ChopDawg.com

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a real estate company. I built an ecosystem that will make the buying and selling of real estate a lot easier and the cycle time quicker.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chopdawg?

We wanted to develop an ecosystem to combine everything into one platform, tying in seamless communication. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed an app for us using React Native. I’m not in tune with some of the technical language, but they do a good job of explaining it. They built APIs for the app and make it possible to connect to other sources of data. 

Now, I have a non-functioning prototype, which was the first step. We built that to put a roadmap together for when it got into actual development. I funded that phase of it, but to get it out to market, it was going to cost significantly more.

What is the team composition? 

There are 5 developers. 

How did you come to work with Chopdawg?

The owner and founder lives in our neighborhood and we met while dog walking. We struck up a conversation about what we each do. When I learned he had his own app design studio, I told him I had a great idea for an app. 

How much have you invested with them?

$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017 and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The prototype is something I can present to show how the application will function, which is very powerful. We’re now programming and getting it ready for download from app stores. They took my ideas and dug deep in their research, along with my due diligence. They brought their perspective on how things are going to function and they offered us ideas to make it successful. They’re a great sounding board and the collaboration environment is very strong. 

How did Chopdawg perform from a project management standpoint?

We met weekly and have follow-up communication such as meeting minutes. We have visibility into the project status via a mutually stored platform. At all times, we know where the project is. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re working around the clock all the time. It’s nice to know that if I had a fire, they would jump in and put it out. They’re on top of their game, always on, always connected, and always available to deal with any new ideas or things I feel are challenges and they help outside the app. They interface with lawyers about certain pregnable items. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

So far, so good. This is my first experience with this type of initiative. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re approachable. If you communicate something that you like or don’t like, or would like to see, they’ll go above and beyond to make sure that you’re comfortable. I have the unique advantage of living close to the owner so we formed a relationship first. My project has been hands-on from the top down and I would assume any new clients would get that same treatment. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a Freightliner international truck stop with fourteen dealerships stretched along the east coast, providing parts, services, and sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chop Dawg?

We wanted to update an Automatic Data Processing (ADP) system to a mobile-based system that would improve efficiency across all our departments.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chop Dawg built an Android and iOS application that keeps track of all of the data we need for the processing, services, and sales related to our business. The app utilizes something called Service Daily Log (SDL) which tracks trucks through all of our departments and keeps everyone on the same page. SDL does essentially what our old system did, but extends it to the mobile applications and thus can be updated from anywhere.

What is the team dynamic?

The team consisted of four developers and two designers.

How did you come to work with Chop Dawg?

I was doing research into development firms and when I found Chop Dawg I was impressed by their portfolio and felt that they would be a good fit for our company, which itself is young and innovative.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested about $500,000 with Chop Dawg.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project went from January to July 2016, and we may work with them again in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Every dealership of ours has seen an increase in the throughput of trucks each month, with one example being a Maryland dealership that jumped from 450 to 600. The application removes the need for workers to leave their stations, and that is huge for efficiency. The app has been flawless and we're still beside ourselves at how great the project has been for us.

How did Chop Dawg perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communications are great and they are always available by phone, text, or email. We've never had issues getting in touch. Josh [Founder, Chop Dawg] would check in monthly to see if there was room for improvement, and their excellent tech support enabled us to transition into the new system with no downtime.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their passion and motivation for the project were outstanding, and that really means a lot to us. Throughout the project, their attention to detail was on point and they consistently performed above my expectations.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated on June 25, 2019, by the client. The original star ratings were: Overall – 5, Quality – 5, Schedule – 5, Cost – 5, NPS – 5. New content is below:

SOLUTION

What is the status of this engagement?

The project went from January to July 2016, and we will not work with them in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

The relationship, unfortunately, has come to an end due to discrepancies I do not wish to share.

How did Chop Dawg address the challenges that arose?

The issue at hand is the fact that Chop Dawg does not address challenges in a professional manner.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

Business is always striving and on a constant incline. Chop Dawg has acted with assistance, not as a factor to our business’s success.

How did the team perform from a project management standpoint?

Under the command of leaders, they performed poorly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unfortunately, Chop Dawg has been a letdown.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would like to see more loyalty and dedication toward project completion and success. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Double check all terms and conditions to protect your project as well as finances.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Plan Life on Time [PLOT]. What we’ve created is a digital marketplace for the funeral services industry. We have two employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ChopDawg?

I needed my ideas into something tangible and something that can be created into a digital marketplace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The built a huge web application. They used WordPress. There may have been some Java.

What is the team dynamic?

