Chromaplex LLC

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of Spectrum Province. We create online monetization platforms for various kinds of content using blockchain.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chromaplex LLC?

We needed to fully build our flagship blockchain-enabled video monetization platform and prepare it for launch.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a partner with a strong understanding of blockchain technology and web development and integration to help us research, plan, and develop a web platform with cloud storage capabilities, blockchain elements, and the latest technology in data processing, video hosting, and streaming.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Chromaplex’s president personally responded to our software development request via LinkedIn. While competing responses just stated their company’s ability to handle the project, Chromaplex expressed their value-driven approach to problem solving and collaboration. We immediately decided to move forward with their team, and they have since delivered on that commitment.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

With their guidance, we recently completed the comprehensive research and discovery phase for our blockchain-based web application. We personally met with Chromaplex to refine the scope of our project and discuss the best strategies moving forward. We are now moving into the funding phase of the process.

What was the team composition?

We work with the president, who leads a handful of expert developers. We are able to activate different team members when necessary to ensure we always have the appropriate-sized team for the task at hand. This both improves efficiency and saves money.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We are still working through the initial planning phases, but Chromaplex’s efficiency and accuracy have helped us fully understand and map out some of the most complex aspects of our product. So far, their work has been of very high quality, met all of our requirements, and surpassed our expectations. We plan to continue our partnership long after this project is completed.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The president organized a scrum approach to managing the project with a focus on iterative development. We have been able to effectively prioritize our workflow for the highest return on investment possible.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Direct access to the company president allowed for seamless collaboration and continued progress through the foundational stages of our project. All of our questions are promptly addressed and answered prior to starting each task.

Additionally, we appreciate their dedication to their company values. It’s refreshing to work with a team that actively holds themselves to a high standard.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I see no areas to improve, they are truly an all-star team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of DelMain Analytics. Our company is a full-service digital marketing agency based in Portland, Oregon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chromaplex LLC?

Most of our clients' websites are on WordPress and, sometimes, we'll run into complex things that we can't do internally. Believe it or not, Portland is a hotbed for creative designers, and I have plenty of strategic partners in that arena. But, there are few options when it comes to doing development work, and I struggled with different partnerships.

One of our clients is a Mexico-based e-commerce company that sells silver jewelry. They had this outdated, hand-coded WordPress site that was trying to juggle 700-plus products. We needed to do a website redesign and redevelopment that was pretty complex from an e-commerce standpoint. The development was beyond our internal capability so I brought Noah [Stolmaker, president of Chromaplex LLC] and Chromaplex LLC on board.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

This client is one of our largest projects with Chromaplex LLC. It was a pretty complex site because the client had more than 730 individual products with different variables like sizes and sets. Chromaplex was able to streamline their process and make future updates seamless and easy. Noah recommended the WooCommerce shopping plug-in in WordPress, and we went with that.

How did you come to work with Chromaplex LLC?

I was introduced to Noah about two years ago by a mutual friend of ours on the design side. Portland is a tight-knit creative digital town, if you will. People who do good work tend to network and find the right people. I tapped into my Rolodex of contacts and said, "I'm frustrated, you guys. I can't find developers who can work on our WordPress site."

How much have you invested with Chromaplex LLC?

So far, we have spent $10,000 to $50,000 on our engagement with Chromaplex LLC.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still in the midst of wrapping up and launching [as of September 2016]. The project is still ongoing because the client had some minor follow-up items after we had launched the site. In December, things got rolling after the client had signed the proposal. We launched the website about a month and a half to two months ago, back in June. It was a pretty substantial project, lasting six to seven months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

It's still early because the website just launched, but I think things are going pretty well. We have around two months' worth of sales to compare against the previous year. Increasing sales isn't necessarily the objective, per se. If we're judging by the functionality of the shopping cart, the client hasn't mentioned any sort of hiccups. They also didn't have anyone calling them and saying, "I can't order through your site." If we use that as a success metric, then I'd say that things are going pretty well. We are making some final tweaks but, so far, Noah and his team totally nailed the project.

How did Chromaplex LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

One of my favorite things about Chromaplex is the fact that they are super communicative from the get-go. Communication and keeping clients updated are often lost on many other development agencies. One of the things they do is they constantly keep an updated tally of their hours with the client. Other developers usually don't do that. Clients can always see where they're at in relation to the overall estimated budget. That way, the clients know that they can't reach for items that are outside the proposal because they have to stick to the timeline and the estimate. That's a good strategy for getting things done in a timely and affordable manner.

What did you find most impressive about Chromaplex LLC?

Noah and his team at Chromaplex were a breath of fresh air. They were on time, on budget, and super communicative. They got the work done in a timely manner at a very affordable rate. One of the things I appreciated about Noah and his team is their candor. You could approach Chromaplex with a project and say, "Here are the deliverables, here's the scope, the client's trying to do this." They would completely be honest with you and say whether it was a project they could handle or not. I appreciated the fact that they tried to under-promise and over-deliver; that is something I also do in my business. It's something that Noah has done well. He's turned down projects I have sent his way because he didn't think his team was a good fit. I respect that.