Square63

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Broker Buddha.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63?

We were looking for experienced and affordable engineers to augment our staff.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After posting our needs online, we are inevitably receiving inquiries from companies like Square63. The process is open; whenever we can find the right talent or character to have those conversations. For this project, we were looking for full-stack engineers that understood AngularJS, Ruby, and MongoDB to join our team.

The specifics of the project changed over time, but the required skillsets stay the same. During our engagement with them, they’ve helped us integrate a net promoter score survey into our web application workflow. Our assigned developer also helped us refactor parts of our codebase to increase efficiency.

What is the team composition?

Right now, we’ve mainly worked with our main point of contact. There have been a few people put in here and there, but she’s been a core part of it.

How did you come to work with Square63?

They found our job listing. I’m pretty open to working with anybody. We tend to screen resumes and have initial calls, giving everyone a chance. If they work well, great, and if they don’t, we let them go. We’ve tried a bunch of different people, but our point of contact been great so far.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $30,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Square63 started in April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our assigned developer writes quality code while communicating effectively. She’s responsible, asking helpful questions, and stays on time for meetings. She helps contribute to a well-run DevOps process.

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

We have daily standups every morning. Since she’s based in Pakistan, our developer adjusted her hours to be on those calls, which was extremely helpful. Other than that, we communicate through Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We take a lot of pride in having true gender and racial diversity across the board. Having a female developer adds a lot of diversity and differentiation to a traditionally male environment. It’s been a joy working with our assigned developer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish she were more available during our hours, but other than that, we’d like more face time with her, but there are apparent limitations there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of WeFitness, a health-based technology company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63?

We wanted to augment the capabilities of our mobile application. We had already launched it, but it was very simple. We needed to further develop the backend so that the app could have more advanced features.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used Ruby on Rails and developed the entire backend using to support our desktop and mobile applications. Their work gives us the ability to run online competitions from the platform, from registrations and payments to scoring video submissions.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of four people, with one team member acting as our primary point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Square63?

We found them on UpWork after our in-house development leader left. We gave them a smaller piece of the project to work on and then moved on to having them take over the whole development project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $130,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working on the project in September 2017 and will be finished in early 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any statistics yet because we haven’t launched the app. However, their team has a strong work ethic and we’ve been happy with what they’ve delivered so far. 

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Asana and Skype to communicate. They’re very easy to get in touch with, we video-conference with them at least once a day. They also know their schedule which helps them meet deadlines. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took the time to ask questions and learn more about our industry so they can tailor their work and give us the appropriate suggestions to suit our clients. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I haven’t had a single bad experience with them in the last two years. They’ve been able to quickly sort out any technical issues and are very dependable. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to build a strong relationship with them through communication in order to get the most out of the engagement.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of development of a consumer products company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63?

We needed to refactor an existing e-commerce website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We inherited the site, and they handled all the planning and execution of building a custom WordPress theme to support the unique functionality for an e-commerce site. Their team built a mechanism with the cloud to store customer order data that our suppliers and vendors use to create custom products. The rest of the site has pretty straightforward e-commerce functionality. They additionally did API design and integration with third-party services.

What is the team composition?

Baber (Founder/CEO, Square63) was the contract point of contact and Ali (Associate Project Manager, Square63) was the project manager. There were between 1–6 developers and a QA resource on the project as well.

How did you come to work with Square63?

I’d worked with them previously on a Rails custom application at another company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in December 2017, and we’re still working with them. The site was up and running after three months, though.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deliverables have changed the business. Our average load times used to be around 20 seconds—now it’s five seconds. We have more than 20,000 visitors each day now, and they’ve been able to support that. It’s given us the ability to scale the sales side of the platform. 

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive. The project management could be better, but our communication structure may have been the reason for that. We didn’t hire a project manager from their team. So, the problem wasn’t entirely on their end. However, I would’ve still worked to manage the effort if I was on their end. We communicated through daily scrum calls, Slack, and email. Project management was handled through Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take pride in their work and care about what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For a project of this scale, they should implement a better end-to-end project management solution.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you have experience running these kinds of projects, you’ll be fine.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of uCarenet, a homecare marketplace. We match families seeking care with care providers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63?

