Year 2023 in GoodRequest

Brief Overview of 2023:

• We welcomed 14 talented members to our team.
• Worked on over 50 projects.
• Welcomed 11 new partners.
• Increased turnover to €5 million.
• Distributed 36 % of profit within our team.
• Received the Hermes Communicator of the Year award and second place in the WebTop100 competition for the Fitshaker project.

Build to last

As I mentioned in the introductory "countdown," our team worked on over 50 projects this year, so it's not possible to mention each one. However, among those that saw the light of day during in 2023, the projects for Notino and Benu “stand out” the most.

We helped Notino to create the largest beauty services platform in Europe - Notino Partner, whose task is to modernize and streamline the operation of beauty salons and at the same time creat a comprehensive B2B channel for beauty service providers. There was also the integration of B2B and B2C worlds, the worlds of product and services.

The largest pharmacy network in Central Europe, Benu, we helped push the boundaries in pharmacy. Together, we created a robust e-commerce solution in a mobile application, which also has several innovative functions that enhance the user comfort, such as medication reservation at the pharmacy, checking the availability of medicines on an electronic prescription, and medication management through the "medication calendar."

We can't fail to mention also our stalwart - Fitshaker, with which we excelled in two competitions this year. Specifically, we became the winner in the design category of the Hermes Communicator of the Year award and we also won second place in the UX category of the WebTop100 competition. We're even more excited about this because we care about creating beautiful and intuitive user experiences for users that help our clients meaningfully connect with their audience. We believe that great design can truly change people's lives.

In addition, we have worked on a numerous projects that are deeply in our hands and brought them various updates, such as mobile banking for Tatra banka, or significant improvements in user experience as seen in ZSE Drive. We also released the crypto project Spongly, collaborated with the innovative startup WageNow, and many others.

Not to be missed was our internal project, we launched our new website! As you may have noticed, we launched a new website during the year that reflects our approach to the latest technologies and design. You can read more about the process and the reasons it in the blog post below 👇

We are grateful for the trust of our partners. At the same time, we look forward to every new project through which we can simplify users' lives together.

United like Manchester

We haven't lost our ability to attract top talent. This year, our team grew by 14 new members. We also continue to maintain a consistently high NPS score, which truly pleases us. It reflects the satisfaction and motivation of our team, which is always our number one priority. 

Team buildings

We kicked off another series of team building activities this year on the slopes again. We met at a joint skiing trip in Valčianska valley. In addition to skiing, the program included mandatory and regular Après-ski visits, a joint program in the hotel, and a presentation about Vietnam and Thailand.

What better way to beat the summer heat than by refreshing yourself in cold water? Our traditional joint rafting trip is behind us. This year we decided for a change. Instead of the classic open-water experience, we went to the Water Slalom Area in Liptovský Mikuláš, where the best Slovak water sports enthusiasts hone their skills 🚣.

We also had our premiere relay run From the Tatras to the Danube. Our team of 11 determined runners completed a exhausting 345-kilometer run 🏃.

What is a record today is the norm tomorrow. This is the motto we follow in all our activities, and the GR8 Days are proof of that, once again exceeding all expectations. After all, how to strengthen the team and engage new members? With proper team building. Nearly a hundred of us gathered at our largest event, and if you want to know what the atmosphere was like, check out the following blog post, where you'll find photos and a great video.

We once again brought joy to our little ones with the arrival of St. Nicholas 🎅. Our Žilina office transformed into a place of magic for a while, where we experienced the smiles, curiosity and happiness of children. We welcomed not only St. Nicholas and an angel but also scientific wonders!

How to end the year, if not with a Christmas party? We said goodbye to this year in the beautiful premises of Chetau Gbeľany. We summarized, reminisced, and revealed plans and news for the next year. But above all, we had a lot of fun until deep into the night 🕺.

GoodRequest has moved to a new address

A new chapter in our journey: we've moved to new premises! Since October you can find us in our modernized space on Obchodna Street in Žilina. We have already opened the space for our partners or students, but also for the community. The new office brings us great joy, and according to feedback, it has also pleased those who have already had the chance to visit.

Lead by Example

We want to be a positive driving force, a source of inspiration and education for our entire team, as well as our community, striving to make the world a better place. At our internal and public events, we and we're trying to push innovative ideas and share our experiences. This approach not only motivates our team, but also strengthens our ties with our community. Therefore, it may not come as a surprise when I reveal to you that this year, too, we have been heavily investing in education and development.

Internal training

Within the team, we have conducted several internal workshops and training sessions that have strengthened the professional knowledge and skills of our team. In terms of management and leadership, we have focused extensively on talent, leveraging tools such as Gallup's CliftonStrengths, which we plan to continue using and highly recommend to you as well 😉. Additionally, we have addressed topics such as negotiation and leading hybrid meetings.

The highlight of our internal training was (once again) Frontend days, which reached a new level this year - bigger, better and more engaging. The event was a combination of technical and soft skill topics.

Community and events

This year, we had the opportunity to be part of the biggest IT conference in Slovakia not once, but twice. In May, our frontend developer Andrej Nemeček, spoke at CodeCon Bratislava on the topic of web accessibility through the eyes of a developer!

Building community is really important to us, so we are even more pleased that ZAIT, in cooperation with CODECON, brought this event to Žilina. Here you could hear us speak on the topic of UI and UX in iOS applications, presentend by our product designer Adam Rákus and iOS Developer Filip Šašala.

Additionally, Adam also spoke at the Czech event DataRestart, sharing our experiences with user testing as an effective tool for improving business and user metrics in e-commerce projects, using a case study from the BENU pharmacy mobile application.

We also met with students in their natural environment, at universities, but also in our office, in collaboration with Google Developer Students Club and WebUP.

Kindness

Once again this year, we supported several charitable initiatives. The most significant among them were our support for the "Odpútaj sa" project and the "Cesta von" initiative.

At our Christmas party, we had a charity raffle for the first time, and it was a great success! Thanks to the generosity of our team, we raised an impressive amount of over €2100 through the raffle. These funds will be donated to the "Odpútaj sa" project, which focuses on treating childhood trauma in adults in Slovakia. Mental health is crucial and often underestimated, so we decided to support this project with our contribution.

We also cannot overlook the "Cesta von" project. For this civic association, we created a simple, clear, and intuitive website that provides visitors with information about the organization's activities, mission, and goals. The website was successfully launched at the beginning of last year. Our designers worked hard on it, with development assistance from our friends at Inoby.

10 Years & GoodRequest Go Global

When we founded GoodRequest in 2013, it was mostly out of our love for technology. We wanted to not only to create, but also to innovate. At the end of 2023, we celebrated our 10th anniversary, and it's thanks to our partners, team, and friends that we've been able to fulfill our vision - Creating a meaningful and responsible digital world.

In the beginning, we focused on mobile applications, but over time, we responded to market needs and expanded our team with experts in many areas, such as web application development, user experience design, product management, testing, and security, enabling us to provide our clients with comprehensive IT solutions.

In the coming years, we will focus on further deepening our expertise, providing innovation, and improving the customer experience. Why? Because we know that innovation and efficiency will be crucial in challenging times.

GoodRequest continues to grow and evolve, and we're proud of what we've achieved together. We look forward to another year full of innovation, collaboration and success.