Bastion Rare

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My husband Jason Selecky and I are the owners of BarZap App. It’s a social platform that also collects data for bar owners.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bastion Rare?

We needed Bastion Rare to help us build our app.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We were originally working with another company to develop our app before Bastion took over the project. Using the initial groundwork and accumulated research, they’ve collaborated with us extensively to create the final product. 

What is the team composition? 

Ruby (Director of Product Management) is our primary point of contact, but we’ve also met 4–5 other individuals.

How did you come to work with Bastion Rare?

Bastion Rare had actually acquired the company we were working with for our app. The project transferred over to them.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s easily been about $100,000, and we expect to spend more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project around January 2018. The app is set to go live in about another week or so.

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

Because we’re just getting ready for launch, I don’t have any metrics to share. I can say that we’re happy with the job that they’ve done so far.

How did Bastion Rare perform from a project management standpoint?

They work closely with us via phone calls, Zoom, and in-person meetings (before COVID-19) to get a good handle on what we needed the app to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Asking us more questions in the beginning would probably have been more beneficial. We’ve never built an app before, so we had no idea what to expect coming into the project. It would’ve been helpful to have more insight into what the next five phases of development entailed, both from information gathering and financial standpoints. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to do your homework. Know exactly what you want to do and ask them, “What should I be asking you that I’m not?”

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an agronomist at Tri-Tech Ag Products. I’m a certified crop advisor who makes fertilizer plans for fruit and vegetable growers. We sell fertilizer and pesticides. We also walk in the fields and apply our products to make sure everything looks good. Our team also tests leaves and soils by sending them out to a lab to get analyzed to make sure that the crop is getting all the nutrition it needs.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bastion Rare?

We hired Bastion Rare to develop a software that makes fertilizer recommendations for our customers, and then it has those customers track the fertilizer that they have actually applied. The idea is that improvements can’t be made unless we figure out what’s already been done.

We don’t realize feedback all the time on whether customers take our advice and recommendations. Bastion Rare was tasked with building this mobile application and an accompanying admin web-based software to keep better records and improve communication with our customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our team originally started working with a different company, so we had a few sketches already made. We knew roughly what we wanted the functionalities and format to look like. We switched to Bastion Rare because their pricing was much more reasonable.

Our mobile app will first be released on iOS. We hope to release an Android version in the future.

What is the team composition?

I’ve mostly worked with Ruby (Director of Product Management). I’ve also worked with Jeremiah (Founder) a bit in the beginning.

How did you come to work with Bastion Rare?

After working with the last company, I searched for development companies in Southern California. I found them on Clutch.

Along with their affordable cost, the team at Bastion Rare was more flexible with our budget. The other company would’ve required an additional fee for negotiation. When we started with Bastion Rare, they understood what we wanted right away.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we’ve spent over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We were in contact with them for a while before starting our engagement in October 2019.

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

Bastion Rare has allowed us to bring a product to market at a price we can afford. We’re excited to launch the first version of our app in a month or two. Right away, we’ll start making plans for version two, a web app, and an Android version.

We asked for something complex. Ruby dedicated herself to learning more about the agriculture industry. She put in every effort to understand what I wanted in the app. She also brought in her own ideas, remaining straightforward about what she thought would work well or if we needed to limit the scope of the project.

Ruby taught us a lot about being focused within an app rather than trying to put too much on the customer right out of the gate. She wanted to nail down the purpose and what we wanted to achieve. With that clear goal in mind, she created designs that fit that need.

Bastion Rare puts their customers first. Along with being great listeners, they’re very supportive. Throughout the engagement, they’ve made us feel taken care of.

Most of our customers are excited to try the new software. Just building the software has increased our credibility and reputation as a sales and science-based consulting company.

How did Bastion Rare perform from a project management standpoint?

Ruby made everything easy for me. In the beginning, we had phone calls with Ruby every week. Now that development is well underway, I’m speaking with her every three weeks or so. She’s been extremely responsive. Every couple of weeks, she sends me a checklist through email, and we also have a running Google Doc.

She reminds me when things need to get done, and she gives me ample time to think about things before they become urgent. That communication style has been very helpful.

About a year ago, their team, including the CEO, came out to visit us. We spent all day getting to know each other. We went out to a strawberry field and introduced them to one of the growing customers. It solidified our partnership.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their goal-oriented approach stands out. They’re not trying to sell us too much, but they want to give us the value to improve our business. It takes a lot of humility to take themselves out of it and think of what’s best for their customer.

