3Advance

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Brightn, a Gen Z mental wellness app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 3Advance?

I didn’t have experience with startup companies, let alone technology startup companies, so I decided to delegate the development work we needed to 3Advance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

3Advance was basically in charge of all of our mobile app development work. Initially, we met with them and went through a discovery process, during which they asked us a lot of questions about what we were looking for. From there, we met with 3Advance’s team on a regular basis to strategize and figure out ways to come up with a prototype for our app.

We already had an idea of who our ideal customer was and what our go-to-market strategy would be. Still, 3Advance helped us fine-tune and validate our ideas, which was what we wanted. Now, our app is live and available for iOS and Android devices.

With this app, we wanted to allow young adults to self-assess and empower them to build their own mental wellness plan, just as adults have a financial plan. The onboarding process is very simple; it has only nine questions.

The app focuses on three areas of mental wellness: health, wealth, and purpose. Thus, our goal with the onboarding process is to identify opportunities to send to users daily. These opportunities can be a link or a video with suggestions for things to do to enhance their knowledge and participation in those three areas.

The app uses AI, a ChatGPT integration, and a gamified UX to achieve this functionality. Still, we didn’t want the app to be too gamified to avoid users becoming addicted to it.

What is the team composition?

In most of our meetings, we interacted with 3–4 teammates from 3Advance. Still, I know a full team was working behind the scenes on the app designs. Jason (Former Product Manager) was the project lead, but he recently left the company. Still, Paul (Principal) was very open and supportive, and we had a nice hand-off meeting with them and the new project lead assigned to us. We were very comfortable with that process.

How did you come to work with 3Advance?

We found them online. We interviewed two companies and ultimately chose 3Advance because we felt comfortable with their knowledge and desire to work in the mental wellness space.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first found 3Advance in September 2022. We then signed the agreement in November 2022 and started the project in December 2022. Our prototype was launched on September 1st, 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since launching our app to the app stores, we have 16 five-star ratings

How did 3Advance perform from a project management standpoint?

The whole process was very educational for me. We had to make some pivots along the way as we got new data and information, and ultimately, we structured the app differently than we had originally planned. Still, 3Advance was very upfront and flexible.

We used Slack and Notion for communication, and we also had virtual meetings. Every meeting started with a review of the cash flow and where our money was spent so that everything was clear. We also discussed a few adjustments we made in advance so that there were no surprises.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Jason was instrumental in getting us where we’re at. When he left, he was very upfront with us and told us why he was leaving.

What did you find most impressive about them?

3Advance was very passionate about their work and always on time with their commitments. They were also very good at explaining terminology.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have a point of comparison to tell 3Advance’s areas of improvement because I had never launched an app before, so everything was new to me. We brought a CTO in 4–5 months ago, and they were a great complement to 3Advance. I don’t have any constructive feedback for them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a financial services company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide digital tipping services to the hospitality industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire 3Advance to accomplish?

• Design and build a digital tipping platform.
• Provide ongoing support of newly-built platform.

SOLUTION

How did you find 3Advance?

• Clutch Site

Why did you select 3Advance over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location

How many teammates from 3Advance were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We hired 3Advance to assist in building an enterprise-grate digital tipping platform to serve the hospitality industry. The project involved building a new platform and migrating the existing live platform from onto AWS back end from another provider. The new platform included a web-based and mobile app components.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The guide posts for this project were:

1. a web-based platform with a mobile app component
2. a smooth transition of the existing live system onto AWS from another back end without any interruption.

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

3Advance had good project management in place. We had regular status calls, live communication via Slack, and they effectively utilized various specialized platforms for collaboration (e.g., Figma for the design). We had a dedicated project manager assigned to us. He was always available and managed the project very effectively. We had a hard go-live date, which could not be moved, and the team was able to make it happen.

There was a mad dash at the end to ensure that everything was done, but this is expected, given the size and complexity of the project. At the end, the transition from the existing system was very smooth.

What was your primary form of communication with 3Advance?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The thing that impressed me the most about 3Advance is their ability to integrate with our organization and business model. Their team quickly grasped and internalized the intricacies of how we service our clients and the ins and outs of our old platform.

This translated into a very smooth design process (one of those rare instances where the design team understands what you are trying to accomplish and delivers highly through-through design on the first draft), as well as efficient ongoing support and new feature development. Working with the 3Advance team never feels like swimming against the current and you are truly getting a partner onboard when you hire them, which makes our lives much easier.

Are there any areas for improvement or something 3Advance could have done differently?

