Built by Dakic: The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

The only constant in life is change.

And the funny thing? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Back in 2023, I returned to independent and studio work. Instead of reactivating Dakic OnLine—the brand that served me well since 2006—I wanted to try something new.

AI was booming, reshaping how we build software. That’s when I launched Augmented Developers. I adapted my old DevEngine model, started chasing clients, and things took off. Workflows changed, complexity dropped, and delivery speed soared. Clients wanted packages and discounts; I wanted clarity and measurable outcomes. The best proof that AI was transforming our work? The speed at which we shipped features.

Here’s the twist about humans: clients were amazed at first… then they got used to the speed.

By 2025, we’d refined the process. Packages disappeared. No more rigid MVP timelines. Instead, every client began with a simple development plan. From there, we adjusted based on their needs and ability to give feedback. Most found that the simplest plan was all they needed.

But—true to my ADHD nature—I got restless. Augmented Developers worked, but the name confused people. Some thought we were doing VR. Others didn’t really “get” what we offered. So in July, I tested a new idea: Make Simple & Easy. People loved it, though friends told me it was too “cheesy” for someone with my track record. Their feedback stuck: I had history, credibility, and a legacy under Dakic OnLine. Reinventing the wheel wasn’t necessary.

At first I resisted, but they were right. So I made a decision:
I’m rolling Augmented Developers and Make Simple & Easy back under the Dakic OnLine brand.

A friend suggested calling it Built by Dakic. That clicked—it’s clear, it’s accurate, and it feels like home.

Most importantly: while we are returning to the old brand, the past two years of learning and experimenting weren’t wasted. They made me a better developer, a sharper entrepreneur, and gave me a stronger sense of how to serve clients well.

So, here it is:
👉 dakic.com

What This Means for You

You don’t need complexity. You just need a problem solved, an idea built, or a project delivered. We’ll figure out how to make it happen.

Here’s how it works:

• You start with the Simple & Easy plan. This gets a developer working on your project.
• On Mondays or Fridays, we run a quick planning session to choose what to focus on that week.
• Every day, you’ll see progress—something tangible gets done.
• Your only job? Give us feedback so we can adjust and keep momentum.

That’s it. Life is complicated enough—we’re here to make it lighter, not heavier.

We won’t solve everything. But we will clean up your codebase, improve what you already have, and push new features and wins into your GitHub repo. We’ll keep your projects moving forward and make the work feel good again.

Because the more things change, the more they stay the same.

—Jake (Zeljko Dakic)