The Yes Works

Our clients come to us to engineer their cultures for four things:

PROFIT     |     GROWTH     |     INNOVATION     |     FUN

Because your culture is your future.

I'm synthesizing a life of learning and a diverse career of communications, customer service, training, and leadership development to help improve the work-lives of the people I serve. There is no work/life balance. There is only a balanced and fulfilling life. Work is part of life. Let's make it good.

Happily, fulfilling work and good productive work go hand in hand as a part of a balanced life.

I work with business teams to help build habits of work, communication, and collaboration to enliven work and make it good. It's good for business, it's good for people. That's the bottom line.

Co-Founder & CEO

Giant Leap

Lead two regional groups of Chief Executives and Business owners through a peer-mentoring experience...

We're whole humans leading companies, and it can be lonely at the top. Members of these groups find peers who have no agenda with them, have no fear of them, and will therefor put their best interests frontmost and share their honest, insightful thoughts and questions.

We're helping leaders live the entrepreneurial lives of their dreams.

CEO/Owner Peer Group Leader

Vistage Worldwide, Inc.

Get the most your team has to offer today, and grow their capacity tomorrow. Leading humans humanely and effectively for high performance and high fulfillment levels. Communication and collaboration culture. Innovation and problem solving.

Speaker

First 5 FUNdamentals

Founded in 2008, First 5 FUNdamentals (F5F) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to mobilize and inspire communities to achieve their collective goals for children and families. F5F currently supports three initiatives - Project Child Success, Help Me Grow Pierce County, and the Washington Communities for Children.

Vice President Board Of Directors

Mighty Good Work Podcast

Producer & Host

Stadium High School

I teach classes in theater to High School students in every grade level, and direct the school productions in our state of the art theater.

Teach juniors and seniors a course in Business Communication -- Public Speaking and Presentation, Customer Service, Copy Writing, Marketing, Surveys and other topics.

Theatre Arts & Business Communication Teacher

Gold From Straw Theatre Company

Managing Executive Director

Infinite Encore Coaching

Guiding leaders where they are to where they want to be.

Dream it.  Do it.  Live it.

Leadership Coach

Keller Williams Realty

Real Estate Consultant

Oakland School for the Arts

Tech Director and Theatre Teacher

People-first leaders come to us to help make their good teams LEGENDARY:

➡️ Do you have a nagging sense… We could be even BETTER? 

➡️ Do you have a strong culture that's still hampered by CONFLICT & miscommunication?

➡️ Have ACCOUNTABILITY gaps cost you sales, profit, clients, employee retention?

➡️ Is MISTRUST slowing you down?

➡️ Has a KEY PERSON quit out of the blue, citing more money & growth opportunity... And you can't allow a REPEAT with anyone else?

➡️ Is your headcount GROWING -- organically or through acquisition -- faster than team CHEMISTRY?

➡️ Is it hard to see how today's team can accomplish your AUDACIOUS GOALS for tomorrow?

It's time to REFUSE to accept a status quo where:

❌ MEETINGS are a dull time-suck // when they could be fun and productive.
❌ Gaps in communication and/or accountability create CHAOS.
❌ TRUST between team members is weak, so productivity suffers.
❌ Problems are suppressed until they become CRISES // instead of being brought to light.
❌ People resist CHANGE // instead of embracing reality and driving continual improvement
❌ Fixable PROBLEMS persist // when everything they need to find the solution is right there.

We can help. 

Think you can't have SWIFT & LASTING transformation with the team you have?

YOU CAN!

Because we use a unique science-backed approach to training and consulting. And we follow the advice of Albert Einstein:

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

Check out these client results:

🎯 “There’s nothing else like The Yes Works.” Joe Mc Swiney, CEO, SOG Knives. Six months after we worked with his leadership team, Joe said that they’d seen a:
50% increase in mutual appreciation. 
30% increase in mutual understanding. Conflicts were easier to navigate.
80% increase in their ability to communicate positively and constructively under pressure.

🎯 “Your work got us through COVID. We embody the principles you trained us in every day.” Joe LeRoy, CEO, HopeSparks

🎯 “What you did with us is a part of the fabric of this company.” Philip Goward, CEO, TextExpander (Then Philip and partners were able to sell TextExpander ahead of schedule.)

🎯 “Here’s how important you are to me. You give me hope that my company’s culture will be preserved through scaling. 50 years from now, I’ll want you training our leaders to keep us who we are.” Hugh Stewart, CEO - Platform Transition 


Ready to see your team's full potential in ACTION?

