At Neon, we’re constantly searching for ways to grow. To us, growth means more than mastering a new tool or upgrading hard skills. Rather, we care about our people’s personal development; helping them face the obstacles, head-on, that stand in their way of reaching where they want to be — whatever that means to each individual.


From a Growth and Development (G&D) perspective, each Neon employee creates their own annual Personal Strategic Plan. Our process involves gathering 360 feedback + feedforward throughout the year to:


discuss and articulate career growth goals and opportunities, and

track, adjust, and pivot progress over time.


Like a business’s strategic plan discussed per quarter, people reference their plans frequently and pivot as needed to achieve their goals. We are also cognizant that people need tools and support to achieve their goals.


To recognize the nuances of individuality in personal development is to realize there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. That’s where Sphere comes in, which is an app that Neon helped to design and develop.


Sphere is a platform that connects people with coaches, based on the belief that coaching should be accessible to anyone and everyone who would like to access it — not just those who can afford it or have the right connections. We first partnered with Sphere in January 2019 through the Sphere for Teams program. Since then, our people have found their own ways to incorporate Sphere coaching into both their personal and professional lives.


There are several reasons why Sphere makes sense for us. 


Curiosity is one of our three core values. At Neon, we ask, listen, seek, and repeat. That’s how our team approaches the world around us. Sphere’s individualized matching algorithm allows us to approach our inner worlds in the same way. By finding the Guide that “just works” for each person and their needs, our team can strengthen self-awareness by asking for a different perspective, taking the time to listen to our own needs, and seeking what truly matters.


Flexibility is essential in today’s constantly evolving environment. The ability to book coaching sessions as often as needed makes scheduling less of a headache. More importantly, each person drives their own journey. After all, growth only happens to those who commit to working towards it.


To learn how three of our team members use Sphere in their everyday lives, tune into this podcast interview where Neon project delivery managers Natasha Motsi and Matt Tanner, and talent acquisition lead Julie Blackburn, chat about their experiences with Sphere. 


large_1on1coaching.jpg

medium_1on1coaching.jpg

small_1on1coaching.jpg

thumbnail_1on1coaching.jpg

Sphere is a platform that connects people with coaches, based on the belief that coaching should be accessible to anyone and everyone who would like to access it — not just those who can afford it or have the right connections. We first partnered with Sphere in January 2019 through the Sphere for Teams program. Since then, our people have found their own ways to incorporate Sphere coaching into both their personal and professional lives.

Using the power of 1-on-1 coaching with Sphere

We all experience ups and downs in our mental health, but we don’t talk nearly enough about it. This can lead to burnout, poor performance, and lower life and job satisfaction.

In this three-part series by Negar Amiri of Hotel Furniture (part of the TCap family), we’ll explore how to: manage your sanity during the holidays; destigmatize mental health; and create a mental health first aid kit.

We’d love for you to share these posts with your tips and recommendations. The more we talk about it, the easier it will be for people to seek the help they need — just like any other health issue.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Well, mostly. Although the holidays can be filled with joy, December is also a month when our mental health can deteriorate. In fact, a study by NAMI found that 64% of people with mental illness felt worse during the holidays.

Sometimes we get so excited about the holidays that we forget to consider others’ circumstances. We’re thrilled to drive to our family’s house. We may even complain that we have to split our time between two households as we visit each family. Meanwhile, others may be struggling because they can’t get home to visit their loved ones.

December also feels like a race against time. At work, we try to condense a month’s worth of tasks into two or three weeks so we can spend the rest of the time with family or looking after kids. With this increased workload also comes the pressure to buy gifts, plan holiday parties, and arrange travel. Just writing about it causes me anxiety.

First things first: do not avoid your emotions. Most of us have been raised to “act tough,” so any time we feel a negative emotion, we tell ourselves we’re fine and carry on. Well, these negative feelings build up until we break. Don’t let yourself reach that point. Identity and validate all of your emotions.

Next, practice self-compassion. This means stopping and recognizing that you’re stressed or anxious and you need to take care of yourself. News flash: you’re worth it. All the pressure is not.

Now we’re ready for self-care. Here are a few tips to help you get through the holidays with your mental health intact:

Prioritize and SLOW down. Even writing this makes me laugh, as I’m probably one of the world’s most impatient people and will run before I can walk. But during the holidays, more than ever, we all need to lower our speed limit. Make a list of everything you need to do and put the items in priority order. Delegate if possible. Then, work your way down through your list. Remember that the world won’t end if you can’t finish the 50th item. It can wait until January when everyone’s waking up from their holiday comas.



