Category: Life at Tecstub

Growing up in Junagarh, Gujarat, Dhara always dreamt of pursuing a career in the I.T. industry, and to make her dream a reality, she pursued B.E. in Computer science and engineering. However, life had different plans for her. The city where she was residing had minimal opportunities, and to kickstart her career, she needed to step out of her city. But she couldn’t take that call due to her family commitments, where she had to be there for her 3-year-old brother since both her parents were working. 

She recalls that during her career break, some people would give unsolicited advice on opting for a different career and give up on the idea of making a career in I.T. However, this couldn’t deter Dhara from her ambitions. She always felt that she had invested so much time and hard work in her education that she couldn’t let it go to waste. 

Finally, her dreams started to shape when she eventually relocated to Ahmedabad and got the chance and exposure to work in the IT industry. But was it easy? Absolutely not. With a resume gap of about four years, she had to brush up her skills continuously and appear for multiple interviews for various software development jobs before setting foot in the industry. And finally, she got her first opportunity as a trainee developer and started working on the Laravel framework. This stint helped her gain exposure to the eCommerce development industry and the endless opportunities it offered.  But after a certain period of time, she felt she wasn’t growing and evolving in her role. The work that she was doing was usually the same almost every day, which made things monotonous, with no room for improvement or growth.

So she wanted to take up more challenging work that gave her the opportunity to expand her skill set and learn more about the development processes.

Her journey to Tecstub

She restarted her job search and interviewed for multiple companies and Tecstub being one of them. When she appeared for the technical round at Tecstub, she was intrigued by the level of questions since they were challenging and interesting. It challenged her abilities and knowledge as a developer.  This particular instance made her want to join the company, and she awaited the results even though she got offers from two other companies at that point in time. She knew that working at Tecstub would not only help her grow as a developer but also allow her to work on innovative and exciting projects.

Life at Tecstub

At Tecstub, Dhara is known for her dedication to work and resilience attitude. When we asked Dhara if there were anything else she would like to do besides being a software engineer, she said No! she loves everything about her job since she got it after so much hard work.

Over these three years at Tecstub, she has grown into a seasoned Software Engineer with a knack for handling complex projects. From learning new technologies and frameworks to attending meetups and workshops, Dhara leaves no stone unturned to diversify her technical skills. She has worked on critical modules for our eCommerce projects, such as shipping method integration and commission module. Over the years, she has become proficient in various tools and frameworks, including VueJS, FireBase, and Redis, and worked with several other third-party APIs for various client projects. 

One of the recent projects that she worked on was implementing a complex commission system for a B2B ecommerce application which she refers to as one of the most challenging projects. The idea of the commission process was that some of the customers who buy from the website have pre-assigned sales representatives. The role of the sales representative is to provide their customers with assistance while placing orders, and they are commissioned when these orders are placed.

The sales representatives receive a commission percentage calculated on a pre-defined minimum spend value in a given timeframe which renews daily, monthly, and weekly. Since many orders were coming into the system every day, scaling the existing system to accommodate the complex calculations was a challenge. But she, along with her team, was able to implement it.  

The project enabled our clients to streamline their manual commission process, helping them save up to 40-50% of their spending while streamlining the process. Read more about the project right here.

She also mentors freshers at Tecstub and helps them in starting their career journey.  

When we asked Dhara about her favorite aspect of working at the organization, she shared that she enjoys the constant stream of exciting technical challenges and the company’s Agile work model. She says that software development is usually demanding, but Tecstub’s efficient and optimized workflow ensures that employees have ample time to delve deep into each problem, experiment, learn, and deliver the best possible solutions. Her modesty and dedication to the craft are truly inspiring, making her a valuable asset to the Tecstub family.

We are thrilled to announce the rebrand of TecStub and its story. We have begun this new chapter to signify our major milestones over the years, our vision for the future, and what we aspire to become. 

Our journey 

Tecstub started in 2014 with a vision to empower eCommerce businesses to take the first step in their digital transformation journey. Since our inception, we have successfully delivered complex eCommerce business solutions that are both technologically ahead of their time, robust and scalable. When we look back at our journey over these years, we see our clients’ and partners’ unprecedented growth and the impact they are creating. For example, one of our B2B eCommerce solutions is currently processing 5000+ orders daily and has grown to become a global industry leader.

Over the years of developing eCommerce solutions, we have understood that the right mix of technology, processes, and people is the key to business innovation. It is also our magic sauce to success that has helped us progress and grow.

Why did we rebrand?