Then ask for a call:

📞 https://calendly.com/aaronyes/15min

🌐 https://www.theyesworks.com/

Aaron Schmookler, Culture Engineer

Trisk

Key Achievements:

— Implemented industry-standard security protocols to protect customer data and enhance software integrity.
— Developed and rigorously tested incident response and recovery plans, strengthening automation resilience against potential disruptions.
— Successfully achieved SOC 2 Type II certification for three consecutive years, reinforcing commitment to security, compliance, and service reliability.
— Pioneered the adoption of Conversational Process Automation (CPA), leveraging AI to transform workflow design and elevate business process efficiency.
— Developed and delivered a high-impact investor pitch deck on RPA and AI-driven process automation, securing funding for strategic business initiatives.
— Designed, presented, and led the AI Series, a seven-course lecture program for UACPA (Utah) members, CPAs, and finance professionals, exploring AI’s role in accounting and finance, in collaboration with AWS and AllCloud.
— Successfully led the AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP), deploying advanced AI solutions for Email Triage, Intelligent Document Processing & Analysis, and AI-Driven Customer Onboarding, in partnership with AllCloud
— Led outreach efforts that resulted in the onboarding and activation of new customers in M&A, Manufacturing, and Life Insurance, expanding the company’s market reach.
— Executed SEO and content marketing strategies that increased monthly active users on the website from 800 to 55K+ through organic search, achieving an average 5-minute engagement time per session.
— Restructured the company's pricing model through a rigorous competitive analysis, optimizing positioning, value delivery, and market competitiveness.

Chief Technology Officer

My role consisted technical leadership, strategic planning, and management.

Key Responsibilities:

— Provided visionary technical leadership to the engineering team, leveraging DDD, TDD, EventSourcing (CQRS), microservices, etc.
— Architected and maintained a scalable, resilient tech stack (PHP, NODE.JS, TypeScript, Python, MessageBrokers, etc.) for efficient business process automation.
— Incorporated innovations, industry trends, and emerging tech into solutions.
— Recruited, onboarded engineering talent with SaaS and automation expertise.
— Cultivated a culture of continuous learning, mentoring team members for peak performance.
— Strategically defined engineering roles, aligning projects with automation feature enhancements.
— Ensured on-time, within-budget delivery of automation features, boosting market position.
— Formulated disaster recovery and data backup strategies for automation data protection.
— Implemented automation, CI/CD practices using GitLab and AWS.
— Oversaw the engineering department's budget.
— Responded effectively to technical emergencies and outages, minimizing downtime.

Key Achievements:

— Led the team in developing innovative SaaS automation features, streamlining customer business processes.
— Improved scalability and reliability, handling increased user demands while ensuring high availability.
— Mentored the team, enhancing skills and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
— Focused on tech innovation, keeping the organization at the industry forefront.
— Addressed customer feedback, boosting satisfaction and retention.

Head Of Engineering

Jamworks

Jamworks is an educational technology company specializing in assistive tools for students, empowering them to access and comprehend information in engaging ways, and enhance note-taking, revision, and efficient learning.

Key Responsibilities:

Solution Architect

— Collaborated with stakeholders to outline strategy and requirements, maintained 30/60/90 cycles, and conducted on-time demos.
— Utilized AWS services, including EC2, Lambda, S3, Route53, MediaConvert, ElasticSearch, RDS, CloudFront, and API Gateway to manage microservices efficiently.
— Designed the product architecture using DDD, TDD, EventSourcing (CQRS), JSONAPI, and microservices.
— Integrated Deepgram service for real-time captions, transcriptions, and speaker detection.
— Developed a data transfer module for handling video/audio recordings from various devices.
— Integrated Mailchimp and Zendesk for marketing and customer support transparency.
— Integrated Stripe as the main payment gateway.

Technical Leadership

— Collaborated with iOS, Android, Backend, Frontend, Design, and QA teams to devise a flexible API architecture.
— Led a cross-functional distributed technical team in the development, delivery, and maintenance of Jamworks for educational enterprise customers.
— Implemented agile methodologies to expedite product iterations and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
— Introduced GitFlow for rapid product development and delivery.
— Utilized DORA metrics for performance analysis and team growth.
— Conducted interviews for technical positions from job description to onboarding.