Our biggest challenge was to come up with an easy interface for a dynamic voice-to-voice translation application we were creating. In addition, we needed to contract some backend .NET work. It was hard to find a contractor that was reliable and that we could work with on a long-term basis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first application we created was a homecare application. We needed a very simple interface that allowed care providers to provide immediate feedback to the family as to what services they delivered. It was had to provide analytics as to the emotional and physical condition of the patient or the team. Square63 helped did the development work to implement the design we came up with for the Android platform.

The first project was done in April 2018. The second project started in June 2018 and was delivered by July/August 2018. Now, they help with maintenance and small updates. My company is maturing and growing and I’m trying to bring a lot of my resources in-house. That’s the only reason why my work with Square63 is starting to decline. We’re becoming autonomous on our own.

What is the team composition?

There was one person from a management and operational perspective and one of the senior partners did the development. They were both exceptional.

How did you come to work with Square63?

One of my main contractors has been using Square63 for over 10 years. They felt very comfortable referring me to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did a phenomenal job and delivered the project as I wanted it. They didn’t charge me for any changes I made either, so I was very happy with them. Since we were strictly on iOS before, we were able to double our subscription rate and quadruple our registered users (800 to over 4,000) by coming out with an Android version.

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re exceptional on all fronts. The communication is extremely easy even though there’s a big time difference. They accommodated my schedule. I imagine a meeting for me was probably 3:00-4:00 AM in the morning for them, but that was never an issue. If there were any delays, my side caused them. Most contractors charge you when you make a change, but Square63 was extremely accommodating. They gave me a fixed bid, so even though I made changes during the whole process they never came back and asked me for additional money. They never put any pressure on me.

They were also extremely responsive. We followed their project management process and it was very simple. It was easy email communication back and forth, confirmation of what we needed, and we proceeded. It wasn’t tiring from an operational perspective, and there wasn’t a lot of paperwork to go back and forth. They were exceptionally easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I found really impressive was the ease of working with them. They deliver on time, and it’s very rare for a contractor to not charge extra when you make changes. They’re very accommodating.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I would have them improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an open mind of communication. I don’t have a strong technical background, but I was able to tell them that and they did a good job of analyzing my business needs. When I asked for something and wasn’t articulating it properly, they helped me detail exactly what I needed. A lot of contractors know what you’re asking for isn’t the best but will deliver it anyway so that you come back with a bunch of changes. I didn’t encounter that with Square63. I can’t speak highly enough about them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a livestock trading company that partners with Google and Google Launchpad. We’ve won several awards in South Africa for agricultural development, and I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63?

We use Square63 for a lot of our outsourced development work, such as porting our app from PHP to Rails and developing some of the deeper parts of our tech iterations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Most of what they do is iterating new products, importing large amounts of data, and streamlining our business in terms of product markets and product development. They work on our web-based platform, as well as its native deployment to iOS and the Google Play store.

Our team will basically come to them with a feature that we want to add to our platform, and then they will plan out the sprint. They’ll scope out hours and team members, and then after we approve it, they work through a series of iterations to develop the product.

What is the team composition?

We have a main point of reference with them, and then utilize a number of different developers depending on how labor-intensive the particular sprint is.

How did you come to work with Square63?

The first time we heard about them was through one of our partners in South Africa. They are really good at what they do, so the fact that they trusted the Square63 team was enough for us to start working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in June 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been absolutely superb. We’ve worked with 15-20 different dev teams throughout our work, and they are by far the best. They always finish sprints on time and will even shave off hours within a particular sprint in order to keep it within budget.

We’ve made the strategic decision to outsource more of our work with them going forward because they’re so efficient in terms of their turnaround time, as well as their ability to understand a brief and execute it correctly.