Not really. There was a bit of a mad dash at the end because of a hard go-live date that we had, but this sort of thing is expected, given the complexity of the project and the fact that we were working on a live platform.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Engage Behavior Analysis, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Engage Behavior Analysis, LLC creates programs using behavior analysis that make people’s lives better.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire 3Advance to accomplish?

• Develop the No Weigh app

SOLUTION

How did you find 3Advance?

• Clutch Site

Why did you select 3Advance over others?

• Company values aligned

How many teammates from 3Advance were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

The scope of work included developing the native app for Apple and Android (React Native), developing the visual brand, all UX/UI design, and continued support following launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

An app that works

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

When I think of my satisfaction with 3Advance the first thing that comes to mind is the project management. I have complete confidence in the No Weigh Project Manager. I have heard other start-ups describe the difficulty of communicating with their developers but I cannot relate. All of the talent at 3Advance are just incredible— responsive, collaborative, smart, experienced, excellent communication across the board.

What was your primary form of communication with 3Advance?

• Virtual Meeting

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

Their authenticity. So many companies just want you to sign up and grab your money but don’t believe in your product or take their work personally. With 3Advance it is definitely personal— they hold themselves to their own standards because that’s how they live and work. I really respect them as people and their professionalism, expertise, and customer service cannot be improved.

Another thing about 3Advance is that they listen. They want to understand my vision and then develop it. They don’t ever try to sell me an easy solution—they are truly invested in creating the technology so that it aligns with what I’m trying to accomplish. I have never felt like I had to defend my project. They are right there with me checking details and finding solutions so it’s exactly what I need to accomplish that thing I am trying to do.

Their client-first approach gives me confidence as a start-up. This is a big difference from other companies I have interviewed and contracted. Finally, my experience with 3Advance has covered many of the needs that tend to come up with a start-up. They provided the logo, app design (which is more beautiful than I imagined), product development consultation, references for other needed services (for me it was a social media and SEO/ASO), screenshots for the app listing, and more.

One aspect of being a start-up that takes a lot of time is finding and managing contractors for all of the little stuff. 3Advance has provided a lot of support with these details and saved me a good deal of time.

Are there any areas for improvement or something 3Advance could have done differently?

No. Investing time and money into an app has come with many stressors, but 3Advance has not been one of them.

BACKGROUND

Describe your role or position at 3Advance.

I’m the founder and CEO of a food and beverage tech startup. We have an app, and we're in the process of developing an all-in-one customer engagement platform for restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire (provider name) to accomplish?

We didn’t have an in-house development team, so we reached out to Webknot.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

3Advance turned our concept into an MVP. We provided them with wireframes and a prototype that we had previously built through InVision. Once they had everything they needed, the team guided us through the conceptualization process where we came up with features that we thought could be good for the MVP. 

The app itself is a platform where people can share their nightlife experiences, specifically around the bars, nightclubs, or restaurants that they visit. Users can upload 10-second looping videos of the places they’ve gone to, and this media will be tied to a specific spot on the in-app map. 

What is the team composition?

I’m mostly in touch with Paul (CEO), but I’ve also interacted with Mark (Senior Director of Mobile Development), Jason (Project Manager), and several developers. I also talked to Doug (Director of Product) but he is no longer with 3Advance. 

How did you come to work with 3Advance?

I did some research and came across 3Advance. I found out that their team is local but spread out across the world at the same time. They had great reviews on Clutch, and we liked their development approach. They were also very personable, so we decided to bring them in for the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $111,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the contract in July 2021 and kicked off in August 2021. We’re still working on the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

3Advance has created an awesome app that we were able to take to the market. It is now available for download via Google Play and the App Store. We have around 2,500 users at the moment, but that number is still growing as more and more restaurants upload their content every day. 

How did 3Advance perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicate through phone and Slack, but we also have bi-weekly meetings. 3Advance has good time management and always sticks to the delivery schedule. We can rely on them to openly share and readily address any challenges that they run into. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The communication between us is great in that they really guide us through the development process. They’re very knowledgeable when it comes to building something like this, they’re just a great team overall. We’ve had such a wonderful experience and are, in fact, considering working with them again to build out our customer engagement platform. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were a bit bullish with their timelines, which caused a bit of stress on everybody. Still, they were able to complete all of the deliverables.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Knowing what you want may be a bit challenging in the app development world since you’ll have to constantly iterate and change things as you go. My advice is to be ready to pivot and openly communicate with the development team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Istruzi. We’re a vertically integrated iOS mobile app designed for golf swing coaches to help schedule, manage, operate, communicate, collaborate, and facilitate payments between golf coaches and players.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 3Advanced?

