Perpetual

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m on the operating side of an online, direct-to-consumer furniture business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Perpetual?

We needed to create an e-commerce site to launch our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Perpetual provided both frontend and backend development for our mobile-optimized site. They used Shopify, but we had specific product needs–including an unusual amount of variance–which required a lot of customization on top of the standard Shopify template.

What is the team composition?

We've working with three people, including a manager, frontend developer, and UX designer.

How did you come to work with Perpetual?

They were referred to us by a branding agency we work with. We trusted their recommendation, so we hired them and haven’t found need to work with any other developers.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2017 and our relationship is ongoing. The site launched in September and we keep them on a retainer contract because we've had such a good experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Like any new website, we're constantly seeking feedback from users to optimize the UX. In terms of development, the website functions without any glitches and we've received zero complaints.

How did Perpetual perform from a project management standpoint?

We're very satisfied with their work. If there was ever a bug, they caught the error and fixed it immediately. We never had an issue with deadlines and they were always available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very good at helping the client prioritize and hone in on their exact goals. They also hold themselves accountable. They've gone above and beyond, and I would very much recommend them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, no. We're really happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The fact that they have both frontend and backend capabilities makes Perpetual a reliable partner for any startup. As an outsourced development team, they’ve been excellent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My business is Baumer Designs, and it's a web development consulting firm. I do most of the work, but I have a few subcontractors, and we build custom software for various clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Perpetual?

A medical school department had hired me to build out a piece of software and I was overloaded with other client projects at the time. I subcontracted Perpetual to build out the software while I performed due diligence and oversaw the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The software the client wanted was edX, an e-learning platform that lets students and instructors post course content. My client was repurposing it to distribute medical content to people in third world countries, so Perpetual did some custom coding in addition to the overall setup.

What is the team composition?

It wasn't a large project, so I worked with a project manager and one developer, although there was a second developer who helped out briefly.

How did you come to work with Perpetual?

I had built a prototype for my client, so I knew what the project entailed. While I could have done the work myself, I didn't have the manpower nor the expertise to turn it around quickly, so I decided to reach out to a third party by drawing from edX's list of preferred coding vendors. I talked with about 5 firms before choosing Perpetual.

As someone who builds software, I know what I'm looking for. I liked their owner's technical background and straightforward manner, and he gave me good timeline estimates right away based on the detail I provided about the project. Of the vendors I reached out to, he was the most professional, and his pricing was also very fair.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere between $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in late August and it lasted four or five months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were installing a piece of open-source software, so about 95% of it didn't require any modification, but they handled the additional custom requirements well. The developer I worked with the most was very intelligent and produced quality work.

How did Perpetual perform from a project management standpoint?

They were highly communicative. They documented the project well and were clear about their handoff process. They also provided a clear timeline for deliverables and stuck to it. Everything was well-managed from their side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project itself was pretty straightforward, so I don't feel like this was an opportunity to really put their team to the test, but everything they did was very professional. They were responsive whenever I asked for something; their emails were concise and articulated well in terms of their needs or problems they encountered. Our process was efficient and I felt like I could trust them to deliver the work while I focused on my other projects. We didn't have to do much QA at the end, either, aside from the usual little tweaks. I've had issues with clients before where the end product doesn't feel complete or I've had to micromanage, but this went very smoothly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The project dragged on a little bit beyond our original timelines and they pushed to wrap it up quickly at the end, so I had to push back and request more time to finish my side of things before we declared it officially complete. I wouldn't say that was a negative experience, but it felt a bit forceful. It might've been due to the timing at the end of the year; they were trying to complete the project for Q4, which made sense, especially given the delay.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Finding the right vendor is tough. I'm lucky because I'm a developer myself and I can review the code or give clear, concise directions about what I need, but it's challenging for people without that background to even know where to begin. Even if you're not a developer, it helps to have somebody on your side who can check on the vendor and ensure they're on the right track. A lot of my work is actually performing due diligence on outside vendors—making sure the work proceeds properly and that the code is both logical and correct based on the demands of the project. But it can really be a crapshoot. Some of the people you get are amazing, but some are really bad. If you find someone good, hang onto their number and hire them for your next project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Turn the Wheel, an education and technology consulting company. We focus on education products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Perpetual?

We needed help in developing an online course platform for one of my clients. It’s a customized version of the Open edX platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The platform is a customized version of Open edX, which is an open source code for a learning platform where anyone can create courses. We can have our own website, but we use that underlying architecture to create courses that are available to anyone on the frontend. Anyone can customize the Open edX platform, but it takes a lot of engineering work.  

We worked with Perpetual to build the platform, but then the client wanted to try and finish the rest in house, so we had a six-month hiatus. However, the client didn’t have the expertise nor the bandwidth to complete it internally, so we went back to Perpetual to finish the project.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one project manager who was very good and responded promptly to us. There was also an entire offshore development team consisting of about three to four developers, but I didn’t spend as much time directly talking to them.

How did you come to work with Perpetual?

A trusted colleague recommended them to me.