Since we have significantly evolved in terms of our expertise and services, our existing branding didn’t effectively communicate the same message to our audiences.  Therefore we decided to update our story and write a new one that truly resonates with who we are, what we offer, and where we are headed. We wanted to have a brand identity that showcases the expertise we have acquired over the years and aligns with our refined vision, mission, and value proposition. 

Our rebranding is much more than a new logo, website, and revised color palette. It defines what we do and who we are at the core as a team. Our team has expanded tenfold since we set foot in the industry, and now have a stronger engineering team of visionaries, engineers, and outliers whose expertise spans diverse skill sets with one aim: to deliver excellence. We have always strived to create a collaborative work environment to empower individual strength and achieve a common goal. Our people are our backbone, and we are continuously honing and building our expertise and skill sets in new-age technologies. 

A significant change that has helped us transform our operations is the adoption of Agile software development methodology. It has become an integral part of our culture and has helped us refine and fasten our processes. Also, it was quite early in our journey that we saw the infinite possibilities that technology offers.

Our vision is to develop a digital commerce ecosystem with microservices at the core to enable any business. A digital commerce ecosystem is an integrated set of systems that work together to enable the process of selling and buying. It includes everything from the front end, where the customer visits the website and orders products, to the backend systems that manage the warehouse, logistics, and inventory. All these systems need to work seamlessly to serve customer orders faster and more efficiently. To make this happen, we are constantly innovating, keeping n mind the solutions, and using latest technology frameworks such as Microservices, DevOps, Cloud computing, and more to shape our vision of reimagining eCommerce.
Although we have rebranded, our core values and purpose remains unchanged. 

We care deeply about what we do and the impact we have in building a better, more sustainable future for our clients, people, and communities. With commerce at our core, together, we design, build and implement end-to-end solutions to help enterprises move to their ‘next’!  

Introducing the new brand identity :

Our Purpose

To deliver on the promise of “Build Together, Build Next!”

We have always believed in being partners with our clients, walking with them in their journey, offering them end-to-end solutions, and helping them grow and scale.  And this is what our tagline conveys  “Build Together, Build Next!”

The new logo and what it represents

Our logo is our visual identity that communicates our forward thinking approach and vision of helping enterprises move to their next. The TEC part is in bold, depicting our deep expertise in technology, and the building blocks come together as a forward-pointing arrow representing the futuristic nature of the solutions we create.

As we conclude our rebrand story, we would like to thank our employees and customers who have been integral to our journey and helped us become what we are today. 

Interested to join our team? Head to our career page for the latest open positions. 

For business inquiries, please fill out the form on the contact us page.

In this article, our ace Visual Designer from the marketing team Thilak takes us through his career journey, role at Tecstub, and creative process. 

Tell us about yourself

I was born and brought up in Chennai, and I  am an electrical engineer by degree and a designer by choice. I have been in the designing domain for the past 4 years, and since then, I have been transforming ideas into a design. I like connecting with new people, visiting new places, and playing football.  I am quite comfortable talking to anyone and mix with people quite easily.

What has your career journey been like?

I pursued a traditional education path and obtained a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. However, studying power systems, circuits, and resistors left me uninterested, and I realized this wasn’t my calling. Surprisingly, design never crossed my mind as a career option during my growing-up years. It wasn’t until after finishing my degree that I was introduced to design by my brother, who was already a seasoned designer.

He encouraged me to try my hand at designing and introduced me to various tools and platforms, teaching me the basics. My first project was to design a logo, and as I immersed myself in the process, I found delight in the details, such as color choice, placement, and contrast. This sparked my curiosity and I took it upon myself to learn more through online resources. I became familiar with design platforms like Adobe and Illustrator and with practice, my skills improved.

How did Tecstub happen?

One day I received a call for an interview from the Tecstub HR team. Since I am based in Chennai, getting to interview for a Gujarat-based company was slightly strange. But since the interview was virtual and the position was remote, I went for it. My interview experience was very smooth, and it felt more like a conversation because everyone on the panel made me feel very comfortable. The interview was conducted by the head of marketing, who is also my manager and the organization’s CEO. 

During the interview with Tecstub, I was asked not only about my professional background but also about my personal interests. When I mentioned my love for traveling, Kiran Soni, the CEO of Tecstub, offered to recommend some must-visit destinations.