My point person is Brandon [VP of Development, ChopDawg], who is a developer. I’m not sure how many others there were.

How did you come to work with ChopDawg?

I spoke with a couple people from a Google search. I was looking at third party engineers who were available for outsourcing and building applications. After speaking with several, I spoke to ChopDawg finally. I spoke with the founder, Josh [CEO, ChopDawg], and he made me feel really comfortable. We talked about everything from how they help you get started to the things that they’ve done in the past. They weren’t even afraid to tell me some of my ideas were not as good as I thought they would be. I valued that honesty. I didn’t want somebody to just build something for me just to get my money. With that honesty, it seemed like he cared about I was looking to build and my vision. ChopDawg had an awesome portfolio and after talking with them, they sounded like they knew what they were doing.

How much have you invested with them?

About $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2016 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re still in the development phase. There’s not a lot of functionality I can test yet. In terms of working with ChopDawg, there’s a lot of things in my vision that changed for the better as I worked with them. It’s going to be a positive result.

How did ChopDawg perform from a project management standpoint?

They were pretty much spot on and I have no complaints. They were more on top of things than I was at times. I needed that since I’m doing this on the side. Everything was done over Gmail and they kept a sense of open door communication. Josh [CEO, ChopDawg] was always readily available to me and the point person I was working with at Chopdawg was also very available. If I was in the product phase and I’m working with the product manager, I had their cell phone and I could call them anytime. It was awesome!

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re the only ones I’ve ever worked with, but I have no regrets working with them. I don’t have any thoughts of trying another company. These guys have been spot on all the way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything that they’ve done has been really good. I can’t think of anything to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re located in Philadelphia, and we discover new artists to introduce them to listeners. We’re also putting people on our platform who didn’t have opportunities before. I’m the founder, and we have seven employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ChopDawg?

I needed help with multiple developments for my music platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed an iOS, Android, and web application for me. They also developed my website, established branding, set up a server, and created an administrative panel.

What is the team dynamic?

There were six developers.

How did you come to work with ChopDawg?

I was attracted to them because of their price. I also looked at their previous work, which was pretty good, but the price is really what convinced me. I sent bids out to three other people, and ChopDawg came back with the lowest. Their work ended up surpassing all the others by far, and they also came with a good recommendation from a friend of mine.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $1.5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2017, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We haven’t launched yet, but so far, I’m blown away. We’re a month ahead of schedule, and everything is coming together wonderfully. I’m really grateful.

How did ChopDawg perform from a project management standpoint?

They stay on top of everything. The team meets with me weekly, and Josh [CEO, ChopDawg.com] meets with me monthly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re so much more involved than others I’ve worked with. Josh [CEO, ChopDawg.com] really cared about me. They provide personalized customer service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I founded and am the CEO of Open Silo. We built a fast enterprise chat tool. It’s like Slack meets Quora. We’re based in San Francisco, California with 15 full-time employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ChopDawg?

Our business goal was to produce quick iterations of our initial product as we continued to do product research. We needed help with our frontend design. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an in-house backend team and had ChopDawg’s team to do the frontend design. They worked with our backend team to connect and iterate the product efficiently. They used HTML, CSS3, and we use the Angular framework. They were connecting to our backend, which was built on Django, Mongo, and Python.

What is the team dynamic? 

We rotated between one and two resources, depending on our need. 

How did you come to work with ChopDawg?

One of my friends referred me to ChopDawg. We had a few initial calls where they gave us a proposal. The price was low enough for us at our development stage, and was balanced in terms of quality and price. They beat out some of the others who were local to this area. Price was a huge consideration, but also ability to deliver and the quality of their work. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2013 and finished the product in November 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The current UI we have is just a new iteration of what we built with them. It hasn't needed a full overhaul because we built it with great longevity. It’s something our customers like. It’s almost three years later and we’re still iterating and using that same version. 

How did ChopDawg perform from a project management standpoint?

We collaborated on HipChat and Jira. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

There was good communication. Communication is very key in a small team in terms of hitting project deadlines and communicating properly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing I can think of. At the time, our requirements perhaps weren’t stringent enough. We were in the early stages of our company, so I don’t think we hit the top end of what they were capable of. We didn’t see any red flags or problems. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of a lifestyle brand. We develop software for dog owners and the brands and businesses that target this  consumer base.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ChopDawg?

We needed quality development and tech talent for an early-stage bootstrap startup. We originally tried to do our development in house, but hiring an internal dev team is a very costly undertaking. Recruiting good talent is also quite a challenge. We needed a developer to step in and take the weight off our shoulders.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re developing an e-commerce platform where dog owners can sign up and pay a small monthly membership fee to access perks and premium products from our network of service providers.

