Very

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP of Engineering of Garmat USA

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Garmat USA provides turnkey paint booth solutions to mainly the automotive collision industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Validate the need for an IOT solution in the collision industry and develop an industry leading platform for our paint booths.
• Make our platform a must have for customers to do their day to day business.

SOLUTION

How did you find Very?

Online Search

Why did you select Very over others?

Very was very flexible

How many teammates from Very were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

The original scope was just discovery to document the opportunity.  As the need was justified the scope expanded to full scale infrastructure developement and UI/UX developement to ensure usability and value with the platform and data being collected and evluated. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

defined milestones per the SOW. 

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

The project managers have generally been good and have kept the team on track according to the schedule and budget. At times realignment was needed as new parts of projects were discovered. But the Very team was on top of setting up alignment meetings to make sure thier goals aligned with ours as the project continued on. 

What was your primary form of communication with Very?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Very was able to flex in new resources as different parts of the project exposed areas of development that may not have been covered by the original scope.

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

providing better case studies to show what true costs of development are to take a business from zero to hero, helping my business make better decisions on budgeting and strategy.  It is way more expensive than most businesses realize to fully develop a platform.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Manager of a construction company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Technology company controlling the cost of comfort for businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Build an electronic Device
• Build a mobile app
• Integrate with a backend system
• Build firmware for electronic device

SOLUTION

How did you find Very?

Online Search

Why did you select Very over others?

Ability to tackle the entirety of our project, as opposed to only certain pieces.

How many teammates from Very were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We worked with Very to design and develop IoT devices, including PCBA design, mechanical design, software/firmware, as well as a mobile app to use with said IoT devices, and integration into our cloud backend.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have 4 different IoT devices in manufacturing currently as a result of their work, along with a functioning mobile application.

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

The project management team was great to work with, however, it did seem that we missed deadlines in every phase of the project.

What was your primary form of communication with Very?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The quality of people they employed was most impressive.  Every engineer that touched our project was highly qualified and it was clear they knew their stuff.

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

In retrospect, we wish Very would have done a better job setting expectations on the front-end with regards to the full lifecycle of the project.  Additionally, it did seem like at the end of each phase of the project we always seemed to be a little behind time-wise and a little over-budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO and head of product at Complex Networks. We’re a video production, licensing, and distribution company. We produce content in different shapes and forms, primarily for the millennial audience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Very, LLC?

We’d been contemplating the idea of making a marketplace for the last several years, and we didn’t necessarily have in-house expertise for mobile app development. Once we got the greenlight and finance from our board, we started looking for partners that could help us with the execution of this idea.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Very, LLC provided us with React Native iOS development and UI/UX design services. We gave them an idea, our goals, and the challenges we wanted to solve, along with rough mockups. The team then packaged those into a mobile app.

What is the team composition?

We had a few developers, some UI/UX designers, and a couple of project managers.

How did you come to work with Very, LLC?

We’d had a few conversations with them prior to this project, so we knew them. They gave us a good proposal, and we decided to work with them. We went through an RFP process and spoke to a couple of vendors in the space.

One of our former employees had knowledge about Very, LLC from a prior engagement, and recommended them to us.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the conversation in March or April 2019, got a proposal from Very, LLC in May, and kicked off the project in late-June of that year. The project has almost wrapped up. 

We launched the product in May 2020, and we’re engaged with Very, LLC in a maintenance and support model. They’ll be providing additional development work until mid-August 2020 when we’ll be transitioning the project to two in-house developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had almost 62,000 app downloads since the launch. Our goal for the app’s first year was 80,000 downloads, so we’ve achieved around 70% of the goal in the first three and a half months. 

The app is a kind of pricing aggregator using several marketplaces, and we’ve already made around $150,000 in sales for our partners.

How did Very, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a fairly rigid structure when it comes to project management. We’ve had daily check-ins and weekly sprint meetings on Mondays. It felt less outsourced and more like an extension of my team. 