At the time, we’d looked at a couple of other firms, but none were very responsive or seemed to have the same amount of Open edX development experience.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from September of 2016 to July of 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to build a functioning platform that allows admins to build courses into the back end and students to take courses on the front end. In other words, Perpetual successfully implemented the underlying course creation architecture (which includes features such as multiple-choice questions, HTML, polls, videos).

However, we weren’t able to finish some of the customized features, such as a dashboard that showed students’ progress in every course, because other issues came up that the client’s internal team couldn’t fix. This was supposed to be a joint effort between Perpetual and the client’s internal team, so when the internal team didn’t have the expertise to do something, Perpetual took over. The internal team was very happy with Perpetual and voiced how they couldn’t have deployed the customized Open edX platform without them. Unfortunately, these issues significantly changed the scope of work and a lot of important features that we had originally agreed on did not get completed.

This really showed the importance of having a technical expert liaise with the product visionary (me, in this case) to prioritize development efforts and manage everyone working on the project to make sure that the most important features are implemented. The changing scope of work was communicated to the internal team but not to me, so I was caught off-guard to hear that some features wouldn’t be implemented.

How did Perpetual perform from a project management standpoint?

I met with Perpetual’s project manager once a week to review development progress. We would test new features during the call, which would last 1-2 hours.

It would have been more efficient for the project manager to have a crystal clear understanding of what we needed to accomplish so that she could test features herself rather than needing me to test over the call. She would often see the new developments for the first time when we would run through them together. Whatever gets developed will have a ton of bugs, and then those bugs need to be tested and fixed. Oftentimes, when those bugs are fixed, some new bugs will develop, which requires a constant iteration process. It would have been great if the project manager could have tested these herself and flagged issues to the dev team, and then flagged for me only the features that she believed were working accurately so that I could test and approve only those rather than me going through every feature every time and finding all sorts of new bugs.

This way, the call can be maximized so that we focus only on approving completed features and defining the next development sprints.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transparency was really helpful, and it was impressive how quickly they responded. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they understand what things should look like, then they will develop it. It’s a matter of clear communication and checking in, as well as iteration. I can’t think of anything they could improve on because they have the project manager. It could be their responsibility to try and improve things, but if I were to do this over again, I would make sure there were more resources dedicated to them versus them trying to do anything different.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

One piece of advice I would give anyone working with any development company is that they need someone with technical expertise to manage them. They are like a machine, so it’s up to the client to make sure they are doing what is needed. Clients won’t know if the product is turning out as envisioned without a ton of communication.

It’s important to know what language they are planning to use, as well as what their stack and database are. This allows visibility into whether the company or developer is going to create the project in a lean, seamless way that allows for future builds. Talk to developers who have done this before to know what key questions need to be asked, and then figure out who will go about it the best way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Sahayta Charitable Welfare Society is a nonprofit organization that provides financial and emotional support to people afflicted with cancer. I am the founder and chairman of the U.S. chapter of this organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Perpetual?

We hired Perpetual to create an e-commerce site for us.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to: 1) Launch an e-commerce site through which we could sell greeting cards hand painted by patients and survivors supported by Sahayta; 2) link payments made on this website to our PayPal account; and 3) provide an easy way to track and measure traffic and customer conversion.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have worked at the same company as Perpetual's founder and knew first hand the quality of his work.

Describe the project in detail.

They designed the UI for the frontend, integrated a shopping cart solution, and integrated the payments to go to our PayPal accounts.

What was the team composition?

They provided one product manger, one developer, and one tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

Our regular donors are now ordering these greeting cards from our website, which has increased our organization's revenue by 10%.

How effective was the project management?

The team was very professional. They were quick to reply to emails and get on calls, gave realistic timelines, then met or exceeded them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They bring a unique mix of customer-first service, UI design, architecture, and frontend and backend development skills. It is usually hard to find one company that can do both the design and development to satisfaction.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

We were very happy with the results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CEO of an IT company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cybersecurity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Perpetual to accomplish?

• Website

SOLUTION

How did you find Perpetual?

Referral

Why did you select Perpetual over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Perpetual were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Create website

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Redesigned website increased traffic and visibility.

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

Yes, delivered on time. Exceeded expectations.

What was your primary form of communication with Perpetual?

Virtual Meeting

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

I was impressed with their commitment to perfection and customer satisfaction.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing director of The Black Crowes, a band.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Perpetual?

We needed to reskin our website to match our new album.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Perpetual has reskinned our website and provided custom coding. The team has updated the homepage with new images and logos and helped install a widget for new tour dates.

How did you come to work with Perpetual?

Perpetual was referred to me, and their pricing fit our budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Perpetual in January 2026, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Perpetual has delivered a functioning website where users can buy tickets.

How did Perpetual perform from a project management standpoint?

Perpetual has delivered on time. They are very responsive and easy to work with — Vishal is great. We communicate via virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Perpetual has a solid cost value and provides great help. The team is responsive and available. Our industry can be demanding at random times, and Perpetual has worked well with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

 I’m a strategy consultant for a non-profit literary organization. We distribute a quarterly review of high-end fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. We also facilitate writers workshops for students and professionals and host an annual gala.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Perpetual?