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

Our CTO communicates with them directly, and they have always kept us up to date. Since we started working with them, they haven’t missed a single deadline in that entire period.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are just hands-down the best team we’ve ever worked with. They are both brilliant and incredibly professional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any regrets. I only wish I had found them earlier.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have the resources to do very complex work, especially when it comes to things that haven’t been done before. If you are looking for a relatively simple project, you might not necessarily need a partner of their caliber, but if you are facing a significant challenge, I can’t recommend them enough.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the director of product at a boutique music licensing company. Our primary products are online, but we also do offline music licensing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63? 

Key staff resources on our technology team that left the company. We needed to bring on interim engineering support until we figured out what we wanted to do going forward.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Square63 serves as the knowledge base for our proprietary content management system (CMS). Our outgoing team's CMS knowledge wasn't documented. Square63 stepped in and became the experts on our platform. They provide daily maintenance and implement best practices for documentation, testing, and development.

They also add features to the platform as requested by our team. That involves knowledge of the application, including deployment and test procedures. They’re now helping us to develop a new version of the CMS using Ruby on Rails and React.js among many other technologies. 

What is the team composition?

Our account lead is Baber (Founder and CEO, Square63). We also work with a project manager and four engineers. 

How did you come to work with Square63?

Our staff didn't give us much notice before leaving our company. We posted a scope of work on Upwork and got hundreds of responses. Square63 had a five-star rating with thousands of hours logged. Their price was in the middle of the range that we were trying to hit, and their knowledge fit our outgoing staff’s skill set.

Initially, we hired Square63 to do a test project so that we could assess their skills. They knocked it out of the park on the first try. It was clear that they not only had the abilities that we needed to replace but other skills that we didn't already have in our toolkit. We asked them to come on board, and they've been working 40 hours a week ever since.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $1,200 a week with them, at least.

What is the status of this engagement? 

The project began in January 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work that they've done so far has been excellent. Square63 really stepped in to fill our missing roles. They have a really good process, in which they have a technical lead who reviews all of the code created by their developers, then have me as the project lead sign-off. This process has been really helpful.

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

I was initially concerned about working with a team in Pakistan because of the time zone differences and language barrier. However, everyone that I've worked with has been fluent in English, so that hasn't been a problem. The Square63 team is exceptionally flexible in terms of working hours. Even when Ramadan presented some challenges in terms of scheduling, they were able to navigate that fluidly. They routinely work within the US East Coast hours. We have at least six hours of overlap every day to work together, which is really helpful. We have daily 15-minute standup meetings over Zoom; then, for the rest of the day, we communicate either over Slack or email. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

I wasn't expecting to find such affordable expertise, which is really important to us as a small company. Our previous employees were highly skilled but very expensive. Given time, Square63 will be as skilled or more skilled for roughly half of that price. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only downside is that there's no recourse if we have any sort of issue in the middle of their night, but that's true for anyone working in different time zones to have to wait until the following business day. We've actually never run into that problem because I've sent messages at 2 AM and they responded.

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

At first, we didn't fully utilize the project management resource assigned to every project. As we got further into the project, it was a no-brainer to start using them, since it was part of the package. We then turned a lot of the project management that we were doing internally over to them. Square63 was immediately able to handle all of the standups and the prioritization of tasks. Definitely leverage that project management resource from the start instead of trying to do it all yourself.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of CrowdThink, an alternative financial data company that provides datasets for financial market research. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63?

We needed a partner to help with software development, particularly with our website and its analytics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Square63 worked with Ruby on Rails to build our new platform from scratch. We provided them with our wireframes and mockups, and they work on bringing it all to life. They integrated numerous services into our site, including Stripe for payments and various social media platforms. They built an API that has given us an online presence and allows us to present our data along with videos, instructional blog posts, and other resources. They also implemented HubSpot CRM, which allows us to manage raw financial data.

What is the team composition? 

We work with a project manager.

How did you come to work with Square63?

