FountainheadME

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a distribution company that sells wellness products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FountainheadME, and what were your goals?

Our company has been selling products since 2017 through direct sales on our platform. In 2021, we decided to launch an Amazon storefront and sell our products through Amazon as well. After great research and due diligence, we hired Fountainhead to be our lead consultant in the development, design, advertising (PPC), and ongoing management for the Brand. Our goals were to not only get brand awareness, but quickly get seen on first page and trigger and grow monthly subscriptions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The reason we selected Fountainhead was due to their transparency, quick response, and thorough explanation of what to expect and how to best achieve our goals. Their consulting platform fit what we were looking for.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

From the initial meet and greet to weekly progress calls, Fountainhead has provided necessary details and response time needed to handle Amazon's ever changing platform. They helped with layout, copy, content recommendations, Storefront design, shop page design; the entire start to finish process. For a small company who wants the highest professional image, but needs to work within a budget and stay nimble by outsourcing these type of products, working with Fountainhead has been ideal.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We have worked with several team members, including our account manager Matt, to executives and PPC experts. Anyone is available for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Not only did the Storefront launch professional and stood up against our competitors, we reached first page within weeks and within less 60 days had our first product avail for subscription. Our ROAS with advertising has been higher than expected and they continue to remain within our budget.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Fountainhead makes themselves very available. Not only do we have emails and cells, but a weekly scheduled call to make sure we are all set with inventory, outstanding Amazon issues, go over advertising, etc.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I like the fact they can handle anything, but have the customer service like a small company. So rare in today's business world. At the end of the day, relationships are everything. They provide that to us!

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Not at this time

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of retail operations at a 60-year-old barbecue company based in Kansas City. We have six restaurant locations, a national shipping company, and a catering company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FountainheadME?

We needed help owning our Amazon presence and selling directly to consumers. We tried doing everything on our own for the first eight months and we really struggling with our brand registry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I called up FountainheadME and they fixed our brand registry issue within 24 hours. Next, we showed them our history and explained our brand to them. From there, they’ve been slowly improving all of our profiles and optimizing our SEO within the search. They’re also working on photographs. In the future, we plan on doing a whole marketing campaign with them as well.

What is the team composition?

I work mostly with Chris (Growth Manager). I also worked with Cameron (Director of Business Development) during the sales process.

How did you come to work with FountainheadME?

I found them on Google, after searching for solutions to the brand registry issue. I liked Cameron’s pitch the best. They also had previous experience with barbecue sauce and barbecue seasonings, which was a big winning point.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $6,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2021, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to raise our prices thanks to their work, which raised our profit margin by 10%. Our sales have also increased by 5%.

How did FountainheadME perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in contact every day via Zoom for the first two weeks. They did really well in laying out what they do step by step. It’s great that we can pay as we go, and pay for each step as it happens. The process is all very transparent in an organized quote sheet. We continue to keep in touch via Zoom, email, and phone.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They got everything done very quickly. They got what I thought would take three weeks done in a day.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could spend more time understanding our brand. I felt like I have to push that because I’m really passionate about what that means to us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to ask a lot of questions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a food distributor that directly sells to restaurants and consumers as well as on the Amazon platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FountainheadME?

We wanted to optimize our PPC efforts and listing content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fountainhead started with a keyword evaluation and optimization process. I provided approval throughout the process. They quickly took my edits and posted the content. We then started to enhance content for three of our lead items. Their team created a template for the items’ listings to give us a stronger presence on Amazon. We’re currently in the middle of that work.

What is the team composition?

I directly work with Scott (Growth Manager) who’s our growth manager. He’s exceptionally good at his job. I’ve also worked a little bit with the gentleman who runs our PPC campaigns.

How did you come to work with FountainheadME?

When looking for a new agency, I conducted an exhaustive Internet search. I interviewed 10 agencies, and Fountainhead was one of two final contenders. I primarily chose them because they demonstrated success with other clients. We could also afford their rates. I also liked that they had teammates who previously worked at Amazon.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $3,500 in September and will probably spend $3,500 in October.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in September 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our content listings are more immersive. We already posted one of our three listings, and we’re happy with the results. By creating a template, it won’t cost that much for us to enhance our entire portfolio.