In the golf coaching industry the player and coach user experience varies greatly from coach to coach and between players. Most coaches use multiple tools to run their business and need help leveraging tech and automation for things like booking to long term player communication and relationship management to help build and foster relationships. 3A was the perfect partner to address these immediate needs as well as additional items on our development roadmap.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of the main features is an availability and booking solution that allows students to book time with their coaches. There’s also a native messaging function and the ability to upload images and videos to facilitate coaching. Finally, we have a Venmo integration.

Before coming to 3Advanced, I’d hired a developer to build a lightweight, no code MVP, as well as a freelance designer who designed the UI. I took these documents to 3Advanced, and they built out the rest of the screens, the AWS environment, and the feature development roadmap.

Currently, the app is in the private beta stage in TestFlight. There are dynamic links for coaches so they can get in and share it with players.  We’re on a month-to-month agreement with 3Advanced for support.

What is the team composition?

Paul (CEO) is one of my points of contact, and Darren (CTO) handles the architecture underneath the app. The main day-to-day management is handled by Mark (Senior Director of Mobile Development), and we also speak with Doug (Director of Product) and Jason (Project Manager). Chloe (Director of Designer) handles the UI.

How did you come to work with 3Advanced?

I was introduced to them by my attorney.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $150,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

3Advanced quoted the project to take six months, and they’ve stuck to that timeline. They got the app into our private beta successfully and drove the importance of sticking to the MVP and getting users into the app as soon as we could with a minimum version of the product to make it useful and valuable.

How did 3Advanced perform from a project management standpoint?

Doug and Jason have been very strong from this perspective. I’m happy with their expertise and advisory support; it’s clear they know what they’re doing and have experience doing similar work. Additionally, it’s easy to know who I need to go to.

We agreed to work through Slack from a daily communication standpoint, and they were always available. It was a new way for them to interact with customers. I’m glad they were willing to be flexible here.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I ended up talking to five potential partners, and only 3Advanced approached the project in an agile manner. Other vendors tried to scope every single feature and deliverable to a timeline based on information I gave them and some they added. This would have led to a lot of guesswork.  

Because we worked off a fixed fee, we spent a couple of months defining the MVP and what was going to be built and then adjusted it on a month-to-month basis.

I’m self-funding and it’s early, so the fixed fee was incredibly helpful. I’m not able to sign onto an agreement where a developer can charge me whatever they want without knowing what I was going to get. In my contract with 3Advanced, it says that they’re not done until the app is submitted to the app store. This built a lot of confidence for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Working with them is a good decision; you’ll will be happy with the collaboration and the end product.

Speaking of day-to-day advice, Slack helped us a lot, and the weekly touchpoints are super valuable. They’re also valuable to bring in front of your customers if that’s needed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Whittle, which is an email and task productivity app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 3Advance Apps?

We saw that many people were having trouble managing and monitoring multiple email accounts, so we wanted to create a workflow that could help them in responding to numerous messages. We hired 3Advance to us solve a complicated business problem through an elegant, simple, and straightforward UX. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

3Advance designed the UI of our app in keeping with our brand. On that front, they also did some market research and provided some advice on how we should manage and position our product. 

The team helped us put together an investor pitch deck and built a landing page for our website.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 8–10 people throughout the course of the project. Paul (CEO) did some initial consulting for the idea behind the app to scope out the project and put a team together. We then went on to work with the product manager, developers, and designers.

How did you come to work with 3Advance Apps?

I was looking for app development shops that were in the area and came across 3Advance online. I did some due diligence and conducted initial scoping calls with other development companies, but decided to go with 3Advance. I saw the apps that they had developed on their website and loved their designs. Their products possessed the look and feel that I was going for with my product.

When I met them, they seemed super knowledgeable. I felt comfortable that I was going to get the most bang for my buck because of their competitive pricing. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in November 2020. We’re still working together through a few approvals to get the app released on the App Store.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I would rate their work perfectly on any scale. They’ve just been a dream to work with. Besides them being very fast, transparent, and responsive, their design work is fantastic. Our app’s UI is quick, clean, and elegant, which is better than what I had envisioned. 

How did 3Advance Apps perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is outstanding. The team has really helped us understand what the project roadmap and development process is going to be. Whenever we need a certain aspect of the design changed from what we had originally planned, they are reactive to it and could quickly pivot towards what we wanted. 