It’s a competitive industry and business, and I think it takes a special company to do the right thing and give honest feedback. They truly have our best interests in mind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think they’re doing an awesome job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen carefully to their feedback because they have a lot of experience with mobile apps. They understand the way users work with technology. Don’t undervalue the advice that they give.

Communication is also key. Be as clear as possible about what you need and what your goals are. Keep the scope as narrow as you can in order to fulfill your goals.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner for an e-learning platform that teaches character and skill development to children.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bastion Rare?

We needed software development services to build the platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The platform is to be a gamified mobile and web app. Kids will access it through a smartphone or laptop, spend 5–10 minutes completing opportunities, and earn badges and coins to redeem. It’s a very complex app.

We’re new to the software development side, so Steven (Head of Growth) walked us through the potential process and what it would be like. After that, we paid a fee to spend 10–15 hours with their engineers to scope out the project and get a detailed price for their work. Bastion Rare fleshed out the functionality and our vision of the app. After that, they delivered the blueprint of what needed to get done.

What is the team composition?

Steven is our lead contact. We also work with a full-time person and sometimes 2–3 other people.

How did you come to work with Bastion Rare?

We’d heard horror stories about software development companies, so we took a tedious, detailed approach to find the right partner. We wanted an agency that would understand the bandwidth of what we were trying to build as an application and accomplish as an organization.

We sent an RFP to 6–7 software development companies and then invited each candidate to our office, where we presented what we were looking for. It was important for us to find a team that didn’t just understand our project but also could bring a lot of value with out-of-the-box thinking.

When Bastion Rare introduced us to their team, it gave us peace of mind. Their portfolio impressed us, and so did the intelligence of Steven. I also appreciate that they insisted on scoping the project out fully before quoting a price to us. That stood out from the competition.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started early this year or late last year. Once we raise the money, we’re going to start building the application.

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

We only have a scope of work so far. However, we’ve shared it with other people in our organization, and the level of detail and complexity is second to none.

How did Bastion Rare perform from a project management standpoint?

Steven is as detail-oriented as any person I’ve ever met. He’s also extremely accessible and motivated. We’ve had investor calls where Steven has spoken as our CTO and answered questions about software development. When it comes to meeting deadlines, the whole team has been amazing. They used some advanced software with us to come up with initial ideas and build the plan.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge and depth of ideas stand out, but to me, the most important thing is their transparency. It really feels like Bastion Rare has nothing to hide.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I haven’t seen any yet. Bastion Rare has done a great job of showing how important they consider our partnership to be.

Any advice for potential customers?

Lean on them to contribute their ideas and keep an open mind. Bastion Rare has extended our vision for the application beyond what we thought we could do.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of an engineering company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bastion Rare?

We had an existing site with Magento, but Magento was no longer going to support the version we were using. We needed assistance either updating to the newest version of Magento or migrating our site to a new platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They migrated our website from Magento to Shopify. We made some modifications to the content, layout, and design of our website as well. 

What is the team composition?

Steven (Head of Growth) was my main point of contact, but I believe there were a few other project managers and an offshore development team. 

How did you come to work with Bastion Rare?

I found them through a Google search. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested less than $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–April 2020.

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

It was the smoothest website development project that I’ve ever been a part of. We went live and had no problems. They were on time with deliverables and were easy to work with. The new website is easy for us to update and maintain internally, which was important to us. 

How did Bastion Rare perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m not sure what project management tools they used. However, Steve was very responsive. He got back to us with any questions we asked. The team was very proactive and the project went smoothly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took the time to really understand our needs and confirm the prototype with us. Other companies we looked at just provided quotes very quickly without taking the time to think about what the project entailed. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No. Steven was a good partner. I’m happy with the team and I wish them all the best. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Spend the time upfront to ensure everyone understands what is expected and the customer understands what is going to be delivered. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’ve been a lawyer for 40 years and recently started my own firm. I have several assistants, but I am the sole attorney.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bastion Rare?

My company needed a website, so I bought the domain and then looked for a team to help me develop the site. I started out with a company that I had worked with before, but they put the content on the wrong domain by accident, so I decided to switch to another provider.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They delivered the website from the ground up. I walked him through what I wanted everything to look like verbally, and then Steven (Head of Growth) handled the entire process of actually selecting the platform, putting information up onto the site and designing the layout so that it would fit what I had described to him.

What is the team composition?

I interacted directly with Steven for all of the work.

How did you come to work with Bastion Rare?

I met Steven on LinkedIn, compared his statements to some of the quotes I got from other local companies and decided that he would be the best person to help extract the information that we needed to put on the site, and we went from there.

