Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Simms.
Hi Richard, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an Atlanta native and a 2x entrepreneur. I’ve worked in tech my entire career, starting in enterprise SaaS sales and then moving increasingly into the startup world and entrepreneurship. Over the past ten years, I’ve started two Atlanta-based technology companies, first Tech Talent South and then Tyrannosaurus Tech, which has been my focus for the past five years or so.
Tyrannosaurus Tech is an award-winning technology firm dedicated to designing and developing high-impact software products. We act as a technology partner for organizations looking to launch new and innovative SaaS (software as a service) products in healthcare, public health, and education.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Of course not! Building anything from the ground up is a struggle, and I’ve had to learn a lot of lessons the hard way.
In the early stages of a new business, it can be hard to “keep the faith” and continue powering through. Aside from the very real fact that it takes a while (sometimes years) before you can pay yourself well, like many founders, I experienced a lot of self-doubt surrounding whether I was doing the right thing. It is difficult to not compare your very non-linear career path to friends and family who may be finding success on a more traditional path.
Another significant challenge is growing and adapting your skillset as your business grows. Hustling in the early stages to get a new business going is one thing. Building a team and transitioning into management and leadership requires another skill set all together. The same applies when you look to scale strategically, grow into additional products or offerings, or build a trusted leadership team that can take the helm.
In my experience, people are always the X factor. They represent the most fun and most challenging part of business because each person is unique with their own values, motivations, and personality. Whether it is hiring, sales, or management, working to improve how you navigate the people side of business is a lifelong learning process.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tyrannosaurus Tech?
We thrive on helping innovators bring new digital products to market in healthcare, public health, and education. From early stage user and design research, to software development, scaling, and beyond, our team is at its best bringing big ideas to life. We pride ourselves on being down-to-earth, always curious, and eager to build products that help people.
Colossal Commitment to Impactful Products
What I’m most proud of is our team’s dedication to launching products that make a positive impact. As our revenue and team has grown, we’ve been fortunate to be able to be more selective in the work we take on. It means a lot to have our team rallied around building exciting products in healthcare, public health, and education. Our clients have deep expertise in their fields and a passion for solving real-world problems in order to drive equity, health & longevity, safety, and more. Especially over the last few years, we’ve accrued expertise and experience that allows us to be a true strategic player in our work with clients…not just focused on designing and building something great, but advising on how to bring it to market, how to drive engagement, and how to drive maximum impact.
I’m also incredibly proud of the team we’ve built. It has created a great and really supportive culture where it feels like we’re all in this together. An ongoing focus on mentorship, growth, and communication is central to how we operate. As we like to say, we take our work (but not ourselves) very seriously. Our team is dependable, approachable, always curious, and dedicated to our clients’ success.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Building up a solid network should be a lifelong effort. It takes time and ongoing dedication. In my experience, connecting face to face is hard to replicate. As things continue to (hopefully) wind down a bit with COVID, my main advice is always to get out there to events, meet people without an overt agenda, and go from there. It is important to approach people with curiosity and to search for ways to help them, rather than the other way around. The focus should be on building relationships rather than gaining any kind of immediate value from connections.
There are so many great resources in Atlanta as far as networking goes. There are endless interest-driven Meetup groups as well as great spaces and programs like Atlanta Tech Village and Switchyards. Startup Atlanta has a really great ATL ecosystem guide that lays out the plethora of resources in town.
The tech404 Slack team is also a great resource to connect with folks working in or interested in tech around town.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@tyrannosaurustech.com
- Website: https://tyrannosaurustech.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyrannosaurustech/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLvZ-2Rz6C6OqlTw7DQu43Q
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/4dYhbUa0oyxayKsTikxOSL?si=f1ac00904c65404f
