Meet Johannes Deltorp, Darize consultant

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

I wouldn’t call it advice, but I’ve learned from experience that you only regret the things you don’t do. And that’s the message I’d like to pass on to others.

Every time I’ve changed jobs, I’ve had butterflies in my stomach and doubted whether it was the right decision. But every time, I’ve trusted my gut, and it has led to something better. And even if things don’t work out exactly as planned, another opportunity usually comes along.

That’s why I didn’t have too many reservations about giving up the security of permanent employment to become an independent consultant at Darize – even though my wife and I had just bought a house and were expecting a baby.

I’d often considered becoming an independent consultant, and I already knew a couple of others on the team who assured me it would work out. So I just took the plunge.

What do you value about being part of Darize?

In the years I’ve been with Darize, I’ve never been short of assignments. I worked full-time from day one, and after three weeks, I was practically working double time.

That means I can pay myself a salary that’s on par with or better than what I earned in my previous jobs. Alongside that, I’ve built up a good financial buffer in my business, which in many ways gives me more security than a three-month notice period in permanent employment.

When I started out, I remember telling my wife that I didn’t need to plan for parental leave. There would surely be a few weeks off between projects or clients. But that just never happened.

Instead, I use the flexibility I have as a consultant to take a Friday off with my kids every now and then, and every winter, we make it a priority to take a longer trip somewhere warm and sunny. Of course, I have to deliver on what I promise my clients – but as long as they’re happy, I have a great deal of freedom to organize my work myself. That freedom is probably what I value most about being part of Darize.

What motivates you in your work as a consultant?

What motivates me is having full responsibility for my deliverables. When I was a permanent employee, other people in the company would put me forward for projects or bring in the client. At Darize, I’m involved from the very beginning. I get to know the client, and then it’s my responsibility to deliver what I’ve promised and meet the deadlines we’ve agreed on.

Variety also plays a big part in my job satisfaction. At Darize, most projects are time-limited, and at the same time, I’m rarely working full-time on a single project. I usually work on three projects at a time. With one client, I might be working on development tasks; with another, I’m working as a project manager; and with a third, I’m leading a team of local or international developers.

The work changes from day to day and from project to project, so it never becomes routine. There can be a lot to keep track of, but I thrive and do my best work when I’m busy.