Fulfill your basic needs. The first of these are physiological needs — food, air, water, sleep. We need to meet these before we can tackle anything else. And the “air” portion shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s getting colder and darker, so we may avoid the outdoors. But nature is incredibly healing. Get outside and breathe some fresh air. As for the “food” portion, remember to not overeat. What we eat can either fuel our brain and promote better sleep or it can make us unfocussed and restless. Use food to your advantage.



Be budget savvy. Like point 1, we often try to stretch ourselves too thin when it comes to our money. We want to get the perfect presents and attend every holiday gathering. This can leave our wallets empty and our anxiety in overdrive. Despite what the media suggests, remember that no one expects gifts. The point of the holidays is to spend it with loved ones, not to drain your savings. With the delivery challenges and product shortages, you’re actually doing the world a favour by ordering fewer gifts. In 2019, Americans wasted $15.2 billion on unwanted gifts. If anyone complains about not receiving a gift, just remind them that your presence is the best gift.

As the world opens up again, let’s not forget what the pandemic taught us. Relationships, including your relationship with yourself, are more valuable than anything. The more you take care of yourself, the more you can serve and support others.

This holiday season, take the time to acknowledge your emotions, prioritize your to-do list, get out in nature, eat healthy, and spend mindfully.


large_snowglobe.png

medium_snowglobe.png

small_snowglobe.png

thumbnail_snowglobe.png

Maintaining your sanity during the holidays

"What in the world did I just do?!?” I thought to myself as I drove away — my mind riddled with fears and doubts, questioning every decision that led up to this moment. I had just pulled away from a car dealership in a used cargo van.

Okay, perhaps we should rewind a little and discuss how I got here and, well, why does this matter? 

COVID was an excellent reminder about taking things for granted, like spending time with your family and loved ones. It's like that toy you loved as a kid. You know, the one you never really played with until your parents decided to give it to your younger sibling? Then you responded with the quivering bottom lip, “but, but, but, but, it’s my toy!” 

I certainly took for granted my easy access to friends and family. Since restrictions prevented me from visiting my parents, now I'd like to make more of an effort to include them in my life.

Maybe you're thinking, 'what does this have to do with buying a van?' Well, my father is an excellent mechanic and builder, and the best way for us to spend time together is by tackling a project. What better project than to convert a van that will enable me to see more of Canada and experience some of the areas I also took for granted?

Buy a van, plan a layout, perform a preliminary build, and then drive it up to the Yukon where my parents live, where we can make it the finished van of my dreams.

Sometimes I ask myself, at what point did my life turn where I’m using the phrase “the van of my dreams?” I must say, I’m proud that my mid-life crisis is at least somewhat affordable. 

Now, it’s one thing to come up with this great plan; it’s another thing entirely to pull the trigger — and it was on that inaugural drive home when I found myself questioning my life choices. That's when I had to take a deep breath and focus: “You can do this," I told myself. "Like every big undertaking, just break it into smaller tasks.”  I kept breathing and remembered that growth is often a result of venturing further outside of my comfort zone. 

So here it is, my (new to me) 2015 Ram ProMaster City Cargo. 

Time to figure out what I’m going to build and include in this project. 

As you can see, this is a small van, so every ‘feature’ needs to be important. It doesn't matter if you're creating a digital product or building a van to live out your mid-life crisis; the process is the same. It’s essential to think about the user. In this case — me!

Do I really? Of course, this fine natural odour isn't going to maintain itself, but perhaps I can fine-tune this process by writing it as a user story.

“As a runner, I want to be able to take a shower so I can maintain a certain level of hygiene.”

Okay, that’s a little better. We’ve identified the who, the what and the why, but I think we can improve it a little.

“As a runner, I want to be able to remain clean and hygienic, so I don’t offend anyone within a five-foot radius.” 

In this case, when diving down to the story, you can see I don’t actually need a shower in the van. The solution could be many things — from using public shower facilities, to cleaning myself using other means  (you know, there was a time before the shower), to being okay if I’m the only one in the area.

Let's take another example: “As someone working remotely, I need the ability to power all of my equipment, so I can work a full day without being interrupted by charging.” 

