Pathos Ethos

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a training services company that helps people improve their executive and authentic presence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pathos Ethos?

We wanted to solve our branding and marketing problems through a new website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pathos Ethos designed and developed a new website on WordPress for my business and created an entire brand identity and logo from scratch. We went through a research and discovery process, which included interviews, meetings, and brainstorming sessions.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with around four people, including a head designer, CEO, COO, and assistants.

How did you come to work with Pathos Ethos?

They were part of our same co-working space community. We chose them because they’re locally-based and seemed to understand the vision of my business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We receive positive feedback from our clients and people in general, saying that our business has a before and after thanks to Pathos Ethos’ work. They were able to sort and simplify our line of work and take it to a professional level — people are blown away.

How did Pathos Ethos perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great; we have weekly updates, and the process has been thorough and fluid. In terms of communication, we do in-person meetings and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their team is the best part of working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their communication.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be as open as possible with the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the general manager of American Underground, which was a Google for Startups tech hub that focused on workspaces. We strove to connect entrepreneurs to the resources that they needed to grow their companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pathos Ethos?

Pathos Ethos worked with me across a couple of phases in different companies, providing software development and branding services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

I first worked with Pathos Ethos while at a sister company called Big Top that was about connecting talent in the region to make it easier for people to find jobs across the startup community. Our platform gave centralized access to job seekers and startups. Pathos Ethos’ team helped us build out part of the software in addition to evolving the brand that we’d acquired. The new image needed to represent what the company was while also demonstrating how we were moving into a new season.

When I moved into my role at American Underground, it was about rebranding the company to be more relevant. We were about 10 years old at that point and wanted to show how far we’d come. 

Pathos Ethos led many design sessions to really articulate our vision and how we wanted the brand to feel. Besides doing the logos and graphics, they helped centralize all of our marketing strategies, creating a marketing and brand narrative guide for future designers. They even led trainings to help my team understand our sales funnel.

In a way, we were also taking the tech that we’d built with Big Top and folding it into the new American Underground platform. We spent a good bit of time on wireframing, especially with the bigger technical components. They thought through how we could design the platform in a way where it could evolve over time.

What is the team composition? 

I worked with Isaac (CEO & Co-Founder), Sam (COO & Co-Founder), and Alex (Creative Director). Mckayla (Former Project Manager) was also in touch with me on a daily basis. Behind the scenes, there were a few developers who would get involved.

How did you come to work with Pathos Ethos?

The editor of our subsidiary in the media space had found them. They were auditing Pathos Ethos’ team to make sure that the work we were getting was good. When I starting running everything, I had to decide whether or not I wanted to keep working with them.

The main reason I kept them was their commitment to educating our decision-makers on the different factors that can come into play. As a result, I felt empowered and confident as to how I was choosing to spend resources because they helped me understand how things would work behind the scenes. That was a success in and of itself because, without that technical knowledge, we would just be guessing.

Another reason was that they were committed to thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion. That was a top priority for us because we wanted to build the most equitable platform possible. I appreciated that I didn’t have to convince them of that because they were already leading from that standpoint.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $200,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

For this role, I’d worked with them from 2018–2020. Even though I’ve left my organization, I still work with them on other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pathos Ethos made sure that we could use what we’d invested in. They were really good at thinking about how to build software while minimizing the possibility of technical debt. And, as I mentioned before, they were committed to building an equitable platform while making sure we weren’t wasting our time nor money. 

I believe we ended up with the most holistic product that we could’ve gotten as a result. The fact that we could take what was built for one type of company, merge it into a new platform, and then continue to use it as a revenue stream was a huge benefit.

How did Pathos Ethos perform from a project management standpoint?

I really saw Pathos Ethos as an extension of our team — they didn’t feel like a distant consultant to me. They were growing while we were growing, and we were both mutually figuring things out. There was just a constant dialogue around how to improve so that, if something wasn’t working, we could make a quick shift to resolve it. Our wins were theirs and vice versa. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

There was something about their ability to deliver both on the technical side with the product and the people side that was really unique. I could go on and on, but their character stood out. They joined us for team events at times, and I now consider them my friends in a way. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Any areas that needed to improve were just growth problems, which you can’t avoid when you’re growing fast. However, because they talked everything through with us, it almost made those instances not a problem.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more you can see them as an extension of your team, the more value you’ll get. You need to be clear about the outcomes that you’re looking for so that they can help guide where resources are going. 

