OAK THEORY

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Charleston Education Partners, a nonprofit organization that works with families and communities to build the schools their neighborhoods envision by removing barriers, investing resources, and advocating for excellent education so that every child, regardless of where they live, can succeed.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OAK THEORY?

As a startup nonprofit, I was looking for a firm that could assist with branding and help clearly articulate our vision and mission to our audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

OAK THEORY created a logo and a website for us. The website was thoughtfully designed, incorporating every element I had envisioned. In addition, they developed our letterhead and social media templates.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a co-owner.

How did you come to work with OAK THEORY?

I found OAK THEORY through an online search. I selected them from the other vendors because, during my initial meeting, I met with a co-owner of the company, which I appreciated. She also asked a question that none of the other vendors did: “Tell me about your audience.”

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2025–January 2026.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The measurable outcomes of the project with OAK THEORY included the successful delivery of all agreed-upon deliverables within the established timeline. A detailed project plan and timeline were presented at the outset of the engagement, providing clear benchmarks for progress. Throughout the project, the project manager and team, including a co-owner, met with me frequently. After each meeting, I received detailed notes outlining completed tasks, measurable outcomes achieved, and items that were pending or scheduled for future phases. This consistent documentation allowed for transparent tracking of progress. Their strong communication practices and timely completion of deliverables demonstrated that the project remained on track from start to finish and met the goals established at the beginning of the engagement. After development, I was able to share the logo designs and website content with a variety of stakeholders to gather input. The team thoughtfully incorporated my feedback, and when certain ideas could not be implemented, I trusted their professional judgment because of the strong, collaborative relationship we had built. The site was only recently launched; however, we are already noticing traction, which is exciting. Over the course of the project, qualitative feedback consistently reflected the strength of the partnership and the impact of the work. Hannah (Co-Founder & CEO) and her team never felt like a traditional firm; they felt like true partners in the process. At the start of the project, Hannah visited the area to better understand our audience, community, and local culture. The thoughtful and intentional questions the team asked before any design work began pushed me to narrow my focus and clarify my priorities, which ultimately led to a final design I was truly proud of. This level of care, cultural understanding, and collaboration stood out. OAK THEORY was the best firm I had worked with, and their approach made a meaningful difference in both the process and the outcome.

How did OAK THEORY perform from a project management standpoint?

OAK THEORY’s project management was organized, transparent, and highly effective. They established clear timelines and deliverables at the start of the project and consistently met each milestone. The team communicated regularly, provided detailed follow-up notes after meetings, and clearly outlined completed tasks and next steps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their ability to balance strategy, creativity, and genuine partnership. They took the time to deeply understand our audience, community, and culture before beginning any design work, which was rare.Their thoughtful questioning helped me refine my focus and make intentional decisions, resulting in work that felt authentic and aligned with our mission. Throughout the project, they operated not as a vendor, but as trusted partners — bringing expertise, honesty, and care to every interaction. That combination made the experience both unique and impactful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were perfect!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Director, Communications and Marketing for a university.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire OAK THEORY to accomplish?

• Redesign and refresh Campus Dining website

SOLUTION

How did you find OAK THEORY?

Referral

Why did you select OAK THEORY over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from OAK THEORY were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Design, build, and configure website for our University Campus Dining, and other projects as assigned, to include: 
Discovery and onboarding  
Content & Sitemap audit with Stakeholder workshop/meeting 
Content refresh, design and build for 5 x gold pages (TBC which pages) 
Website build of additional pages (Content to be provided by VU team including direction on which 5 blogs are to be migrated from the current website)  
Catering microsite is included within SOW and will be built on a separate domain 
CMS tutorial to Handover website for future uploads 
Includes 2 rounds of amends at each stage and 1 extra day of development time for a 3rd round of amends where needed in project 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

On-time launch

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was great; the Oak Theory team was clear about objectives, milestones, and deliverables.  Regular status meetings were held to ensure mutual accountability to the project plan, and they kept us well on track.  Overall, great response to needs/questions, and Oak Theory delivered the project on time.

What was your primary form of communication with OAK THEORY?

Virtual Meeting

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

Professional approach, and attention to detail. Additionally, OAK THEORY was familiar with our web standards, so working with them felt like an extension of our team.

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

Not really.  Our project manager left the company mid-project, but the handoff and transtion was seamless.  The Oak Theory team really didn't miss a beat.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Marketing of One Million Degrees

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

One Million Degrees accelerates community college students’ progress on career pathways to economic mobility.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire OAK THEORY to accomplish?