That’s a long way of saying, “hey, you should install solar panels, because that’s what every single van conversion out there has.” Or, I could just install a battery large enough to last me a few days. See how starting with the story keeps my mind open to different solutions?

After I collected all the user stories for my van conversion, and I had a sense of what I'd like to do with it, I began the planning process. I’ve enjoyed using CAD software ever since my first computer drafting course in high school, back in '94, so I figured this would be a great project to learn more on the CAD/modelling side. I chose Autodesk Fusion 360, which is free for personal use.

I took each measurement, built components and laid them out, then looked at every different view and animated the movement of each joint and part until I was happy with a layout that I thought could work for me.

Fusion 360 took all the guesswork out of the measurements and materials. I found a local distributor of 8020 aluminum extrusion, gave them the lengths and quantities I needed (thank you https://www.rmmc.net/), and everything was assembled perfectly. I cut up some 2x2s and 2x3s for a makeshift prototype bed in my makeshift workshop (my living room) with my foreman, Mouse the cat, looking at me with both disappointment and curiosity as I constructed the key ‘furniture’ for my van.

Now for the refrigeration/electrical. For this project, I’m building a battery out of four 310ah cells  I had kicking around, because, yes, I happen to have spare cells at home. Using a couple of higher 0 current DC-DC boost buck converters, I created a USB-PD charger for my laptop and a power source for a separate 24” monitor. I also included a DC-DC battery charger, many fuses and bus bars, which all fit nicely under the seat of the van, all built in my makeshift electrical engineering workshop — aka my living room.

Once everything was mounted and running, I felt like Clark Griswold when he flicked the first switch on the Christmas lights, but in my case, everything worked on the first try. It was a Christmas miracle — or a result of countless nights of planning and obsessing. 

Now I have the MVP Van, or Van version 0.1 — the van where I can now test, learn, and iterate on what works and what doesn't. 

I started by parking the van by the beach and working from there, and I've now moved on to doing a few weeklong trips. The initial user sentiment (with me being the user) is that I'm in love with this van. I've slept in different towns, campgrounds, family and friends' yards, and it's been a great experience so far. While small, I find it incredibly comfortable and really enjoy travelling and working in this little van.

With this real-world experience, I can now iterate and improve my ideas by asking the right questions: I'm sleeping well, but how can I sleep better? What storage do I use the most? The least? These answers will help to refine my needs and I'll repeat this process again.

I'm going to keep iterating, collecting my user needs, and when the time is right, I'll make the 2,400 km trip up north to finish this off with my father. There we'll build some nicer finishes for the cabinets, add heat, and proper insulation. While the pandemic won’t allow me to work on these items with my dad right now, it’s been a lot of fun doing the planning and updates virtually — and I feel these interactions are more valuable than the van itself.

This van, which has yet to be named (I’m leaning towards The Van Damme, or The Running Van, based on my obsession with '80s action movies) has already had a big impact on my life. It's helped me appreciate my own backyard and get excited about the possibilities for the future. And hey, if it was a mistake, that’s okay too, because the lessons and experience alone are worth it to me already.

large_Life in a Van.jpg

medium_Life in a Van.jpg

small_Life in a Van.jpg

thumbnail_Life in a Van.jpg

"What in the world did I just do?!?” I thought to myself as I drove away — my mind riddled with fears and doubts, questioning every decision that led up to this moment. I had just pulled away from a car dealership in a used cargo van. 

Okay, perhaps we should rewind a little and discuss how I got here and, well, why does this matter? 

Well, COVID happened.  



A van that matters

I’m part of the generation that’s trying to destigmatize mental health. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 264 million people suffer from depression. Many of these people also experience anxiety – and that’s just those who report it. There are probably millions who are trying to act “tough,” like nothing is wrong.

Mental health challenges can literally kill us. If we’ve broken a bone or have a bad flu, we go to the doctor. Yet, we often overlook the symptoms when our mental health is deteriorating. We let it build up like a cavity until we have to pull it out — or, in this case, pull out of society while we recover. This is because of the social stigma around our mental wellness. We’ve been led to believe that showing stress or anxiety is a sign of weakness that enables people to take advantage of us. So, we bottle it up.

