At web conferences, it’s not unusual to see some middle-aged man in the front row taking pictures of every single slide.
Yep, that could absolutely be me.
As you may know, every Friday we close the office to the public for our “study day,” and I’m very attentive to bringing back the best of everything I see to all the guys at the office, since it’s their work paying for my travels, after all.
That’s also the best way to meet great fellow developers and take some time to build relationships. We all know that our network is one of the most valuable sources of knowledge and business.
Mees Rutten was sitting right next to me, and we watched all the Awwwards technical wonders unravel in front of our eyes. We kept in contact via LinkedIn, and I was very impressed with all the cool stuff their Merlin Studio produces—the kind of high-level, detail-obsessed technical prowess we’re all striving to reach. Despite his products and his company’s impressive portfolio, Mees is kind and unassuming, and shares similar ideas to us at Ensoul. These are the questions that I posed to him:
- We’re having a coffee, it’s 2027, and you’re telling me that you’re super happy with how things have gone at Merlin. What has made you so happy? The money? The awards? The work done? Is it a success that you strategically planned?
- Your market is international and operates through your network of companies. How long did it take to expand, and with what marketing strategy?
- What do you find to be a satisfactory indicator of your success?
- How much time do you dedicate to studying? Do you have foresight into which technologies you will want to use in the coming years? Is study collective or does everyone do it on their own?
- Which niche would you focus the entire company on, if you could?
- The web was cool in 2000 when I started. Now saying “I make websites” is boring. What are the limitations of the web that you find most challenging, and what opportunities do you see being underutilized?
- You put a lot of stress on “magic” in your communication. Do you feel that it’s getting harder to raise the bar of magic on the web?
- Even reading your customers’ comments, there’s a mention of your (evident) perfectionism. I found many details on your website that would escape most (the stars on the cards, the tab that changes when not selected). How much of your perfectionism is for you and how much for your clients? Do you ever have to explain it to those who don’t notice? And why would you “kill” them? 🙂
- I saw a mention of the company’s ethical values regarding work-life balance. Can you tell me about it?
- We’re about to get up from our coffee, and you’re telling me about your future projects. What do you see on the horizon?
Of course, you’ll have to watch the video to know his smart answers 🙂