We use Jira internally, but we used Pivotal Tracker for this project, which is the tool that Very, LLC uses. They’ve recently transitioned to Jira as well. We established deadlines and milestones, which were met successfully in most cases.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the differentiators that made us choose Very, LLC in the first place was that, during our initial conversation, they not only asked the right questions but also gave the right recommendations, without even being under contract. That struck me as a positive sign and reassured me that we were picking the right partner.

As I mentioned, they have a fairly rigid way of structuring their operations and daily check-ins, and we’ve had to adjust to that process, but, in the end, it’s become a required process in order to complete complicated development on time and within budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The initial project estimation could’ve been a bit more precise. I understand that we didn’t really give them much to work off of, but they could’ve spent more time understanding the overall scope of work, especially when it came to the later stages. 

I understand that it’s hard to estimate what’ll happen with a piece of software 16 months after the project starts, but it would be a great exercise for them to go through next time.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

My advice would be to give Very, LLC flexibility and not handhold their project managers, developers, or designers. Clients should give them a problem to solve and let them solve it instead of telling them how to do it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of technology for Socialyte. We represent talent, mostly in the Instagram space, but also on YouTube. We help brands manage strategic partnerships with influencers, whether they’re on a roster or not.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Very, LLC?

We built out a platform with another company, but when they were acquired, we were let go as clients. When we started our partnership, it was a transition and we were looking for a new engineering team to build this out for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built an internal reporting platform and put together a strategy for the future of our software.  Our software helps brands manage talent, providing them with accounting information and details about active projects.

What is the team composition?

We hired a project manager, a couple of different engineers, a QA engineer, a designer, and a few strategy partners. Their staff was allocated depending on what we needed each sprint. The product manager was my day-to-day contact, but the software engineers were heavily involved as well, and I spoke with them all throughout the project.  

How did you come to work with Very, LLC?

We weren’t interested in hiring in-house, so we interviewed about a dozen different companies looking fr the right fit. They really stood out to us, so we started working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in March in 2020 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, it has been a wonderful partnership. We’re saving about 8–10 hours a month for a team of eight people.

It has been really beneficial for us because we’ve been able to show external partners and they can see a really specific impact as well. They don’t have to send us as much manual work to us, and we’re able to give them reports and CDC files in a really easy way.

It has also really helped our operations and accounting team because it has given us visibility into teammates and revenue tracking.

How did Very, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve been really happy with them. We weren’t sure what we were getting into; I have a light background in tech and the last company we worked with was very hands-off, but Very, LLC walked us through the process without too much hand-holding. It was a really good marriage of educating us and making sure we were in the thick of everything, and getting exactly what we needed every single day.

We used Jira and Slack and I had a daily morning call with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked how accessible they were at all times. If I ever had an issue, they were very quick to get back to me. We were looking for a partner that would bring strategy and insight lot the table, because we didn’t have that experience. They really met my expectations on that front. Whether it was my primary point of contact or one of their senior staff members, I could just hop on the phone with them. It was nice to have honest feedback so we knew the solution was effective. We knew were getting the best value out of our partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

During the partnership, there was a transition on their accounting team, and that made invoicing a little messy for a brief time. She quickly got up to speed, and they were able to get back on track quickly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We entered into this project halfway through building something, and we hadn’t completely fleshed out what we needed for them to build. On our end, that was a missed opportunity to strategize and detail exactly what we wanted to build. They’re a third party, so they couldn’t know all of our business insights off the bat. For a future customer of theirs, it would be really wise to understand the details about what you want to build before approaching and hiring them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and the CFO of Treehouse Co-Living. We help connect renters to apartment communities where there are shared areas to foster social connection.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Very, LLC?

We hired them to build a mobile app for our residents.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app offers three major functions, one of which allows users to check their bookings and pay rent. They can also schedule maintenance and cleaning of their units, and RSVP for community events happening in the building.

In terms of the technical development, we provided them with a file that outlined the scope of the project and our goals. They handled all of the coding and design, and the app runs on both iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

The full team was four people, including a project manager, a designer, and front- and backend engineers.