Chopdawg walked through our strategy with us and helped us define our goals. Then they came up with and implemented features that would help us reach those goals. We are building the platform on WordPress with several plug-ins, such as Paid Membership Pro and WooCommerce. It will take users all the way from the discovery phase through purchasing from one of our partners in an environment that’s optimized for conversions. We’re using iFrames to bury discount codes and streamline the entire purchasing process.

We’re well on track to hit our deadlines and finish up the project over the coming weeks.

What is the team dynamic?

I work very closely with Josh [CEO, ChopDawg.com] on more high-level aspects of the project. We have a dedicated developer who handles all the actual implementation. To my knowledge, he’s handled a majority of the backend work and is currently doing the frontend. I’m not sure how many others are working on it. We’ve been able to maintain a very tight team and communication loop.

How did you come to work with ChopDawg?

Our relationship began 1½ years ago before we started a project with them. Early on, our social media coordinator informed me that ChopDawg had retweeted something we had posted. At the time, we were scoping out an Android app, so I got in touch with Josh. They completely scoped out our app based on the direction we opted to go with the business. We didn’t move on that proposal, but since day one, they were very professional and helpful in bringing the CTO side of things to the table.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We did our first demo of the product and saw how we could edit and manipulate the backend on our side. Then we met with our developer at ChopDawg. Everything is incredibly easy to use. He included everything that we needed and gave us access to start building out our backend data set and pertinent information.

We’re right on track with our initial timeline. It was exciting to not only receive those deliverables, but to get them in time to go through them. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll continue to work closely with them to prepare for the launch. I have nothing but good things to say about how they conduct themselves.

How did ChopDawg perform from a project management standpoint?

Josh is unrivaled in terms of responsiveness and availability. We communicate a lot via email. I text him and jump on calls with him quite a bit. That’s the nature of our relationship.

ChopDawg offers a full stack development solution. They take a project all the way from strategy to problem solving to implementation. They are our current and long-term solution on the dev side. They are so good about providing timely feedback, hitting goals and milestones, and chiming in on top-level discussions. They help us think through why we’re doing something and what it means from a development perspective. It’s immensely helpful to receive that input in a way that’s built on trust.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have looked at other alternatives for getting this kind of development done. I haven’t come across another company that conducts themselves like ChopDawg or goes as far to truly provide an outsource CTO solution. That’s been huge from a financial perspective.

And most don’t have a highly respected marketing expert like Josh. It’s rare for someone to have that dual expertise. That’s one of the things that gets me very excited about where we go from here. He’s more than willing to help with some of our go-to market strategies. I’ve never seen a company with such a robust skill set and that proves it on a daily basis.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve met every expectation we’ve had of them. I don’t know what I’d suggest they improve on. They’ve made our lives extremely easy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Guestroom.com, which will be an online app that will have a mobile component supporting both iOS and Android. The app itself is a home sharing network for friends and friends of friends with no nightly fees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ChopDawg?

We needed someone to develop our iOS and Android apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided mockup wireframes to help me understand the complete flow of the site at the very beginning. We looked through the wireframes in detail and then moved on to a Highfive version thereof. The Highfive version has added some color to the actual site and also included some of the copy that we’re going to add to give me a better understanding of how the site will flow and the overall customer experience.

From there, they started to build out the backend in WordPress, which will allow me to make edits and support different landing pages, blog posts, and things along those lines. From what I understand, it’s a platform that makes it easier for less technical individuals to maintain ongoing activities on the site. We’re about four months into the project and will launch later this month, after which we’ll have one more month of development for creating the apps.

What is the team dynamic?

Josh [Founder & CEO, ChopDawg] joins our weekly call with the whole team which typically includes a designer, who has been responsible for the wireframes, branding, and all of the Highfives. There’s also a VP of design and a backend developer that attend as well. In total, we end up usually with four people on the call. The backend designer usually joins every other week and there is a fifth team member who supports a lot of the marketing strategy. I don’t have a lot of experience on the marketing side so he’s been very helpful with supporting a marketing plan and its execution.

How did you come to work with ChopDawg?

I interviewed three or four different development companies but Josh was always very engaged from the very beginning and answered all of my questions about pricing, scheduling, and more. ChopDawg is extremely responsive—I usually get responses to emails within 15–20 minutes.

The other thing that convinced me to hire them is that when I started the project, I had been considering a purely native app for iOS and Android. Josh explained that it would be an expensive route to go for a launch, especially for a product and a service that hadn’t really been proven and doesn’t have any subscribers yet.

