Temper And Forge

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO for the City of Everett, Massachusetts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper And Forge?

We hired Temper And Forge to revamp our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we provided Temper And Forge a Figma file that we’d developed. We needed them to convert that file into a WordPress website and incorporate all of the functionality that we were missing on our old site. They did the new website from scratch.

At present, we’ve contracted them to move forward into phase two of the project, which is website maintenance. The Temper And Forge team is also working with us to continuously make improvements and develop other areas of the website.

What is the team composition?

We work with Nathan (Founder & Owner), Katherine (Project Manager), and Sam (Developer). Alyssa (Account Manager) is part of the team, but we don’t work directly with her. 

How did you come to work with Temper And Forge?

We found Temper And Forge by searching for top website development firms in the Metro Boston area. Our team didn’t necessarily want a local vendor, but because the project is time-sensitive, we focused on teams that could be local when necessary. 

With that in mind, we interviewed three companies. We were instantly comfortable with Temper And Forge, and their resources were extremely responsive. To elaborate, the team listened to our needs and adapted to every single aspect that we expected from them — they were great. As a result, we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $45,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. They finished the first phase of the project in October 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received feedback from our residents, who say the website is much more user-friendly. They also accomplish tasks on the website. Moreover, our team has also received tremendous feedback from our department heads and staff. 

Overall, we’re pleased with what Temper And Forge has done to our platform in terms of its searchability and accessibility. On top of that, we’ve had an aggressive timeline for the project’s first phase, but they’ve met it. 

How did Temper And Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

For project management, they use Google Documents and a tracking program that allows everybody in our team to see what they’re working on and where the priorities are. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about Temper And Forge is their dedication to meeting our goals within an aggressive timeframe. They have the ability to adapt to our needs as the project progresses. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time to get to know the Temper And Forge team rather than relying on written proposals. Understand their philosophy and approach to the project. Doing this has been helpful in our selection process, which is why our project has been so successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager of a company that sells specialty eyewear for grow room horticulturists and pilots. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper And Forge?

Our website was based on an uncommon platform, and it had a custom theme — working on it required a higher-than-average knowledge of web development. We needed someone to manage our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve been working with Temper And Forge for about three years now, and we come to them on an as-needed basis. We let them know our problem, and they came back to us with a quote. Once we approve, they’ll proceed with the work. After it’s completed, they’ll send it to us for approval.

Temper And Forge has built a dev site so we can review their work before it’s published on our live website. That has served as a checkpoint for our team to review before implementing changes. 

After working with Temper And Forge for some time, we’ve put them on a monthly retainer. We have a set number of hours that are dedicated to us each month. They’re prompt in letting us know if we’re going to exceed our hours and asking for our approval for extra hours. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Sam (Developer) and Nate (Lead Developer & Owner). 

How did you come to work with Temper And Forge?

We started working with Temper And Forge through another company. We eventually moved away from that company to work directly with them. They were a good fit because they did a great job handling our website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve experienced a huge year-over-year increase in direct sales. We’re conducting sales through our website, so we know the growth reflects Temper And Forge’s work.

How did Temper And Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re straightforward to work with — we have a great relationship with their team. They’re very transparent, and they don’t surprise us. We use Monday to stay organized and for day-to-day tasks, and we communicate through calls and email as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Temper And Forge is very cost-effective and efficient. Many web development agencies have a ton of people involved in projects that are getting paid but aren’t doing any work.

Unlike them, Temper And Forge is a small boutique firm, and I know that every dollar we spend goes directly into results. I don’t feel like there’s any wasted time with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were some incidents where it wasn’t clear who would check and sign off on the work, whether it would be them or us. I don’t blame them for that, but they could’ve been better project managers and clearer about tasks. 

That said, as soon as the issue came up, we spoke about it. It was resolved immediately and hadn’t been a problem since.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on what you want. As long as you know what you want, they can build it. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a company that’s working in the mental health treatment industry. We help people get out of situations that aren’t ideal, whether they’re drug- or mental health-related. Our company provides them a platform where they get information about the cold, hard truth of what’s going on out there. It also tells them what steps they need to take to improve their lives that hopefully won’t cost them an arm and a leg.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper And Forge?

We hired Temper And Forge to build our website. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Temper And Forge has developed our website. Everything has been finished, but we’re still in partnership with them. We’ll launch the site by the end of October 2021.

What is the team composition?

We work with about five people, including Nate (Founder & Owner).

How did you come to work with Temper And Forge?

We had a bunch of meetings with companies here in Portland, Maine. We also talked to companies in New York and Boston. Meanwhile, we found Temper And Forge online.

