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Helias Vieira
Actually good dev staff aug
Helias Vieira is a seasoned professional specializing in offering a unique solution to hiring needs in the engineering field through staff augmentation 2.0, focusing on quality over quantity.
Helias stands out in helping businesses hire nearshore developers who excel in self-supervised work, take ownership of their projects, and drive efficiency in hitting product milestones.
Passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, Helias is dedicated to connecting individuals with impactful job opportunities and contributing to the development of innovative digital products.
Education-wise, Helias holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo and an Associate's degree in Business Administration and Management from Ifes - Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo.
Professionally, Helias has held key roles such as VP of Sales, Americas at 99x, Member at RevGenius, Sales Consultant as an Independent Contractor, and Co-founder in Sales & Partnerships at Nextly, showcasing a diverse and extensive background in sales and talent acquisition.
Highlights
Why do we default to addition?
In an experiment where people were tasked with enhancing a Lego masterpiece, everybody tended to throw in more blocks in the mix and almost never subtract.
Even if ditching a few blocks would effectively make it way better, they still bulk it up.
In the world of product development, this is not different.
Many senior developers get to a point where they realize cutting code is not just tidying up, it makes up for an elegant design.
However, when a new feature pops up, even most senior developers go straight into thinking how to build it, rather than question why.
All features needs goals. And all goals should be measurable.
Next time you add a new feature, don't ask if it's feasible, or how long it's going to take. Ask why you're building it, and why now.
Embracing this shift isn’t just about resisting urges; it’s about creating a critical-thinking culture to development that values deliberate design over gratuitous growth.
Maybe you'll find out there are other things that should get done first in your priority list.
A recurring theme with non-technical founders is being unhappy or unsure about product development.
How will you know how to vet and hire devs?
Or manage and evaluate their performance, speed, and quality of deliverables when you can't understand their work?
That ultimately creates all sorts of friction between the dev team and founders, slowing down progress.
That's why when it comes to building out a product, having a trusted, hands-on CTO who's committed to the project is what's needed the most.
But finding a great CTO is not easy.
Do you know what to look for in a CTO?
Here's what you should do if you don't:
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Find a network of experts: There are numerous communities for founders. Join one and talk to people who were in a similar boat: What were their greatest challenges? What would they do differently? What do they look for in a CTO? Can they connect you with advisors who helped them? Y Combinator's Hacker News forum is a great place to start.
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Go to incubator/accelerator programs: These programs can connect you with advisors and technology experts who can offer you valuable input to help look for a CTO partner: Techstars, HubSpot's Summer Accelerator, Startupbootcamp, and others.
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Look for the right experience: Your CTO should have a successful background working in new product development and early stage startups. They should also be able to write code themselves and be responsible for building a significant part of the product on their own, besides being skilled in building dev teams and processes.
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Find temporary alternatives: Finding a full time CTO will be expensive and difficult, but it is also critical. Consider bringing in a Fractional CTO if you can't afford full-time right away. At least you'll have someone to help you make strategic decisions. You can also work with consulting firms to get product dev going while helping you hire/vet your full-time CTO.
