Stellaractive

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m an owner of Stumptown Mattress, a home furnishing store. We specialize in mattresses, bedding, and bedroom furniture. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stellaractive?
We wanted to launch an online mattress store, and we needed a professional e-commerce website created within a reasonable budget. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
In the beginning, the team put together a proposal according to our needs. They created a WordPress e-commerce website, performing the design and development. Since we were new to e-commerce, they guided us through the entire process. The team provides ongoing maintenance and support.

What is the team composition?
We work with three people total, and Rupert (Creative Director, Stellaractive) is our primary contact. 

How did you come to work with Stellaractive?
We initially found them on Yelp. We met with 3–4 companies at the time, and Stellaractive seemed the most receptive to our needs as a smaller business. 

How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested about $15,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?
We began the project in July 2017,  and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The website has been a successful, profitable investment. It brings in a lot of revenue even though we spend very little on advertising.  Customers have complimented the attractiveness of the design, and the solution maintains a reasonable bounce rate. 

How did Stellaractive perform from a project management standpoint?
The team excels at project management, and they have great listening skills. We have a very collaborative partnership, with both teams bringing forward ideas. We also work together to solve problems. Their attention to detail enables them to quickly identify any issues. They don’t claim to have all the answers, but they’re always willing to work hard to find a solution. 

What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re a relatable team with empathy for small businesses. They had a lot of insight into what we were trying to accomplish. In particular, they discuss web development in terms we can understand as non-technical stakeholders. They were able to build a revenue-building website for a lower cost than many other web providers. 

Are there any areas they could improve?
I can’t think of anything they could have done differently. Whenever there’s an issue, they’re attentive and clear about what needs to happen to fix the problem.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of sales and marketing at Calico Construction. We're an online business for decorative concrete supplies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stellaractive?

We reached out to Stellaractive because we wanted to redesign our website and make it mobile responsive.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stellaractive handled both the design and development of our new website. Our previous website was on PrestaShop, but we switched to Wordpress and WooCommerce. Now, Stellaractive manages SEO for us, creates content for social media, and helps us grow our customer base. They also maintain our website on a regular basis.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 members of their team.

How did you come to work with Stellaractive?

We were referred to them by an IT resource at our brick-and-mortar store six or seven years ago.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $20,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our most recent project started in October 2017, and it is an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is perfect for our customer base. Due to the way we have to ship things, we can't process 100% of our orders through the website, and we often talk to customers on the phone. All of our customers compliment the website and find it easy to use.

How did Stellaractive perform from a project management standpoint?

We talk weekly via phone or email and they provide regular progress reports. I always know what they need from me and when they need it. They're very accessible and responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're great communicators. I can reach them anytime I have a question or want to try something new, and they get back to me within minutes. They're genuinely interested in our business and do thorough research before offering us a solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind. We started off somewhat slowly because they were going through some internal changes, but everything was resolved fairly quickly. We've enjoyed working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of Star OilCo. As a full-service fuel company, we provide small to large businesses with services including bulk fuel, common carrier transportation, heating oil, secured fleet management, and fueling systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stellaractive?

We were seeking an ongoing, coaching relationship with a contractor, which is not how most web developers like to operate. I've experienced a 10-year odyssey of consistently finding excellent teams, only for them to completely disappear after building our new site. As living, breathing SEO documents that detail a company’s work, websites require monthly adjustments that often manifest long after project completion.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The page’s predecessor had essentially been an online brochure. They helped us rebuild a significantly evolved site from scratch, with improved functionality and specificity.

Stellaractive was reticent about using WordPress, the server I requested. Despite its limitations (specifically in Google search rankings), I’m comfortable using its clean, simplistic platform.

Our company targets a rotating customer base to match seasonal demands: as we enter heating oil season, we’re focused on improving content for that section. Each month, we experiment with new changes, and monitor the impact on advertising.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked primarily with the president, Cherie Collins, SEO specialist Rupert Edson, and our relationship manager, Tami Ward. Our content editor, Tori Cott, reviews all the copy produced by my sales team.

