Hi, I'm DJ!-image

Hi, I'm DJ!

I thrive in the gap between people and
the value they seek from software.

I'm a serial entrepreneur with multiple exits and a full stack software engineer in Northwest Arkansas. In my spare time I like to walk my dog Monkey, and write the DJ Codes newsletter on Substack.

about-me-image

About me

I'm a full stack developer who excels at solving problems with code. I have multiple eight-figure exits and tons of learning experiences along the way. I love to work and expect to never stop hacking code.

  • Location:Fayetteville, AR
  • Age:56
  • Nationality:USA
  • Interests:Writing, Music, Social Scienes
  • Study:Northwestern University
  • Employment:Entrepreneur

Work

Freelance

Open source projects2023 - present

Working on two open source projects that I built from scratch.

  • APTRS - React front-end to a Python API for penetration testing. Uses Vite, Tailwind CSS, Material-Tailwind theme
  • TRYBE - a full stack PWA built in Remix with Prisma/Supabase as back end and Fly.io for deployment

Also assisting BuildCities.network with their decentralized funding platform.

Co-founder & Managing Partner

BlueSpruce Holdings2017 - 2023

Led the purchase, management and sale of 330 multifamily apartments. Handled all asset management, finance and investor relations. Implemented the EOS system for business management. Automated our investor communications with ActiveCampaign, Zapier, Buildium, EZ Texting and more.

Chief Technology Officer

Content BLVDMarch 2015 - June 2017

Managed the complete product lifecycle for an influencer marketplace. Oversaw strategic planning, resolved tech issues, and delivered a viable product in just 5 months (succeeding when two predecessors failed). Migrated prototype from Moveable Type to use Node and PostgreSQL backend with Mithril/Coffeescript front end.

VP Services

Staunch RobotsAugust 2014 - March 2015

Led project management and development for four Ruby on Rails projects.

Chief Technology Officer

Avenir InternationalJanuary 2014 - August 2014

Led all technical development of a SaaS providing time- and role-based paging for hospital staff to be contacted for urgent critical care tasks. Underlying technology included Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Cisco IP Phones and Twilio.

Chief Technology Officer

StatsMixOctober 2010 - January 2013

Led all technical development of a SaaS providing custom analytics integrated with third party reporting tools such as Google Analytics, Mailchimp and dozens of others. Core technology included Ruby on Rails, MySQL, jQuery, Highcharts and web APIs.

VP Sales and Business Development

SurveyGizmoJanuary 2008 - August 2010

Led sales during explosive growth period from $130,000 to $3 million in just two years. Also developed several key platform elements such as SalesForce integration, and entirely re-wrote the billing system. Core technology included PHP, MySQL, Zend Framework and web APIs.

Co-Founder

Enthusiast GroupMarch 2006 - November 2007

Created a B2C social media platform for extreme sports enthusiasts. Core technology included PHP, MySQL, Drupal and JavaScript.

Chief Privacy Officer

MessageMediaDecember 1998 - December 2001

Devised and enforced spam-prevention policies for one of the first email marketing companies. Devised and executed a PR and marketing initiative to highlight the company's thought leadership in permission marketing, leading us to win major enterprise accounts such as Cisco Systems and Dell Computer.

CEO & Co-Founder

Distributed BitsMarch 1996 - December 1998

Created the industry's first email customer service platform, landing major clients such as Consumer Reports and the Chicago Board Options Exchange. The company was acquired by MessageMedia, providing a 700% return to investors in two years.

Skills

25 years of experience with software development in high-pressure, resource-constrained startups

Backend development
Node.js
Ruby on Rails
PHP
Python
Frontend development
React
Typescript
jQuery
Mithril.js
Business
Finance & Accounting
Public Speaking
Sales
Spoken languages
English
Spanish

Education

Bachelor of Science, Music Education

Northwestern University1986-1990

I decided by my senior year that I didn't want to teach, but NU is expensive so I took the degree and became one of those classic liberal arts major who had no idea what he wanted to do. Luckily I discovered I have an entrepreneurial instinct and a knack for computers.

Submarine Sales Methodology

Sandler Sales Institute2003

Innovative sales method that trained me to, above all, not act like a salesman. See this post on my blog about one key concept, the Up Front Contract.

Working with DJ on APTRS was such a fantastic experience! He took the lead on building the entire frontend from the ground up and wowed us all with his amazing skills while adding great features. DJ's technical know-how and knack for solving problems made a huge difference in tackling the challenges we faced, and thanks to his hard work, we got the project out on time. It was truly a joy to collaborate with DJ on this project!

-- Sourav Kalal, Engineer lead on APTRS

DJ is a great asset to any software development team. He's a bonafide team player, and commits himself 110%. My team and I were lucky to have someone of his caliber on board at Content BLVD. And I'd be honored to work with DJ in the future.

-- Dan Ripoll, CEO, ContentBLVD

During my time working closely with DJ at BlueSpruce, I had the opportunity to witness his exceptional leadership and organizational skills firsthand. His ability to effectively lead and inspire a team was truly commendable. DJ consistently demonstrated a strong vision for the company and effectively communicated it to the entire team, fostering a sense of purpose and motivation among employees.

-- Robin Diebel

DJ had a wide breadth of knowledge, and kept us focused on the technical tasks that drove the product forward.

-- Peter Klipfel, direct report at StatsMix

Get in touch.

I'm always interested in hearing about new projects, so if you'd like to chat please get in touch.

Github
djscruggs