• To rebrand our organization
• To use the new, refreshed brand to build a new website
• To build and maintain a retainer agreement for ongoing website maintenance and design.

SOLUTION

How did you find OAK THEORY?

Online Search

Why did you select OAK THEORY over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from OAK THEORY were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

1.       Brand Identity Refresh

·       Assess our existing brand identity and propose improvements to align with our mission.

·       Design a new logo and update other brand assets (color palette, typography, etc.) as necessary.

·       Develop a comprehensive style guide that outlines the usage guidelines for our brand assets.

·       Provide templates for various marketing materials (brochures, presentations, etc.) consistent with the new brand identity.

2.       Website Redesign

·       Conduct a thorough analysis of our current website's strengths, weaknesses, and user behavior.

·       Develop a modern and visually appealing website design that reflects our brand identity.

·       Create wireframes and prototypes to demonstrate the website's structure and functionality, focusing on UX/UI for all OMD audiences.

·       Make recommendation for a form handler platform that integrates with our Salesforce CRM and marketing automation platform and help us implement this platform across the website.

·       Optimize the website for search engines (SEO) and ensure adherence to web accessibility standards.

·       Integrate social media channels and implement features that promote user engagement.

·       Support and advise on the OMD content strategy. 

·       Implement a user-friendly CMS that enables our team to manage and update website content easily.

·       Provide training and documentation on CMS usage for our staff.

3.       In addition to this work, there is also the potential to support OMD Marketing’s graphic design needs on an ongoing basis.

Deliverables: 

·       Brand and website audit

·       Proposed brand refresh strategy 

·       Logo design 

·       Brand book (fonts, color palettes, logo usage, etc.)

·       Brand templates (Business cards, emails, letterhead, etc.)

·       New website:

o   Site architecture

o   Wireframing

o   Copywriting consultation and collaboration 

o   Redirects if necessary 

o   CRM/Marketing automation integration 

o   Form building 

o   Google Analytics integration 

o   Security 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our initial brand refresh and website redesign launched on time and on budget. Since then, we've seen massive increases in our online presecnes, and have had a very positive reaction to our new brand. Our social media followers have grown (by over 10% year over year), and our website traffice has increased by over half. 

Additionally, because of our continued retainer relationship with Oak Theory, we continue to improve and build our site. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Our team was incredibly organized and treated our timelines and due dates very seriously! Our project manager is communicative, and all our needs are met easily and on time.

What was your primary form of communication with OAK THEORY?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

From the initital RFP to the final execution of our brand and website, I felt seen, understood, taken seriously, and valued by everyone at Oak Theory. One of the reasons we chose to go with them was the fact that their women of color owned, and because we felt our values really aligned. That remains true today, and they are just wonderfully pleasant to work with as well!

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

Overall, we were thrilled with the work and continue to love working with Oak Theory. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Director of a nonprofit organization.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our organization increases access to opportunity for entrepreneurs of color and women by investing in their ventures and leadership while advocating for fairness in their funding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire OAK THEORY to accomplish?

• Create a 10-Year Impact Report

SOLUTION

How did you find OAK THEORY?

Referral

Why did you select OAK THEORY over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from OAK THEORY were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

This project involves our organization's development of a strategic communication asset to strengthen their storytelling, stakeholder engagement, and advocacy efforts. The initiative addresses our need to effectively showcase their decade-long impact and organizational journey through a comprehensive milestone publication. The 10-Year Impact Report offers a reflective retrospective of our achievements, evolution, and long-term outcomes over the past decade while articulating their vision for the future. This publication serves as a vital tool for communicating our organization's mission-driven work to funders, partners, and the broader community they serve, solidifying their legacy in supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs and innovators.

Key deliverable:

• Creation of a 10-Year Impact Report that effectively captures our story, impact, and vision, serving as a powerful asset for stakeholder engagement and organizational advocacy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The 10-Year Impact Report generated significant traffic to our website, specifically from users seeking to view and engage with the report's content. This increased visibility translated into measurable newsletter subscription conversions, expanding our reach to stakeholders interested in receiving ongoing updates about our organization's work. The digital engagement metrics clearly demonstrate the report's effectiveness as a storytelling and outreach tool, achieving our goal of strengthening stakeholder connections. These outcomes validate our investment in creating a comprehensive milestone publication that both celebrates our legacy and creates new pathways for audience engagement.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Oak Theory established and maintained an excellent project management approach throughout the development of our 10-Year Impact Report. They implemented a regular communication cadence that kept all stakeholders informed and aligned on project progress. Their communication was consistently clear and effective, whether through asynchronous channels like email and Slack or during synchronous meetings and presentations. Most impressively, they met all established deadlines without exception, demonstrating reliable time management and organizational skills. Throughout the project lifecycle, they showed exceptional responsiveness by thoroughly incorporating our feedback at every step of the process, ensuring the final deliverable perfectly aligned with our vision and requirements.

