Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Simms
Hi Richard, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m an Atlanta-based tech entrepreneur (2x founder). I grew up here and have a soft spot for Atlanta and its ever evolving tech scene.
I was a business major in school and moved quickly into a career in tech, first with a fast growing SaaS startup outside of D.C. where I cut my teeth in sales and strategic partnerships. Wanting to get closer to the early-stage action, I then joined a small start-up in Chicago and helped define the product, secure early adopters, and raise venture capital.
Wanting to get back to my ATL roots and take my own swing at the plate, I moved back to Atlanta and cofounded Tech Talent South, a company focused on technology training and growing the tech talent pool in the Southeast.
For the past 8 years, I’ve been focused on running Tyrannosaurus Tech, a software design and development firm that I cofounded in 2016.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Of course not! Starting and scaling a business is not for the faint of heart. No one said it was going to be easy, and it hasn’t been. On the whole, I’ve been very lucky but there have been plenty of highs and lows along the way.
In the early days of the two companies I’ve cofounded, the struggle is really just sticking to it and keeping the faith that it’ll work out if you keep putting in the work. You have to have a certain degree of risk tolerance and optimism or you’ll quickly want to de-risk and fall back on getting a more stable job.
Like any business, Tyrannosaurus Tech has faced its own challenges, especially in the fist few years. Unpredictable cash flow, difficult clients, projects that went off the rails for one reason or another, lost deals, bad fit hires. You name it, we’ve been through it one point or another.
Fortunately, whether you intend to or not, you learn a lot quickly. Year by year, you made less mistakes, see and address problems before they materialize, and learn to keep focused on the big picture and not get as ruffled by the speed bumps along the way.
As you know, we’re big fans of Tyrannosaurus Tech. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Tyrannosaurus Tech is a top-rated software design and development firm based in Atlanta, GA. We specialize in helping organizations bring new SaaS products to market quickly.
What sets us apart is not just that we are excellent at building technology products, but that we excel at helping organization refine their vision, understand their users, and win markets. We leverage a cross-functional team of experts to ensure our clients get maximum ROI and have a true strategic partner with extensive industry experience in their corner.
One of the things I’m most proud of is our “design first” approach to building products and our “Big Bite Define & Design” methodologies. This is a great first step for entrepreneurs and innovators where we provide industry and competitive analysis, define requirements, create engineering ready-designs, perform user testing, and more.
Drawn from our years of experience building out new tech products, it is simply the best way to ensure the launch of a successful product. It is much easier and cheaper to iterate and ideate in design, so we lean into this “measure twice, cut once” mentality, ensuring that when the time comes to build the product, we all know exactly what we’re building and why.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We are always happy to talk with innovators and entrepreneurs. Hearing big ideas and seeing if we can help in one way or another is what gets us out of bed each morning.
So, introductions and referrals are always welcome. Sometimes, our way of helping is just answering questions, providing feedback, or pointing folks in the right direction.
Other times, there’s a good fit for working together on UX/UI design, engineering, AI initiatives, DevOps, QA, and more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tyrannosaurustech.com/
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@tyrannosaurustech4767