The education piece is a really big one. There were times when I wasn’t sure how to make a decision, and they helped me think through the process. If you aren’t valuing or utilizing what they bring to the table from an education standpoint, then they’re not going to get the full extent of what Pathos Ethos can bring.

Finally, you should be transparent about if you want to see something different. They’re so easy to work with, but if you don’t ask for what you need, you’re not going to get it. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the former Executive Director of Digital Marketing at Willow Creek Association, which leads an annual Christian leadership summit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pathos Ethos?

We wanted to create a mobile app for our Global Leadership Summit that has an attendance of about 400,000 people from around the world each year. We wanted the app to improve attendee engagement and serve as a digital brochure.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pathos Ethos developed a mobile app from scratch for both iOS and Android. They included a CMS that allowed for push notifications, the ability to run polls in real time, and live content management.

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with Isaac Park [CEO and Co-founder, Pathos Ethos] and Sam Park [COO and Co-founder, Pathos Ethos].

How did you come to work with Pathos Ethos?

They were highly recommended to us and offered a fair price point for the value they delivered.

What is the status of this engagement?

They developed the app in 3 months, from April to July 2015, and we rehired them in 2016 to update and refresh the app for the following season. We no longer work with them, as we've moved app development capabilities in-house.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Around 25,000-30,000 attendees downloaded the app, which received over a 4-star rating in both Apple and Android app stores. Overall, we've been very pleased with the interface and the customer service they've provided.

How did Pathos Ethos perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided some of the best project management I've ever experienced. I spoke to both Isaac and Sam frequently as the project progressed via email, phone, and in-person meetings to go over milestones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided optimal customer service—I felt like they were a true partner throughout the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we loved working with them. We would've hired them again if we hadn't developed internal capabilities to develop and manage apps.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if it's about something outside of their wheelhouse. Both Sam and Isaac are very methodical and thoughtful—they can figure out a solution to most technological or business problems as needed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the Executive Director of DurhamCares. We're an organization that fosters collaboration, develops leaders, and educates people about how to care for their neighbors in holistic ways. We work primarily with churches to encourage community engagement.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pathos Ethos?

Our organization had been through a number of changes. We lost our primary source of funding and the previous director moved to a different job. During this transition period, we hired Pathos Ethos to help us develop a long-term strategy for our organization and ground the messaging of our various programs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They honed our messaging to appeal to a broad audience that included our staff, board members, community members, and organizing partners. They helped not only describe what we do but also fine-tune our long-term priorities. While crafting this strategy, they also redesigned our website to help us better communicate our mission statement.

What is the team composition?

I interacted with their staff but worked primarily with their CEO, Isaac Park. I also spoke frequently with Alex Quinonez [Creative Director, Pathos Ethos], who redesigned the website.

How did you come to work with Pathos Ethos?

They created our website four years ago, so we were already a client before I started with the company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our company first worked with Pathos Ethos in 2012. This most recent project lasted from April 2017 to December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're very happy with the work they've done. They helped us through a difficult time. People were unclear about our organization’s goals and, in fact, weren’t sure if we were still operational. The strategy Pathos Ethos developed has given us a concrete five-year plan to present to our stakeholders. It’s been inspiring and will ultimately help with fundraising efforts.

They also took a thorough approach to the website. They considered how our audience interacts with the web and created an aesthetic that accurately conveys our mission statement. We’ve gotten a great response from community members.

How did Pathos Ethos perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive to our needs, but also took proactive steps to ensure the project stayed on track. As the Director of a nonprofit, I can get lost in my work, so Pathos Ethos was critical in advancing the project at an appropriate pace.

We communicated by phone, email, and face-to-face meetings. We also used video chat to touch base every week and conduct more detailed meetings every two weeks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They approach problems from a holistic perspective. Instead of offering boilerplate solutions, they took time to understand our organization to develop a customized strategy that best fit our needs.

It also helps that they have a personable team. This makes them fun to work with, but, more importantly, it also creates a comfortable environment for brainstorming. They listened to our needs and made suggestions, but were also receptive to our feedback if we disagreed. That combination of assertiveness and flexibility is really valuable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate to reach out to them. Start the conversation and they’ll not only help you determine your priorities, they’ll also work with you financially and strategically. They may come up with creative solutions you hadn't considered.