Chykalophia

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Director of Bennett Labs, the learning innovation and development division of Bennett Day School, in West Town Chicago, a Pre-K-12 independent school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chykalophia?

Our teachers are always writing children's books and we've been looking for a partner to helps us develop, illustrate and work as our design partner.

What were your goals for this project?

Take 7 books from draft through to digital publishing on Kindle for sharing with families, in 3-months.

SOLUTION

How did you select Chykalophia?

I've worked with Chykalophia before, launching an initiative Grateful4Her as well as a mentor of their Creative Women's Co. network.

Describe the project in detail.

We had 7-children's books in a draft form that we wanted to be illustrated and formatted for digital publishing. We worked on the first book, which set the template, tone, and design work needed for the entire series.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted on our side of the book creator, and the director of development. Chykalophia then added a design team to work directly with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

In 3-months we collaborated and published 7-children's books, and released them on Amazon Kindle for families to enjoy everywhere. The project was on-time, on-budget, and top-quality in both professional experiences with the Chykalophia and the final deliverable.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent. Chykalophia worked on-time and on-budget, were in communication with us regularly about the timeline and work being completed. We LOVE working with them and they are now our go-to design team for new projects.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism and friendly, caring nature. It is not often you find a design team who loves and cares about the work as much as you do.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were incredibly satisfied with every thing the team at Chykalophia did with us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of Powerful Partners, an ecosystem of female entrepreneurs (and their allies) who collectively raise the bar for one another.  Together we create more possibilities for womxn by increasing the number of million dollar businesses that are womxn-owned.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Chykalophia?

I was completely rebranding - new logo, colors, fonts and new business cards.

What were your goals for this project?

I hired them to create a new logo, new brand colors and fonts, and new business cards. I gave Ari the task of coming up with a logo that represented my brand and would also be something that a woman would proudly wear as a charm on a necklace. I couldn't be more happy with the outcome! She created an infinity symbol using two letter "P's" that ties right into my tag line "Connections for a Lifetime". I love showing off my new business cards now and have had amazing feedback.

SOLUTION

How did you select Chykalophia?

When I made the decision to re-brand Powerful Partners Inc. I looked through my network of women and found that I had over 13 connections who provide branding. After digging deeper and researching websites, social media, and client work I hired Chykalophia. I was really impressed with their client case studies and all of the branding work they have done for people I know.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

I contacted them about my branding needs by emailing Ari directly as I'd met her previously. We had a virtual consultation where she asked a lot of detailed questions, and then an in-person consultation where Ari presented the mood board and some options she and her team had pulled together for the branding. I provided my feedback and she delegated the logo design and business card design to her team. I was updated by her teams progress through their client management tool. Once all projects were completed and approved by me, they created a Dropbox file with all the images and documents and shared with me. It included instructions for my business card printing.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with Ari and she connected me to her team of one or two through their client management software so that I was updated as they completed the work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project was completed in 4 to 6 weeks (I don't remember exactly). I was extremely pleased with the work and have had great response on my business card design.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Ari was fantastic to work with... always responding within 24 hours. I really aligned with her vision for my brand and the "why" behind her ideas.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their team's creativity and specialty for UX design were impressive. Loved their client case studies on their website.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

OnShore Technology Group is a global independent validation and verification (IV&V) firm that develops products and services for the life sciences industry. ValidationMaster, OnShore's Enterprise Validation Management and Quality system is used by companies across the globe to accelerate the validation process and deliver greater efficiencies and compliance. Valarie King-Bailey is the CEO and Founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Chykalophia for the development of both our corporate and product website. At the time we engages Chykalophia, we were at a critical point in our corporate history. Our product was gaining traction with the market along with our professional services but our website did not reflect the brand very well.

We needed a brand update/refresh and a website that better reflected our brand, products and services. We also were looking for search engine optimization and to improve the "stickiness" of the site.

SOLUTION

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

Chykalophia's work speaks for itself. I was browsing a website designed by Chykalophia and was stunned by its beauty, ease of navigation and overall design. When I looked at the footer of the website to determine the designer, it was Chykalophia. I called them immediately.

One of the key deciding factors in our selection was the advanced knowledge of the team. They understood my challenges and immediately proposed changes to our website that have produced results.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to work with them. THEY LISTEN! I did not feel rushed into a decision and almost from the very beginning, I knew I was dealing with Pros! The price quote was totally fair and they explained everything each step of the way. Most unique, they have systems in place to keep the project on track at each step. They defined milestones so we could clearly keep the project on time and within budget.