At work, mental health challenges cost US$1 trillion in lost productivity each year. Most of us experienced this at the beginning of the pandemic, when it was often difficult to focus. Working from home wasn’t the problem; it was most likely the stress and anxiety from trying to preserve normalcy during a global pandemic. And by failing to acknowledge this pressure, we adjusted too late. We denied the fact that working from home could become the norm and we needed to provide better resources. By the time many employers accepted the truth, we just wanted to hibernate. The delay cost us hours of productive work time — and for many people, compromised our mental wellness.

By destigmatizing mental health, we encourage people to seek help. This ensures happier people who are more productive members of society and who are capable of helping others. Furthermore, making it a problem that can’t be ignored encourages the government to increase mental health funding and resources.

How can I promote mental health as an employer?

Regardless of whether you work with five or 500 people, there are a number of things you can do to promote and destigmatize mental health at work:

Talk about it. This is so incredibly important and can’t be stressed enough. It actually blows my mind that more people don’t talk about mental health. We call in sick because of the flu. Why can’t we be more transparent about calling in sick when we need a “duvet day” (which is what we used to call a mental health day at one of my previous jobs.) 

I fight the stigma by posting weekly about mental health on my LinkedIn profile. The more I’ve posted, the more I’ve had people reach out to me to share their stories. In fact, I’m so grateful for one of my friend groups, because we talk so openly about mental health. We even talk about our experiences with therapists, medications and more. 



Show compassion. If you see someone struggling, reach out to them. You don’t even have to ask them to talk. Offer to go for a walk or to grab a tea together. People deal with stress and anxiety in different ways. Some may close off and not want to speak to anyone. Others may need talk therapy. Respect their unique needs.



Set an example. It’s tough for those in more junior positions to talk about their mental health if senior staff are silent on the topic. As a leader, make sure to take all of your vacation days. If you’re feeling mentally unwell, take the day off and share the reason with your team (even in general terms). Be as open and transparent as you can.



Highlight available resources. Compile a collection of mental health resources available to your employees, both internally and in the larger community. For example, the Government of Australia’s Centre for Clinical Intervention has great self-help resources and worksheets you could highlight. 



Provide psychological first aid. Most organizations have people appointed and certified for first aid in case someone is injured at work. We need to do the same for mental health. We spend most of our time at work, and a psychological first-aider is certified to identify signs of distress and help individuals without judgement. There are many certification courses available, such as the Workplace Mental Health Leadership Certificate Program. It’s important for employers to cover the costs and to encourage employees to pursue these programs. If you can save someone’s life with CPR, why wouldn’t you want to save someone’s life with some talk therapy?

I look forward to the day when pulling out of sports competitions (go, Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles), calling in sick for work, and cancelling social plans to put your mental health first is encouraged and celebrated. Until that day, we have a lot of talking and education to do.

Join the conversation – and use this post as a starting point. I invite you to share on LinkedIn how your organization encourages employees to talk about mental health and wellness.


large_DarkAlley.jpg

medium_DarkAlley.jpg

small_DarkAlley.jpg

thumbnail_DarkAlley.jpg

Destigmatizing mental health

In today’s world, we’re constantly bombarded by signs reminding us to stay home if we have a cough or are feeling unwell. The same rule applies if we’re awaiting a COVID test.

So why do we often wait to seek mental health help until it’s too late? By that point, we’re drowning. It can feel nearly impossible to get out of bed, let alone consider what we can do to get better.

Just as we have a first aid kit for physical injuries, we need the same for mental health “injuries.” It doesn’t need to include physical supplies, though it could, if that works for you. But on a day when you’re feeling well, I would encourage you to start building your kit

A journal. I started by journaling consistently for about two months, writing several times a week. Now, I feel emotionally overwhelmed when I don’t write. I keep my journal close by and use it to spill my thoughts down on a piece of paper. Remember: it doesn’t have to make any sense. If you don’t feel like writing, you can also look at past entries to remind yourself of all the challenges you’ve overcome.


Tea. I believe we could all use more tea in our lives. Just make sure it isn’t caffeinated, which can make you feel anxious. I like a cup of chamomile tea or a hot chocolate if it’s a wintery day. Matcha lattes are also great for a boost. They contain an amino acid called L-theanine, which can make you feel calm and alert, rather than shaky and on edge.


Colouring book. Just like writing, sometimes our brains need a mindless task to stay present and forget about everything else. I always need to be active and doing something, so I’m terrible at meditation. Colouring in a book is my meditation – but instead of focusing on my breathing, I focus on the movement of my hand, colouring.