I was impressed by the company’s openness and clarity about its vision for rebranding and what my role would entail. Their approach and drive left me feeling confident about joining the organization. And now, I am here to share my story. 🙂

Tell us about your role as a Visual Communication Specialist at Tecstub 

Working at TecStub is an entirely new experience because it is an IT consulting firm specializing in building eCommerce web applications, while my experience was usually in advertising and creative agencies. The organization has greatly evolved over the years in its expertise and services. But, the existing brand image doesn’t communicate the same message, so they have been working on a rebrand. Visual identity is an essential branding element for any organization as it helps to communicate what the brand is all about and helps unify the multiple aspects of a business through consistent visuals.  As a visual communication specialist, my role involves helping build a new visual brand identity that communicates what the brand stands for.  

At the start of my journey at Tecstub, I acquainted myself with what goes behind the development of eCommerce web applications and became well-versed in Agile software development methodology. It was essential to comprehensively understand the work process to lay the foundation for my creative process. Additionally, I also understood how the creative messaging of IT should look and have incorporated those elements into my designs.

Since I started working, I have been involved in all marketing initiatives, from designing business presentations to handling social media creatives to designing emailers, web pages, brochures, Linkedin banners, video creation, and more. 

Throughout my journey at Tecstub, my manager has provided insightful feedback that has enabled me to expand my understanding of design from different perspectives. At Tecstub, I have the creative freedom and independence necessary to excel in my work.

What does your creative process look like? 

My creative process starts with deep analysis and understanding of the target group, the platform, and the core message.  When I create a design, I try to understand what it is talking about and then try to give the gist of the content through my design. I focus on 70% design and 30% content rule.  When I design the graphics for our social media page, I use a minimal design approach and fewer elements to communicate the overall message. A user who sees a graphic should get the idea without reading the content.  The three things that define my job would be Creative, Attractive, and Emotive.  

What are your future goals?

I am currently focusing on the TecStub rebranding initiatives and looking forward to developing a new visual identity for TecStub that communicates its true story. The one future goal always constant for me is to keep creating, learning, and evolving. Because someone has rightly said, “You can’t use up creativity the more you use, the more you have.”  

This was Thilak’s career and growth story, all the way from Chennai. He even visited the office in Ahmedabad during a work-from-office week in August and got to know everyone better. We’ll be sharing more stories of our amazing employees and their paths to growth, so make sure to follow us on LinkedIn.

Also, did you know we are hiring? Check out our career page for new openings and join our team. 🙂

“The Hybrid work model has proved to be a blessing for me as a new Dad.”

This time we got in touch with our SEO team lead, Vivek Suthar, who has been spearheading the SEO marketing initiatives at Tecstub.  Vivek belongs to Khedbrahma, a town in Gujarat,  and has been a part of the TecStub team since December 2017. He has been continuously involved in various SEO activities, such as website audits, keyword research, and link-building strategies. On the personal front, he has recently become a new dad.

So, let’s dive into what a typical workday in his life looks like and how his life has changed after becoming a dad, and here is what he shared with us.

Tell us about your role at Tecstub

I handle the SEO campaigns of our clients to boost their website visibility in search engines and help them meet their business goals. I have worked at Tecstub for four and a half years, and since I started working, my role has evolved greatly.  Since, SEO is an integral component of online marketing and is governed by so many factors that it takes a considerable amount of time, and constant learning to thrive in this field. Fortunately, at Tecstub, I got several opportunities that have helped me learn new marketing techniques and hone my skills in this domain.  It feels great when our hard work pays off, and we can get results by cutting through the powerful Google algorithms.

What does your typical work day look like?

I wake up at 7 am, following which I freshen up and devote some time to God. A few minutes of meditating and praying in solace brings me joy and inner peace. After offering my prayers, I have breakfast while going through newspapers and getting updates about what is happening worldwide. Post my breakfast, I start prepping for my work day.

My work usually starts at 9.30 am, I take a glance at Google analytics and search console to grab a check on the website traffic. I keep track of various website performance metrics such as bounce rate, post-click data, conversion rate, etc. All these details help me develop an SEO roadmap for optimizing the website and getting the most profitable traffic. After this, I go through my email and have a quick review of Jira tasks. Accordingly, I create my to-do list for the day and note the points to discuss in our daily stand-up meeting.

I connect with my team at 10 am every day, where we discuss the day’s plan and any roadblocks that might need attention. My field of work is constantly evolving, specifically the Google search algorithms. As an SEO professional, I need to keep myself updated about the latest updates, so I always invest time going through the latest marketing blogs and other resources and tracking new updates. As the day progresses, I take a lunch break at about 1 pm and then return to my working schedule. We have a review meeting weekly that is usually a progress check on the important website metrics and planning ahead where all team members discuss SEO strategies or suggest changes that can help improve the overall KPI’s of our ongoing projects.

