In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO of Jahnel Group, Darrin Jahnel.

Jahnel Group is a custom software development company that helps businesses meet their needs regarding software. They're located in Schenectady, NY, and have been around since 2008. When asked how they can compete with other software giants in the market in closing deals, Darrin stated that it's all about relationships. He further explained that proving to people that they can offer value before even experiencing their service is a good way to build relationships. Jahnel Group doesn't rely on marketing or sales to get clients but through the good relationships they've built with their previous customers. According to Darrin, their ideal clients are people who are looking for talented people to do projects. Jahnel Group houses great talent capable of solving software challenges businesses go through.

Key points in this episode:

How does the Jahnel group land big deals?
How to stand out in the noisy space of the software market.
The role of relationships in getting clients.
Best practices in hiring a software development firm.
Being surrounded by highly motivated people snowball productivity.
Jahnel Group's ideal clients.
Process of engagement with Jahnel Group.

Best practices in hiring a software development firm

Work your network and look for someone who had a positive experience with a firm and from there, start doing your research.
Get a clickable prototype.

About Darrin Jahnel:

Darrin Jahnel is the founder and CEO of Jahnel Group, a 150-person software consulting company headquartered in Schenectady, NY. Darrin leads with energy and is maniacally focused on creating an amazing work environment for his team. Darrin earned an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University at Albany and a Master’s Degree in Information Systems from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Prior to starting the company in 2012, Darrin worked as a Senior Software Engineer on Wall Street. Darrin has led numerous engineering teams on multi-million dollar projects and is a member of MENSA.

He is happily married and has 4 children (2 adopted children and 2 birth sons). Darrin’s oldest son, Gideon, is from Nigeria. Although Darrin and his wife refer to Gideon as their son, they were not able to officially adopt him. Gideon has parents and 5 siblings back in Nigeria. Last year, Gideon worked 60 hours a week, all summer long and earned enough money to buy his family a house back in Nigeria. Outside of work, Darrin enjoys working out, coaching basketball, drinking beer, and woodworking.

About Jahnel Group:

Jahnel Group develops custom software for businesses. They're a 120-person software consulting firm situated in Schenectady, New York. They specialize in designing and developing web-based apps, websites, mobile applications, and everything digital and are known experts in the entire software development life-cycle. Occasionally they create and construct a complete application, while others supplement an existing business team to help with specific projects.

Jahnel Group is capable of helping you either with expanding your current development team or outsourcing a whole software project, depending on which of these two goals you like to achieve. They have a successful track record of finishing projects on schedule and without exceeding the allotted spending limit.

Tweetable Moments:

04:57 - "It's really about establishing relationships and proving to...

1354 – Cracking the Code on Culture with the Jahnel Group’s Darrin Jahnel

The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

1354 – Cracking the Code on Culture with the Jahnel Group’s Darrin Jahnel