How did you come to work with Stellaractive?

I sent out a request for proposals with a summative paragraph of our needs to at least 6-8 firms who’d solicited our work the year prior. Our website had been noticeably in need of an upgrade. The RFP outlined our national websites, those of our competitors, and ones I admired. Most importantly, it conveyed my intent to pay full price for a long-term, indefinite working relationship.

Of the solicitors who responded, only Stellaractive was open to a long-term engagement. Their bid was the most expensive, but they’re worth every penny.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $15,000 at minimum. Including costs like Google Ads, this figure is closer to $20,000. We broke the cost into terms spanning a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talks in July or August of 2016, and began development by that September. We meet monthly and plan to continue our exact dynamic. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve made quantum leaps in my knowledge of web development and advertising under their pedagogy. My one key, outside salesperson has been impressed with our leads since the launch. Generator fuel and refrigerated reefer fuel have become deep niches and we’ve seen major success in Portland, and the minor tests we conducted in small cities yielded substantial hits. In Salem, Oregon, a few hundred visitors stayed on the site for an average of 3-5 minutes.

We've watched SEO and in-bound leads climb. Those metrics can’t be anticipated or controlled and can be frustrating to watch vacillate. Fortunately, within 90 days of going live, our two biggest competitors redid their own websites, and the SEO reached a high. When Stellaractive noticed this spike in search queries, we pursued that increase aggressively.

How did Stellaractive perform from a project management standpoint?

We hold monthly in-person meetings, and substitute conference calls if necessary. At minimum, I try to regularly meet with my relationship manager. My main concern was getting distracted from the marketing site mid-project. I’m currently involved in a major software integration project, so their recurring support has been critical. They keep the project going forward, even when I’m unavailable for weeks at a time. They aim to roll out projects with an efficiency that often exceeds my ability to follow up. If a project is delayed a month, it's usually because I got busy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The firm is collaborative and philosophical, which could be due to its female ownership. I prefer this dynamic to my typical relationships with web developers, who often adhere to methodologies like gospel. Stellaractive is a bit more agnostic about what you “should” do at any given time, which I really appreciate. They develop a sense of a client’s thought process, which produces much better results when communication isn’t possible. Despite some inherent limitations, being a small business gives them unique strengths that giant firms lack.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're expensive, but given the results, I'm not complaining.

Advice for potential customers?

It’s important to assert your desired project details. Web developers often immediately attempt to make unsolicited changes, like redesigning the logo or transitioning to an obscure server. For example, our site was previously hosted on Joomla, contrary to my requests.

I strongly suggest sending out an RFP detailing the desired vendor relationship, what material to highlight, and pertinent websites. This helped us both to secure an appropriate contract and to thoroughly plan the project. Had I not found Stellaractive, I assume most vendors would have been put off by my interest in a continuous relationship. A shocking number developers refused to read a 3- to 5-page document. If I were in their position, I’d want these guidelines about my clients’ needs.

BACKGROUND

Please give a brief description of your company.

Our company is a small software publisher in the enterprise software market based out of Portland, Ore. 

What is your role at the company?

I am the chief operating officer and one of the founders. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Stellaractive?

We needed to upgrade our Web experience vastly by redesigning our website to make it more attractive. We wanted to create a better user experience, which would also increase our sales. 

SOLUTION

Can you talk about the scope of the project?

They provided us with services to rewrite the website totally. These services included Web design and Web development.

What was your process for selecting Stellaractive with which to work?

We interviewed three website partners. We followed up and asked for bids. Then, we dug in and got to a deeper level of detail and we selected Stellaractive as our partner. We then we negotiated the arrangement.

Can you give a sense of the size of the project in dollar terms or personnel work hours?

The total was around $5,000 and about 50 hours of work.

When was the project completed?

The project was completed June of 2013

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project, and are there any metrics you can share?

As a result of their work, we doubled the page views, and increased our number of visitors while also reducing the bounce rate on our product pages. 

How did Stellaractive perform?