Essential oils. I absolutely love lighting a candle or turning on my diffuser after a particularly hard day. Smell is our strongest sense, which explains why essential oils have become so popular. A few sniffs can make you forget the tough week you’ve just experienced. You can also sprinkle a few drops in a bath for an extra relaxing evening.


Positive affirmations. Write down a positive affirmation to keep in your mental health kit. I struggle to memorize long passages, so I like to keep my affirmations short. My favourite is, “you are strong and you have an impact on people’s lives.” You may or may not relate to this, so I encourage you to create your own. This can take a while, so be patient with yourself, and keep trying new versions until you find one that feels right. 


Loved ones. When you’re feeling unwell, it’s helpful to have a go-to friend or family member that you can call or text. But don’t be offended if they can’t talk to you immediately – and remember that they may also be going through a difficult time. I have my dog. She’s not the biggest fan of cuddling but can sense when I’m not well. I also have my sister and best friend in case I need to chat.


An object. Is there something that brings you joy for reasons you can’t really explain? When I’m feeling sad, I like to put on my tulle skirt. I can’t describe why, but it makes me happy, so I call it my “happy skirt.” Maybe your item is a stress ball, souvenir, photo, or anything at all. Pop that in your kit.


Exercise. Thankfully, I have a dog who needs to be walked at least three times a day. Whenever I’m feeling mentally unwell, I go out for a walk to get some fresh air and move my body. It refreshes me and also makes me happy to see my dog delighted.

Spend some time compiling your mental health kit while you’re feeling good, so it’s ready when you need some psychological first aid. Having it at an arm’s length will empower you to take that first step to feeling better.

On LinkedIn, tell us what’s in your mental health first aid kit by sharing this post with the hashtag #mentalhealthfirstaid.

large_Mental Healh Post #3 Asset.jpg

medium_Mental Healh Post #3 Asset.jpg

small_Mental Healh Post #3 Asset.jpg

thumbnail_Mental Healh Post #3 Asset.jpg

In today’s world, we’re constantly bombarded by signs reminding us to stay home if we have a 
cough or are feeling unwell. The same rule applies if we’re awaiting a COVID test. So why do we often wait to seek mental health help until it’s too late? By that point, we’re 
drowning. It can feel nearly impossible to get out of bed, let alone consider what we can do to 
get better.

Mental Health First Aid Kit

 “There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals” - Idowu Koyenikan

At Neon, our guiding principle is “products that matter.” But our digital studio started with people.

I’ve spent the last 14 years working with TCap, which is a Vancouver private equity firm and Neon’s parent company. I started as a provisioning specialist and eventually became the chief operating officer (COO).

After 30 years in business, TCap had an amazing team. I know every organization thinks they have the best employees, but I swear, there’s something in the water here. When the people you work with feel like family – and you know what they stand for, what they can deliver, and what they want to do – you shouldn’t let that go.

We continued to add talented folks, and we pivoted toward a new vision. That’s when Neon was born. I was excited to continue focusing on operations and product delivery, while deepening my knowledge of design, research, growth, and insights. When I was given the opportunity to lead Neon last fall, I gladly accepted.

Neon is a young product studio with deep roots – and we’re growing fast. As we launch Neon Insights, I wanted to explore some of our foundational principles, and the lessons we’re learning along the way.

Idea over ego is one of our three core values. It infuses everything we do. Most importantly, you’ll see it in action every day – from brainstorming sessions with our partners to the way we plan social events. We believe the best idea wins, no matter who or where it came from. This is one of Neon’s core principles. It’s been with us since the beginning, and it’s a guiding light as we evolve and expand.

Neon is on a mission to become a certified B Corporation (B Corp), which means we’ll be legally required to consider how our decisions affect our workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. B Corporations are a global community of people who are using business as a force for good.

Several individuals first brought this idea to the table, and it quickly gained traction with the wider Neon team. Becoming a B Corp isn’t easy, nor should it be. It’s a big investment. It’s also something the whole organization needs to rally behind, rather than a top-down change. We’re bringing a strategic lens to all of our work – and it’s exciting to see that focused lens in action.

Most importantly, we’re asking different questions. B Corp certification stands on three pillars: social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. If a potential partner doesn’t have a clear path to achieve these pillars, we’re asking how we can help them to get there. We’re excited to help people shift how they work and think, in a way that benefits everyone.