Key Achievements:

— Successfully launched the product in under six months.
— Implemented mentorship and training programs to enhance team members' professional development.
— Established self-reliant technical professionals for full-cycle development and collaboration across distributed teams.

Team Lead

Provectus

As a Lead Engineer, I played a crucial role in developing, maintaining, and success of the company's products and delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

— Led our SaaS product’s architectural design and development efforts, ensuring scalability and robustness.
— Provided technical guidance and mentorship to a team of 20 engineers.
— Actively contributed to coding and development, specializing in complex and critical tasks.
— Prioritized work to meet project deadlines, ensuring efficient delivery.
— Facilitated Agile methodologies and Scrum practices, ensuring streamlined development processes.
— Worked with QA and DevOps teams to ensure software quality and seamless deployment.
— Led troubleshooting efforts for complex technical issues, swiftly identifying and resolving problems.
— Played a crucial role in team building by actively participating in the hiring and onboarding.
— Mentored and provided training to junior engineers, fostering their professional growth.
— Communicated technical decisions and progress to non-technical stakeholders, including executives and customers.
— Maintained high code quality and coding standards, resulting in a robust and maintainable codebase.
— Continuously monitored and optimized the product's performance to meet reliability requirements.

Key Achievements:

— Implemented Agile methodologies, which reduced the time-to-market by 40% and increased the team's productivity by twofold.
— Designed and implemented architectural improvements that increased the system's scalability, enabling it to handle 300% more users without performance degradation.
— Identified and optimized cloud infrastructure costs, reducing monthly expenses by 33% while improving system performance.
— Mentored junior engineers, resulting in 100% improvement in their skill levels and a reduction in bug counts.
— Established comprehensive technical documentation, resulting in faster onboarding of new team members and improved collaboration across departments.

Lead Engineer

As a Team Lead, I played a pivotal role in driving the success of VPTax (TAAS), an innovative tax department using SaaS and streamlined processes.

Key Responsibilities:

Solution Architect:

— Designed solutions with the Camunda BPM engine to optimize client business workflows.
— Translated unique requirements into technical specifications in collaboration with customers.
— Managed the full development cycle, aligning solutions with business objectives.
— Oversaw cloud platforms (AWS and Azure) for efficient infrastructure deployment.
— Engaged in web development using PHP and JavaScript with Angular, Laravel, and Node.js.
— Led the design of a modular microservices architecture.
— Implemented DDD principles and CQRS patterns for robust systems.
— Established and managed CI/CD pipelines for automated software delivery.
— Managed containerization with Docker and orchestration on Amazon ECS and EC2.
— Handled various databases, including Amazon RDS, MongoDB, and Elasticsearch.
— Integrated with Microsoft Azure for cloud services.

Leadership:

— Launched VPTAX (TAAS) product, contributing to revenue growth and market penetration.
— Led a highly motivated team of 15, consistently exceeding performance targets.
— Cultivated a culture of integrity and honesty within the team.
— Resolved complex organizational challenges and optimized efficiency during COVID.
— Supported team members' professional growth through effective mentoring.
— Maintained on-time, on-budget delivery and kept the team updated technologically.

Key Achievements:

— Established a high-performing team in a resource-constrained environment.
— Effectively resolved complex organizational challenges, optimizing efficiency during challenging times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Designed solutions with the Camunda BPM engine, optimizing business operations and workflow processes for clients.

Key Responsibilities:

— Conducting analysis, estimation, and decomposition of incoming projects.
— Leading software development initiatives and architectural solutions while meticulously documenting and communicating the project vision to clients.
— Conducting regular code reviews and retrospectives, providing mentoring, and facilitating internal knowledge sharing.
— Providing valuable consultancy on software architecture solutions, best practices, and innovative approaches.
— Offering dedicated support to clients throughout the software development lifecycle.
— Managing the setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting of cloud services, including AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, and OpenStack.
— Nurturing the growth of the internal team's expertise by keeping them updated on the latest technologies and best practices.

Key Achievements:

— Successfully maintained and oversaw the development and deployment of a robust medication access platform within the complex landscape of the U.S. healthcare industry, contributing to improved patient care and access to vital medications.
— Implemented a comprehensive and highly efficient project estimation and decomposition process, resulting in more accurate project timelines and resource allocation.
— Demonstrated exceptional leadership in guiding the team towards the adoption industry strict standards, resulting in higher code quality and improved development processes.
— Proactively mentored team members and facilitated knowledge sharing, enhancing the overall skill set and proficiency of the team.
— Provided clients with expert guidance and support throughout the software development lifecycle, ensuring their satisfaction and project success.
— Effectively managed and maintained cloud services, optimizing infrastructure performance and reliability.
— Continuously updated the team's expertise with the latest technologies and approaches, resulting in improved project outcomes and client satisfaction.