What do you like the most about the Hybrid work model?

The best part about working at Tecstub is that I can choose my work model. Sometimes I work from the office, while other days  I work from home. I didn’t realize how good this work model was until I became a new dad. I get to spend much more time with my newborn while balancing my work duties. The flexibility and freedom of work help me to be more productive and efficient. When I work from the office, I interact with my team members, which is often needed for appropriate knowledge sharing and effective communication.

How has life changed after becoming a dad?

Life has taken a 180-degree turn since I became a dad; honestly, life has never been so joyful. The priorities have changed, and there have been a whole set of new responsibilities, and I am enjoying every bit of it. Once I wrap off my work for the day, I take over my daddy duties and spend time with my little bundle of joy. 

Want to work with us? Visit our career page to explore open positions.

Hiren Vadher is an iOS mobile app developer at TecStub. He is from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and joined the TecStub development team in February 2018. Since he started working, he has worked on various technologies such as iOS, Swift, Firebase, Bluetooth technology, Flutter, Dart, UIkit, Storyboard, and Auto Layout. He is passionate about his field of work, enjoys playing chess, and is a health and fitness enthusiast.

So, we connected with Hiren and asked him to take us through a day in his life and share some snippets from his work and personal life. Here is what he shared with us.

Tell us about your role at TecStub

I have worked as a Mobile app developer at Tecstub for the past four years. My role entails developing, testing, and building advanced applications for the iOS platform. Since app development is a continuous process that doesn’t end even when the app is published, I continuously work towards improving the application’s performance. I also work with cross-functional teams defining, designing, and shipping new features. I am always looking for opportunities to learn new technologies and upskill my technical knowledge, and at Tecstub, I get to do it all. I have felt the freedom to experiment and find plausible solutions is one of the things that makes me enjoy my work. 

What does a typical workday look like?

I like to indulge in some outdoor activities as I often have to spend my day sitting for hours. So, I start my day at 6 am with a brisk morning walk, followed by a quick workout and cycling for an hour. After my fitness routine, I read the newspaper and have breakfast with my family. 

Once I reach the office, I start by checking my emails and preparing my plan for the day. Then, I log into Jira to review my assigned tasks and issues I might need to discuss in the daily standup meeting. At 10 am, I connect with my team, and we discuss the ongoing project progress and any roadblock that might hinder the work progress. In case of issues, we as a team try to devise an apt solution. At Tecstub, our work methodologies ensure transparency and open communication within teams. As a result, it makes the work progress smoothly. I enjoy the new challenges at work that help me explore the vast landscape of app development.

At 1 pm, I have lunch with my colleagues, and after that, we play fun games to beat the post-lunch blues. At 2.30 pm, we have our backlog refinement meeting, where we discuss any task-related queries and create the plan for subsequent development modules. Whenever I get time, I brush up on my knowledge in my field of work by going through blogs about iOS development. 

Before I wrap my work for the day, I check the work progress and make notes for the next day. Then, finally, I head home at 7 pm. Once I reach home, I watch movies or series or spend time with my friends and family.  

Want to work with us? Do, visit our career page to explore open positions.

“ I have experienced the best of both worlds working from home and the office.” – Kushal Patel

Kushal Patel joined TecStub as a fresher in August 2017 as a software developer. Since then, he has worked on various technologies like PHP, Firebase, AWS and GraphQL. He works in hybrid mode, choosing his days to work from home once or twice a week.

Here are a few snippets of how a day in his life looks like at TecStub.

Tell us about your role at Tecstub

As a software engineer at Tecstub, my role involves developing and deploying software modules for various eCommerce platforms. During my five years at Tecstub, I have worked on multiple technologies and tools to create solutions that meet the evolving needs of modern eCommerce businesses and drive business growth. It feels great when we see our solutions being used to automate various labor-intensive processes and solve the complexities that come with an eCommerce business.

What does your typical work day look like?

I usually start my day at 6.30 am, and I like spending some time on my balcony to set the tone of the day right. I try to catch up on the latest news while having my breakfast before I start my work day.

Working at Tecstub

“At TecStub we follow Agile methodology for software development that involves meetings such as stand-up, retrospective and refinement. All these meetings help us stay organised and keep a track of our progress. My day is usually packed with meetings where we connect with our team, discuss the progress, and create the plan for subsequent development modules.

I typically start my work at 9:30 am. The first thing is to check Slack and emails to get an update on the tasks for the day. I also login to Jira and accordingly create my plan for the day and note anything I need to discuss with my team.