He’s also helping me to handle the upkeep on my two current legal websites. We are planning to work on a personal website as well where I can post movie and restaurant reviews and other things that I am interested in with the goal of building a following across all three sites

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around April 2019, and we are continuing to work together.

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

Although most of my satisfaction from them comes from more subjective measurements, I couldn’t be happier with the overall quality of his work. For example, I’ve given him very specific requests at times, such as an old-school library backdrop for my personal website, and a helicopter going over the Atlanta skyline on my legal site. He has been able to deliver those requirements completely and quickly every time.

How did Bastion Rare perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t use any particular tools for it, but their communication was fantastic. We’ve become friendly over the course of our work together because of how good their communication skills are. We share a lot of common ground on different subjects and have been able to develop a rapport that allows our work to progress even more smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In 40 years of working in the law, I’ve never met anyone who was as perceptive as Steven is over the phone. You hear about people being able to complete each other’s’ sentences when they’re really on the same page, and he was able to interpret my requirements with that level of accuracy, which made everything really easy for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t think there’s anything I wish he would do differently. I’ve been 100% pleased with his work. Until recently, I didn’t know why they called it Windows, and Steven was able to make website development easy for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s not by any means the traditional, hands-off business relationship. You’ll get the most out of them if you really open up and explain what you want out of the project because they will take as long as you need to talk about how you can highlight your strengths and what he is able to deliver for you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a defense contracting company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bastion Rare?

We’ve collaborated on two separate projects: one is for our company website and the other involved the development of an e-commerce platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

While the e-commerce site was templated with WooCommerce, they created the company site from scratch. The defense organization website served an informational purpose while the e-commerce site was intended for medical dales directed at healthcare professionals. We needed specific development features to aim the solution in the medical field, and they focused closely on that.

How did you come to work with Bastion Rare?

Originally, I was looking at about 30 developer options. After narrowing my search down to about four companies, I selected them because they were local and responded to me very quickly. After I reached out to them, we were able to meet the same day to discuss the project. I liked that hussle, so we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

Between our two projects with them, we’ve spent about $29,000 on their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working with us in September 2018, and we’re still collaborating on projects.

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

They’re a professional team that always does a good job with the tasks I give them. I’m very happy about the engagement. I’m able to trust in the quality of their development and design work with ease.  

How did Bastion Rare perform from a project management standpoint?

They keep me on track for moving the project along. We can easily get ahold of them via several different forms of communication. I know I can shoot them a text whenever needed. They’re extremely engaged with the work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re an efficient, time-conscious team. It’s been easy to work with them. I required some guidance at times, and they did a great job of providing that assistance. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did exactly what I needed from them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a wide enough scope to allow them to present you with options. They’re great at translating an idea into reality. My project turned out better than I originally thought it was going to be because they had expertise in the field. Give them the room to be creative and provide the best solution for your needs.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president and founder of SEC Connect, a full-service filing agent for public companies required to file documents and periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Bastion Rare?

We were trying to make the process of filing SEC documents more efficient for our clients and put the process in the cloud and, as a result of both of those objectives, reduce the cost to our clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought on Bastion Rare to build our own online application that allows our public company clients to file certain forms directly, typically the most frequently filed forms with the SEC.

How did you come to work with Bastion Rare?

We interviewed numerous developers and database developers in the process of selecting Bastion Rare. We selected them because it was the most entrepreneurial firm. Their objectives and their insights into what it is that we're trying to develop aligned perfectly with our own. I think they got what it is that we were trying to achieve. The fact that they have a very entrepreneurial approach to our business and were willing to work with us to achieve our objectives and they understood what those objectives were resulted in us selecting them.

How much have you invested with them?

The was a $200,000-plus project.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project is completed.

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

There's not one particular thing. I think the application has been very stable and has worked exactly as we designed it to work, and it's being used by hundreds of clients and without issues.

When there are issues that come up, Bastion Rare is quick to address them and to assist us in resolving them to our satisfaction and to our clients' satisfaction, so this has resulted in lots of our clients taking their business online. It's been very much a success from that perspective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Bastion Rare is a great team to work with because they're very responsive to the needs that we have and to the issues that we have. We were treated very much like a partner as opposed to a client. They were very responsive to any issues that came up, given the fact that we were an early stage company they worked with us to ensure that, not only we're successful but the product was successful so that was very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Bastion Rare has certainly grown since we engaged with them, and I think their capabilities are much greater than when we were working with them. Their biggest challenge is just managing their growth, but they've done a terrific job and there's not really anything that I could go back on and say I wish we would have done that differently with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm one of the owners of a startup company. Our application is a movement-tracking app that is designed to help users be more productive with their new mobile devices.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bastion Rare?