Growth comes from learning, stretching, and tackling cool problems. We prioritize projects that ask our team to dig into exciting research, to explore leading-edge tools and technologies, and to solve meaningful challenges.

We also offer a wide range of training, from core job skills to personal development, continuing education and more. As a technology and product company, we have to stay current. We need to know what’s on the horizon and what that means for our partners. Our job is to speak and breathe the latest technology across every discipline.

I know from talking to my peers that most leaders realize they need to invest in training. Our success depends on it. And while we often focus on technical skills, so-called soft skills are equally critical. Communication and conflict management, for example, are incredibly important. We also bring in tools like the Pro.file People Survey to help the team understand each other’s strengths, abilities, and creative potential.

At Neon, we’re not afraid of mistakes. Do your research, decide, and be accountable, even if it turns out wrong. Own the problem and the solution. That’s all I want to see. After all, you can’t improve or innovate if you don’t stumble sometimes. We just want to avoid repeating the same mistakes, because that means we haven’t learned the lesson.

After every engagement, we talk about what worked — and what didn’t. What went right? What went wrong? How did we fix the problem? Everyone works on different project teams, so we mix and match people for these discussions so we can all learn from each other. Usually, our challenges involve communication, misunderstandings, not setting expectations, or making assumptions.

We’ve learned that it’s really, really tough to walk back a design promise, for example, that doesn’t work in development. Now we ensure our teams have representatives from all studio disciplines. Clear process + more communication = better projects.

Like most organizations, our focus has been to stay connected. From the first days of the pandemic, we wanted to ensure everyone feels like they belong. To maintain that family-like feeling, we’ve had Donut chats, regular town hall meetings, social events, and drop-in virtual coffee time.

Everyone has lived in their own bubbles and they’re experiencing the changes in our world in different ways. Some are more stressed than others. We, humans are social beings; staying apart takes a mental and emotional toll on everyone – including introverts! As a leader, my job has been to watch for signs of stress and, whenever possible, reach out to people individually, in groups, and in any way that makes sense. 

Stretching ourselves to make what matters

“Products that matter” is more than our mantra. It’s an everyday litmus test, and an ethos we’re working to formalize through the B Corp certification. Most importantly, we want people to experience our work and say “that’s Neon.” Our goal is to create products that are so distinctively simple, sophisticated, and valuable that they stand out from the pack. We want them to be unmistakable. We’ve already made some incredible products with terrific partners – and we’ll continue to stretch ourselves.

Neon started with people, and they’ll always be the core of our company. Thanks to our in-house Pecha Kucha-style talks and daily collaboration, I still learn new things about colleagues I’ve collaborated with for over 10 years. That’s exciting. Getting to know the people you spend your days (and your life with) is rewarding. It’s such a privilege. I’m equally thrilled that we continue to bring in new people. Our family is growing. Our mission is clear.

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#0563c1;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">TCap

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#0563c1;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">core values

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#0563c1;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">B Corporation

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">personal development

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#0563c1;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Pro.file People Survey

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#0563c1;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Donut

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:#0563c1;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Pecha Kucha

large_Why we started.jpg

medium_Why we started.jpg

small_Why we started.jpg

thumbnail_Why we started.jpg

After 30 years in business, TCap had an amazing team. I know every organization thinks they have the best employees, but I swear, there’s something in the water here. When the people you work with feel like family – and you know what they stand for, what they can deliver, and what they want to do – you shouldn’t let that go.


Why we started

If you’ve done any type of user interface web development in the last years, you’re familiar with the constant change. The pace can be both challenging and overwhelming. Frameworks change, languages evolve, and the wide use of mobile devices has made the possibilities of developing for the web a continuous and exciting journey. The opportunities are endless and wide, and it’s natural that with time, your stack will become a living organism as well.


At Neon, we aim to build the best product possible with our partners. That means our frontend and back-end engineering teams work hard to keep up with the latest technologies, read up on documentation, join conferences and workshops, watch tutorials, and build small projects to experiment and share their results with the group, so we can improve our foundation in a way that suits our partners’ needs and business requirements. 


Mixpanel has a great article on the subject. If you’re too busy to head over there, this easy-to-digest explanation is borrowed from them: 


“A technology stack, also called a solutions stack, technology infrastructure, or a data ecosystem is a list of all the technology services used to build and run one single application. The social site Facebook, for example, is composed of a combination of coding frameworks and languages including JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP, and ReactJS. This is Facebook’s ‘tech stack.’”