At 10 am, we have our daily stand-up meeting where each development team member briefs about what they are working on and discusses any issues that might be blocking the progress. In case of any road blockers, we devise a plan to resolve them. The regular stand-up meetings are quick and last for about 15 minutes.

After this, I start coding, and at about 1 pm, I take a break and have my lunch. During this time, I try to unwind by indulging in reading a book or checking the news.

At 3 pm we have our refinement meeting, where we plan our upcoming development modules.

When I work from the office, we usually have a mini tea break at 4 pm accompanied by some chit-chat and snacks.

And then, as the day ends, I note any critical things and log the tasks in Jira and I sign off. After work, I spend time with my family relaxing and scrolling through my phone or reading a book.”

Signing off

One thing that working with his team has taught Kushal is the joy of the little things and how a good company culture can positively impact one’s overall growth. As the saying goes, “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life”. The flexibility, autonomy and culture of excellence at Tecstub has played a significant role in his personal and professional growth.

We are glad to have Kushal as a part of our team, and we hope he keeps thriving in his role and reaching new heights.

Want to work with us? Check our Php Developer Jobs Opening.

Sneha Suryawanshi is a Quality Analyst at TecStub and belongs to Islampur, a city in Maharashtra. She has been working in this field for the past two years and joined the engineering team at TecStub a few months ago. When she is not creating bug reports, she loves to read, cook, and spend time with her daughter.

We connected with Sneha to take us through a day in her life, and here is what she shared with us :  

Your role at TecStub 

At TecStub, I work as a Quality Analyst Engineer. My role entails writing test scenarios, creating test cases, and doing manual testing. I am currently working on a B2B eCommerce web solution managing more than 5000+ orders everyday. The development team is constantly adding new functionalities to meet customer requirements. I test the new features, ensure they are free from bugs, and deliver the right results. Since B2B eCommerce is complex, where businesses make bulk purchases with high order values, and several entities are involved in a single transaction, my role becomes quite crucial and challenging. 

When I write test scenarios, I need to consider all the entities involved, such as the customers, the warehouse, logistics, inventory, and suppliers. The idea is to think from the end user’s perspective and see how the customers’ will come in and out of the application during their journey and ensuring they get a great experience.

What kind of work do you do and how do you work? 

My day usually starts at 6 am when I wake up, sip on warm water, go for a brisk morning walk and spend some time reading a book. After that, I prepare breakfast and lunch, feed my daughter, and have breakfast before starting my work at 9 am. 

Starting work early means I can get accurate updates for our stand-up meeting. Our team has been following agile for quite some time now, and we have daily scrum meeting at 10 am. I share updates about my work, brief the team about what is yet to be done, and discuss any roadblocks that my team or I might be facing.  

The B2B eCommerce project I am engaged in recently acquired a new business. So, we are working on merging the products from both companies and making them available for our end customers. New warehouses are set up to accommodate and manage the new inventory, so my current work focuses on testing the module created for integrating the new stocks into our system. 

The inventory brought into the new warehouse is called a consignment and below steps are followed to complete the integration process: 

• Creating the consignment

• Adding/editing the products

• Verifying the consignment details 

• Delivering 

I have to perform a series of tests for each step to ensure that the product details, quantity, and destination are always accurate.  The complete process is data intensive and comes with several checkpoints and test scenarios at each stage. A minor error in the quantity or the target warehouse can lead to issues in serving customer orders and huge revenue losses which explains the crticality of my role. For executing the test cases, I use the Zephyr plugin in Jira. I use Jmeter for load testing to ensure that the web application can manage high demand during peak hours and promptly serve customers.

I work until 1 pm and then take a lunch break. At 2.30 pm, we have our backlog refinement meeting, where we discuss the progress, refine backlog and define acceptance criterias for the features going in the upcoming sprint. Since software development is a continuous process, we ensure that the team is always in the progress loop and there are no roadblocks due to inefficient communication. Second half also involves connecting with the developers to ty and pin down the root cause of a bug or understanding a feature in detail.

After a packed schedule of meetings and work, I log off from work at 6.30 pm. After this, I have some playtime with my daughter before I head to take over my kitchen duties and prepare dinner for the family.

What do you like the most about working at TecStub? 

Since I am a working mom, the work flexibility at TecStub allows me to balance my work and responsibilities as a mother. On the work front, TecStub’s core expertise lies in creating digital commerce solutions, a challenging domain that gives vast opportunities to learn and experiment. There is nothing more fulfilling in my work than delivering a great quality solution to our customers and knowing how crucial my role is for making this happen. 

Want to work with us? Do, visit our career page to explore open positions..