Anniversary Employees at Softhouse: The Heart of Our Success – Part 3
At Softhouse, everything starts with our people – our most important asset. This is reflected in the loyalty and commitment of the colleagues who have stayed with us for many years.
In an industry where people tend to change jobs often, we are especially proud when employees choose to stay and contribute to Softhouse’s growth and culture, year after year.
To highlight this, we have previously published several articles about our anniversary employees. This time, we get to meet Admir, Tobias, and Ola, who share their experiences at Softhouse over the years.
You have all been an important part of our journey — and you play an equally important role in our future. Thank you for continuing to choose us at Softhouse!
In May, you celebrate 11 years at Softhouse! What have we done right to keep you with us for so long?
What really kept me here is the people and the culture. Softhouse has created an environment where trust, collaboration, and continuous learning are valued, and where you feel encouraged to grow both professionally and personally. Being part of teams that support each other and work on meaningful projects has made the journey truly rewarding.
If we rewind to when you started in 2015. How has Softhouse evolved since then?
Since I started in 2015, Softhouse has grown significantly, both in size and maturity. The IT industry itself has evolved rapidly during this time, and Softhouse has consistently kept pace by adopting new technologies, modern development practices, and new ways of working. Over the years, new offices have been established and many new colleagues have joined, bringing fresh perspectives and energy.
Despite all this growth, Softhouse has managed to keep its core values and people-first culture. Coming from the Sarajevo office and being here from the very beginning, I’ve had the opportunity to experience all phases of growth, from just a handful of colleagues to around 40 today. Being spread across different geographic locations has never been a barrier to development or collaboration – if anything, it has often been a real advantage, bringing diverse perspectives and strengthening our teamwork.
Enough about Softhouse’s development, what has your personal development journey looked like?
I joined Softhouse Sarajevo office as a newly graduated, at a time when the office was just being established. From the very beginning, I worked as a software developer on our first major project, a project that played a key role in shaping both the office and my professional foundation, and one that some of my colleagues are still working on today.
During the later stages of the project, when it went into production, I happened to start working as a QA engineer as we encountered a large number of issues. Our team quickly took on the testing responsibilities, which we hadn’t done thoroughly before, and I discovered that I really enjoyed this new role. From there, I continued developing as a QA engineer, combining my technical background with quality-focused practices.
Starting in a small, close-knit team allowed me to grow alongside the company itself. Through those early experiences, I learned not only from successes but also from challenges and mistakes. Over time, my role evolved as I took on more responsibility, worked across different projects and teams, and developed both technically and personally. Beyond the work itself, building strong relationships, collaborating with colleagues across offices, and experiencing different cultures have all been an important part of my journey and growth.
You’ve surely collected a lot of memories over the years – give us your best Softhouse memory!
Over the years, I’ve collected so many great memories at Softhouse, but what stands out the most is the people. The friendships, teamwork, and shared experiences, from tackling challenges to celebrating successes, have made every moment memorable.
Softhouse trips have also been truly special, full of exciting experiences, laughter, and lasting memories, from my very first trip to Reims, France, where I got to meet colleagues from other offices for the first time, to sports games on Mallorca’s beaches, treasure hunts in Istanbul, and many other amazing locations and fun activities.
The supportive culture and sense of community here make even everyday work feel meaningful, and those connections are something I will always cherish.
In 2026, you will celebrate 17 years at Softhouse! What have we done right to keep you with us for so long?
Time flies, doesn’t it? — already 17 years! The simple answer is: the people. The people and the culture, in that order. When you’re surrounded by such a fun, compassionate, and extremely skilled group of people, it really makes you grow both personally and technically. I’ve worked with some of the kindest and brightest people in the industry, which makes going to work a delight even when times get rough.
I mentioned the culture — as a pragmatic person who likes short decision paths, Softhouse is the perfect fit for me. I always feel seen and appreciated, and I get the attention I need from leaders and co-workers to succeed in what I do.
If we rewind back to when you started in 2009, how has Softhouse evolved since then?
Much has changed, but at the same time it’s as if nothing has changed. When I started, we were around 20 people at the Karlskrona office, and the only other office was the HQ in Malmö. Since then, Softhouse has grown a lot — both in those places but also sprawling out to locations around Sweden, and even abroad! Still, it feels like nothing has changed — we never lost the Softhouse DNA that defined us back then. We’re still a small company at heart, even if our costume has grown quite a bit.
Enough about Softhouse’s development – what has your personal development journey looked like?
My first assignment was at a telecom client in Karlskrona. I started as a developer embedded in one of their development teams. After some time, Softhouse decided to try a different business model — rather than getting paid by the hour, we assembled an all-Softhouse team that took over all bug-fixing for the product. We were now sitting together at the Softhouse office in Karlskrona, squashing bugs as a tight-knit crew.
After a short stint with another client, I headed back to the telecom client — this time to a product that delivers banking capabilities to telecom operators. I’m really glad I got the chance to be part of this product. Due to the nature of the system, it has helped me develop my skills both in terms of the development process and the technical aspects of building a highly secure system. What makes this assignment stand out from many “ordinary” consultant gigs is the fact that we sell complete teams rather than individual consultants. I know I’m not the only one who really enjoys working in that kind of setup. Within this assignment, I’ve held several different roles — from lead frontend developer, to team security master, to team lead — all of which have had a significant impact on my professional development.
You’ve surely collected a lot of memories over the years – give us your best Softhouse memory!
It must be the dinner bell from that time. We were responsible for bug fixing in a product, and to mark each resolved issue, we had a bell in the office that we rang every time a bug was fixed. The problem? It was loud. Really loud. Let’s just say not everyone in the office shared our enthusiasm for each triumphant chime. But for us it was pure joy, equal parts team spirit and friendly provocation.
In August, you celebrate 21 years at Softhouse! What have we done right to keep you with us for so long?
Always a positive atmosphere in the organisation and lots of nice colleagues. Plus Softhouse has fantastic customers with cool projects that keep you busy.
If we rewind back to when you started in 2005, how has Softhouse evolved since then?
Softhouse keeps evolving and adopting as new tech and methods as they come along. Such as Scrum, Cloud, and AI. When I started, we were quite heavy in telecom, but today we are active in many businesses, technologies, and in more geographical locations.
Enough about Softhouse’s development – what has your personal development journey looked like?
My journey is going in circles :) And it sometimes takes me back to the start again, to the companies I worked for 10 – 15 years ago. It is interesting to see how they have evolved. I have mostly been faithful to software development, but I still need to learn new things. Lately, a lot of AI (obviously) and Rust programming.
You’ve surely collected a lot of memories over the years – give us your best Softhouse memory!
There were too many “Ola” at Softhouse at one point, which caused some confusion. The most unfortunate incident was when I could not join a company trip because the airline did not accept two Ola Andersson, so they just canceled my ticket.
