Formulate

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of business development at a brokerage firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Formulate?

Our company has been around for 20 years, and we’re undergoing a change of ownership. We’re looking to bring our business to another level in terms of employees, products, and capital infusion into the business. We’re just starting that process.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Michelle (Digital Strategy Director) helped us build our website, which is a significant factor for us. Michelle and her team did everything, from copywriting and formatting to pictures. I gave Michelle about 20 different examples of what I liked from the websites of other brokerage firms that I saw.

Michelle encompassed all of that and put together the website. The project went through a couple of renditions. Michelle improved on the website before coming up with a final version, which we’re very pleased with. 

Michelle also came up with the design font and helped us name the firm. We didn’t have a name picked out yet, and she gave us a couple of options. We narrowed those down and found a name that we like very much.

What is the team composition?

I only work with Michelle, but she might have other people working on the project.

How did you come to work with Formulate?

We do business in conjunction with another registered investment advisor. They had a fairly long relationship with Michelle and Formulate. They referred her to us, and we were very pleased that they did.

How much have you invested with them?

The project size is less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Formulate in October 2020, and we’re still working with them. The website went live last week.

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

The only people that have seen the new website are our employees and so far, it’s been well received.

How did Formulate perform from a project management standpoint?

Michelle is great. She called me whenever there was a deadline and returned my calls within a half-hour, no matter what time of day it was. She came up with her own great, independent ideas and bounced them off of us. She was totally accessible and even made a trip out to us. She was absolutely great — I couldn’t speak more highly of Formulate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Michelle’s hands-on approach separates them from other providers. She picked up the phone and walked me through my questions. She usually had a better vision than me, and she always explained why she did certain things to help me understand.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. I’ve built websites with other companies, and I don’t think Michelle could’ve done anything differently. I didn’t feel anything was missing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell Michelle what your vision is, and let her come back to you. Don’t try to do what she does — she does it well. Let her come to you with what she thinks makes the most sense, and start from there.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder & CEO of Jackalope. We're a small team with big aspirations of fighting unemployment and underemployment by bolstering the Gig Economy and making it easier for gig workers to be their own bosses and work smarter, not harder. I started out with the vision alone and needed help to bring it to life.

For what projects/services did your company hire Formulate?

I had some branding concepts and simple mock-ups of what I envisioned to be core features but very little experience in full-scale UI/UX design. I hired Formulate to take these ideas and turn them into fully-fledged app screens with a cohesive user flow.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create an elegant, yet powerful, platform, capable of being scaled fast and wide.

How did you select Formulate?

I had been browsing portfolios and case studies for weeks to find a company whose quality of work was consistent and whose style was sleek and modern. I connected with Formulate on LinkedIn, was impressed by their portfolio, set up a meeting, was presented a very accommodating scope of work and estimate, and never looked back.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we had a contract in place, I brought them into my company's Slack to better manage files and communication. We set deadlines, worked through numerous revisions and built each feature and the entire user flow from the ground up. Once we had all the screens designed, they continued to help implement and respond to pressing needs as we worked with our developers to bring the app to life.

What was the team composition?

Initially, it was just me overseeing both the design and development with Formulate and our development agency via our Slack channel and weekly calls. Formulate's Digital Strategy Director acted as our design project manager and our sole point of contact for design needs. When I brought on a UI/UX intern, she was able to slot in and work alongside Formulate to provide additional resources.

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

Within three months since our initial launch on the App Store on iOS, our organic acquisition, user retention and bounce rate are all beating the forecasts by a fair margin. Users are spending time in the app and it is evident that they are getting a lot of value out of the functionality that Formulate helped design from the ground up.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was consistent, schedules were maintained, and updates were frequent as we progressed. Plugging right into our Slack, Formulate made it easy to streamline the workflow.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was very impressed by Formulate's willingness and ability to step in at such an early stage to take the concepts I presented and run with them to design a world-class app. Our brand as a whole was elevated and modernized thanks to Formulate.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Small things, like adhering to external partner's guidelines was something we ran into, but after a couple iterations to resolve the issues, I'm confident it wouldn't get in the way again.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a hedge fund.

What challenge were you trying to address with Formulate?

We commissioned them to provide branding services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided a variety of services including a new website, copywriting, and marketing collateral. They pinpointed our value propositions after talking to our shareholders and brought a new sense of creativity to our brand. Over the past several years, they’ve put together four marketing decks. 

They’re also doing another website right now for our sister company. 

What is the team composition?

I have one main point of contact, Michelle (Digital Strategy Director). 

How did you come to work with Formulate?

When I started my firm, Michelle was working for one of the allocators that I was managing money for. I got to know her that way and eventually decided to reach out to her. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent between $50,000–$200,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Michelle about five years ago, and our relationship is ongoing. 

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

The marketing materials that they put together helped me raise a decent amount of money in the early stages of my company. I got positive feedback on my branding. I think it was very powerful. 

How did Formulate perform from a project management standpoint?

They have strong project management skills. The work is always thorough, and it’s delivered on time. Michelle has never been late. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They love what they do, and the passion shows through in their work. I’ve referred Formulate to multiple people because I’m so happy with the relationship. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, I’m really happy overall. I appreciate the creativity that she brings to my business. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Make Formulate feel like part of the team and allow them to work creatively. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Anchor Digital, a FinTech software solutions firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Formulate?