I joined Neon as a frontend developer in 2019. React has been Neon’s framework of choice. There’s no doubt you can develop solely with HTML, CSS, and Javascript without any issues, but as you try to build and scale, the appeal of maintainability, consistency, and component reusability is a huge advantage of React. Not to mention how much easier and less complex DOM manipulations become and how easy it is to integrate our data with the user interface.


Back in 2019, we were using React together with Proptypes, an amazing library that makes property-checking a breeze in Javascript.


Styled Components was our CSS-IN-JS choice and I was also introduced to Storybook, my favourite tool to build, create, and test UI components in isolation. Jest was (and still is) our testing framework of choice, and the team was already on board with React Hooks. I remember sitting at my desk on my first day at work, and after I cloned the team’s current project, I could not find one single Class-based component.


It was then I realized that Neon is a team of builders and innovators: we strive to do our best work and we always take the next step to create products that matter. 


What fascinates me most about working at Neon, is that we always get to experiment hands-on with the most exciting and challenging frontend tech out there. That doesn't mean all of our trials succeed, but we learn from our choices and carry that knowledge over to the next project we tackle.

React Hooks and Context made state management way easier for us, but we still ended up with unnecessary data and too many endpoints to fetch from. That’s when we moved our attention to GraphQL together with Apollo, and the combination significantly improved how we approach our APIs and data.


At the end of 2019, we switched over from Javascript to Typescript and never looked back. It improved our code readability, but also ensured the products we ship are more stable, with fewer bugs. Coming from a non-CS background, the idea of static types scared me in the beginning, but Typescript has saved me so many headaches that I can’t remember how I used to write code without it. All week long, the team kept repeating, “Typescript is awesome!!!” 🤣


We’ve been using Emotion as our CSS in JS choice, and it’s been an amazing experience. I love that it’s agnostic, and I also really enjoy the syntax. Our team continues to use and love Storybook (version 6 was a very exciting release) and we’ve enjoyed and explored TestCafé for our end-to-end tests. But maybe I saved the best for the last: Chakra UI has been a game-changer for our team.


Chakra is a component library that has been gaining greater popularity across the React community. 

A few reasons why we’ve adopted Chakra:


Chakra gives us the tools we need for fast prototyping and agile development. We can quickly turn wireframes our designers worked on into living, breathing components to be reused in a product, ready to be tested and shipped


Since Chakra is built using TS, it supports type checking out of the box :)


The components Chakra provides are robust enough to cover any number of scenarios you’d need on an application, and they’re as easy to customize as it sounds. Chakra has lots of options for layout components, but I particularly like how it has both a Flex and a Stack component. Here’s a Box component where the syntax is as easy as it gets:


<Box
 mt={1}
 fontWeight="semibold"
 as="h4"
 lineHeight="tight"
>
 This behaves like a div, but is rendered as an h4 element.
</Box>

It’s built with accessibility (a11y) in mind, and it does an amazing job of covering accessibility concerns.


Chakra has a whole section dedicated to hooks. Common custom hooks used in interfaces are ready for use. Not having to write a custom useState hook to check for a boolean value is so convenient and time-saving. They also have super useful hooks like useDisclosure to handle modals and alert components. Their latest release introduces a useMergeRefs hook that allows you to merge several refs into one.


Our tech (stack and beyond) is evolving every day. Frontend technologies come and go, but at the end of the day, it’s important to understand what helps us get our jobs done, while meeting our requirements. We’re really happy with our current setup, but we’re always on the lookout for what’s coming next. 
If you’re excited about frontend development and experimenting with the latest technologies, come join our team! 

<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">great article

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#619ecb;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">data ecosystem

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Emotion

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> Chakra UI

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Flex

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> Stack

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> join our team

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Proptypes

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Styled Components

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Storybook

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Jest

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">React Hooks

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">GraphQL

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> Apollo

<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Typescript

large_How we evlove our frontend tech stack.jpg

medium_How we evlove our frontend tech stack.jpg

small_How we evlove our frontend tech stack.jpg

thumbnail_How we evlove our frontend tech stack.jpg

We aim to build the best product possible with our partners. That means our frontend and backend engineering teams work hard to keep up with the latest technologies, read up on documentation, join conferences and workshops, watch tutorials, and build small projects to experiment and share their results with the group, so we can improve our foundation in a way that suits our partners’ needs and business requirements. 

