Bootlab

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a life coaching company focused on women who either are in a transitional phase of their lives or who simply want a life coach. The company was started by my mom; she got certified last year and wanted to launch her own business, and I volunteered to help her.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bootlab?

We wanted to create a logo and a website as well.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They made a simple website from scratch where prospective clients could go and find out about who we were, the services that we offered, our pricing model, and the method to contact us. Additionally, they helped us to identify and solidify what we wanted the brand to be; they assisted us in picking the colors and then they created the logo.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with two developers. However, Joseph (President) was involved in the project as well.

How did you come to work with Bootlab?

I have a personal relationship with Joseph, and he told me about Bootlab and the services they offered. I took a look at the work they’d done in the past and I was impressed by that. After that, we thought they’d be a good fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about under $1,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It lasted from April–September 2020. They would’ve been able to deliver sooner, but we had delays on our end. Once we expand our business, the door will be certainly open to continue to get help from Bootlab along the way.

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

I haven’t checked the metrics recently, but we were off to a great start. We were getting a decent amount of traffic once the website launched but soon after that we had to switch gears because the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Aside from that, we think that the website is beautiful. It represents the company well and we don’t have any complaints on that front; it was even better than we had imagined it to be.

How did Bootlab perform from a project management standpoint?

They were incredibly hands-on, flexible, and helpful. We were supposed to have three different iterations with meetings in between to make certain changes, however, they were super accommodating to making those adjustments even outside of those three rounds, so they worked with us every step of the way. Additionally, they were easy to get in touch with and always on time.

In terms of communication, we never had an issue. We communicated primarily through Zoom for our meetings and emails for sharing content, ideas, or updates. We’re also happy with how Bootlab was always giving us advice on how to proceed; we were new to the industry and to web development in general, so it was a great collaboration between the two of us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their mix between being professional but also having a very personal touch is something I find impressive. They’re also very hands-on and we felt that we weren’t just one of a thousand projects; it felt like we had their full attention and we were a priority for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it actually looks like Bootlab is already improving every day. It seems like they’re offering more services as they go and grow their team. I already referred them to another company I work for because I really believe in them.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be open to the collaboration process. Sometimes you have a narrow idea and a vision of what you want, but Bootlab’s team brings expertise and knowledge to the table. Being open to having a back-and-forth collaboration energy will make it a fun process, and it will deliver a better product.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I volunteered my time and assistance to a family member who is a certified life coach and who wanted to launch her own life coaching business.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bootlab, and what were your goals?

We hired BootLab to build True Self's website as well as to assist us in creating a company logo. Our goals were to have a simple to use and visually appealing site that represented the company well, broke down its services and prices, and provided a method for contact.

How did you select Bootlab and what were the deciding factors?

Bootlab's portfolio of projects speaks for itself. After seeing some of the other websites they had created, we knew we’d be in good hands.

We were also new to the web development world and wanted a personalized experience with a team that would be willing to walk us through the process, answer questions, provide advice, and collaborate with us to achieve our vision. Knowing that Bootlab was a relatively newer and smaller-sized company, we felt confident that they would be able to provide that.

Lastly, their pricing was very reasonable, which was an especially important factor to consider for a new business trying to mitigate startup costs.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We started with the basics and worked our way up. We began by getting assistance on smaller-scale things, such as setting up the domain, selecting a color scheme, and coming up with a logo, which only took one or two iterations.

Then, we had an introductory meeting with the developers to discuss our goals and ideas for the site. We went through three rounds of drafts, with meetings in between to make desired adjustments and to continue to align the work being done with our goals.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We primarily worked with two developers, with occasional assistance from the company's president.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The website received a lot of praise after the launch. The business owner encountered some unforeseen personal challenges and had to put the business on a momentary hold, but we feel confident the website will attract inquiries and clients when the time comes to start back up.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

We communicated via email and Zoom, and shared content via Google Drive. Most communications took place during the scheduled meetings, however the team was very flexible and always open to having discussions or taking questions or comments outside of them.

We received regular status updates as we went along and the project was completed on time and in line with our vision. Overall, we found their project management and communication style to be effective and efficient.