Our conversations with Nate and his team at Temper And Forge showed us that they truly understood our vision while keeping competitive pricing. They also didn’t add things that we didn’t want, keeping everything simple — they didn’t upsell anything. Instead, the team made sure that we understood what we were asking for and what could be delivered. Overall, they hit the nail on the head while we were talking to them. We were able to drive home the product that we wanted, so we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000–$25,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Temper And Forge in February 2021, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Around 25 people have tested the site, and the feedback has been positive. They say that it’s modern and extremely user-friendly. It’s also clean and nice. Everyone understands exactly how it works and how to navigate it. Overall, the feedback has been absolutely positive; there hasn’t been any negative feedback on the website in terms of UX. 

How did Temper And Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

Temper And Forge provides ideas and suggestions that help us increase our conversions and revenue. We’re going to use the ideas they bring to the table to enhance our performance. Overall, they don’t only do what I ask them to do; they also offer great suggestions and go above and beyond what we expect from them. To communicate, we use Google Meet. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their strongest suits are being down to earth and easy to speak to; I never feel uncomfortable when talking to them. We’re in different worlds, but they don't say things that I can’t understand. Everything is in layman’s terms. Simply put, they understand what I’m saying and they’ve brought my vision to life.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can maybe use Zoom for our meetings instead of Google Meet. However, that’s just my personal preference. It’s more about the product than their performance.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be completely transparent; be upfront and explain exactly what you’re looking for and what you’re willing to spend. That way, you’ll get exactly what you want. As long as you’re speaking from the heart, they’ll deliver your needs plus more. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of a startup called Truistic. We’re an online comparison site for people trying to access treatment options for addiction and mental illness. We received funding to start the project less than a year ago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper And Forge?

We needed to design a website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Temper and Forge did our entire website from scratch. In the beginning, we provided them with an RFP with what we were looking for. We wanted a homepage that displayed three separate paths with different questioning so people could go into our site and decide if they want treatment right away, if they need treatment but are only looking around, or if they need help but don’t know what to do.

Another functionality was the searchable and filterable data about treatment centers based on the insurance providers they accept or treatment types they offer with graphics, photo galleries, listing options, geo-locations, and so on. They also provided the option to set up phone calls and potentially book treatment online.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people throughout the project. We interacted with Nate (Lead Developer & Owner), Chris and Sam (Developers), and Catherine (Project Manager).

How did you come to work with Temper And Forge?

We didn’t want to go the Squarespace or Weebly route just to spend $3,000–$4,000 or less and have a cookie-cutter website. On the other hand, we also didn’t want to hire someone that’d charge us $80,000–$90,000. We were looking for something in between.

With Temper and Forge, I got a good vibe from Nate as soon as I got on the call. He was running the show, and he immediately got what I was talking about. Overall, he showed that they could provide an excellent product at a reasonable price and partner with us throughout the life of our company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in January 2021, and they delivered the website in June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We initially did some testing with groups of about 50 people. We told them to be rough on the website and complain about any little thing they could think of, but there was hardly any negative feedback.

How did Temper And Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

It was fantastic. Temper and Forge was very polite and professional. They tracked the project and kept us organized. If we asked to add certain things, they updated us quickly, answered emails, and planned meetings. Also, they were really upfront with us and let us know what was essential for us to complete, what could take a couple of days, and so on. Overall, we felt comfortable because we knew exactly what was going on, and everything was completed on time.

We usually initiated communication by email, and they were always available on Google Meet, Zoom, or any type of online conference call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The level of access we had to their team and their can-do attitude distinguished them from the competition. They also took the time to understand what we were trying to achieve and why it was important for our business model. We felt they were immersed in the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They answered all of our questions, and the price point was amazing compared to everyone else’s.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spill your guts to them; let them know everything. Tell Temper and Forge exactly what you want, why you want it, what’s connected to it, where the thought comes from, and so on. Just dump everything on the table; they’ll love it. They want to know where you’re coming from, not only specific instructions about the functionality.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing analyst at an app-based trading platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper And Forge?

We needed their expertise in web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve engaged Temper And Forge to build a WordPress website for us. We’ve put together our requirements and the information we want to be featured on the platform, and we’ve sent the document over to Nate (Founder & Owner).

Temper And Forge has then referred to that documentation to entirely develop our website, excluding a few graphic images done by our hired designer. They’ve since built our site’s homepage and our disclosure library and integrated our Zendesk account into the platform. We’re still in the process of applying modifications and completing product testings to make sure that we’re compliant with legal requirements.