We engaged with them to develop our mobile application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bastion Rare was responsible for developing our application from start to finish.

How did you come to work with Bastion Rare?

We have previous experience working with them. We've collaborated with them on other projects and other companies for almost 10 years now. They've done some websites and e-commerce platforms for us in the past. 

How much have you invested with them?

The first phase will be under $50,000

What is the status of this engagement?

It's ongoing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're more like a true partner. Other companies are only interested in delivering what's on the contract and they want to get it done so they can move onto the next thing. Bastion Rare considers you a partner for the long term. They are open to any changes you want to do. They want to build something that works for the client. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're very busy right now. I know they're expanding their mobile team. Right now, we need to fight for the slot. They have other projects, too.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is a nutrition and fitness mobile app. I’m the CEO and president.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bastian Rare?

We wanted to create a nutrition and fitness app that had many features you don’t currently find in many of the fitness apps on the market now.

What was the scope of their involvement?

There are many other apps that are calorie trackers they total calories, proteins, or carbs. We wanted to create an app for people who have no nutrition and fitness knowledge or even those who do have it but have a hard time knowing what serving sizes and what meals to choose from. We want to be able to provide users enough information so that they achieve the correct macronutrient numbers each day.

Our app catalogs food so users can select from a wide variety of foods to create an ideal meal to meet their needs. Once the food is selected, our app identifies the serving size the user can have in order to achieve the user’s overall macronutrient goals for the day.

How did you come to work with Bastian Rare?

I interviewed four other app development firms. Some of the other firms didn’t seem to understand the concept I was going for so it was hard instill any confidence in them. When I interviewed Bastian Rare, any question I asked, they were able to answer and even more importantly help me to understand the complexity of the development. Bastian Rare also recommended things that helped shift my project in a better direction regarding my mobile strategy. 

How much have you invested with them?

This partnership has been extensive and has cost more than $200,000.

What did you find most impressive about them?

With this project, I’m dealing with business partners in many areas, not just on the development front. Bastian Rare is the most important part and they've been the easiest to work with. When I email them, it’s practically like I sent them a text because they always respond within minutes. It’s like I’m their only client. I’m really happy to be working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If anything has gotten delayed, it’s because they’re waiting for me. They’re on top of everything.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a digital agency based in Southern California with a large customer base, including corporations like Chevron, Home Depot, IKEA, Hyundai, Jaguar, and Medtronic.

We have been in business for more than 15 years, which is a long time in this industry. We provide our clients with custom digital solutions, including creative services, development, and marketing. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Bastion Rare?

As we have a large customer base with various needs, we engaged Bastion Rare on many occasions for staff augmentation and to work alongside our management and delivery team.

Bastion Rare has worked on many projects with our company ranging from a custom web e-commerce solution for a leading beauty product manufacturer to mobile solutions for a global healthcare organization. Our customers demand the best in quality and innovation from our organization as most of them have a spot on the Fortune 1000 list.

Since we are a digital agency offering similar services as Bastion Rare, our challenge was to come up with an engagement model between our two firms to support our clients in a seamless way while making sure the client account was serviced through our company and led by our brand.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bastion Rare has worked on iOS, Android, and BlackBerry applications for us. They have also supported projects at our company with the following technologies: Python, Ruby, Perl, Java, PHP5, C++, and UI technologies [like] HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript.

How did you come to work with Bastion Rare?

We were initially connected to Bastion Rare through one of their previous clients. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've continued working with them for more than five years due to the easy and seamless relationship, not to mention their quality is superior to anything else we have experienced in our industry, especially for an offshore company.

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

Bastion Rare provides a solid testing environment, which is evident in their final code delivery of code. This is important for us since we are held to a very high standard of excellence by our clients. Since I'm very knowledgeable about the digital service industry, I can nitpick quite a bit. However, overall, I am very impressed and satisfied with the service Bastion Rare provides.

How did XYZ Company perform from a project management standpoint?

We have been through a lot together, good times and bad times, mostly due to unreasonable clients on our end. Bastion Rare has always been available at a moment's notice to listen and advise when needed. They are very responsive, which is key. We can contact them even on weekends and late at night and will usually get a response within the hour.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Bastion Rare was very easy to work with. Their team of project managers and engineers have even taken on our company email addresses and branding in some cases to provide a type of white-labeled offering for us to give a more seamless experience to our customers.