Back in 2004-2015, I ran a software development agency called e-Stonia. The name was a nod to Estonia's reputation as the world's most digitally advanced nation—the original e-country with e-governance, e-residency, and all that good stuff.

At the time, I was connecting British clients with talented Estonian developers. The hourly rates in Estonia were remarkably lower than what you'd pay in London (we're talking £££ versus what was essentially pocket change). Everyone was happy—clients got brilliant code without breaking the bank.

Fast forward a bit, and we evolved into CrewNew, a freelancer agency that grew to over 11 full-time programmers and hundreds of Eastern European freelancers (mostly from Romania and the Balkans). Quite the operation.

Since 2022, I've been back to my roots—working solo on most projects, occasionally teaming up with my brilliant mates for the bigger gigs.