What is the team composition?
Our main point of contact is Nate.

How did you come to work with Temper And Forge?

Temper And Forge was onboarded before I was tasked with this project. They initially built a mockup, and I was assigned to work with them and complete its functional and final version to proceed with the go-live.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Temper And Forge commenced in March 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We belong in an industry that requires strict compliance with the government’s regulation — this means that any product must undergo rigorous testings and quality assessments to secure approval. 

Temper And Forge has persistently cooperated with us to meet those requirements and standards. We’ve gone through several rounds of adjustments to implement any necessary updates and correct known errors, and Nate has remained responsive throughout the process — that level of cooperation is our main success metric for now.

How did Temper And Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via email. Temper And Forge respects our budget and project timelines — we never have to chase them for anything, and any delay we’ve encountered has been on our team’s end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with their unwavering patience and commitment to delivering our exact needs. Temper And Forge has noteworthy customer service — they don’t just give out solutions we can use, but they help us flesh out efficient ideas on our own.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve done a great job while remaining transparent — we can’t really ask for anything more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can trust Temper And Forge to give you a great experience. Their team delivers seamless results and communicates effectively with their customers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a food service broker company; we focus on helping brands grow in the food service industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper And Forge?

We wanted to do website development for our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We already had a website, but it was made cheaply and poorly because it was all I could do back then. Temper And Forge revamped our site on Squarespace with a fresh look using their creative talent and skill set. They did use some of the pieces from our old page and translated them to our new one, but it feels like they did it from scratch.

We told them that we wanted a shiny and professional website where people could go and learn about our work. The site features content like a services page, a territory map, pictures of our team with their bios, and all the basic premise information and story of our company.

Currently, they provide ongoing maintenance to our site.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Nate (Founder), but we also interact with around three more people from their team.

How did you come to work with Temper And Forge?

They’re a local company, and they were referred to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $6,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have metrics of their work, but as far as feedback, I can say that their work is excellent and that our internal team is psyched about our site. Additionally, people in our industry and potential clients have been giving positive feedback on our site.

How did Temper And Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at sticking to schedules and deadlines. In terms of communication, we use phone calls and email — they’re very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity is outstanding — they’re the whole package. They lead a professional and enjoyable engagement as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — I have no complaints at all.

Any advice for potential customers?

They’re in good hands with Nate — he’s a good guy and takes the project very seriously. Also, their pricing is pretty reasonable, so working with them will deliver a solid engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re retail chocolate makers. We elaborate handmade chocolates in an open kitchen and sell them in the Boston area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper And Forge?

We already had a website, so we wanted to clean it up and make it more functional in order to convey who we were and increase our sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Temper And Forge took the time to meet with me on several meetings to understand who we were and how we wanted them to design our website for it to convey our message. They then redesigned our website, and we brought in a professional photographer to take and provide them with new photos for it. They were in charge of the whole project, which included updating the site’s technology stack, speed, usability, and visibility.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Nathan (Founder & Owner) and another person.

How did you come to work with Temper And Forge?

I found them doing an online search. I was looking for a local company because I had worked with a foreign company before. Having face-to-face interaction with them really made a difference; I could explain and describe my ideas better.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2021, and they delivered the website in August 2021. We’re still in contact with them in case we need to continue making edits, uploading more photos, or posting seasonal content.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new site is faster and offers improved usability to our customers. We’ve received very positive feedback all around. However, it’s hard for me to measure the impact of our new website on our sales so far because our activity decreases during the summer months. We won’t be able to see results until the fall.

How did Temper And Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

Temper And Forge performed very well; they were very thorough and good communicators. Nathan was very responsive and clear. He put together a list of tasks that they then addressed to accomplish what we accomplished.

It was very easy to work with them. We communicated via email and shared files.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Overall, I was very impressed with how organized and creative Temper And Forge was. They brought new ideas to the table.

If we would have worked with another company, maybe they wouldn’t have cared about us as much. However, being local, Nathan loved our product, so he was very helpful throughout the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything that they could have done better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let Temper And Forge come back with new ideas and don’t try to control the project. They know what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a primary care optometric practice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper And Forge?

We needed someone to redo our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our previous site was 20 years old, so we were in need of a redesign. They implemented the content we wanted on the new site, including staff profiles, pictures, and general design elements. Their team contributed some of the content while we supplied the rest.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Nathan (Founder & Owner).

How did you come to work with Temper And Forge?

They were referred to me by a colleague who had used their site development services.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $3,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site is great. We don’t get a ton of traffic, so I haven’t been able to gauge much external feedback. However, I’ve been happy with the new look of the site. I’m confident that our customers will appreciate the user-friendliness as well.