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

The objective of this project was to design our corporate and product website. They primarily used WordPress and other technologies to facilitate this. A good portion of the work involved branding and updates to the GUI. They did a FANTASTIC JOB!

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

We had (3) team members from Chykalophia that worked with us. They were primarily web developers, designers, and the CEO of the company. Each person was very qualified and excellent to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results were FANTASTIC. First, they delivered the project on-time and within budget. We started immediately receiving a lot of leads and job candidates through the new website. They clearly applied SEO to the website to help more prospects find our website. There has been a substantial increase in our website traffic and this is ultimately reflected in our bottom line.

Chykalophia was very easy to work with and they get the job done! We were EXTREMELY happy with their performance on this project and have retained them for monthly maintenance. I have worked with a lot of web developers over the past 17 years and Chykalophia stands out as THE VERY BEST OF THEM ALL!

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

One of the biggest benefits of working with Chykalophia as a company executive is that they will not waste your time. Meetings were very productive and we did not have to keep repeating ourselves. They understood our objectives and they provided us at each step of the way with options to help meet our objectives.

We were blown away with some of their options provided. THEY WERE SO GOOD! It was hard to choose :) They have an automated system that let's us know when milestones have been reached and when they need something from us. It was OnShore that was sometimes late - Chykalophia WAS NEVER LATE with their deliverables! :) Their project management style is very flexible and suitable for either small, medium, or large enterprises.

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

I was VERY IMPRESSED with their team and how easy they are to work with. Every single person I encountered at Chykalophia was at the top of their game, very friendly and easy to work with and FOCUSED. I was also impressed with their design experience and how they captured our brand. They really know what they are doing and they work hard to please. They are EXCELLENT at what they do.

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

Chykalophia flawlessly executed our project. I cannot think of anything they could have done better. This is a result of them being good listeners. I did not have to repeat myself and I did not have to tell them where to go. They took the time to understand the brand and ensure that they understood what we needed. They performed FLAWLESSLY! I would use them again and again!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and educational director of The Love and Light School of Crystal Therapy, an online course organization that provides energy healing classes to people around the world. I’m also the owner of Mimosa Books and Gifts, a bricks-and-mortar and online book and gift shop.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Chykalophia?

I'd been with a few different website developers in the past. As my company grew, I had a hard time finding a website developer and designer that could keep up with the latest advances in the technologies that we were using to run my company. 

Technology was constantly updating, so finding a website developer and implementing best practices became difficult. I found myself spending a lot of time troubleshooting things and asking my web developer to look into those instead of having someone that offered solutions right off the bat. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Chykalophia was primarily involved in development tasks. In terms of designing smaller things for us, such as pop-ups on the website, we had a separate brand designer that we've been working with for several years. That being said, if I hadn't already had a brand designer, I probably would have outsourced that to Chykalophia as well. 

We have multiple domains under one company, and we use them for different things. On our main website, we host our blog and podcast. A lot of our marketing materials are there, so it's primarily the home of all of our content. Chykalophia has rebuilt that website and redesigned it slightly using Elementor, which we didn’t use in the past. It was user-friendly on our end; we could make slight changes while allowing for more custom development and coding. 

Chykalophia also worked on our entire course website, where all courses for our customers were hosted. From the ground up, their team helped with the reorganization and structuring of everything. They’ve also implemented some great features to help our students and clients. 

What is the team composition?

Our main contacts are Peter (Co-Founder & CEO) and Danica (Project Manager). From time to time, we also work one-on-one with some of their individual developers for smaller projects. We have a project management system that Chykalophia set up specifically for my business. We can communicate there, add notes, and get updates.  

How did you come to work with Chykalophia?

We did a lot of extensive research. We had narrowed down our options to a pool of about six developers that we were interested in working with. However, after viewing Chykalophia’s website, we saw their clients’ testimonials and portfolio. The broad range of services they offered gave us a lot of flexibility. Knowing that they offered design and marketing services in-house was also helpful. 

We reached out to Chykalophia through a website contact form, and they responded promptly. They set up a quick phone call to understand our needs and the scope of the upcoming project. They asked us what we were looking for in the short and long term. They then came back to us with a proposal for an initial project outlined in PDF format. They gave us a welcome package and client onboarding information that made it easy for us to know who was in charge and who to contact. 

