from each other. - See the glass half-full
When obstacles come our way, work hard to understand the situation. Then, we choose to focus on solutions, rather than sitting on problems. - Refine your craft
Whether it’s through code, words, graphics, or leadership — strive for excellence, even in the smallest of details. - Focus on results
Get the job done, no matter what it takes!
This is how we Make It App’n®!
Final Thoughts on our Chop Dawg Mission!
It’s no secret that there have been massive global upheavals in the past few years. On top of this, the constant evolution of all things tech can make keeping up seem like an insurmountable challenge.
It is truly a difficult time to be in business, but that’s what we at Chop Dawg are here for!
The truth is that on top of their daily operations, many businesses and non-technical entreprenuers simply don’t have the bandwidth to add app development to the mix.
Even though they require an internal or external app to improve their internal processes or better compete in the market, they don’t have the time to handle this internally. This is more common than you might think!
After all, that’s why we are here.
If that’s your situation, reach out to us today for a free consultation!
Since 2009, we have helped create 350+ next-generation apps for startups, Fortune 500s, growing businesses, and non-profits from around the globe. Think Partner, Not Agency.
Find us on social at #MakeItApp’n®