We reviewed around 40 different companies and interviewed 15 of them. Square63 was professional, had relevant experience, and offered a great price, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in September 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Square63 does work critical to our company’s success. They provide the technology that’s the backbone of how we present and deliver data to clients.

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

Initially, we held weekly meetings on Skype to track project progress. We follow an agile development process that’s intuitive and allows for constant integration. We utilize Asana to assign and check tasks, and Square63 is accommodating to our schedule and needs. Even though they’re overseas, they communicate well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their quality of service is as good, if not better, than other firms I’ve worked with. They offer professional insight into areas we’re not experts in, and they’re a fraction of the cost of a U.S. agency. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their UX/UI could be better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of a technology company that provides meal and grocery planning services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63?

We reached out to Square63 to help develop our web and mobile app platform from scratch. Our challenge involved taking our user research and mapping out a product that could address areas we believed would differentiate our services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Square63 worked from provided wireframes and requirements and mapped out a plan that included features and product scope so we could prioritize how we would create an MVP. They then designed and developed a web-based and mobile (iOS) platform, communicating with our team on a daily basis. Once we're happy with the product, we plan to build an Android version as well. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with a project lead, as well as multiple frontend and backend developers. Depending on the stage of the project, we've worked with anywhere from 5–8 people at any given time. 

How did you come to work with Square63?

They were referred to us, but we also found them on a freelancer platform. After initial conversations with their team, we liked the way they presented their specifications and estimates compared to other vendors we spoke to.

How much have you invested with them?

Our original project scope was around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2018, and they delivered an MVP by November, but we continue to work with them on further development. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Square63 delivered a robust platform ahead of schedule and within budget. It successfully demonstrates the core features that we believe users will respond very favorably to. We're also starting to see a growth in the number of users, so it's been a successful relationship overall. 

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform extremely well–much better than an internal development team would be able to. They provide daily updates, ask good questions, and are very punctual with deliverables. They also track progress through Asana, which has helped us stay on track and move tickets along swiftly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their code, as well as their organized approach to project management, sets them apart from other vendors. They've been extremely thoughtful, strong partners. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Even though they generally asked good questions, I think they could've asked even more to make sure they weren't making any cultural assumptions about processes. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Document all requirements and instructions well, because there may be some communication barriers over the phone. Anything technical or complex should be documented on Asana or with screenshots to ensure no miscommunications occur. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of development at a technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63?

We're a startup that needed support for reliable software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Square63 built our web application from scratch using Angler, JavaScript, HTML, and Ruby on Rails with hosting on Amazon Web Services. We provided initial designs, functionality descriptions, and use cases. They developed the code and set up the infrastructure and servers.

Since our app launched, Square63 continues to maintain and build it out. The backend of our app manages queries while the frontend has a dashboard with graphs and statistics. We can create queries or customized displays.

What is the team composition?

We work with a head of communications as well as their supervisor who takes all requests. We’ve also worked with at least five or six developers.

How did you come to work with Square63?

We found them on Upwork. I wasn’t involved in that process but know that they met all of the criteria that we set.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with then in February 2017 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has worked surprisingly well from the start and it's reliable but we have had some issues due to miscommunications.

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

They usually prefer using Skype. I also set up a Slack channel for all the developers and head of communications. We send requests via email.

They're very reliable in the sense that they always respond. It rarely takes them a long time to respond to any queries or issues we have. If we encounter any bugs or errors, they’re willing to help us fix them within a month or two even after the delivery.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their reliability is a great asset. They respond to any queries or server issues that we have. They effectively maintain the software while continuing to develop it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise them to make sure that the product description and specifications are explicit and precise because there can be miscommunication. They can be helpful, though, in addressing any misunderstanding.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an owner and executive at CodeHelper, which is an online IDE cloud server, development environment for developers who want to develop in the cloud without having to spin up Sublime Text and push the code to Sublime. They can build straight from their web browser.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Square63?