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

In addition to doing what we hired them for, they went above and beyond to assist us in other ways. They assisted us in taking professional-grade photos for the site and provided advice on a number of business-related topics that proved invaluable to us as newbies. We struck a great balance between our goals and ideas and their knowledge and expertise.

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

Nothing comes to mind for areas of improvement. Both the process and the final product exceeded our expectations. I know I will be recommending Bootlab to others in the future.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is called Link Brokerages, a cloud-based real estate brokerage. We have a virtual office, and all party transactions and real estate experience are done online.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bootlab?

We started a couple of months ago, and we’re just getting everything up off the ground. Bootlab is handling our frontend development as well as the development of landing pages for client-capturing functions.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handle all frontend design and development tasks for the project. They‘ve also developed the tools that the agents will be using. Originally, the scope was all UI/UX design work for the office that we were building. They used Sketch to do that. 

They also work on the generic landing pages where we’re hosting our listings and information about our office and agents. These pages include an FAQ page and an overview of our company, showcasing the technology we’re developing. 

How did you come to work with Bootlab?

I got introduced to them through a fellow student who works with Bootlab now. He was helping us in the original design of the UI/UX of our software as well as some backend tasks, such as the portal, agency, and transaction coordination.

He told me about Bootlab and asked me if I wanted them to take over all of the design aspects of the project. Since he was doing great, I said we could move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $5,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in December 2020, and it’s ongoing. We’re working on a new project with them right now. 

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

Bootlab has a good development team. We’re still in the early stages, but because of what they’ve done, our experience has been tremendous. We’ve just finished a pre-seed round, and I attribute it to the site, which gives us a professional look.

We were originally planning to have a basic and generic Wix landing page. Now, we’re showing our services to clients, investors, and potential agents through a professional website.

We don’t necessarily have a metric that we’re trying to change or flip. We just want a professional online presence for the brokerage, and Bootlab has taken it above and beyond what we’ve expected. 

How did Bootlab perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always on time and under budget. They asked us about how much we wanted to communicate, and we ended up doing two calls a week every Sunday and Wednesday nights. We check in to know what’s working well and what isn’t. 

They update notes on the process, what stage we’re in, and what kind of milestones they plan to hit for the week. If we don’t like anything, whether it’s related to design or functionality, we sit down and change it. By the next meeting, everything is taken care of.

We use Slack and Zoom to communicate. We have a Slack channel with them and their backend development team, and we have calls with them on Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about Bootlab is that they stay under budget and on time. They also have fast response times. With other developers we’ve used in the past, if we didn’t like something or we wanted something changed, the process would take 1–2 weeks.

With Bootlab, we simply text them and they’ll go over the issue. Within that day or by the next meeting, it’s tweaked and changed to exactly how we want it. 

They’re super responsive and punctual with their timeframes and quotes. They don’t come back later and charge us more money for the project because of whatever reasons. Those have never been in our conversations. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. We’ve dealt with a lot of other development teams, and Bootlab is the best so far. That’s why we’ve kept them around. When we’re doing an ongoing project or if anything comes out, we give it straight to them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In the first meeting, give Bootlab as much background as you can about your larger-scale goals. That’s one thing that helps us a lot.

Our original scope was one-tenth of our end goals, but because we went in-depth on what we would eventually want, they were able to design the project with the future features and tools in mind. If I went in and said we wanted a very specific thing, they wouldn’t have been able to develop it with the end goal in mind. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am part of the management team here at Sani Technology. Sani Technology is helping organizations safely reopen during the pandemic with audits and decontamination technology.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bootlab, and what were your goals?

Website development and the goals were to get a clean, customer pleasing website off the ground.

How did you select Bootlab and what were the deciding factors?

Bootlab had the best price as well as the best portfolio.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

There was a couple of website drafts, meetings, and due dates where we can together and approved the current progress.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

2 and they were project managers.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

It was a website that has helped us gain numerous clients so far as it clearly states our mission, services, as well as our previous case studies.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

They used google drive to keep us updated on the flow of sections that were completed and in the queue.

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

The speed and customer service. They have been the best team I've worked with in a long time. Very good communication, flexibility, and results.

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

No, everything they did was excellent and what we wanted.