They performed very well. They were fairly flexible in response to changes to the plan as we worked through the development. They also took care of modest changes after the site went live cheerfully.

When working with them, was there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies with which you may have worked?

Their attitude is definitely an attractive quality: It's "can do." They practice their craft with integrity. They were not afraid to tell me when I was wrong about something. I like that part about them.

Additionally they are very fun to work with. That makes a big difference in a significant development project like a website.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

Our company puts on big game hunting competitions in 48 states. We put on a photo competition and a video competition, which is a worldwide competition. We’re not a big company. We started several years ago, and we’re in the process of trying to let people know we exist and moving forward.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the managing partner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Stellaractive?

I was looking for an interactive website. I had an idea in mind that no one had ever done. I came to Stellaractive with an idea in mind and asked if they could bring it to life. They worked with me really hard, and we got it going and that’s where we are now. I brought them a problem that had never been done before, and they were able to master it and help me with it.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They had to do a really intricate user-friendly website where people would get on and have multiple choices of competitions and where to go. There was a lot of layers to the website, many different pages and working parts. We designed it together and set it up, and they gave me lots of great advice on do’s and don’ts. I took most of it, and what I didn’t take, I probably should have.

What was your process for selecting Stellaractive with which to work?

I was running a computer-based business, and if my computer went down I was out of it. There was a guy that came in and serviced all of our computers and kept us up to date, and he gave their name as a reference. I really respected him because he was really adept in the field, and I gave them a call and visited with one of their representatives. We met and discussed what I wanted to do, and then the process began. After the meeting we started to design my website and work on the requirements.

I’m an outdoorsman, and none of them were hunters, so it was like speaking a foreign language to them when I talked about what I wanted. They were able to do what they do best, and understand. So, for them it was something totally new, too. They’d never dealt with it, and they really worked well with me to try to understand the concepts and the idiosyncrasies of what I was doing.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Between $10,000 and $50,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

We started working together two and a half to three years ago. It’s actually still a work in progress. I’m meeting with one of their associates on Wednesday because the relationship is ongoing. In my business, I’m constantly changing. They’ve been really helpful in working with me to help me try to stay on top of my problems and get to the next level.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

The concept has been coming back with strong results. It’s been nothing but positive from the feedback. I would say 95 percent to 98 percent of our feedback has been really strong, and it is because of the website that they designed.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I’ve always felt like I’m not just a number. It’s a smaller office so I can go in and they’ll work my problems. I can go in, and they will personally sit down with me and work out the issues. They’re user friendly, you can get in touch with them at any time, you can talk about your concerns, and they will try to work it out for you. They are extremely responsive and it’s evident that they really care.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I’m not going to give them any negative marks. I think that we were such a new concept that the errors made were just because it was a new thing. During the basic building of the website, they were flawless.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

The name of my company is Walbeck Baseball Academy. We’re located in Sacramento, Calif., and we instruct players ages 7 and up. We have teams for ages 13, 14, 16, and 18.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the president and the director of instruction.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Stellaractive?

We were looking for a website to explain what our company is about, and to place a scheduler in the website. Online scheduling and payment methods for people to purchase lessons and memberships. We wanted an overall tool to help us with our business.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They provided the design, and they helped develop our logo. We went through a process to figure out what I wanted to demonstrate to the people who are looking at our website. They also had a writer help us with the copy and content. They interviewed me and my instructors, and put that content in the site as well. They’re always available during business hours to answer any questions I have. If I needed something added to the site, they’re always there to follow through.

What was your process for selecting Stellaractive with which to work?

A friend of mine was helping me with this process, and he did some research. They had a mutual client, so he referred them to me. We had phone conversations, and a few conference calls. We went through an interview process and selected them.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Around $5,000 for initial setup. There’s a monthly fee of around $60.

When did you start working with them, and is the relationship ongoing?

We started with them in February of 2012, and are still with them. It’s great.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

It’s been very positive. I have customers telling me all the time how great it is. People that know websites will generally say I have a good website. It’s been nothing but positive, I really have no issues with Stellaractive. 