3Advance has really held our hand through the whole iterative process, taking our feedback and giving advice when we needed it. We’ve always felt comfortable with the direction the app was going.

We have weekly stand-up calls and multiple working sessions, depending on where we are in the development process. We use multiple methods of communication but we mostly do it through Basecamp where the project is mapped out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a very capable and professional team. From the very beginning, they’ve given the impression that they could do this fast and within budget. I’ve always felt a level of security when working with them because they clearly know what they’re doing. They’ve hit every single mark for me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

3Advance could build out a service for helping clients with investor presentations. They’ve helped us out with our pitch, but that wasn’t really part of the scope of work. This is especially important for people like me who are just about to release the first version of their apps and are in need of finding good investors. 

They could also look into providing a marketing service for the apps they build since that is the immediate next step that comes after development. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Definitely have an idea of what you want your app to look and feel like and approach 3Advance with a fully baked-out business problem that you need to solve. Having some guardrails will help you get started faster.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a live-streaming company that specializes on sports clients. Our platform allows broadcasters to use our technology to stream events. We’re not out on the field with cameras — we’re just a tech stack for broadcasting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 3Advance Apps?

We wanted to rewrite our iOS and Android apps and turned to 3Adavance Apps for support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

3Advance Apps rewrote our apps using different software libraries. There were two phases: the first involved rewriting a Wowza-based software development kit (SDK), and the second was for a Softvelum-based SDK. In each phase, we provided them with virtually all of the design specs and defined the project requirements while they wrote the code and shepherded the submission to the app stores.

What is the team composition? 

The team varied between the two phases. We talked to 5–6 people in total but only worked with 1–2 individuals at any given time.

How did you come to work with 3Advance Apps?

I’d met one of their founders several times at different events in the DC tech community.

How much have you invested with them?

The first phase was about $20,000, and the second was around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first phase was between December 2018–February 2019, and the second was from May–August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The number one thing for us was that there weren’t a lot of user complaints or bugs that needed to be fixed once the apps went live. 3Advance Apps had strong code quality and followed our requirements well.

How did 3Advance Apps perform from a project management standpoint?

In general, 3Advance Apps was very responsive, acted quickly, and received our feedback well. We involved the team at the latter stages of the projects after we’d decided on everything, so they were only responsible for execution. 

On that front, they followed instructions well. They understood what was needed and stuck to our parameters. We didn’t have instances when we needed to go back-and-forth over a decision. Their communication was good, too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We noticed that there wasn’t a whole lot that we had to handle if we didn’t want to because 3Advance Apps was a full-service shop. In our case, we did all of the project planning and had them code it, but that was because we had the internal resources to go that route.

If you’re a company that comes to them with just an idea or partial capabilities, then I’m sure they’re willing to supply that external help. They have designers and workflow specialists as well as coders, so you don’t need to do much work on your own if you can’t. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any feedback for them. I think they’re a great firm.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Anyone who works with them will be happy with the results. They can handle every part of the development process, including making sure that your project is submitted to app stores, supported, and maintained. 

That being said, you should make sure that you’re very specific with your requests and define things in detail before having them code. This is mostly from a cost perspective. You don’t want to be figuring out your project while you’re getting billed $150–$300 an hour depending on the resource. If you come in with a well-conceived plan, they’ll get it done. That’s where their expertise comes into play.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a co-founder of a travel app and Web site. We launched this year and we enable users to see live and recorded tours around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 3Advance Apps?

We needed to develop the app from scratch and we needed help thinking through the. Logistics of transforming our ideas into a functioning platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

 They helped us from a design standpoint, thinking through our branding and the flow of our iOS app. They thought through the layout and brought up things to consider in terms of UI. They thought through what was workable and what would be allowed on the app store.

They developed the app, helped us integrate with a live feature, and they were instrumental in incorporating a rotating globe on the app. They’ve been very useful as we explored analytics. They’ve helped us look at different tools to fit what we need.

3Advance Apps also helped us work with third-party technology vendors so they could connect with our app. We had difficulty understanding the technology, so they stepped in and were able to break it down for us.

They’ve been a full-service partner on the development side .They also helped with our website and now we’re thinking though the Android version of the app.

What is the team composition?

We work with at least seven people. We had a project manager, an iOS, web, and Android developer. They also had someone from their analytics and design group.

How did you come to work with 3Advance Apps?

We did a lot of research and talked to a few developers. They seemed to be a good fit. I didn’t have a direct connection with them, but they clearly understood what we were trying to achieve and were able to immediately contribute some ideas on how we implement certain features.