What was your primary form of communication with OAK THEORY?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What truly sets Oak Theory apart is their exceptional combination of modern design aesthetic and technical expertise that brought our 10-Year Impact Report to life with visual sophistication and narrative clarity. Beyond their creative capabilities, we found their values alignment with ours to be remarkably genuine and reflected in every aspect of their work and interactions. Their human-centered approach to the project meant they consistently prioritized understanding our audience's needs and perspectives, resulting in a final product that resonates deeply with stakeholders while authentically representing our organization's mission and journey.

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

No areas of improvement at this time.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on June 30, 2023.

Selam Kebrom
Conscious Tech Senior Lead, Camelback Ventures
Education
New Orleans, Louisiana
11-50
Nov 2022 - May 2023
$50,000 to $199,999
Verified

Project summary
A venture capital firm hired OAK THEORY to design an online platform for entrepreneurs. This involved platform research, competitive analysis, user research, product design, and development based on findings.

Feedback summary
OAK THEORY successfully designed, developed, and launched the online platform, pleasing the client. The team managed the engagement effectively and kept the project on track and schedule. Moreover, their members were communicative via Slack and had truly fantastic design and development skills.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Conscious Tech Senior Lead of Camelback Ventures

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Camelback Ventures invests in historically marginalized social entrepreneurs who are BIPOC, women and nonbinary. In addition, we work with White funders who are ready to critically examine and deepen their and their organization's commitment to racial and gender equity so that they might channel more capital to diverse founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire OAK THEORY to accomplish?

• Design an online platform for the entrepreneurs who have participated in our Fellowship. We want it to serve as a resource that will support them to grow their social ventures.

SOLUTION

How did you find OAK THEORY?

Referral

Why did you select OAK THEORY over others?

• Company values aligned
• UX and development skills

How many teammates from OAK THEORY were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Platform research: investigated our current platform, conducted a competitive analysis of options on the market + made recommendations based on our needs and the offerings on the market
• User research: developed research plan + conducted research with our fellows, alumni and Camelback staff 
• Design and build: developed a platform based on research findings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Designed, developed and launched The Stoop.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Oak Theory assigned us a project manager who scheduled our meetings, kept the project moving forward and on schedule, and made sure we completed our actions. Yes, they delivered items on time. Oak Theory also made it very easy for us to connect via Slack, even after the project ended.

What was your primary form of communication with OAK THEORY?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We're impressed by the fact that OAK THEORY reflects the diversity of the founders we serve at Camelback Ventures. Also, the fact that Oak Theory has design and development skills, which is fantastic.

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

I understand that Oak Theory is a design company but highly stylized documents aren't necessary after workshops; Google docs are just fine and are actually much easier to share across teams than InDesign.

STAR RATINGS
Overall rating: 5
Quality: 5
Cost: 5
Schedule: 5
Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of 3Roots

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

3Roots is an ecosystem where artists bring stories to life, funders believe in the power of stories, and partners connect audiences with stories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire OAK THEORY to accomplish?

• Build Brand (and logo)
• Build Website
• Build company language + tone

SOLUTION

How did you find OAK THEORY?

Online Search

Why did you select OAK THEORY over others?

• Great culture fit
• Nice presentation

How many teammates from OAK THEORY were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of the work consisted of a Discovery Workshop, Visual ID Development, & 3Roots Landing Page.

Deliverables included

• Strategy Discovery Workshop
• Visual ID + Development
• 3Roots Landing Page
• Handoff + Delivery

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

● Define Business Overview & Industry Goals
● 1x round of light competitor research and analysis of target audience
● Company positioning analysis and insights
● 1x Strategy workshop
● 1x insights summary PDF

● Create 2 mood boards for visual inspiration
● Handmade logo for launch of “3Roots” (3 options)
● Finalize brand elements:
○ Color palette
○ Fonts
○ Iconography
○ Photography & imagery direction
● Packaged branding guidelines

●  2 visual site design directions 
●  Integrate email plug-ins 
●  Design a Website CTA Landing page on either Webflow or WordPress 
●  Include 3 Core sections 
●  Web & mobile responsive views 
●  1x Designed 3Roots Landing page 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their project management was exceptional. They consistently delivered items on time, provided regular and timely updates, and demonstrated flexibility by accommodating changes to my schedule and timeline. Their responsiveness and adaptability made the entire process smooth and stress-free.