The ultimate metric is profitability, which seems stronger. However, it’s a little too early to tell.

How did FountainheadME perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management’s a little fuzzy. We mostly have Zoom calls once a week and then share documents. It could be tighter. The keyword optimization process was not only sophisticated and rigorous but also quick.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Fountainhead team clearly has expertise in keyword analysis and content development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s challenging to give creative feedback. They don’t have robust tools for clients to revise content. However, we figured out a workaround. We also don’t receive one bill a month. Instead, we receive a bunch of piecemeal invoices, automatic payments, and task approvals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and owner of Hitchcock Butterfield Mirrors. We are a decorative mirror manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FountainheadME?

We were looking to improve our brand identity and positioning and increase our sales on Amazon. We had an existing catalog already active and live on Amazon. There’s a fair amount of catalog maintenance that’s required, which involves updating and making corrections to products on product detail pages.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

FountainheadME updated our product catalog by generating good content and doing research on keywords before creating and managing different kinds of PPC advertising campaigns. Their work is very specific to Amazon

What is the team composition?

I have a day-to-day relationship manager, but I know that there are probably half a dozen other teammates who work on the project, including PPC specialists, content specialists, photographers, and analysts.

How did you come to work with FountainheadME?

I found them through my own research. We had been using someone else for the same project scope, but I wasn’t pleased with the results, so I started looking for another partner.

After a couple of conference calls and Zoom meetings with FountainheadME, it felt like they understood where I was and what I wanted to accomplish.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $5,000 so far, and we expect to spend $15,000 by the end of the year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in early June 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is still in the preliminary stages, but I’m confident in FountainheadME’s recommendations and suggestions. I’m sure that we will have great results. The team is accessible and knowledgeable, and we feel like we’re in good hands. 

They explain things in layman terms and are transparent about everything, including the cost. There have been absolutely no surprises.

How did FountainheadME perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is exceptional. The team is great about outlining scope and timeframes and adhering to that. They even overcommunicate sometimes, which is nice to see. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything they’re doing for me is head and shoulders above what our other firm was doing. So far, FountainheadME is exceeding expectations across the board. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have as much of a detailed scope of work as possible, and outline your goals and objectives. This way, FountainheadME will know what you’re looking for, and they can map out a plan to get you there. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Amazon Product Manager for Nutraprice. We sell nutraceutical products online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FountainheadME?

Our account on Amazon was suspended for a long time and we needed to be reinstated.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It required correspondence with the Amazon team. They created a plan of action to get us reinstated.

What is the team composition?

We only worked with one person, but I spoke to a few others as well.

How did you come to work with FountainheadME?

I found them on a Google search. I did some research and they seemed pretty reliable. I thought they’d be able to help, so I brought them on board.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little over $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from May–July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

 They were able to get us reinstated.

How did FountainheadME perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very diligent, and they were always there when I reached out to them. They were always on top of things. They did very well; I would give them an A+.

They bill us hourly, and then we can log into a portal. There, we can see notes on what they did. They do bill us for emails and phone calls, but they charged us when we emailed. So we would plan a call when there was something critical to discuss.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Before I was brought on, my company worked with another provider, but they weren’t able to get us reinstated. FountainheadME worked hard to ensure that we prevailed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wanted to pay a flat fee rather than an hourly rate. I had a budget, and wasn’t sure how much we would end up spending to be reinstated. It ended up being a little more than I would have liked to spend.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them do their job. They know what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a health and beauty company. It’s an e-commerce business, selling on Amazon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FountainheadME?

I needed a company to help revamp my advertising. I was spending way too much to try and reach my sales target.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They completely revamped my Amazon campaigns. They set up all the campaigns, monitored them, and optimized based on what was working, and what wasn’t working. They also guided me to different resources, explained patterns of sellers and buyers on Amazon, and helped solidify my brand. 