What is the status of this engagement?

We stated working with them in April 2020 and the app was approved by app in September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we submitted it to Apple, they requested a few minor changes, but then it was accepted. Their technical experience and their ability to guide us so the app would be accepted by the App Store, was very valuable.

3Advance Apps was honestly fantastic to work with. They were open minded and pushed themselves to think of ways to pull it together in a functioning app. But also, they were proactive and honest about the challenges and the costs.

They were extremely helpful in managing our costs. They’ve been an absolute pleasure to work with.

How did 3Advance Apps perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. We had weekly meetings, which helped us manage the overall process. We set weekly and monthly goals.

Whenever we had to talk to someone, there was always someone who could answer our questions. In addition to being readily available, they met all of their deadlines.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are incredibly responsive, and more than anything, very attentive. They listen to what we’re saying as opposed to telling us what they think we want to hear. Then the next time we talk to them, they’ve either drafted the concept, or they’re able to explain why it wouldn’t work for our project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Genuinely, there’s nothing I would change.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re very good about bringing the right people to the table, so be open about all aspects of the project. That will help them identify which of their experts to bring to the table to be involved from the beginning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager at Hindsight Systems. We’re a technology startup focused primarily in the pre-trial monitoring of clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 3Advance Apps?

We use 3Advance to help us develop our proprietary monitoring application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

3Advance dedicated UX/UI professionals who designed a clickable prototype for our application. We basically provided them with a product requirement document. Then, they established an entire design team.

Their team's translating our idea into an end product. They also connected us with hardware providers to build the hardware compatible with our application.

What is the team composition?

Our primary point of contact’s Paul (Founder & CEO). He assigns tasks to individual engineers in different departments. During the design phase, we worked with about four people from their team. We worked with UX/UI engineers, a marketing teammate, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with 3Advance Apps?

I searched for software providers in our local area and that led me to Clutch. I read reviews and that’s how I got to 3Advance.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent $25,000. We’re about to sign an additional contract that will increase the cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had initial conversations in late January 2020 and our initial design phase began in April. We’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a clickable prototype that has blown our investors out of the water. It’s above and beyond what we expected. They took us from an idea to well on our way to a developed application.

I couldn’t be happier with everything 3Advance has done for us. Even with tasks outside their scope of work, they’ve weighed in to give us expert opinions. I cannot say enough about them or the product that we have.

How did 3Advance Apps perform from a project management standpoint?

We've talked with them 2–3 times a week over conference calls when we walked through the design process with them. We work primarily with Notion and Basecamp. Their communication is beyond what we expected. They’re spot on with timelines and flexible with our timelines. Their team is able to translate technical jargon to people who aren’t technically savvy well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility is one of their most impressive qualities. For example, we were in the throes of finding a hardware provider to create the hardware to work in tandem with our software application. We were coming up with goose eggs. I mentioned this issue to Paul who said he knew people in the industry. Within two days, I had a list of hardware providers. We plan to sign an agreement with a hardware provider provided by Paul. He didn’t have skin in the game. He was just trying to be helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve exceeded our expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell them exactly what you want. Have clear and defined requirements and expectations. Tell them what you don’t know too. If you have a gap in your plan, be upfront with that. They can probably help you fill that gap.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of Pay It Furloughed, which was created during the government shutdown last year. It’s a co-creation between myself and a frequent collaborator of mine, Al Goldberg.

We had the idea to bring a bit of light into the darkness for federal workers and contractors during the federal shutdown, by teaming up with a number of craft brewers and one store that sold craft beer in Washington, DC. We wanted to make it possible for people to make long-distance donations to buy beer for someone who’s negatively affected by the government shutdown.

The basic concept was for people to go on to a website, make a donation for a beer, a six-pack, or a case of beer, and a government contractor that was furloughed during the shutdown could walk into any one of the breweries or the shop that we were partnered with and, as long as there was money in the virtual box, they could drink as many beers as they wanted, responsibly and within reason.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 3Advance Apps?

We had an idea, but we didn’t know how to execute it from a technology standpoint. There would be multiple venues for people, and redeeming tiers. We wanted to make the donation interface very simple, whether someone was on a mobile device or a desktop. That’s how we came to collaborate with 3Advance Apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I think that this was the fastest project any of us had been a part of. I pitched the idea to my collaborator over dinner, and we had a conference call with Paul (CEO, 3Advance Apps) and his team a few hours later. I and my partner have an events background, and we have a lot of experience in the food space as well, but we didn’t have experience in terms of creating technology like this.

