TopDevz CEO, Ashkan Rajaee, Sees Working Remotely As The Indefinite Norm

Photo Credit: TopDevz

TopDevz is a team of elite software developers, designers, project managers and quality assurance testers who live and work in the United States and Canada on some of the most sophisticated software development initiatives. Ashkan Rajaee, TopDevz’s CEO, has been named among the top 30 CEOs of 2020 by The Silicon Review. Among their several awards and achievements, perhaps the most impressive is that TopDevz, under the leadership of Mr. Rajaee, have maintained a 96% workforce retention rate.

Ashkan Rajaee recently took the time to speak with Haute Living in regards to the remote working landscape ahead of the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show.

Haute Living: For the unacquainted or those not in the tech/software loop, could you briefly explain the service TopDevz offers its clients?

Ashkan Rajaee: Technology is now at the core of any business that thrives. With that, comes hundreds of thousands of different workflows and systems designed to address needs. Most of the shelf software will do 80%-90% of what businesses require. However, it’s that last 10% or 20% of workflow that becomes a major pain and inefficiency to businesses. That’s where TopDevz comes in. We offer the ability to solve complex problems for US and Canada-based teams at an attractive price point on a monthly basis. We provide true flexibility to management when they need it most. Our staff retention rate is over 96% and referrals account for 63% of our business, which is unheard of in the professional services industry.

HL: How does TopDevz make life easier for its clients, in a time when so much of the workforces has been obligated to adapt to working remotely?

AR: Well, that’s just it. TopDevz has always operated 100% remotely, even prior to the pandemic. When the pandemic happened, our clients were impressed at how efficient we are in communicating and delivering services in a remote capacity. We’ve been asked to help companies adapt a remote workforce. People think working remotely is easy and saves money. That’s simply not true, if it’s not done well.

Photo Credit: TopDevz

HL: For better or worse, the transition to remote work has revealed how defunct stationary work actually is. What does the future of remote work resemble to TopDevz?

AR: We plan to operate remotely indefinitely. When people see what can be achieved by working remotely, with the best practices in place, magic happens. In turn, clients will be happier because your rate is lower, and staff will be happier because they can truly live and work where they choose.

HL: TopDevz is trusted by some of the most powerful and successful companies round the world. If an executive is forced to complete a task while on a yacht over high seas, for example, how does your company facilitate this task?

AR: We work from yachts all the time! We have Wi-Fi and satellite services aboard the ship. In fact, it’s a very big passion of mine, to work from a yacht. It’s calming and motivating and can help the mind in times of pressure and decision-making. I realize not everyone has a yacht. I did not have one at one point. But you have to start somewhere, start practicing, and if your job does not facilitate accomplishing this goal, LEAVE! Nothing good comes from sacrificing your life for a company that will never appreciate your value. It’s up to you to embrace your own thoughts and manifest them. I started by renting a yacht and thinking to myself, “What do I need to do to get me one of these?”

HL: You, yourself are the CEO of a highly successful company. Explain how you utilize your “RemotePreneur” program on a daily or weekly basis?

AR: My “RemotePreneur” page is knowledge I recently made public because no one taught me what I know today about building remote companies. It’s not easy and it involves plenty of nuance and psychological factors, which I address on the website. I get a lot of messages from CTOs or VPs of engineering clients who earn a great salary, but they can’t quadruple their income by working for their respective companies. I refer them to the seven-level playbook and tell them to be honest with themselves, because management positions are notorious for exerting power over colleagues in an attempt to hide their own insecurities and fears. This feeds an ego which they will not be able to tame later in life until life itself has passed them by.

“RemotePreneur” made a show on TopDevz throughout the pandemic because I wanted to reveal what entrepreneurs and freelancers who aspired to become high net worth entrepreneurs will have to deal with at times, in order to run a remote company. My intention was to reassure them that certain difficulties and aspects of the job are expected. It also revealed to them that no matter who you are, or what you do, you will be criticized. People are entitled to their opinions. I made “RemotePreneur” for people to navigate their own path to ultimate freedom.

As a parting note, I was one of those critics who would constantly find excuses for why I was not as successful as I wanted to be. I always found a “reason or explanation, and yet, my situation never changed. It was only when I began to open mind, that I realized that I might be the problem. Maybe Ashkan needs to change his negative point of view… I’ve never looked back since.

Photo Credit: TopDevz