How we continue to evolve our frontend tech (stack and beyond)

In January 2021, we enrolled our two-year-old twins in St Giles Outdoor Learning preschool. Each weekday from 10am to 1pm, they explore the outdoors with their energetic band of toddler friends – in rain, snow, or shine. They embraced their new community just five minutes into orientation and now consistently arrive home dirty, tired, happy, and hungry.


Once a month, we also attend parent education events. Last spring, we had the privilege of participating in an anti-racism session facilitated by Angela Ma Brown. I felt strongly that I would likely learn very little, but I couldn’t have been more mistaken – and I wanted to share two key takeaways:


The first is the concept of lookism, which the Oxford Reference Dictionary defines as, “When a person is discriminated against based on some aspect of their physical appearance.” In hindsight, this is the original form of discrimination, and one we’ve all been guilty of at one point or another. All comments related to colour, strength, power, speed, pitch and tone of voice, height, and weight need to stop, because they categorize a person based on one trait, while disregarding the rest of their being. 


My second takeaway was ‘intent vs impact.’ As with actions, once our words leave our mouths, they’re no longer in our control; we don’t know how those around us will receive them. When the impact is positive, we tend to take full credit, pat ourselves on the back, and bask in a moment of glory.


But if the impact is negative, we tend to highlight our lack of control and move on. Unless you’re a ‘special’ kind of human, no one intends for their words or actions to harm someone else. We strive for happiness in ourselves and those around us – especially the ones we love. 


As Angela was speaking, I immediately thought of an incident between my daughters earlier that evening. The three-year-old, Tanaka, had inadvertently elbowed her seven-year-old sister in the eye. The seven-year-old was hurt, both physically and emotionally. I asked Tanaka to apologize and she refused. She is the sweetest little girl who idolizes her older sister, and yet, she was adamant that she wouldn’t apologize. I believe she refused because she didn’t intend to hurt her sister, and therefore, had nothing to apologize for. Despite her sister's tears, she was firm in her resolve. 


I can’t recall how all parties were placated, but five minutes later, they happily ate their dinner while working on a puzzle together. Listening to Angela, I flashed back to that moment and considered how else I could have approached it. I could have explained to Tanaka that even though she didn't mean to hurt her sister, she has to recognize that her actions were still hurtful. It made me realize that the lens of impact versus intent can be applied in many situations, and it’s rarely as obvious as an elbow to the eye.


In everyday situations, we reveal our unconscious biases through our language and behaviours in the form of microaggressions. A microaggression is a statement or action that offends or hurts someone based on their appearance or identity. It happens so frequently and is rarely addressed, because in many cases, microaggressions aren’t intended to hurt the other person. 


Many people feel uncomfortable taking responsibility for the negative unintended consequences of their behaviour. However, it’s important to recognize that even when you don’t intend to offend, only the other person can decide how your words affect them. Their experience is what matters. And if someone explains how your actions hurt them and why, now you have more information. Take what you’ve learned and use it to avoid unintentional harm in the future. 


Here are some examples of casual comments that can be microaggressions:


“Your skin (hair) are amazing” — to racially unambiguous people of African descent

“You must be good at math” — to people of Asian descent

“Your English is really good” — to all immigrants

“You must feel so lucky to be out of there” — to immigrants from economically devastated or war-torn regions

“Did you have this growing up?” — as an assumption of lower socioeconomic status, usually based on race


In all of these situations, the speaker didn’t intend to be hurtful, but their words reflect assumptions and biases about the other person’s identity. When someone explains how your words affect them, you have the opportunity to show your intentions. A dismissive response might be:


“That wasn’t racist. You’re being overly sensitive”


By refusing to acknowledge the impact of your words and the biases behind them, you silence the other person. Instead, prove your good intentions by learning from your mistake:


 Maybe we should measure our success by the impact we've had – in all areas of our lives.

Want to build something that matters?
Let's talk

Using the power of 1-on-1 coaching with Sphere

Why we started

Want to build something that matters?
Let's talk

Want to build something that matters?.css-1vinu6f{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:0.125rem;color:var(--chakra-colors-white);}.css-1vinu6f:hover,.css-1vinu6f[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Let's talk

Using the power of 1-on-1 coaching with Sphere

Why we started

Want to build something that matters?
Let's talk