How did Temper And Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicated well, constantly keeping me abreast of their progress. They also incorporated my feedback into the process. Their team delivered the final product in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They completed everything in an expedited manner for a fair price. Nathan was easy to get in touch with. Making changes along the way was never an issue.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. The engagement was pretty seamless.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them. If you tell them exactly what you’re looking for, they’ll make it happen.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for Theory Wellness. We’re a cannabis brand with operations and multiple licenses between Maine and Massachusetts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper and Forge?

As a brick and mortar retail operation, we have one foot in e-commerce and another foot in traditional retail. In the cannabis industry, we’re limited in our resources for the e-commerce shopping experience. One of our major goals for working with Temper and Forge was to elevate the cannabis shopping experience. It was important for us to integrate our marketing systems and platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our team managed a lot of the design work but partnered with Temper and Forge to refine them. They helped us balance aesthetics and function. Their team built the WordPress website from scratch, ultimately delivering a website that didn’t carry much technical debt. They didn’t build a mono-state website. Instead, their team worked to deliver a platform that would allow us to move into an enterprise approach. They build the frontend menus through a third-party system called dutchie and implemented WooCommerce to serve as a product library.

The project began with the website development and grew into further optimizations and features. Our web project scaled into a partnership between our organizations.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Nathan (Founder and Owner) and Sam (Frontend Web Developer).

How did you come to work with Temper and Forge?

A network of my contacts from New York City connected us with Temper and Forge. They were familiar with Nathan and his work.  

We went through an RFP process through which we evaluated vendors' proposals for time to market, approach to the build, and management. As we scaled our operations, we wanted to ensure that we would have a trusted partner that could scale with us. We went with Temper and Forge because they understood the business strategy and nuance of what we wanted to accomplish with this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in October 2019, and the bulk of it was completed in September 2020. However, we have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been a wonderful experience working with Temper and Forge. Nathan’s attentive to the needs of the business and never pushes us in one way or another. He comes with meaningful solutions when we identify challenges.

We have numerous KPIs: site traffic, load speed, and SEO. Load speed and SEO are two of the most important criteria for our evaluations of the site as a whole. They did a fantastic job on both fronts. That goes toward our narrative of the success we’ve seen so far.

How did Temper and Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

Nathan took the time to educate us on ways to approach our goals. He's always willing to take phone calls and always in contact whether it’s through text messages or late-night phone calls. We manage projects through Mondays and use Dropbox and Google Sheets to share content. There are several platforms that we use in this engagement.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their leadership understands the consumer and technical aspects of marketing. Their team has our best interests in mind when coming forward with feedback or recommendations. Knowing that their feedback’s reliable is a sign of a great partner.

At the end of the day, we've moved on from a website with five different languages. They saw our challenges early in the engagement and wanted to provide us with a functional website that could scale with us without creating tech debt. Their team understood how to create an interesting website without sacrificing speed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The challenges we faced would’ve existed regardless of our partner organization. We designed in isolation early in the development, which created challenges down the road. We missed handing off designs that met functional standards. However, our fruitful conversations made it easier for us to bridge those gaps. It’s not usual that one team from one organization designs and then a different team from a different organization builds.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Even if you don’t know exactly what you want, they can help you figure it out. They’re a dynamite team that’s a helpful partner. As time goes on, I noticed that they have a fundamental interest in our business. They know our goals and can execute them quickly. That approach is helpful on the digital side, especially in the quickly evolving cannabis industry.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of an organization that provides market research for companies in the networking and communications space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Temper And Forge?

We needed web design services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Temper And Forge redesigned and developed our website’s frontend. They selected a new WordPress theme and used that theme to implement a design that was consistent with what we need to do from a business standpoint.

What is the team composition?

I believe there are two people at Temper And Forge, but I primarily worked with Nathan (Founder & Owner). 

How did you come to work with Temper And Forge?

I found them on Google.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2020–January 2021. They completed this project, but because it was successful, we plan to continue engaging them for additional work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was a complete success. They made the site look much more professional and work much smoother. We have a very complex WordPress site with a lot of custom code on the backend, and one of the things that Temper And Forge did very well was migrating all of that code painlessly to the new design on the frontend. That was a significant risk, but they handled it very well.

How did Temper And Forge perform from a project management standpoint?

I found them to be professional and exceptionally easy to work with. They were very efficient and had excellent project management. They used some project management tools internally, which they offered to us to use. I didn’t need to be very involved because things went smoothly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their efficiency and responsiveness were impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, they’re very good at implementing it.