18 Years of Code and Building a Company: The Mistakes Nobody Talks About

If you were ever a client of ours and we lost touch along the way, I want to say it clearly: we are still looking for you, and our door is always open. But first, let me tell you the whole story.

From a Line of Code in 2008 to a Company Called Darory

I'm Alaa Samir. I started programming in 2008, and that journey led me to found Darory for Information Technology. That's roughly 18 years. If I told you it was an easy road or an unbroken run of wins, I wouldn't be telling you the truth.

I started young, with plenty of enthusiasm and ideas, but very limited experience in business and management. I learned to code, worked on many projects, and then began building my own company.

A Great Programmer Isn't Automatically a Great Manager

The first real lesson: being a good programmer doesn't mean you know how to run a company. Programming is one skill; running a business is a completely different one, full of numbers, people, decisions and responsibilities that no code can solve.

Hard Times and Fresh Starts

We went through difficult periods: economic pressure, work drying up, clients disappearing, and projects that never got finished. Each time, we had to reassess everything and try to start again.

A Title Is Not Experience

One of my mistakes was that, at times, I cared more about the title than the responsibility. I believed that simply becoming a company owner, or a CEO, meant I was qualified for everything.

The truth is that a title is not experience, and owning a company doesn't mean you know how to run it. What really makes the difference is what you learn and apply every single day.

When Work and Life Blur Together

I didn't always know how to separate work from my personal life. That affected my time with my family and my ability to focus and think clearly.

A Lot of Effort… in the Wrong Direction

There were wrong decisions, misjudged estimates, and missed opportunities. Sometimes the problem wasn't a lack of work at all; it was that I was putting a lot of effort in the wrong direction.

What I Should Have Done Much Earlier

Over time I understood there were things I should have done from day one:

• Manage my time: time is the most valuable resource a small company has.
• Clarify responsibilities: everyone should know exactly what is expected of them.
• Track the numbers: decisions based on gut feeling alone are very expensive.
• Delegate decisions: not every decision and every problem should depend on me alone.

Not Every Client Fits, Not Every Opportunity Is the Right Call

I also learned that not every client is the right fit, not every project is worth accepting, and not every opportunity that looks good is the right decision. Sometimes "no" is the best decision you can make for your company.

Why I'm Sharing This Now

I'm not writing this as someone who has reached the end of the road. Quite the opposite: I'm still learning, still making mistakes, and still trying to get better at my work and my life.

But after all these years, I have experiences worth telling: not only what worked, but also what failed and why. That's why I decided to start sharing the behind-the-scenes story in a series called "Early-Stage Mistakes", covering what I learned, the mistakes I made, and what I wish I had known sooner:

1. Hiring too fast, before the work was stable.
2. Over-polishing one part before the whole project cycle was done.
3. Being vague with clients to "protect the company's image".
4. Working without rest… until burnout hits at the worst possible moment.

You don't have to learn only from my successes… you may benefit even more from my mistakes.

Learn more about Alaa Samir, founder of Darory, or send us a message.