8bitstudio®

BACKGROUND

Please give a brief description of your company and your role.

I run a dog boarding and training facility; a small one. It’s a brand new little kennel. We’re in the country about three miles out of Shelly, [Minn.,] so it’s very remote. But, I get clients coming from Grand Forks, Fargo, and Crookston. They come from more than 50 miles away to board their dogs here. I started this business last year in January, and it’s growing a lot. I do boarding, training, consultation, and I write articles in some small papers about dogs. I have another business, Eagle Tree Horsemanship, where we have a horse clinic and horseback riding lessons.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

When you went to work with 8bitstudio, what was the business challenge that you were trying to address?

The first time was with the horse site. I first started working with Matthew [Schroeder, founder of 8bitstudio] in 2006. We’ve known each other for years. So, when I started with the kennel, he designed that whole website, too. It is so beautiful. Everybody loves it. It’s just different, it’s unique, and he just hit it right again. 

SOLUTION

What other services has 8bitstudio provided? Which of them has had the greatest impact on improving your business?

Definitely my website. I’m 50 miles away from Grand Forks and Fargo, but when people go looking for pet boarding and training, my website comes up. For people from Grand Forks, it comes up on the first page out of the 128,000 other websites. The website is what’s been giving me the customers and the very great feedback. With my blog, he’s taught me how to use that blog. He created my Facebook page and told me how to manage that page, plus my own personal page. That gives me a lot of customers.

He’s also made me a [promotional banner], a big tarp one that you can fold and roll and hang up. You can have it hanging it in your kennel, but you can also bring it out to events. He made me beautiful business cards. He has made cards for me, he has made flyers, but what’s more important is that he is very business savvy, and he helps me. I can ask him questions, and he’s always ready to take time to answer them and give me his thoughts. He has set up a Google Calendar and taught me how to use the Drive. He helps me structure my business, so it gets easier for me to do.

Do you manage the website yourself now?

No. That’s through him. The only thing I manage on my website is my blog. I don’t want to have to do anything like that. I leave that up to them.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative, either the cost or personnel work hour figure?

It was about $6,000 for the website. [For the remaining work,] I can’t remember. We have a lot of ongoing business together. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How would you describe 8bitstudio’s performance?

I don’t know what I would do without Matthew and 8bitstudio. They’re young, and they’ve got all these wild good ideas, but they’re also very good with business. They’re very great people to work with and patient, too. I just would never want to go anywhere else. They’ve got a heart and soul. You can tell that they like what they do, and they want to do their best. I feel very lucky that I’m working with them.

He’s always figuring out a little extra touch and stepping it up one level. It’s always exciting if you want him to do something. I just let him do it because I trust him.

When working with 8bitstudio, was there anything unique or special about them compared to the other companies that you may have worked with in the past?

They’re very professional and very business savvy, but they’re also very personal. They’re very good to listen to what you want and your ideas. They’re very respectful because they take all your suggestions and ideas, and then I trust him and leave it to him. He comes up with a lot of ideas. Then, he comes back to me [for feedback]. He’s just a 110 percent into his work, but he’s very respectful and professional, and a very nice person to work with. I can only say good things about them.

Is there any area that 8bitstudio could maybe improve on or that you would do differently?

No. I wouldn’t know what it would be. I think they know. I feel that they’re not at a standstill. I feel they’re always looking to better themselves. I think the wheels are constantly turning at 8bitstudio, mentally and physically. I feel they’re always moving forward.