We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Magaly Chocano a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Magaly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

In July of 2008, I quit my job at the largest advertising agency in the U.S. Hispanic consumer market. On paper, it looked insane. I had stability, reputation, a solid career trajectory. But I knew if I didn’t bet on myself then, I never would. So I started Sweb Development that same month.

Two months later, the global financial crisis hit.

The world was collapsing financially — and so was my brand-new company. Clients froze budgets. Marketing stopped. Every conversation ended with, “Call me next year.” We were barely breathing. I had left security for uncertainty, and suddenly uncertainty turned into survival.

Then something happened that changed everything.

Steve Jobs opened up the iPhone SDK and announced that developers could start building apps for the App Store.

I didn’t overthink it. I didn’t run projections. I didn’t do a five-year strategy deck.

I decided overnight: We’re building apps.

My first idea? Honestly — I ripped off Obama’s campaign app concept and redesigned it for restaurants. If a presidential campaign could mobilize supporters with an app, why couldn’t restaurants engage customers the same way?

I sold the first one to a local restaurant for $500.

It felt like momentum.

Except it wasn’t.

No one had marketing budgets. No one understood mobile apps. Most business owners didn’t even own smartphones yet. I was selling something the market wasn’t ready to buy — especially during a recession.

That’s when I had the real scaling insight.

If businesses couldn’t afford custom apps… what if they could build their own?

So we created Sweb Apps — one of the first DIY mobile app builders. An online platform where anyone could design their own app, choose features, and publish without coding. Even more disruptive at the time: users could update their content in real time. Back then, Apple required a 3-day approval process for app updates. We built around that friction.

Sweb Apps launched in August 2009.

Now here’s where scaling got bold.

I Googled “Best Tech PR Agencies.”

I emailed one with the subject line: “I Have the Next Big Thing.”

The CEO called me that same afternoon.

We worked for weeks preparing the release. The PR firm warned me: “If one top-tier publication bites, that doesn’t mean they’ll write. Usually you hope for one top-tier, a few second-tier, and strong third-tier coverage.”

We sent the release.

The next day, we had 12 top-tier hits.

Time Magazine. ABC News. Inc. Magazine. Fast Company. Entrepreneur. Oprah Magazine. Wall Street Journal. And more.

Ten of those twelve published on August 18, 2009.

Overnight, we went from almost closing our doors to becoming a million-dollar company.

Self-funded. Completely bootstrapped. And terrified.

That was our scaling moment.

But here’s what people don’t see behind the headlines:

We scaled because we pivoted fast — not because we were certain.

We scaled because we built something democratized and affordable during a recession.

We scaled because we leveraged PR as a growth engine instead of paid advertising we couldn’t afford.

We scaled because we were willing to look crazy before it worked.

There were mistakes. Tons of them. We were building technology in real time while the App Store itself was still evolving. We were figuring out pricing, infrastructure, support, and product-market fit simultaneously. Growth came faster than systems. Revenue came before operational maturity. Scaling nearly broke us as much as the recession did.

But that experience shaped Sweb Development’s DNA.

We learned:

Speed beats perfection.

Accessibility scales better than exclusivity.

Visibility can change a company’s trajectory overnight — if the product is ready.

And bootstrapping forces discipline you can’t fake.

Scaling wasn’t a straight line. It was desperation, instinct, bold bets, sleepless nights, and one perfectly timed press release.

We didn’t scale because everything went right.

We scaled because when everything went wrong, we adapted faster than fear could stop us.

Magaly, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Magaly Chocano, founder and CEO of Sweb Development, creator of SwebApps, and a lifelong builder at the intersection of strategy, technology, and impact.

I am from Madrid, Spain, and built my career in the U.S., starting in the advertising world at the largest agency serving the Hispanic consumer market. That experience shaped how I think: everything begins with understanding people — what moves them, what they need, and how brands can serve them in meaningful ways

In July 2008, I left that world to start Sweb Development as a web development and digital marketing firm.

Two months later, the financial crisis hit. That pressure cooker forced innovation. When Apple opened the iPhone SDK, I pivoted overnight into mobile development, which led to launching SwebApps in 2009 — one of the first DIY mobile app builders in the world.

Long before “no-code” became a movement, we were democratizing app development.

What began as a scrappy startup during a recession has grown into an award-winning digital marketing and software development agency serving organizations worldwide — from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits.

We’ve been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the Top 10 Mobile Companies to Watch and one of the top 360 companies in America featured in Time Magazine, USA Today, ABC News, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, Mashable and more and named to the INC 5000 fastest growing companies list two years in a row

But titles and recognition aren’t what drive me.

What drives me is building teams and building infrastructure that helps organizations scale impact.

Today, Sweb Development designs and builds digital ecosystems — digital strategies, digital marketing camaigns, creative designs, SEO, GEO, SEM, front end websites, complex websites, custom software, creative and digital transformation strategies.

We solve problems like:

Fragmented digital experiences that confuse users

Digital Marketing Strategies, Creative and Execution of Campaigns to build authority and drive traffic.

Organizations ready to scale but lacking the right infrastructure

We approach technology architecturally, not tactically. My background in advertising and consumer psychology allows us to see beyond “the build” — we design digital experiences that convert, scale, and evolve.

In 2020, when a devastating fire destroyed our office building, it would have been easy to focus inward. Instead, I launched the In This Together movement and raised $180,000 in eight weeks — giving back 100% of the proceeds to local businesses and nonprofits

That moment reaffirmed something core to my brand: business is about community.

