Some things start as a means to an end, and become something else entirely.

Springtimesoft started in 2007 as a way to fund iwantmyname. It was practical, not strategic. Do the work, support the startup, keep things moving.

But it quickly became more than that.

There were real clients from the start. Government work with the State Services Commission sat alongside jobs for a bike shop and whatever else came through the door. It was varied, sometimes messy, and always hands on.

What defined those early days was the way the work was approached. Lenz and Manu were not building a typical agency. They were technical, creative, and comfortable doing things differently. More hacker than process driven. More curious than careful.

There was no rigid playbook. But there was a way of thinking taking shape.

Different paths, moving in a similar direction.

While Springtimesoft was finding its feet, parallel stories were unfolding.

Ben was building his own contracting business across Germany, New Zealand and Australia, working on projects including tourism software in Germany, Agrecord, Snapper and BGC Australia. After meeting Lenz through a mutual connection, he began picking up Springtimesoft projects too.

What started as occasional development work steadily grew. By 2011, Ben was managing Springtimesoft projects and doing much of the development, bringing more structure, process and business focus along the way.

At the same time, Perrin was building Sandbox Development, winning website and ecommerce work for small businesses and projects including Kākāpō and Takahē Recovery. Finding clients came naturally. Building a technical team he could depend on was harder.

Different businesses, different strengths and different challenges. The pieces that would eventually come together were starting to take shape.

Work is easier, and better, when the right people are in it together.

In 2013, things converged.

Springtimesoft Consulting was formed by Lenz, Manu, and Ben as a new entity to bring everything into one place. It was driven by a shared understanding that doing this together would be better than doing it alone.

Perrin reached out to Lenz initially for support. But the reasons ran deeper than a single project. Business had its hard moments, and there was a growing sense that combining different strengths would make the journey more sustainable and more enjoyable.

It was both a relief and a risk. Relief in knowing there were people you trusted alongside you. Risk in stepping into something more committed and less defined. What mattered was the alignment. Different skills, different perspectives, but a shared belief in how the work should be done.

Trust is built in the doing.

In 2014, Sandbox Development was merged into Springtimesoft Consulting. What had started as collaboration became something more permanent.

The decision was not made lightly. It came from working together first, understanding how each other thought, and building trust through delivery. Some of the strongest relationships are formed that way, starting small and growing over time.

There was also a sense of validation. Being invited in, and becoming part of the business, mattered.

The early days were still messy. There were mistakes, and plenty of learning. But there was progress. Clients were becoming longer term partners. More complex work was starting to come through.

Not a straight line, but a steady one.

The years that followed were not linear.

There were periods of growth, times where the team expanded faster than it ideally should have, and moments where the focus drifted. Some opportunities were missed. Some decisions led in the wrong direction. It was, at times, a zig zag.

Shareholders came and went. Each brought something valuable, but not every relationship worked as intended. In hindsight, the structure could have better reflected the needs of the people involved.

At the same time, things were evolving in the right direction. The work became more complex. More thoughtful. More aligned with social and environmental purpose. With a stronger financial base, there was more choice in who to work with.

The harder moments shaped the company. Building more consistent revenue through retainers brought stability. And over time, the kind of clients that valued that approach started to find their way in.

Keep close to the work. Keep close to the why.

By 2022, things simplified.

Ben and Perrin became the sole shareholders. Both were actively working in the business, which brought greater clarity. It was both a relief and a loss to see that earlier chapter run its course.

Today, what defines Springtimesoft is harder to pin down, but easier to feel. Clients often describe it as different from how other organisations operate. More genuine. More considered. There is a focus on understanding the problem properly, not just delivering the solution. That care runs deep, even when it creates tension with commercial realities.

What matters is staying close. Close to the work, close to the purpose, and close to the people it serves.

Growth will come, but not at the cost of that.