He suggested that a web app might be the better choice because a web app, with a scaled mobile component, could hit all platforms. Native apps are more expensive and they’re built individually, so starting off with a web app in order to launch a product and then gradually work towards native apps made a lot more sense.

Ultimately, he was pitching a less expensive option and was very interested in making the project as affordable as possible. I felt a certain level of transparency when I spoke with him in the way that he communicated all of this information to me. Josh had a very clear commitment from the very beginning.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The app hasn’t been launched yet and the only people who have seen it are my business partner and me, however, we’ve been very pleased with everything we’ve seen thus far. They’ve been very collaborative in presenting different color options, fonts, and layouts based on our questions. They’re also very open to feedback.

All in all, we’re really appreciate what we’ve put together on the site, including the marketing and branding.

How did ChopDawg perform from a project management standpoint?

From the very beginning, they’ve been open about the schedule. We fell behind at one point and they quickly let me know so we could make up some of that time and launch according to plan. Josh has been incredibly helpful with getting everything in order, including things like SSL certifications, bank accounts, finding the right accountant, getting the company incorporated, and more.

They don’t really have a formalized project management tool; we communicate mainly through email. They provide updates on progress, agendas for upcoming meetings, and any materials I need to review. Josh provides a lot of guidance, especially with the things that could potentially delay a launch if they’re not in place on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I didn’t expect their support on the marketing aspect. It was probably two months into the project when I got very nervous about my ability to support a marketing plan and subscriber acquisition, to the point where I asked Josh to consider shutting the project down. He assured me that they would put together a plan and help me come up with a way to execute on that plan such that subscriber acquisition wouldn’t be as big of a challenge as what I had anticipated.

While we haven’t gotten to the point of actual subscriber acquisition, the plan we put in place thus far has made me feel much more confident. It’s given me something to work on in the interim so that I’m not just waiting for the project to launch, but rather documenting blog content and preparing information so that when we do launch, there’s actually a rich site behind the services and not just an empty shell.

The marketing guidance that they’ve given has been really invaluable to me and made me feel much better about the overall project, especially since all the expenses are coming entirely out of my own pocket. It’s been really helpful to have their feedback and guidance.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their expertise, at this point, is really in web page development and in communicating during the whole process the work that’s being done. They’re slowly becoming a more marketing-centric company as well, which is the one area of improvement that they could pursue. I know Josh would like to offer more marketing-focused services to startups like myself and other entrepreneurs, but they’re still refining that process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

My business is called Findagig.com. I'm the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ChopDawg.com?

I'm starting the business and they are creating and developing the website and iOS app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I've been working with about four developers on this website and iOS app development project. It's been a great experience so far. 

What is the team dynamic?

They're very timely with their responses and they're available at any time of day and night. All of the receivables have been on time. If they give me a deadline when they're going to provide me with a wireframe, they always met the deadline. They're great to work with and I've been happy with their services.

How did you come to work with ChopDawg.com?

I was just searching online for different places. I came up with ChopDawg.com and noticed that they were local since I'm also in the Philadelphia area. I contacted them along with a couple others. After considering all options, we chose them for the project. 

How much have you invested with ChopDawg.com? 

We've invested about $100,000 to $145,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in June 2017 and it's an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We're still early on in the process and we have not started on the iOS app, yet. We're about three months into the web application, but it's certainly not a finished product yet.

How did ChopDawg.com perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication-wise everything has been great. I'm in constant contact with Josh, ChopDawg.com's founder. He has always followed-up to see how things are going. It's definitely a very personalized service, even though they're working on other projects as well. It's certainly a very good experience.

What did you find most impressive about ChopDawg.com? 

I've been very happy with what they delivered and where we are at this point in the process. They did the design elements, came up with a logo and the like. I'm really happy with their overall performance, the functionality of the web app, as well as its design and aesthetics. 

Any areas for improvement? 

Nothing comes to mind. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Suzie Bryan, and I am the vice president of process improvement and new business development for Aspirion Health Resources. Specifically, I have been focusing on new business opportunities for the company, which is how I started working with Chop Dawg.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chop Dawg?

We are developing a platform geared at helping attorneys, patients, and hospitals work together better, specifically in cases where the patient has been involved in an accident of some kind and needs to have their hospital bill paid.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The platform will be made for desktop use initially, but we plan to roll out tablet and smartphone version.

We have a call every week with the person in charge of our wireframing and their assistant. We plan to move on to high-fidelity designs, where I believe that we’ll have 1–2 people involved. Joshua Davidson himself, their founder, has been a contributor.

How did you come to work with Chop Dawg?