How did you come to work with Very, LLC?

We got a referral from a friend.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $140,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August–December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We appreciate the clean, simple design they came up with, especially since it’s so consistent with the rest of our branding materials. On a technical level, the app’s been robust in our tests thus far and it integrates well with our web platform. Our first building opens in March 2019, so we’ll see what happens when the amount of users increases.

How did Very, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

We used a number of different communication tools, including Slack, Pivotal Tracker, and InVision. InVision was a great tool—it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with giving design feedback and tracking frontend work. It was easy to keep track of things overall. There were a couple of times when I had to get more directly involved than I might’ve liked, but the project generally went well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided a superior experience compared to companies we’ve worked with in the past. The project was delivered on time and everything worked well. Several members of their team also really invested ownership in our app and thought critically about how to best deliver the functionalities we needed. They felt like true collaborative partners.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could take a little more ownership over the timeline for the project. When we first walked through the scope, they gave us their weekly billing rates and an estimate for how long the project would take. When we neared the end, they suggested that maybe they wouldn’t be able to finish all the deliverables on time. They ultimately completed the project as promised, but I had to push harder and request things directly when that aspect of project management should have come from their end.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have an honest conversation about project goals. They’re a smart, talented team that will find creative solutions for the project. I came into our project with some ideas of how I wanted to do things, only for them to show me that there were better ways to achieve those things. Their process is really helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and head of product of a financial technology (fintech) platform that provides financial wellness for the masses. Our service introduces everyone to savings and we give away cash weekly to incentivize clients to save.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Very, LLC?

This was our first time building a native app for our business and we were using React and React Native. We had a bunch of engineers on our team who could do a good portion of the work, but we wanted to apply best practices from an engineering and development standpoint, as well as leverage their expertise so that we could avoid some of the common pitfalls of this kind of work. We also needed help with some design-oriented challenges that we had.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Prior to starting with them, we already had a desktop app that was both live and in production. We relied on Very for designing and developing our iOS app. We only worked with the developer for one week. He took on some very specific tasks and gave us some advice on ways to handle the situation.

They’ve been particularly good at thinking through some of the nuances that happen when you’re interacting with a mobile app, and we’re now at the tail end of debugging and deploying it.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with one developer, one designer, and one project manager.

How did you come to work with Very, LLC?

We knew one of their founders.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in March 2017 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our application had a big codebase to begin with, so it was hard to get the developer really involved in a short period of time, but he did help us fix a couple of challenging issues. The insight they provided is a by-product of their previous experience, which is exactly what we were looking for.

We haven’t implemented or tested their designs for the first cut of the app yet, but we’re very pleased with what they produced and are really looking forward to getting them into the application once we’re ready for deployment.

How did Very, LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was generally fine. We could always get in touch with them when needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their designer is great and we really liked their work. It was a positive experience and we learned several lessons from the first week of working with the developer, which we carried into our engagement with the rest of the team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our expectations weren’t aligned at the beginning, but we corrected that over time. It seemed like a challenge one would have when there is a salesperson or project management person selling the engagement, and then the people who are actually doing the work are second to know. Other than that, everything was fine.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product and innovation of a real estate association.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Very?

We needed to develop an informational website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did the planning, design, and development of our website. They used Webflow CMS. It was completed in November 2017.

They now do some maintenance work and are engaged with us on a totally different project.

What is the team composition?

We had a product manager and a designer who did frontend development.

How did you come to work with Very?

I met them through a friend several years ago. I didn’t consider partnering with any other companies. I had confidence based on Very’s portfolio and discussions I had with them in the past.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2017, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m very satisfied. Our users are pleased to have the website as their resource. There was one bug that was identified and fixed.

How did Very perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent and extremely easy to work with, which is why I was propelled to hire them again.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good at communicating with us through multiple channels like chat, phone, and video conferencing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My only complaint is that they get booked up a few weeks out. We have to have the lead time to know that they’ll be available if we need a quick turnaround on new projects.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Besides from ensuring that they have the right technical skill sets, I would go for ease of collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m vice president of corporate sales at Infinity Woven Products, a floor covering company that has been a mainstay in the recreational boating and RV industries. We are perpetually expanding into other industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Very?