What was your primary form of communication with OAK THEORY?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

OAK THEORY's quality of ideas and work was impressive.

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

It would have been nice to get a hello or thank you from one of the founders just to be able to have a connection with senior leaders of the company.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Jayla Health Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Jayla Health is a virtual clinic that helps menopausal women test their hormones and treat their symptoms from home. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire OAK THEORY to accomplish?

• Build the first version of the Jayla website

SOLUTION

How did you find OAK THEORY?

UpWork

Why did you select OAK THEORY over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from OAK THEORY were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of the work consists of a Web Redesign, Development & Lite Branding Package.

Milestones:

• Milestone 1: Onboarding & Discovery (1 week)
• Milestone 2: Visual ID Development(2 weeks)
• Milestone 3: Website Design & SEO Content (2-3 weeks)
• Milestone 4: Website Development(3 weeks)
• Deployment: Handoff & Delivery (~1 week)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Please see the project deliverables below:
Milestone 1: Onboarding & Discovery (1 week)

• Current site architecture review and customer journey mapping
• Brand positioning recommendations

Milestone 2: Visual ID Development(2 weeks)

• 2 brand moods
• Refreshed handmade logo for “Jayla” (3 options)
• Finalized branding elements
• Packaged Branding Guidelines

Milestone 3: Website Design & SEO Content(2-3 weeks)

• 2 visual site design directions
• Website flow and site map
• Distinguished journeys for site visitors with CTA elements
• Designed website pages
• SEO copywriting optimization (with copy + content provided by client)
• Analytics integrations
• Mobile & Web Responsive Views

Milestone 4: Website Development(3 weeks)

• Development build out via Webflow
• Integration of G4 functionality and ensure adherence to accessibility standards.
• Q/A & Test website functionality & user experience across devices and browsers
• Conduct final reviews and optimization prior to launch
• CMS Integrations

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Items were delivered on time and sometimes ahead of schedule. The team was incredibly responsive and detailed, which was fantastic given the tight timeline. 

What was your primary form of communication with OAK THEORY?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The team is very organized and communicated well across different functionalities. The team was very responsive to our opinions, but was also able to translate our vision in a way that made sense design and functionality-wise.  

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

There could have been slightly better communication around the scope of the backend work, but that's if I absolutely had to nitpick. Their team was incredible to work with and delivered a beautifully designed website. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer of

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a membership association for Black and African American professionals in insurance and risk management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire OAK THEORY to accomplish?

• Create a new visual identity and accompanying assets

SOLUTION

How did you find OAK THEORY?

Online Search

Why did you select OAK THEORY over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from OAK THEORY were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Create a visual identity and branding for the national office and each chapter. Key deliverables:

• assessment of current brand and emotional resonance 
• logo design 
• brand colors and typography
• national and chapter logos 
• style guide 
• design validation testing 
• brand assets

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• 95%+ chapter adoption of the new brand 
• Utilization of the assets 
• 100% national board approval of the new design

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The Oak Theory team was wonderful to work with on this project. In the beginning, they recommended assigning a dedicated project manager on our side to manage timelines and deliverables with their dedicated project manager and that proved to be wonderful!

What was your primary form of communication with OAK THEORY?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We loved OT’s approach. Our feedback and feedback from key stakeholders in our association we’re carefully considered and intentionally integrated at every stage.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Business Development & Partnerships of Lynx

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Operated the an embedded fintech platform for healthcare use cases.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire OAK THEORY to accomplish?

• Put together a beautiful RFP executive summary
• Help us tell the story of our company visually

SOLUTION

How did you find OAK THEORY?

Referral

Why did you select OAK THEORY over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from OAK THEORY were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Design a 20-slide executive summary presentation that accompanied RFP responses for a prospect.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

CEO's positive impression of the output (and RFP outcome (still outstanding).

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes! Oak Theory delivered all items on time and was proactive about communicating activities and timelines. Slack communication during the product was a big help in keeping the project on track and making sure the output was in line with our expectations (which it was!)

What was your primary form of communication with OAK THEORY?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The willingness to jump in. I've worked with Oak Theory before but this request was an unusual one for us. I really appreciated the team's willingness to listen to my needs and figure out a way to meet them.