 We needed help resolving an open-ended design issue on our website that required a very specific kind of resolution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

 Perpetual has offered first-class design and development resources to help us implement a fix on our website. Their work has included a comprehensive design and competitive ecosystem audit with conclusions and recommendations, stakeholder interview questions and answer synthesis, design exploration, final design comps, tech audit, and tech deployment and QA. Tactically, Perpetual has helped us normalize and simplify our website’s navigation so we can turn it into a product feature on the site — the same with the archive page. Strategically, they’ve set up a roadmap for long-term digital optimizations that will drive the next generation of audience engagement with our 86-year-old literary institution.

What is the team composition?

 We’ve worked with more than three teammates from Perpetual.

How did you come to work with Perpetual?

 I’ve known Vishal for over a decade. We recently talked about this project I was working on, and he offered Perpetual’s services to help me in that effort. I’ve known about Perpetual for years and have been impressed by their client roster.

What is the status of this engagement?

 We worked with them from September–October 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

 Perpetual’s work has resulted in a happy end client and conversations about future work. The end client has also wanted to meet with members of our board to discuss future opportunities. This client engagement is going to grow, not stall out.

How did Perpetual perform from a project management standpoint?

 Perpetual’s project management has been very transparent, timely, and efficient. The team has even delivered ahead of schedule. We communicate via Slack, email, and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

 Perpetual has been extremely efficient, responsive, flexible, and open to feedback and curveballs from the end client. The team is genuinely nice, professional, and thorough.

Are there any areas they could improve?

 There’s nothing Perpetual could improve on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product at a company that offers self-directed digital wellness courses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Perpetual?

We needed to improve the UX of our platform and enhance our branding and design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Perpetual has been responsible for our design and UI needs.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 1–2 teammates from Perpetual.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Perpetual in August 2024, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Perpetual's work, we’ve seen measurable improvements in our conversion rates, click-through rates, and on-page metrics.

How did Perpetual perform from a project management standpoint?

Our communication has been excellent. We primarily use Slack. While our two designers are somewhat junior, they’ve been excellent and have received support from more senior teammates as needed. Overall, the team has delivered on time and responded well to our needs.

Perpetual has always been quick to respond and supportive. They’re collaborative, have a holistic approach, and lean on their experience from other projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When our first designer left for another job, Perpetual found a suitable and equally talented replacement within a week and a half.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's nothing to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a tech startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Perpetual?

We needed help building an initial prototype. As a business person, I didn’t have the technical skills required for product development and coding. I had been doing some no-code work and using tools like Figma, but I needed more proficient design and development resources. In short, I needed a proficient team to help me.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Perpetual outlined the scope of work, following a rigorous process over the course of 6–8 weeks. We worked on a mobile app's clickable prototype and its full design process. We intended to launch the app for Android and iOS.

I provided documentation of my vision and two prototypes I had built with Figma and Webflow. Those prototypes were meant to give Perpetual some directional guidance. We then had an initial discovery session and proceeded from there.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four people from Perpetual, including two people on the ground and two senior executives who helped us steer and guide the project.

How did you come to work with Perpetual?

I found Perpetual through an online search. I initially got in touch with around three companies. However, Perpetual had won several awards for being the best design shop in New York, so I reached out to them and had a great conversation with Amish, their CEO.

He explained the process and wasn’t too pushy or salesy. We had a really good vibe and elaborately discussed the project at hand, so I ended up engaging them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–April 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Perpetual’s work was excellent. I really enjoyed working with them. They were a bright team that was passionate about my project. They didn’t just check boxes; they were thoughtful about their approach to what I was building. In fact, we've finished the initial design phase, and I’m now raising funds to proceed further with the project.

Moreover, Perpetual had a strong process that they executed on. They delivered every time and exceeded my expectations. Overall, they were a really strong team.

How did Perpetual perform from a project management standpoint?

For project management and communication, we used Notion and Slack. We also used Zoom and Google Meet. However, given that I am also based in New York, we had some in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Perpetual laid out a very detailed process at the beginning of the engagement. It was very thorough and they accurately followed it. They went above and beyond in how they thought about the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. Our work together was seamless.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you get a run-through of the process upfront and allow Perpetual to run their process. They’re very collaborative, and you should have consistent communication with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Co-Founder of a media company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are modernizing public polling and utilizing AI to summarize our feelings and thoughts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Perpetual to accomplish?

• Create a working prototype

SOLUTION

How did you find Perpetual?

Referral

Why did you select Perpetual over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Perpetual were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

I needed a working visual prototype of my business idea. Perpetual's design team helped me bring my rough idea to life through the following actions: 

• Creating wireframes 
• Creating the user flow (from registration to questions to summaries) 
• Providing a clear user interface for selected user steps 
• Providing initial branding & color scheme matching

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• End-to-end working prototype via Figma 
• Collection of assets & components to be utilized for future design work

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

Yes, they were very timely and communicative. The combination of weekly syncs and Slack messages kept me in the loop.

What was your primary form of communication with Perpetual?

Virtual Meeting

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

Perpetual has great design talent. They are also very easy to work with and have a great culture. I've used them before and will continue to use them! I also refer many companies to them.

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

None