Senior Software Developer

eD3P Limited

eD3P, a British company, specializes in Security and Data Distribution for Enterprise systems, primarily focusing on the IBM Z series mainframe ecosystem. My role included overseeing the company's flagship product, the Dell server (appliance), vital for backup, data recovery, disaster recovery, business continuity, and cost-effective data migration to the cloud.

Key Responsibilities:

Solution Architect

— I designed a robust, scalable API using Laravel as the primary framework to facilitate data distribution, backup, restore, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
— Collaborated with development teams to create a flexible and responsive API architecture.
— Implemented a microservices architecture to improve development efficiency and system resilience, utilizing AWS services.
— Managed AWS infrastructure efficiently, optimizing costs while maintaining high performance.

Technical Leadership

— Led a cross-functional team in developing and maintaining the Dell server appliance for IBM Z series mainframes.
— Managed the entire product lifecycle, from conceptualization to deployment.
— Collaborated with various stakeholders to ensure product functionality, security, and reliability.
— Introduced agile development methodologies to accelerate product iterations.
— Oversaw rigorous quality assurance and testing processes.
— Mentored and coached junior team members and encouraged knowledge-sharing.

Key Achievements:

— Established a self-operating, highly skilled technical team for API design, development, and AWS integration.
— Implemented mentorship and training programs, fostering professional growth and technical proficiency.
— Successfully transitioned out of the company, leaving behind a mature, self-reliant team capable of meeting ongoing requirements.

Technical Lead

RxRelief

RxRelief is an Israel-based organization dedicated to facilitating access to cost-effective medications within the United States through a streamlined Rx program eligibility documentation process.

Key Responsibilities:

Solution Architect

— Collaborated closely with stakeholders to determine the unique value proposition and ideal customer profile.
— Translated business requirements into a comprehensive system design employing Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and workflow modeling techniques.
— Established the technology stack and programming languages to be utilized for the project, selecting Python, NODE.JS, Typescript, and AWS services to ensure optimal efficiency and scalability.
— Pioneered the inception of the product, originating it from the ground up. This involved identifying the requisite skill set, composing an effective team, developing a roadmap, setting decompositions, specifying deliverables, conducting product demos, facilitating code reviews, and providing mentorship.
— Employed Domain-Driven Design (DDD), Test-Driven Development (TDD), Event Sourcing (CQRS), and SOLID principles to construct an enterprise-grade solution that could evolve autonomously, irrespective of variations in developers' skill sets.
— Seamlessly integrated a Commercial-Grade Thermal Label Printer into the product ecosystem to enhance the end-to-end order dispatching process.

Key Achievements:

— Spearheaded the successful development and implementation of a robust medication access platform within the U.S. healthcare landscape.
— Engineered a flexible and sustainable product architecture by adopting cutting-edge software development methodologies and principles.
— Enhanced operational efficiency by seamlessly integrating the Commercial-Grade Thermal Label Printer into the product ecosystem, ensuring a smooth order-dispatching process for improved customer satisfaction and operational excellence.

Solutions Architect

Franke Studio

Key Responsibilities:

— Led the strategic vision and overall management of Franke Studio, an R&D studio specializing in Mobile Games and Rewards Apps.
— Developed and executed a growth-oriented business strategy, resulting in a 110% increase in revenue and a 50% expansion in the company's client base.
— Directed a cross-functional team of 10 professionals, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
— Established key partnerships and collaborations within the mobile gaming and rewards app industry, driving business development and increasing market presence.
— Conceptualizing and overseeing the creation of products from ideation to launch.
— Implemented an agile development approach, leading to faster time-to-market and improved product quality.
— Managed the product roadmap, prioritizing features and enhancements to meet user demands and industry trends.
— Led the monetization strategy for Franke Studio, optimizing in-app purchases, advertising, and user engagement to maximize revenue.

Key Achievements:

— Launched vendor-unclocked rewards app for Odessa region, enlisting the vast number of restaurants, grocery shops, and cafes.