Our current website focuses on the industries we serve and features our different collections and products. We were having a problem with our brand identity and website workflow. We needed to make it easier for consumers to understand our corporate identity while identifying the industries we serve. We wanted them to be able to access the product, gain knowledge and resources, and process orders.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did a brainstorming session, then hired them to do all the backend coding and development of the website, the workflow, and the UI/UX. It’s a totally new website.

We also got their input on what we needed: what kinds of information, the correct number of clicks and drilldowns, and the appropriate amount of menus, tabs, and pages. We just needed to develop a workflow.

UI/UX was a big deal for us, so they helped us understand how we could redevelop our product, understand the platform, and grow our business by utilizing the site.

What is the team composition?

A small team of one project manager and two developers was dedicated to us for several weeks. Our current active website took about 18 months, but there were still kinks after it was launched. We didn’t have good support, and everything was coded in such a way that we couldn’t fix it ourselves. Very gave us a limited team, but they were dedicated to our project.

How did you come to work with Very?

In the Chattanooga area, their founding member, Sheldon [Co-Founder, Very], is legendary for his humility, accessibility, and great value. If his name is attached to a project, it’s going to be high-quality. Since his name is attached to Very, we expected and assumed that would receive good value. We did some research on 2-3 other companies, but we only walked this far down the path with Very.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The actual work took about six weeks, and the site has the ease of use that we wanted. During the process, I appreciated the dedication of people who were directly attached to the project. We had access to them almost around the clock. As we were wrapping up the project, they walked us through the site. Our satisfaction is 9 out of 10.

How did Very perform from a project management standpoint?

Throughout those six weeks, they held an hour-long meeting every Monday and 10-15 minute standups on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our team is now composing all the site content. Internally, we’re putting in the copy and photos. They built a site we could fully utilize it six weeks. There was confusion about schedules because it was over Christmas, but that’s normal.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Having the full attention of two developers makes a huge difference. I’ve built multiple sites with multiple agencies. Having full-service experts who not only know the backend, but also incorporate customer service into their approach, is incredibly helpful. I’m truly grateful for that opportunity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since this project was completed at such a fast pace, it would have been great to have more follow-up. Two to three weeks after everything is done, it’d be great to have a day where we can share the issues we’re having with those developers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can never be thorough enough. It’s important to have some idea of your expectations, and understanding your timeframe is crucial. Make sure that you’re committed to being very transparent with the company that you choose. If you’re not getting feedback, if you don’t feel that same level of transparency, then get out. Our process was so nice because of that dedication. It’s very rare for a web development company not to add surprise costs and let something drag out. It was nice to know we had that dedication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I have since left Amalgamated Bank but while there I was chief marketing officer, and later also managed branch, ATM, online, mobile, and bank operations, as well as the marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Very?

Amalgamated is nearly 100 years old. The company had not rebranded in a long time and needed to create a modern look and a message that appealed to a broader audience while still catering to its niche base. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Firstly, they were our social media agency. There was really no strategy whatsoever in terms of social media. Facebook was the main social media channel, but the page had only about 400 likes. We brought Very on to help us with our social media strategy, to implement our social media, and to expand our presence.

The other project that they helped us with was our website, particularly the backend infrastructure. Our technology team was pretty small and stressed, so we outsourced website development. We had someone who did the UX and then Very did the backend for us so two projects.

What is the team dynamic? 

There were one or two people on the team.

How did you come to work with Very?

They were referred to us by our CEO who had a connection through the union. They’re right in our price point and were flexible and easy to work with. What we liked is that we work with them directly.

How much have you invested with them?

I couldn’t tell you since I’m not there anymore. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2013, and the project ended in 2015/2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The branding work was a big success. The goal was to expand very naturally from where the company was. The work was implemented within the timeframe that we had set out. 