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

At the onset of the project I would find it helpful if we talked through what isn't included in the scope of work as well as what is included. It should be obvious, but it's always good to overly communicate.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and COO of an enterprise SaaS fintech company. We provide data processing and machine learning as a service for financial services in sub-Saharan Africa. Our company serves data to everything from banks to credit bureaus to fintech to lenders so that they can make better lending decisions for their customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OAK THEORY?

We hired them to do repositioning and a soft rebrand of our company. To better our service for our customers and to convert potential customers, we needed to reposition our website and make it very clear what we were selling. Our goal was to use the existing colors and language we had already built and bring that image to life through our website, making our site easier for self-service and our enterprise sales stream.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

OAK THEORY has provided us with rebranding and web design services. We started with a workshop to help the team better understand our business and the project's scope. From there, they put together a project plan with workshops and the goals and outcomes of each workshop. Their plan outlined how they would convert our branding into a website design. 

We worked together in week-long sprints on the website's UI/UX design; they used Figma. OAK THEORY has delivered all the design assets to us, and our website is currently in development. 

What is the team composition?

We've worked with Hannah and Veronica (Co-Founders), Amina (Project Manager), and Liz (Account Strategist), who makes sure everything goes to plan and runs our meetings.

How did you come to work with OAK THEORY?

Hannah reached out to us in January 2021, but we weren't ready to speak with them or go through a rebrand yet. When this project came around, we decided to engage OAK THEORY. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent a little over $30,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around June 2022, and our engagement is ongoing because we want to do more work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

OAK THEORY has created a website design that can help us convert more customers and better show off our brand. Despite not having deep market context in what our company does, they've been really good at articulating our service and visually expressing how we're trying to sell and position the product. We don't have any metrics because we haven't launched the website yet. 

How did OAK THEORY perform from a project management standpoint?

They've performed very well from a project management standpoint. We use Slack to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm impressed with OAK THEORY's great communication skills. I also appreciate that they stick to deadlines and work hard to achieve them. Moreover, when they've missed the mark on something, they've had no ego when we communicated that to them. For example, we had two issues within a week, and they addressed them and came back with something much better and more aligned with what we wanted. The team went above and beyond to correct those mistakes, which was really wonderful. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't see much that they need to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have a dedicated project manager. We've used our head of marketing to spearhead the project and ensure that everyone stayed aligned and that there was one-to-one engagement from departmental and company objective perspectives. 

You should also ensure that your project manager has enough influence with the stakeholders to keep the project on a serious schedule and turn things around in the required time. Luckily, we have someone like that in our organization, which is part of why our engagement has gone so well. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Carrington Creative Company. We provide software engineering solutions for startup companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OAK THEORY?

I hired Oak Theory for their branding services. I was looking to build my presence on social media, particularly on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. I wanted to figure out how to appropriately brand myself and build a brand that differentiates me from other people in my field.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

OAK THEORY held two branding workshops, which were primarily just one-on-one conversations between us. The first workshop lasted about an hour and a half and was more of an exploratory session to figure out my entrepreneurial psychology. This included my figuring out my mission statement, how I see myself and the world, the problem I wanted to solve, and why solving it was important to me. A couple of weeks later, the second workshop was focused more on figuring out the brand I am building, my target audience, pricing, and a little bit about the products and services that I offer.

Moreover, their team challenged me to think about other brands and how they were perceived by other people. We went through this one particular part of their workshop where I had to decide on a spectrum of different attributes and where I was on that spectrum as a brand. One of the attributes was whether I was innocent or sophisticated. It was a scale, and I could kind of move the scale on where I was on that spectrum. This helped me realize that I can be very vibrant and colorful, but also sophisticated.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people from their end — Hannah (Co-Founder) was my main point of contact, and Veronica (Co-Founder) accompanied her during the workshop.

How did you come to work with OAK THEORY?

I met them through an app called Clubhouse.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $1,200.

What is the status of the engagement?

We worked together on this project from October–November 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't have any key metrics; however, from a non-tangible standpoint, they helped me think through my brand and gain the confidence to be authentic and try different social channels. They also gave me a voice and helped me have the confidence to carry that voice out across various distribution channels.

How did OAK THEORY perform from a project management standpoint?

Every task was delivered promptly. The processing and payments were pretty fast and smooth as well. We communicated through Zoom and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their comprehensiveness was great, and they challenged me to ask myself questions I would never have thought of. Overall, the duo of Hannah and Veronica worked well together — both of them asked the same questions in different ways that resonated with me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

After this project, I felt like I had enough information to start building my brand. However, it would’ve been pretty awesome if they also offered me guidance on the next steps to take.

Any advice for potential customers?

Provide them with constructive feedback so that they are aware of the areas they need to work on.