Meet Max McChesney: Co-Founder & CEO of DigitalCrafts

We had the good fortune of connecting with Max McChesney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Max, what do you attribute your success to?
Integrity, defaulting to transparency, and setting expectations appropriately. It can be tempting for any business, particularly startups, to stretch the truth in their sales pitch, whether to a potential customer or an incoming hire. However well-intentioned (entrepreneurs do tend to be optimistic), over-promising can only result in disappointment and loss of trust. Set expectations realistically upfront, and the customers you do land will get the experience they paid for or better, and they’ll spread the word. Do the same with your team, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by high caliber people dedicated to the mission with eyes wide open for the challenges ahead. 

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
DigitalCrafts is an accelerated training provider, more commonly known as a technology or ‘coding bootcamp.’ We started in early 2015, and since then have enrolled over 1000 students into our Full Stack Web Development programs. Our niche or mission has always been to provide beginner-friendly accelerated courses to help launch the careers of modern day technologists. I hesitate to refer to our business as a ‘coding’ bootcamp, because that’s more limiting than our ambitions, which include launching a Cybersecurity Bootcamp in July ’21, as well as an UI/UX track later in the year. In addition, we cater to corporate clients with custom training and staffing services that really benefit from leveraging our growing alumni community. It’s been an incredible 6 years, but I think I’m most proud of our team and the culture we’ve built together, especially throughout the turbulence of the COVID pandemic. All of our programs were in-person, brick and mortar classes, and we were forced to shift online at the drop of a hat (like all schools). Our team handled the challenge admirably, and we’ve since adapted so well that the suite of changes enacted due to the pandemic are here to stay. As a remote-first company going forward, our goals and strategy have certainly changed, but the educational experience has only improved alongside accessibility for our classes and a number of social impact initiatives that we’re really excited to bring to fruition this year. As an example, we’ve partnered with the City of Refuge in Atlanta, a wonderful organization that will help us provide a free education to underserved and underrepresented communities in our hometown. Along those lines, we also created a $1MM ‘You Belong in Tech’ Scholarship fund, to be awarded to all Black, Latinx, and women web development students. Lot’s to be excited about as we enter the new year!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This isn’t an original answer, but when someone comes in town who hasn’t spent much time in Atlanta, the first place I’d take them is for a walk down the Beltline. Start in Piedmont Park, and work your way towards PCM, the brewery, Ladybird, and Krog Street. It’s hard to describe how a “sidewalk” can be so fun and impactful, so you really need to just visit on a sunny day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Our team of course! My co-founder Jake and I are very lucky to be surrounded by a team of people who deeply care about our mission, our customers, and each other. We sincerely appreciate the culture they’ve built, and the patience they’ve given us as we do our best to figure this thing out. Without them, DigitalCrafts wouldn’t exist.

Website: https://www.digitalcrafts.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/dgtlcrafts/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digitalcrafts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DgtlCrafts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digitalcraftsllc
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFNyBWK0cWVXabWXuk-UDjQ
Other: Link to “Apply Today” – https://www.digitalcrafts.com/apply-1.html

Image Credits
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