On the social side, within a very short timeframe, they were able to expand our likes through organic growth by thinking about the content and when to post. We also ran some contests and boosted some posts, but not many — just in the $25 range when we had really good content. We probably had close to 17,000 followers when I left. We did switch and bring it in-house over time, but they definitely put us on the right track. It was really them that got us up and running and built out the social presence.

How did Very perform from a project management standpoint?

Jesse [Partner, Very] is always available and checks in regularly. He has an amazing capacity and is always just a phone call away. I’ve worked with many vendors in my career, and I can tell you the ones that I like to work with are those who go beyond their contract and are communicative. You know what they're doing and you know they will pick up the phone or stop by when you need to talk to them. Very always asked and processed our feedback. That's good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I keep in touch with Jesse, and I think that’s a good sign. I think he’s a good connector. For example, they are happy to recommend a company for work they can’t complete. They are willing to work with you. Every company is different, and I found them very easy to work with.

They constantly change their model and update. They don’t just stick with something because it’s worked before. They’re constantly thinking about the next thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of programs and funds at a professional society for engineering professionals around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Very?

We were looking to build a platform for a startup competition that we have for hardware businesses. We were starting from scratch, so we were looking for a software provider to help us think through, scope, and execute platform development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Very helped us from start to finish on the competition platform, which included the visual identity and the CMS [Content Management System]. They helped us understand the kind of information we needed, how it needed to flow, and what the interaction between the applicants, judges, and different user profiles would look like.

They gave us advice and options in terms of cost and complexity. They tailored the platform to our needs as we worked through the process. In the end, we got an online platform that is fully customizable from our side. We like the look-and-feel of it, and it’s a comprehensive solution that’s tailored exactly for our needs.

They have a very rigorous process in how we engage with them, which is very helpful in terms of getting the results we need. The domain expertise and methodology has been very useful for us, and their experts understand our subject matter.

They used Ruby for the platform framework, and we’ve been through a number of phases with them. Working in sprints worked well because we were able to complete what was needed for the first year’s competition. We’ve also been able to improve the platform over time, so we’re happy with their process and flexibility.

What is the team dynamic?

In the beginning, we had some very strategic guidance from Very's senior management team, which included their CEO, COO, as well as some of their chief strategists and design resources. There were three people who were overseeing the project from start to finish.

We worked in sprints with a team of five on the actual project, including one project manager, two designers, and two developers.

How did you come to work with Very?

I found them through our network of friends based on the context of what we were trying to do. I didn’t know any of the team beforehand. A shared contact had used them and was very happy with their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000-$200,000 on the first stage of the project, and more than $200,000 overall.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Very in September 2014. The project has gone through four major iterations, and we’re still working with them on different applications.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform has been very robust for us. We’ve had zero issues over the last 3 years, including through every stage of what it’s looked like from a both judge or user perspective. Some of the other projects we’ve worked on didn’t have such a sophisticated approach, so this has been very impressive.

The competition is an open call, so we do get usability questions from the applicants, but they’re always very simple and easy to handle. We’ve had very good feedback regarding usability, because it’s easy to interact with, as well as intuitive. The look-and-feel is appropriate to our constituency.

How did Very perform from a project management standpoint?

Very has been excellent, and we’ve never had an issue with deadlines. There’s always constant communication, and they’re fully transparent about the work they’re doing. We’re currently working on another platform that will be up in a couple months. We’ve always been happy with the delivery of their work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The process and methodology they use have been very helpful for us. They offer full transparency, and the technology they use to enable that makes us feel like we’re a part of the team.

They’ve also given us helpful advice and assistance which goes beyond development. They’ve curated the right people for our environment, which was very helpful for activities outside the actual product. They helped us with ideas about who to reach out to for particular competitions, and also contacted some of their network they thought would be interested in our work.

They went above and beyond at every step to deliver and be a good development partner working to make the competition successful. They were very helpful from both a business development and awareness perspective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Any issues that came up were dealt with quickly because of the process they had. I can’t think of anything they could improve upon.