We needed something built from scratch, and fast. It had to have a super sleek user experience and redemption experience for the merchants. We wanted to make it simple for people anywhere in the world to just input their credit card information and make a donation for one beer, a six-pack, a case, or just a lump sum of their choosing, and we wanted to make it very easy for our craft beer partners to look at the virtual box and determine whether there was money in it. If so, then they could redeem a beer for anyone that wanted one at the time. 

Paul and his team had to come up with a website interface for donations and a backend recordkeeping technology for us, for the purpose of then transferring the money to the breweries. The idea was that, not only did these furloughed workers get a beer when they needed it most, and a chance to get out of the house and have some conversations, but we were also going to be helping local craft brewers and a local shop get business.

We wanted the whole process to be both pro federal worker/contractor and pro local business. 3Advance Apps came up with a mobile-friendly website and the recordkeeping functionality in the backend. We also had to have a redemption functionality, so that every time a beer was redeemed, the merchant could input that sale into the software. To make it as transparent as possible, we wanted to make it so that the website would reflect in real-time the number of beers that had been donated, redeemed, and remaining.

We started out with just three partners, and, as the furlough continued, we brought on more beer partners. Paul and his team constantly updated the website to ensure that the new partners were listed and that they had a little tutorial of the technology, for the redemption portion of it. It was a web platform only.

We thought about making an app, but we didn’t know how much the shutdown would last. If it was going to be a recurring initiative, we would’ve maybe made a mobile app. We wanted to have the path of least resistance from hearing about it to making a donation to us.

What is the team composition?

Paul and Darren (Partner and CTO, 3Advance Apps) were our main points of contact. I know that other team members worked on the project, but I didn’t have the chance to interface with them at all.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $15,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with 3Advance Apps during the month of January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was really gratifying that we were able to take that idea and make it into a reality in such a short period of time. 3Advance Apps was extremely reactive and productive with their work.

We were up and running within 72 hours of having the idea, and the initiative ran for almost two weeks before the shutdown ended. In that time, we got press coverage, mainly in The States, but also from around the world, and we got donations from around the world.

We’ve had a lot of interactions with people on social media, who were either government contractors or workers redeeming a beer, and posting on Instagram thanking us for it; or from people who’d just bought a six-pack of beer for someone.

Paul and his team came up with that within just a couple of days of absolutely phenomenal, breakneck work. I’ve never seen a project go from a “Wouldn’t it be cool?” moment to us having a mobile-ready website and partnerships with beer companies and shops, and being able to go to the press with an announcement.

Paul and his team were highly creative and responsive and worked at supersonic speed. We couldn’t have been happier with the work they did. We all had to figure it out as we went along, and it was a huge success. We raised over $30,000 and gave out thousands of free beers to government workers and contractors.

We were on CNN, NPR, and CBS News Hour. We got coverage in every publication in Washington DC, including The Washington Post. We got donations from around the world, including Japan, Norway, South America, and New Zealand. The bulk of the donations came from the US, but there were donations openly made around the world, which was heartening to see.

How did 3Advance Apps perform from a project management standpoint?

We had some initial conference calls to go over the overarching task, to make sure everyone was on the same page about where it needed to go. After that, we primarily communicated through email and occasionally on Slack. At one point, we did get together for a beer in the middle of all of it.

It was really an “Aha!” moment that got out there super quickly and went viral in a way that surprised all of us. I know that I and Paul’s team didn’t sleep for the next couple of weeks, while it was all running. It was really incredible to be a part of, and none of it would’ve been possible without 3Advance Apps. We really owe them a debt for their speed and creativity.

They made it so that the website was easily editable by myself and my partner. If we wanted to add a new language or include new stories that were written by the initiative, we could do that without bothering Paul and his team Their ability to meet deadlines was fearless, and their dedication and determination were beyond impressive. We couldn’t have been happier with the work they did or the time they delivered it in.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We knew how hard they were working, how stressful it was, and how much was riding on it. We had limited time to come out with a product that worked really well on all levels. With all of that pressure, throughout it, Paul and his team had a great sense of humor and a great attitude. They were continually upbeat.

At one point, we sent them a case of Red Bull, because of how little they were sleeping. We sent them a case of beer, too, for when it was all over. We knew what kind of pressure they were under, and, not only did they do the work, but they did it with a fantastic attitude. It’s always a pleasure to interface with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If we ever had the opportunity to work with them again, I’d have it go exactly the same way. We were very pleased with the work they did.