We ran across issues integrating API information. We had a developer walk in and tear apart our system and basically shut down one of our servers. We lost everything, so we had to reset and start from square one. We had all the code, but we had to rebuild some assets and put it all back together.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Square63 provided API development, Stripe integration, and pay portal stuff when we shifted from Authorize to Stripe. They do Ruby on Rails work, HTML, backend, and frontend. They didn’t do server deployment, but they pulled the API information. We needed some DNS stuff figured out, so when a project is issued, the DNS propagates correctly under our cloud account.

Right now, they’re building a drag-and-drop into the web browser, so they can upload files straight to the server via the web browser, versus having to log into the server backend, then upload it via FTP. That’s pretty cool. It’s been a lot of bug fixes, little issues, like the SSL integration and stuff like that.

There’s been some intentional stuff. With this kind of development, you get up and running and then realize you have to fix the way it was done. So, it’s like restructuring the format or the frameworks of the code. A lot of the code was good. We just ran into situations when we switched the system. That’s been the majority of the work with Square63.

The DNS manager, where you can point project to a unique URL within one user’s account, was built by Square63. They have done some major overhauls and additions to the platform. By the end of the day tomorrow, they should be working on the ‘add a server’ function. Users will be able to add as many servers as they want. In the future, we’re going to have them build out team code.

We use one person full-time, and I’ve been in discussions to see if we can utilize another, just regarding timelines. We have a 12-hour time zone difference, and that’s the downside of the engagement, but they’re pretty good at communicating every day. I know we have one person full-time, and there’s a project manager and a person who does quality assurance.

How did you come to work with Square63?

We’ve used freelancer sites in the past, trying to find good and trustworthy developers. That is the most difficult thing I’ve come across. I just need someone to get it done. I don’t need someone who’s going to take on a job and learn on the go. I put out a bid on Upwork and stated the skill sets I was looking for. Baber [CEO & Co-Founder, Square63] said he could do it. I talked to him, and I liked that he started doing research, digging in to figure it out. He didn’t want to take the job unless they could do it.

How much have you invested with Square63?

We spend close to $1,000 a week.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work started in January of 2017, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still in development, and we're trying to get the beta version of the platform up and running. We’ve been trying to get over a few major hurdles. I’m happy Suqare63 is doing the work. I’d like it to be done faster, but they are delivering good work. They speak good English, and we understand each other pretty well. I’m satisfied overall with their work. I think they deliver some good stuff, but my preference would be that it’s a little faster.

In trying to hit deadlines, you’ve got to work with them to communicate and keep them focused. They’re not doing anything wrong; they’re working hard and getting the job done.

How did Square63 perform from a project management standpoint?

I assign tasks, and sometimes Suqare63's team has to understand, which takes time away from the original goal. When I give them a simple task, they’ll knock it out, but I can't give them five different things at once. If you start separating your assets or resources and keep adding stuff, then it gets to a point where they forget the priorities.

We’re using GitHub and Asana, which work well for us.

What did you find most impressive about Square63?

Right off the bat, Baber greeted me with a smile, talked to me, and he listened. He was the point man, and then he assigned a developer to me. At the end of the day, I think their strength is that they’re willing to do it. They’re willing to hear you out, and they ask questions, which is helpful. You’re trying to get the job done, but also get it done right. You need them to ask you questions, investigate, and take a little ownership in the project. Square63 has done a good job of getting invested in the project and trying to make it a reality, rather than just treating it like just another day at the office.

Are there any areas Square63 could improve?

I think Square63 is doing a great job. I’d hire them again. I like to work with people who I can build a good rapport with. They’re very professional, kind, and nice. They know their stuff. They’ll get it done.

If you’re working with a third-party development firm, you know there will be challenges. Don’t expect them to know everything right off the bat. They don’t know your system or your code. Make sure you know what you’re asking them to do or have a plan. If you don’t have a plan, you’re putting it on them. They’re going to do what they want to do. If you go to them with clear intentions, they’ll knock it out.