Stairway Soft

Key Responsibilities:

Engineering

— Closely worked with UI/UX designers, fulfilling the frontend developer role for the E-Commerce experience.
— Leveraged Bootstrap framework along with Angular to create appealing and user-friendly product listings, shopping carts, and checkout experiences.
— Developed and maintained high-performance E-Commerce web applications.
— Utilized leading frameworks such as FuelPHP, Laravel, Shopify, and Magento to build feature-rich, scalable solutions.
— Engineered and maintained RESTful APIs to facilitate seamless communication between e-commerce components.
— Implemented crucial backend logic for shopping carts, inventory management, and order processing.
— Ensured secure data exchange, enabling third-party integrations and mobile applications.

Leadership

— Led cross-functional teams of developers, UX designers, and QA testers in E-Commerce projects.
— Oversaw the end-to-end development process, from initial concept to deployment, ensuring on-time delivery.

Cloud

— Managed Unix environments to guarantee uninterrupted operation.
— Conducted server configurations, implemented security measures, and oversaw system updates for maximum uptime.
— Configured Amazon Web Services components for e-commerce applications, handling high traffic and ensuring continuous availability.
— Proficiently worked with EC2, RDS, ELB, Auto Scaling, and CloudInit to optimize performance during peak sales periods.
— Administered databases, including MySQL and MongoDB, to maintain product catalogs, customer information, and order history in a high-load environment.
— Designed and optimized database schemas to enhance product search, inventory tracking, and order fulfillment.

Key Achievements:

— Introduced and implemented an agile development approach, leading to faster time-to-market and improved product quality.
— Directed a cross-functional team of 7 professionals, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.

Software Developer

IT Services LLC

Key Responsibilities:

— Managed and provided technical support for a network infrastructure supporting up to 80 workstations running various operating systems, including Windows XP to Windows 8 and Ubuntu 10.4 and above.
— Administered and maintained up to 8 servers, encompassing Windows 2003/2008, Active Directory, MSSQL, Apache, and MySQL, ensuring seamless operations.
— Conducted routine detection and troubleshooting of computer systems, addressing issues promptly to maintain system efficiency.
— Acted as an IT consultant for end-users, offering guidance and expertise to enhance their overall IT experience.
— Devised innovative solutions for non-standard computer-related challenges, adapting to rapidly changing technology environments.
— Established and managed a comprehensive backup system, leveraging Acronis and Windows Archiver solutions to safeguard critical data.
— Proficiently configured and administered email services, including MDaemon and Kerio Connect mail servers, ensuring reliable communication channels.

Key Achievements:

Orchestrated the planning, configuration, and successful implementation of a high-performance cluster, integrating Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, SQL 2008, and 1C on HP BladeSystem ProLiant G7 infrastructure for Shabo Wine Cultural Center head office. This project encompassed 54 workstations and 8 servers, significantly enhancing the organization's operational efficiency and data management capabilities.

Network Engineer

Key Responsibilities:

— Developed websites from start to finish, meeting client requirements and project deadlines.
— Enhanced website functionality by creating custom PHP modules for existing sites.
— Wrote scripts for automating data exchange between 1C, MYSQL, and 1C systems.
— Managed and monitored website performance, promptly addressing issues to minimize downtime.
— Conducted SEO optimizations to improve search engine rankings and increase organic traffic.
— Created and managed contextual advertising campaigns.
— Administered a corporate website and online store, ensuring smooth operations.

Key Achievements:

— Introduces a full-fledged solution for automotive warehouse management, including all fulfillment, order dispatching, returns, stock availability, and payments. As a result, the costs were reduced by 75%, along with a revenue growth of 214% compared to the old approach. Enabled customer growth without the headcount increase.

PHP Developer

I'm a technology enthusiast with a proven track record of blending technical expertise with team building to drive professional growth, customer satisfaction, and innovation. I believe in the power of motivated teams and continuous learning to deliver high-quality products.
In resource-constrained environments, I excel in resource optimization and process efficiency, leading to cost-effective solutions and improved performance. My passion for staying at the forefront of technology helps me pioneer innovative solutions, ensuring our organizations remain competitive.
I'm dedicated to a customer-centric approach, consistently exceeding their expectations. I bring extensive experience in team efficiency, customer satisfaction, and innovation to drive success.

Excited to introduce Conversational Process Automation (CPA) powered by disruptive AI technology and continue making a meaningful impact in the technology sector.

taplio

The Battle

Aaron Schmookler, Culture Engineer

Vlad Anikin

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?