We hired Formulate to create the entire brand, asset strategy, and the entire marketing strategy.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We rolled into using their organization to initiate and build out the design and feel of the majority of the UX for our actual web-based software. Along with branding, they provided partner-level guidance from the initial ideation to the final production of the brand. They executed brand strategy between social media strategies and campaigns. They helped identify focal campaigns that were also regulatory compliant. Michelle (Digital Strategy Director) works as our CMO and really looks into our organization and helps from the organizational level to implement branding and marketing strategies across social media and targeted into financial services.

What is the team composition?

Michelle and at least three other individuals including designers and programmers.

How did you come to work with Formulate?

Formulate was referred to us by someone who has used them in the past. We got to talking and Michelle, with her experience and background level, seemed to make a really great partner.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in August 2017 and is currently ongoing, but I have worked with Michelle before.

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

Michelle really helped us exceed our goal of getting beta testers and gave us a 300% return on the number of testers we were seeking. That has really provided us the runway with multiple conversations we’re currently having with some of the B2B contracts were hoping to close.

How did Formulate perform from a project management standpoint?

Michelle has a strong discipline and the team has a strong leader. They follow and deliver and are very good at communicating to the entire team as well. Our entire team has always been very pleased with the level of communication and it has been critical to the process; there haven’t been any misunderstandings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their efficiency is the most impressive. There is nothing they could do to improve from a partnership perspective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would have been beneficial if there were more ways we could use them in other areas of our tech stack instead of having to hire other consultants or facilitators.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as organized as possible because the team really does execute what you tell them. If you’re not sure about what you want and you’re new, it’s worth doing more of you’re own work ahead of time because that agile process could be dangerous.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Double Z Media. We’re a media buying agency that buys digital and traditional media for clients.

What challenge were you trying to address with Formulate?

I hired Formulate to handle design efforts for my clients but they also do projects for us internally.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Formulate has provided an array of services for my clients including branding, photoshoots, videography, and landing page designs. For my company, they designed our logo, website, business cards, and other marketing collateral. They also did some copywriting and will be doing SEO soon.

They have a great process. First, they ask a lot of questions to get a feel for our brand style. For example, I expressed I really liked the color green and saw that incorporated in the final deliverables.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Michelle (Digital Strategy Director).

How did you come to work with Formulate?

Michelle was recommended to me by a professor. He thought we would collaborate well because she does design and I do media.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested between $20,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership started in August 2018, and it’s ongoing.

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

The landing pages she created for my client were out-performing the other web pages. The call to action’s conversion rate was three times more than prior to the engagement. We’re super happy.

Michelle is very professional. She encapsulates an individual's mood and image into the design. I've even brought her to client meetings, and she has a way of relaying the feel of a company.

She stays on-trend and thinks about what the competition is doing. In essence, Michelle does a full brand discovery process, but it’s so natural that it seems effortless. She does her research and always comes prepared. She’s a copywriter so the way she crafts language is top-notch.

How did Formulate perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has gone very well. Michelle stays on top of things and doesn’t stop until something is done to the client’s satisfaction, even if it means working extra hours. She wants everyone to be happy. What’s more, she’s responsive and organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Michelle has an impressive willingness to understand a brand instead of making them into something they’re not. She listens in order to understand what a client is trying to understand. She finds the best part of ideas and does a deep dive during discovery. Michelle is always present and thinks about the project and brand as a whole.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Michelle is easy to work with, and I’ve referred her many times. Formulate provides a wide range of services ranging from writing to design aesthetics. She’ll work within your budget and has experience with all business sizes.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of an investment fund for the average, everyday investor.

What challenge were you trying to address with Formulate?

We needed a team that could take my vision and translate it into an online platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

From the ground up, they developed an online platform and presence for my company and concept. Prior to partnering with them, we only had the name and website domain. We were looking for a one-stop-shop for getting our company online. That involved building logos, color palettes, copywriting, and code that would facilitate functionality.

We spent a lot of time conversing about various branding aspects to ensure that she was effectively building my vision. Additionally, they were tasked with integrating online signatures, which was a challenge at the time. They also incorporated payment and redemption methods.  

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Michelle (Digital Strategy Director), but she had others on her team that were staffed to the project. 

How did you come to work with Formulate?

We were referred to them by a former business partner of ours. Michelle had a financial background, so she understood both the design and financial challenges that impacted the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $25,000–$30,000. I didn’t limit their team with a budget because I wanted to encourage them to take my vision online to the best of their ability.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from around June 2015–March 2016. I wanted to give them some flexibility with the timeline to allow for optimal creativity.

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

In this day in age, a company website is a brand. They were able to provide us with a brand identity that appealed directly to our target market through logo design and copywriting. We engaged those who were interested in investing and gave them a way to participate in a fund without the barriers to entry.

The quality of work was outstanding. Whenever we ran into an issue, they quickly and easily corrected it. Billing was accurate and on-time. They incorporated all of our requests. The look and feel were refined and modern. I was very impressed with everything from the fonts to the linking between pages.   

How did Formulate perform from a project management standpoint?

Michelle did a great job delegating tasks to her team while serving as my central point of contact. I was happy to just deal with one person instead of an entire team. She made that work by closely listening to my needs and conveying them to her larger team. Because of her expert project management work, I fully intend to go straight to their services for future projects. We managed our communication through phone calls, email, and text messages.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were familiar with our industry and excellent at building a brand to match a target market. Their willingness to understand our needs and intelligence in executing them really stood out. As my main point of contact, Michelle was a wonderful person to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We approved of everything she did. I treated her as an extension of the firm because I had a great deal of trust in her. There was no need for deadlines and strict budget restrictions. The time difference was a little challenging but that wasn’t a problem at all. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you allow her processing time to generate quality work. While I’m certain she could handle rush jobs, the product will be most optimal if you give her time.