More importantly, Chykalophia was very gracious in understanding our hesitation in working with a new developer. We started with a small side project before tackling anything too big. That small project went really smoothly. They offered to do this because of our reluctance to deal with someone new. After seeing how that project rolled out, how good the communication was, and how they met our needs, we decided to move forward with a larger project. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2019, and we’re on a monthly retainer basis now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Peter brings new innovative solutions. We come to him with the problem we’re facing, and he does a lot of research to figure out how he can best fix it. Then, he tries to see ahead into the future to anticipate our needs as we continue to grow. It’s nice to have that constant flow of communication to keep things moving.

How did Chykalophia perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re using Elementor in conjunction with WordPress, LearnDash, WooCommerce, and ActiveCampaign to meet all of our needs. Chykalophia has been able to implement those seamlessly. They’ve provided us some alternatives; we were previously using WPBakery, and we even discussed moving off of WordPress and going to other platforms like Shopify, Squarespace, and others. 

Overall, they give us options, explain the pros and cons of each, and give us suggestions and recommendations. Ultimately, the decision is ours. From there, they build what we need on the platform that we choose. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

What stands out to us is their experience in membership sites and online courses. That’s my primary business, so it’s nice to know that they understand what my business is and how it operates. 

Moreover, they’re active in cutting-edge training in their industry. They also have a prominent social media presence. Following them on Instagram has also been truly helpful for us to see what kind of people they are. Working with good people is really important to us. On top of that, knowing that the brand is women-led is also important.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive of J&J David

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Strategic Research and Data Consulting 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Graphic Design of Research Reports

SOLUTION

How did you find Chykalophia?

Referral

Why did you select Chykalophia over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Chykalophia were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We hired Ari and her team to design our final 50 page report into a web-based pdf with infographics. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were delivered a final report with individual infographic assets.

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

Items were delivered on time. Ari and her team were responsive to the project needs and were flexible with changes and multiple revisions that occured.

What was your primary form of communication with Chykalophia?

Virtual Meeting

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

Chykalophia's work quality and efficiency were impressive. The final report deck and the infographics are stunning. They were produced quickly with shifting deadlines and last minute changes/edits. 

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

Nope. I'm very satistified with Chykalophia. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Telling Industries

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Manufacturer of Metal Framing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• New Website
• Product Configurator

SOLUTION

How did you find Chykalophia?

Referral

Why did you select Chykalophia over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

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

Chykalophia developed a new web site and product configurator for Telling Industries.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

New Web Site and Product Configurator

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

The project was on time and on budget, and met all deliverables.

What was your primary form of communication with Chykalophia?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The Chykalophia team was very professional yet personable with weekly progress updates. We recommend Chykalophia to anyone looking to update their web presence!

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

The collaboration tools could have been improved. We found it difficult to add comments and mark up the web site pages.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Ailyak, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A travel app and website to inspire travel and help organize ideas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Initial Branding and Strategy
• UX/UI Design for App

SOLUTION

How did you find Chykalophia?

Online Search

Why did you select Chykalophia over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Chykalophia were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

I hired Chykalophia to help me turn my idea for an app/website into reality. So far, they have helped me with project research, competitive analysis, strategy and initial wire frames. We also did the branding and their team designed the logo, put together the style scape and all branding guidelines.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• delivering all of the branding materials
• designing the logo
• assisting with name creation
• wireframes for the initial website
• delivering a strategy summary

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

They were always very responsive to emails and questions. Deliverables were on time and we had regular check in meetings so I was aware of the progress. Overall, great communication and everything was well organized.

What was your primary form of communication with Chykalophia?

Virtual Meeting

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

I really appreciated that they understood my needs as a startup, especially as someone coming from a completely different industry. They're patient with my questions and easy to talk to throughout the process. I have really enjoyed working with them.

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

not at this time

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder of Fertility Rally, a membership site that offers community, content and curated events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired them to build our website from scratch, and our goals were great design, easy navigation and speed, and various functions, including our membership arm.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I found them via HeyMama, and we were impressed with their vision for the brand and site.

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

We had a kick off meeting and lots of emails and zoom calls once the project got off the ground.

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

There were 4-5 people, from Ari and Peter to their dev team, which I believe included two people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very happy with the design and the overall look and functionality of the site.

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

Communication was Zoom, emails, and instructional videos.

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

Easy to work with and shared our vision.

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

Even when there were minor bugs, they were quick to fix them.