Lukáš Strnadel, CEO of Futured tells us how they specialize in mobile apps.
Lukas, tell us about you, your career, and how you founded Futured.
Lukáš Strnadel: I started my business when I was 16. Soon after, I started my own company. Currently, Futured employs fifty people who develop mobile applications for well-known companies and corporations. You may use the one we created for ŠKODA Auto, Jablotron, Decathlon, or the one we did for the Czech National Museum. We currently have three branches in Prague, Brno, and Vienna.
Do you have small habits that made a meaningful impact on your life and business?
Lukáš Strnadel: A significant change came with the birth of my son, who showed me that work is not everything and that there is often much more going on in the offline world than in the online one. Bees also changed my life. During the pandemic lockdown, having bees seemed like a fantastic idea. Because of them, I’m outside more – I love the way the honey sticks to my fingers, the way it smells. I’m fascinated by the queen bee, who manages a huge team of bees without speaking. I love watching their world and trying to understand it. Bees have been around for millions of years, and I am very aware that the less I get in their way, the better off they will be. Bees and businesses have a lot in common.
How does Futured market its services online?
Lukáš Strnadel: Our clients are large companies and corporations in various segments where long-term relationships, personal recommendations, and relevant references work best. The right people must know about us, often stakeholders such as CEOs, CTOs, and sometimes project and marketing managers. We generally attend formal and informal business/tech events and spend much time on content marketing and PR.
How do you retain your employees?
Lukáš Strnadel: We like to say that we’d be just a pretty logo without our people. I don’t like the word “employees”; I prefer to use “colleagues” – most of them are smarter than me. I don’t want to dictate what they should do; instead, I give them a different perspective and ask the right questions. Then, with our HR Simona, we do our best to make them feel comfortable with us, both professionally and personally. We want them to work on projects that meet their interests, enjoy their work, and motivate them to grow in it. We want to devote more and more energy to internal training.
How are you funding your growth?
Lukáš Strnadel: We are currently focusing on expanding into other countries, primarily Austria, where we already have a few clients that have made us feel that the markets are relatively similar. We are also comfortable with a similar mentality, and we like to work for mature clients. We see Austria as a launching point to see how we can do better outside of the Czech Republic, where our company was founded and is based.
Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?
Lukáš Strnadel: Our competitors are mainly other agencies that develop mobile apps. If we meet in tenders, our solutions are usually among the more expensive ones. But there are reasons for that. We never blindly follow the brief. We do more for our clients than they ask us to do. We sweat on projects as if they were our own. We use the latest technology, and we revel in technological challenges—our work results in applications that people want to use. At the end of the process is a user who completes the intended action as quickly as possible. We believe all parties appreciate this approach.
Tell us a client success story of yours.
Lukáš Strnadel: We have 250+ successful applications under our belt, both in the B2B and B2C segments. Yes, many companies think mainly about apps for their customers and neglect those for employees and partners. Yes, B2B apps usually have fewer users yet can save much money. Competition is growing, and whoever gets the job done faster wins. Optimizing processes is something that a good mobile app can help a company. But back to the success story: We are proud of an app that increased our client’s conversions by 4,000%.
Your final thoughts?
Lukáš Strnadel: Maybe one piece of advice that has worked well for me in my life: Be fair. Not just to yourselves but to your colleagues and clients too. At Futured, we don’t hide anything. If we don’t think we’re doing our best, we speak up and make it right.
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