A local contact who has been working with offshore development companies recommended Chop Dawg. He had had some bad experiences with other companies but mentioned that Chop Dawg had been on time, always turned in perfect deliverables, and their conflict-resolution process was team oriented. We had a couple of conversations and submitted our idea to Chop Dawg. We agreed to a proposal and launched from there.

How much have you invested with Chop Dawg?

The cost of their work has been close to $40,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We expect to release a beta version in late summer or early fall, and hope for it to be live in November 2017. It is a complex 10-month build, involving a number of portals which need to be developed, including a patient portal, a user portal, and a medical portal on which bill records are submitted.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The Chop Dawg team has met deliverables 100% so far. If anything, our team has been the one which hasn’t met the schedule. This speaks to the fact that Chop Dawg’s members ask great questions, which force us to think through details which we hadn’t thought of before, in a good way. I believe that this will end up with us having a much better product.

Chop Dawg is helping us not code ourselves into a box by thinking about the vision going forward. If anything, the deliverables have been delayed because we didn’t give Chop Dawg as many details as we should have.

How did Chop Dawg perform from a project management standpoint?

The proposal given to us was very detailed, numbering around 120 pages, lining out not only the scope of the project, but also what the team would be doing, when we could expect deliverables, and when things were supposed to occur.

We have a weekly call on Google Hangouts so that we can actually see each other. We don’t have formal, written-down agendas, but there is always a goal or topic to be covered. It’s not completely mandatory for everyone to be on the call, but we manage to have it as a weekly occurrence, and it helps move the project along. If anyone has failed, it’s been ourselves. We will probably be able to make up some ground in terms of coding, down the road, so we will likely hit the deadline.

What did you find most impressive about Chop Dawg?

I’ve been working with technology people for 30 years, and I’ve never worked with a team which really did want to purposefully understand the workflow of the users in the way that Chop Dawg does. As an operations person, this is very important to me, since I know what work will flow into the system. The amount of time they’ve spent understanding the business we’re developing has been impressive. They worked hard to comprehend what we’re trying to do and whom we’re trying to help. Chop Dawg is as invested as us in the success of the project. They’re a part of the team.

Are there any areas Chop Dawg could improve?

I can’t think of anything. Our team dropped the ball by not thinking through some details, but I’m appreciative of Chop Dawg for being so thorough.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

SavySwap was aimed at helping people swap and barter items like furniture. We enabled the process and verified everyone on our platform, similarly to Airbnb. I was the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chop Dawg?

We were using an Excel spreadsheet for all our operations, so we needed an actual web app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chop Dawg helped us build a mobile-optimized web app, handling everything from rebranding to the actual development. The app was built using PHP. We worked with 2–4 developers from Chop Dawg's side. We only met with their lead developer during our calls, so I'm not sure how many people actually worked on our backend. We also worked with UI [user interface] and UX [user experience] designers.

How did you come to work with Chop Dawg?

We contacted a number of companies after raising a round of funding and going to an accelerator in San Francisco. We stumbled upon Chop Dawg through Twitter, while we were promoting our business. They're a local company from Philadelphia and seemed to be an awesome group. Chop Dawg not only helped us build our product, but also gave us a lot of insight into branding, development, and social media. Being featured on their Twitter page has helped us out a lot.

How much have you invested with Chop Dawg?

The cost of Chop Dawg's work was between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was completed, but our team broke apart. Chop Dawg's work took us to the next level while we were active.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

With our product, we were able to have people sign up and use the service. We attracted around 1,000 people within the first 30 days. We pitched the platform at LAUNCH Festival and got some direct feedback from one of our investors, as well as from other people interested in our business. Without a product, we wouldn't have had anything to show.

How did Chop Dawg perform from a project management standpoint?

I don't think that we used any project management software on our end. We had weekly calls with Chop Dawg and set up agendas for all our tasks. We were in constant communication via email, and Chop Dawg's principal was always accessible. I don't think Slack was a choice at the time, but that has changed since then. Project management wise, Chop Dawg was pretty good.

What did you find most impressive about Chop Dawg?

I liked their down-to-earth approach. I have remained friends with Chop Dawg's team to this day since I was able to work with them on such an intimate basis. It always felt more like a friendship than a business transaction. Chop Dawg gave me advice and feedback on everything from how we were branding ourselves online to how we could get the product out and reach the press.

Are there any areas Chop Dawg could improve?

I'm sure that Chop Dawg has grown since, but, at the time, they were only building in PHP. It's a great language, used by sites like Facebook, but it would have been interesting to have other options like Ruby on Rails, which are now becoming more common. Besides this, I had no qualms.