I’ve been honored as one of Cosmo Magazine’s “10 Fun and Fearless Latinas,” received the SXSWi Social Revolución Innovator Award, the Hispanic Chamber Small Business of the Year Award, the Enterprising Women of the Year Award, the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, and most recently was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame for Technology and part of the Enterprising Women Award cohort in New Orleans.

But what I’m most proud of?

Building a company that was self-funded, bootstrapped, and resilient through recession, technological disruption, and literal fire.

And raising two extraordinary daughters college graduates – who rock my world.

For potential clients and partners, here’s what I want you to know:

We don’t just execute scopes.
We architect growth.
We anticipate shifts.
We build for scale.
We lead with strategy.

I’m comfortable making bold decisions before they feel safe. I believe innovation requires courage. And I believe technology should expand access — to education, healthcare, opportunity, and growth.

Sweb Development isn’t just a digital agency.

It’s a strategic growth partner built from resilience, vision, and fearlessness.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience isn’t theoretical for me. It’s lived.

On Friday morning, February 28, 2020, I stood outside and watched our office building burn.

Flames. Smoke. Fire trucks. Years of work inside that building — gone in hours.

It was surreal. You build something for over a decade. You create culture inside those walls. Memories. Systems. Growth. And suddenly, you’re watching it collapse in front of you.

But here’s the part I’m most proud of:

By Monday morning, we were back up and running.

No drama. No paralysis. No “let’s wait and see.” We immediately activated remote systems, reestablished communication, reassured clients, and stabilized the team. Leadership in crisis is about motion. Panic spreads when leadership hesitates.

Two weeks later, the world shut down.

COVID hit.

So here we were — having just experienced a devastating fire — and now facing a global pandemic. Many of our colleagues and fellow business owners were paralyzed in fear. Businesses were closing overnight. People couldn’t pay rent. Employees were being laid off. The uncertainty was suffocating.

We had two options:
Feel sorry for ourselves.
Or move.

We chose motion.

That’s when we launched the In This Together movement.

The idea was simple but powerful: we would raise money to help local businesses who couldn’t pay rent or payroll because they were forced to shut down. But we didn’t want charity — we wanted circulation.

So we purchased gift cards in bulk from struggling businesses and distributed them to nonprofits and first responders. That way, businesses received immediate cash flow, and the community received support at the same time.

In eight weeks, we raised approximately $180,000 and gave back 100% of it.

No middle layer. No profit. Just impact.

What that season taught me is this:

Resilience is not just surviving your own crisis.
It’s choosing to be strong enough to help others through theirs.

We rebuilt after the fire.
We mobilized during the pandemic.
We didn’t allow back-to-back disasters to define our trajectory.

If anything, it clarified our identity.

Sweb Development is resilient because its team is resilient. We are decisive under pressure. We move when others freeze. We look outward when it would be easier to look inward.

Watching your building burn changes you.

Choosing to rebuild — and then help others rebuild — defines you.

That season didn’t break us.

It revealed who we are.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest stories I’ve had to unlearn is the quiet, persistent voice of imposter syndrome.

For years, I carried this belief that I didn’t belong in the rooms I was entering.

I didn’t have a technology degree.
My college degree barely applied to the business I was building.
I had no technical background.
No entrepreneurial lineage.
No startup capital.
No MBA.
Two little girls depending on me.

What I had was instinct. Drive. And an almost irrational belief that I could figure things out. Also known as delusional optimism.

But when you walk into tech spaces without the “traditional credentials,” the narrative can creep in: You’re not technical enough. You’re not trained enough. You’re not polished enough. You just got lucky.

For a long time, I quietly believed it.

I would second-guess decisions. Feel like I had to prove myself twice as much. I measured myself against founders who looked different on paper — engineers, venture-backed CEOs, people who seemed born into the language of business.

What I had to unlearn was this:

Belonging is not granted by credentials.
It’s earned through contribution.

And I was contributing.

I built a company from scratch during a recession.
I pivoted into mobile before it was mainstream.
I scaled without outside capital.
I led through crisis.
I built teams.
I created impact.

At some point, I had to stop questioning whether I belonged — and start recognizing that I had built the room.

Overcoming imposter syndrome wasn’t a single breakthrough moment. It was years of internal work.

It meant:

Investing in leadership development.

Building a strong team and trusting them.

Separating “I don’t know this yet” from “I don’t belong here.”

Understanding that vision is as valuable as technical skill.

Choosing optimism as a discipline, not just a personality trait.

My eternal optimism became my north star. Not blind optimism — but grounded belief that what was ahead of me was bigger than what I lacked behind me.

I also learned something critical:

You don’t have to be the most technical person in the room to lead a technology company.
You have to be the clearest thinker.
The most decisive.
The one willing to move.

Today, when that old narrative tries to surface, I don’t fight it with ego. I answer it with evidence.

The business exists.
The impact exists.
The resilience exists.

Imposter syndrome thrives in silence. It shrinks in motion.

And the truth is — I didn’t “luck” my way here.

I built this.

And unlearning that false story might be one of the most important things I’ve ever done.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.swebdevelopment.com
• Instagram: @swebdevelopment
• Facebook: /swebdevelopment
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/swebdevelopment

Image Credits

The photo of Magaly – @dianadepaz