2024 was a very eventful year in the tech industry, with Certo Modo being no exception to the rule.
The year started strong, with a full docket of engagements carried over from 2023. Many of these clients were former colleagues from my corporate days who needed a hand with culture, leadership and technical matters. Eventually, though, that stream of work tapered off. The major challenges my clients faced had been resolved, leaving them equipped to move forward independently. That’s always been Certo Modo’s mission: to help companies successfully launch, operate, and scale their SaaS products and IT infrastructure. A successful engagement, by design, means it eventually ends.
This shift brought me face-to-face with the universal challenge of entrepreneurship: marketing and sales. 2023 had proven the viability of my business model- offering in-demand skills and expertise in DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering to younger teams and organizations- but in 2024, I needed to ensure that more tech companies knew I existed and trusted me to solve their problems.
Adding to the challenge was the broader trends in the tech industry. Layoffs continued at a sobering pace, with over 130,000 engineering roles cut according to TechCrunch. Many in my network were affected by those layoffs. Many companies I spoke with expressed interest in my services but were constrained by limited budgets.
Despite these hurdles, I’m very optimistic in what the future holds. Here are the highlights of how I adapted to changing circumstances.
2024 Highlights
Experimenting with LinkedIn Posting
Since launching Certo Modo, I’ve used LinkedIn to establish my reputation as an expert in the DevOps and SRE space. This year, I tested posting as often as six times per week, only to find minimal improvement in impressions compared to a more relaxed schedule.
The takeaway? Social media alone isn’t a reliable method for organic lead generation. Cory Doctorow summed it up perfectly at DEFCON this summer, likening user engagement on these platforms to carnival games with elusive giant prizes (DEFCON 32: Disenshittify or Die!).
In-Person Networking
In the latter half of 2024, I spent a lot of time in Las Vegas, a hub for conferences, meetups, and social events. Why travel extensively when many key industry events come to you?
Vegas also boasts a vibrant startup scene, including the monthly Tech Alley events. Beyond that, I attended DevOpsDays Montreal and the inaugural SEV0 Conference by Incident.io in San Francisco.
Additionally, I prioritized reconnecting with my network on a one-on-one basis, scheduling calls to catch up and offering help where I could. These conversations confirmed something I had long suspected: LinkedIn isn’t enough to keep my network updated. Many people were unaware I was running a consultancy!
Public Speaking
Public speaking became a central part of my year. Here are some of the talks and webinars I delivered in 2024:
- Webinars: Lean SRE, Effective SLOs
- Talks: Beating Big Tech Coding Interviews, Infrastructure Troubleshooting Secrets Revealed, Infrastructure Deep Dives
I also made podcast appearances, which you can find here:
Launching New Services
To better meet tech companies where they are, I introduced flat-rate service offerings:
- RAPID Assessment: A personalized roadmap to enhance operations, grounded in best practices from top tech companies.
- Reliability Bootcamp: A hands-on SRE crash course covering SLIs/SLOs, incident response, blameless postmortems, and more.
Looking Ahead to 2025
Exploring Partnerships with SaaS Companies
I’m in discussions with several SaaS companies about providing SRE expertise to their clients. Acting as a subcontractor, I’d deliver training and support to help their clients maximize the value of these products.
Transitioning to a Newsletter
2024 reinforced my belief that I can’t rely on social media algorithms to keep my network informed. Instead, I’ll pivot to an email newsletter, a more reliable and direct way to share updates and offerings.
Launching the Reliability Rebels Podcast
After enjoying podcast guest appearances, I decided to launch my own! Reliability Rebels dives into the social aspects of improving production system reliability through organizational change. Two episodes are already live, with more in production for 2025.
Expanding Flat-Rate Services
Building on the success of RAPID and Reliability Bootcamp, I plan to develop additional flat-rate offerings tailored to SaaS companies’ most pressing needs.
Applying to Speak at More Conferences
Doubling down on speaking engagements will give me the necessary credibility and exposure to meet more people and find clients.
2024 was indeed challenging, but it also laid the groundwork for growth in 2025. Tech companies will always need help running production systems in a more cost-effective and sustainable way!
I’m super grateful for the privilege to work with so many talented people that are literally building the future!