Most of what I write about on the Company Blog stems from my role as CEO. I like to express thoughts on leadership. I like to properly scope my position as a member of our team. I like to reflect on business and strategy. I like to cheerlead.
But I also like building. No, I love building. The most exciting part of building at Liberty Supply is doing so on a strong foundation. A foundation built on hard work. A foundation built on earning relationships. A foundation built on execution. A foundation built on our desire to be the best.
The most exciting part of building at Liberty Supply is doing so on a strong foundation.
My background is in software engineering. That’s not a traditional path to an “executive” role in B2B distribution. But it’s a path that I am thankful for. It’s a path that shapes and continuously sharpens an institutional focus at Liberty Supply from a completely different paradigm.
As it relates to building, my role at Liberty Supply is that of a carpenter. A carpenter cannot build a house on their own. They can frame the structure. They can explain the thought process behind decisions made. But they recognize their role and appreciate the necessity of their counterparts in building beyond what they are capable of. Yes, you could say that an architect is a better metaphor. But an architect doesn’t swing a hammer 😉.
A carpenter cannot build a house on their own. … they recognize and appreciate the necessity of their counterparts in building something beyond what they are capable of.
So, since we have our carpenter hat on, let’s talk materials. Let’s talk tools. Let’s talk plans. Let’s talk tech.
Technology is a tool for human beings. Its purpose is to solve specific, clearly defined, and understood problems. The optimal application of technology results in value creation on a non-linear basis.
Cool. But what does that actually mean? I think the best way to communicate an answer is to explain a specific initiative at Liberty Supply.
I recently released an internal product we call ServiceMaster. The goal of ServiceMaster is to increase the speed of delivering new features and functionality in client-side applications by abstracting dependencies on 3rd-party business services. ServiceMaster creates a set of APIs that client applications can rely on independent of the requirements of a particular service. This decoupling accelerates innovation. We can seamlessly swap services without impacting productivity. No client-side refactoring needed. The interface stays the same. Azure Storage or S3? Mailgun or SendGrid? Avalara of TaxJar? Doesn’t matter. Clients don’t (and shouldn’t) care about what services are being used.
ServiceMaster creates a set of APIs that client applications can rely on independent of the requirements of a particular service. This decoupling accelerates innovation.
ServiceMaster is built on Node.js and Express. Its module dependencies are intentionally limited. ServiceMaster uses Got to wrap HTTP requests, Winston for logging, and some boilerplate modules in Body Parser, Compression, and CORS. That’s pretty much it. I’m sure those dependencies will grow as the application needs grow. But my approach to software development is grounded in pragmatism. I shy away from over-engineering solutions. That’s not to say that I’m absent-minded about the long-term vision when thinking about software architecture. Instead, I value simplicity in applying technology to solve specific problems.
I’m very excited about how ServiceMaster will help our team deliver more value to customers. That’s my north star. My approach is and will remain to start from customers and work backward. Our team derives tremendous satisfaction and excitement in Liberty Supply’s ability to build and deliver differentiated value from this approach. Stealing the words of Jeff Lawson, it’s not build or buy – it’s build or die. As an organization, we’ll keep building!