What is the team composition?

Tara (Growth Manager) is my account manager and main point of contact. I’ve had some interaction with Jeff (Vice President) and one other individual.

How did you come to work with FountainheadME?

At some point, I had signed up to receive emails from them. One of their emails came through at a time I was struggling with something they offered solutions for. I reached out to them to discuss it and decided to try working with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested around $3,000 - $4,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in April 2020, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Due to bad previous experiences, I was concerned about where my money was being spent. They did a great job of providing detailed invoices and being transparent. 

Before working with them, my campaigns were ineffective regarding cost and results. I didn’t know how to get ranked, and I wasn’t seeing a profit. The results after working with this team are night and day. For example, before, I was spending $100-$200/day to hit sales goals of 25-30/day. In May, I spent $50/day with 15-20 sales/day and made a profit for the first time. My sales cost is 2-3 times lower than before I started working with this team. I was shocked, and I’m very excited about it.

How did FountainheadME perform from a project management standpoint?

Kara does a great job. She responds to emails immediately, regardless of the time of day, touches base regularly, and is very encouraging as we navigate through the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with their transparency. They’re great to work with, unlike the awful experiences I’ve had with other vendors. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest about what you want so they can fulfill your needs in the deliverables.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of Tipperary Equestrian. Our main product line is related to protective horseback riding gear for equestrians and Western riders. We manufacture a wide variety of helmets and protective, ASTM-approved, riding vests. Those are our two main products. Our main office is in Toronto, Canada, and we have warehouse and distribution outlets in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FountainheadME?

Our products are consumer goods products, and most of our channels of distribution were to brick and mortar retail stores. The online selling of our products really started to gain traction 6–7 years ago. Then, over the last 2–3 years, we were selling our products to retail stores, who in turn became resellers on sites like Amazon. They became so successful with the Amazon selling that we were having difficulty maintaining our map pricing, or suggested retail. We also knew that we were leaving potential profit on the table for ourselves.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They quickly understood our challenge and laid out all of the alternatives. We're experimenting with everything, as far as driving consumers of our products on a Google search to our own website.

They even took a look at our current method of doing business and confirmed that we should be selling directly to the consumer; they understood that our online sales shouldn’t affect our brick-and-mortar sales.

What is the team composition?

We have three different specialists, and they’re very attentive. One person takes care of copy and photography. Another handled the logistics of letting our existing Amazon customers know that we're taking this storefront so that we can control the map pricing. She was very helpful and made sure that she knew our business 100%. 

How did you come to work with FountainheadME?

We thought we'd try a third-party company to handle Amazon sales. Then, we came across Fountainhead through a basic Google search; they were right at the top of the search results. I liked the way that they explained their services. Then, I really liked what I heard based on my initial conversation Pablo (Business Development). From there, I developed a pretty good working relationship with one of the founders.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started about two-and-a-half months ago, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They not only took us by the hand and showed us how to optimize all of our efforts on Amazon, but they’ve also helped us optimize our retail sales on our own website by generating a spend on Google that has turned out to be an unbelievable return for us. 

With their help, we’ve done more website sales in one month than we did over all of last year. They’re helping us try different things. Their expertise on Amazon and ability to get people like ourselves up and running in a very expedient way sets them apart.

How did FountainheadME perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t have to pay a retainer upfront or send payments a month in advance; we pay as we go, and that’s really helpful, especially for an operation like ours. We’re not sending a big check and then not knowing what they’re doing. They supply us with written reports and email us with every single docket. They make it very easy for us to categorize what we’re spending on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. I’ve never seen an operation like theirs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Fountainhead not only got us up and running, but they taught us along the way. Jeff (VP) let us know that if we weren’t happy with the services that they were providing, they wanted to hear about it. They want their customers to be 100% happy and pleased with the results that they deliver. 

I was quite impressed with Jeff's approach to understanding where we were as a company, having never sold on Amazon. Fountainhead has experts in every field, from the preparation of photography, right through to execution on word copy and certainly the layout that was required for our storefront on Amazon. It would have taken us forever to do so. They laid it out and put it in plain, simple language for folks like us who had no Amazon knowledge. 

