Faces of Shift with Design Like You Mean It (DLYMI)

We love the great relationships we foster with our members at Shift Workspaces. This month, we had the opportunity to meet with Jesse Weaver and Michael Dusing to learn more about their company DLYMI. Continue reading to discover their unique story.

What inspired you to start your own company, and do what you do?

Design Like You Mean It (DLYMI) is a digital product design firm. We focus primarily on user experience design for mobile and web applications. As co-founders, we’ve been in this industry for over 30 years combined. We’ve seen the positive things that can come from digital technologies for both people and businesses, and we’ve also witnessed the pitfalls. We believe that we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible, and DLYMI is an opportunity for us to help a lot of companies deliver truly positive outcomes for their customers and themselves. It’s also our opportunity to build a diverse, highly experienced team of designers who aren’t just consultants, but who have all worked within companies and understand the day-to-day challenges it takes to grow and succeed. Our mantra is great people, great clients, great work.

What about your business and/or industry motivates you?

The speed of change and the scale of impact that can be achieved in the digital industry is mind-blowing. There are so many opportunities to bring benefits to people’s lives. Witnessing that benefit in others and knowing that, when something isn’t working, we have an ability to make it better is the driving motivator for us as a company.

What is something about your business that most people do not know?

While you might only see two of us in the office we actually have a growing team of 12 designers and engineers and can scale to meet any project need. One benefit of 30+ years of combined experience is a huge network of very talented people.

What are your business’s long-term goals?

Our goal is to build a portfolio of clients that are truly long-term partners. While we can (and do) take on “one and done” projects, we know the path to success is long and winding. We have a holistic approach that works best when we can be a part of that longer journey and continually improve products alongside our partners.

What is your biggest piece of advice for those starting out in the industry?

For new designers, it’s easy to get hung up on learning the latest design software and obsessing over the latest aesthetic trends, but the real value you can bring is in paying close attention to what’s happening around you. Tools change, aesthetics shift and while important, these aren’t the underlying drivers of good design. If instead, you can take the time to understand what makes a business tick, from finances to engineering to customer service, and what makes a customer tick, from motivations and goals to life circumstances, then you can become a bridge between those worlds. That’s where the true positive outcomes are created.

Other than work, what are you passionate about?

We both have families with amazing kids. A work-life balance is a huge part of our business goals and original motivations for starting DLYMI. Building something of our own gives us more flexibility to live life outside of work.

What types of activities or hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?

In cliche Colorado fashion, we both love being outside. We do a lot of biking, hiking, and skiing. Michael is a major bike commuter, and Jesse is a terrible fly fisherman who mostly just stands in the water but for some reason still enjoys it.

How has coming to Shift Workspaces contributed to your growth and success?

Shift has been a huge benefit for us. Especially starting out, it would have been very hard to afford a space with so many amenities and support on our own. It’s really been an awesome experience so far. We love it because it gives us a place to meet face-to-face and work through the challenges of growing a business. While remote is great and most of our client work is remote, it can be easier to work through hard problems in person.

To learn more about DLYMI, you can check out their website or follow them on Instagram.