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I feel like I have a personal relationship with them. They know who I am, and I don’t feel bad about contacting them with questions. The service is really good.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I suppose periodically checking in and letting me know if there are updates available. That would be the only thing, but for the most part it runs itself. There really haven’t been any other issues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a financial and estate planning firm. We’re located in the suburbs of Phoenix.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am a partner and part owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Stellaractive?

We’ve used Stellaractive two times. They also did work for us for our 501(c) (3) private family foundation. So we’ve had two experiences with them.

We wanted a new website, and we wanted something that would portray who we were and our services. Stellaractive was recommended to us almost three years ago. From the very first moment that we had any contact with them, they always heard what we asked, they heard our concerns. They were very astute in putting our thoughts into a very tangible product. They were just great to work with. We didn’t have do overs, we didn’t have to tell them they weren’t getting it. We were able to communicate very well with them because the people that were assigned to our project had the experience, and they were concerned about getting us what we wanted.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Basically, other than content, they came up with photos, design, pretty much everything that would put it the website together. They gave us numerous options as to color, layout of the design. We had a site designed by another firm about eight years ago, and it was just night and day. So, for the last two that they’ve done for us, I wouldn’t honestly want to use anybody else. It was a very pleasant, thorough, and prompt procedure. It was a great project. They made the project move right along, and we are just totally pleased with both of them.

What was your process for selecting Stellaractive with which to work?

We chose them on the recommendation of the other firm. I don’t believe that firm had used them themselves. I think they were just another vendor who knew that Stellaractive could do the work. The first project worked very well, so when we were ready to do the second project there wasn’t any question that we wouldn’t just go back.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000. It was worth every bit of it. You get what you pay for. Their service is stellar. Their name is very indicative of the quality of their work.

When did the projects begin, and is the relationship ongoing for support or maintenance?

We started with them three or four years ago. We just finished this last project about six or seven weeks ago. We do still use them for support and maintenance. I can call them with any questions I have.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

My experience has been if something’s great, you don’t always hear about it, but when something’s not, you really hear it. We haven’t had anybody on either site complain or say we should have done it differently. So, that’s probably my only gauge.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They are really excellent at communication, and they listen. Because they do listen so well, they help you really get what you’re after. They surpassed my expectations, and it was just as rewarding the second time as it was the first.

BACKGROUND

Please give a brief description of your company.

Our company, NEHDS Logistics, delivers product to customers either from one of our five warehouses or "bump the dock" at customers warehouse. We are also in the storage and warehouse fulfillment business along with the moving business.

What is your role at the company?

I am an owner and am now retired, but I still work on special projects. I was in charge of putting the website together along with Stellaractive. Prior to retirement, I was VP of Operations. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Stellaractive ?

The business challenge was to develop a website that would market the strengths and abilities of our company and give us the opportunity to obtain information for quoting.

What were your company’s business goals for the project?

The goal of our company was to give us as much exposure on the Web, so we could receive more business.

SOLUTION

Can you talk about the scope of the project?

The scope of project was to create a workable and productive website. 

What was your process for selecting Stellaractive with which to work?

We were introduced to Stellaractive through an outside IT [information technology] company we use to maintain our network and all of our hardware.

Can you give us a sense of the size of the project in dollar terms or personnel work hours?

The cost of this project was approximately $3,000.  

When was the project completed?

The project was completed in January of 2013. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project, and are there any metrics you can share?

As a result of the project, we were able to obtain more quotes than before the website was built. We also received a lot of great comments about how well our website projects our company.

How did Stellaractive perform?

Stellaractive was tremendous at working with us to develop and implement our website. Looking back on the project, we teamed up with the right company to satisfy our needs. 

When working with them, was there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies with which you may have worked?

They quickly learned what we were trying to accomplish and worked with us every step of the way. They followed up even after we went live and continue to work with us to make changes as we need them. As of today, I have made several changes and they do not charge us for those changes. Also, they have given me the ability to make changes anytime I wish to the content of the site.