Another good thing about them is that their category experts do their homework on us. When I get on a call with a new expert or specialist, they already know who we are, what we sell, and our price points and margins. They’re just good people to work with. They’re extremely friendly. When we ask a question and they don’t have the answer for us, they have it within an hour. They listen to us and put that into action.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of one. When I’m dealing with a supplier, I’d usually say they could improve their pricing, but Fountainhead’s pricing is extremely reasonable for what they do for us. They’ve done a superior job and jumped over hurdles to make sure we’re happy.

Any advice for potential customers?

I’ve recommended Fountainhead to a couple of other manufacturers that were in the same situation as us; they just didn’t know how to navigate through the Amazon maze with their consumer goods products. They were also lacking in their own web sales. I told both companies to check out Fountainhead. One of the companies is in Ireland; they’ve signed on with Fountainhead, and they’re just as pleased as us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director of a sunglasses brand. We sell our products on various platforms, including Amazon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FountainheadME?

We engaged FountainheadME to manage our Amazon advertising.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

FountainheadME managed our Amazon ads and conducted product optimization. They got one of our brands registered with Amazon Brand Registry.

What is the team composition?

I’d say that we worked with around three people.

How did you come to work with FountainheadME?

We found out about them through a trade show. After initiating a conversation with them, they gave me a no-charge evaluation of our web presence. I valued their opinions and insights in our discussions and decided to engage them fully.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $4,000–$5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged them in February, and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were skeptical at first about spending money on ad optimization. Then, one day, sales started flowing in quite rapidly. It took us about 2–3 months before we saw an ROI on our ad spend.

How did FountainheadME perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve performed well, and communication has been fairly smooth. I just reach out to my contact via email whenever I need to.

Every billing period, they send me a complete account of how much time was spent on each task. In our meetings, their project manager gives me an overview of everything that their team is working on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate that they try to be sensitive to our budget and what we can afford. I’ve spoken with them, and they try to stay within our financial parameters as a small business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. The couple of times that I had a concern, I talked to them about it, and they took care of it right away. Our account manager is very responsive and prompt in addressing issues. I haven’t had any complaints that didn’t go unsolved after a few minutes of effort.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go in with a clear understanding of how much money per month that you can spend on their services. Figure out what services would give you the most bang-for-the-buck within that budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Clarity, a boutique inspirational and spiritual lifestyle brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fountainhead Marketing Engineers?

I hired Fountainhead Marketing Engineers to develop my e-commerce site and provide digital marketing services. I wasn’t making sales on my existing Wix site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fountainhead Marketing Engineers set up my vendor account on Amazon and listed my products. They re-designed my e-commerce site and migrated it from Wix to WooCommerce. Their team also did ads on Facebook, including a PPC campaign.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Camron (Business Development Associate, Fountainhead Marketing Engineers), Ryan (CEO and Founder, Fountainhead Marketing Engineers), and Laura (CMO, Fountainhead Marketing Engineers).

How did you come to work with Fountainhead Marketing Engineers?

I had been working with a publicist who didn’t know a lot about Amazon. He also charged me monthly, but I wasn’t seeing the results that I was paying for. I found Fountainhead Marketing Engineers online, and they seemed to know a lot about Amazon. They also offered a clear billing system, where we’d approve all of their hours.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $15,000­–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together spanned March–June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I now have a user-friendly and functional e-commerce site. The design is not only aesthetically pleasing but also matches my brand. Fountainhead Marketing Engineers set me up for success as my company continues to grow. The Facebook PPC campaign has paid for itself.

How did Fountainhead Marketing Engineers perform from a project management standpoint?

I would rank them highly for project management. I received a weekly follow-up phone call. We also communicated via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They proposed great marketing ideas. I was impressed by how creative their Facebook ads were.

Any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend specifying one contact person within Fountainhead Marketing Engineers.