GoGrow

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Development of an addiction rehab center.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Ours is a California-based addiction rehab center committed to providing the necessary tools for long-term drug and alcohol recovery for you or your loved one.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire GoGrow, Inc. to accomplish?

• Develop a new engaging website/application
• Utilize an existing UI Kit and designs
• Implement a new CMS and migrate all existing content

SOLUTION

How did you find GoGrow, Inc.?

Referral

Why did you select GoGrow, Inc. over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from GoGrow, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

To build a custom NextJS website from the ground up. This includes set up of a headless CMS for dynamic data, and pixel perfect implementation of provided UI/UX designs.

Deliverables:

• Production ready website
• Strapi CMS setup and data migrated from existing CMS
• Designs and requirements met with rounds of QA and bug fixes

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Website built with new framework and headless CMS setup. All dynamic content properly migrated, and new location data imported. Page Speed performance increased.

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

GoGrow was extremely punctual, and always willing to go the extra mile. They were quick to respond in email and slack communication and open to meet virtually. When we weren't satisfied with some of the design implementation, they were quick to assign more QA effort and get things resolved.

What was your primary form of communication with GoGrow, Inc.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their willingness and teamwork. The team was always very vocal and willing to reach out for any question or concern. They also went above and beyond to ensure any unforeseen issue was resolved and collaborated with our team to do so.

Are there any areas for improvement or something GoGrow, Inc. could have done differently?

The only aspect of the project that could be seen as needing improvement was the level of detail on design implementation. When this was brought up, GoGrow were quick to assign additional QA resources and informed us that their process typically left design touches near the end of the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to build a React Native mobile application that could handle property management tasks.

SOLUTION

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

We found them on clutch and they were the final choice after interviewing several agencies to perform staff augmentation for development.

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

We provided the designs for a React Native mobile app that would be on the Apple and Android app stores. We used github and other custom components and libraries to build the app from January to September, 2022. The deliverables included a users, logins, dashboard, properties, tickets, chat and settings.

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

4 people: 2 frontend react native developers (mid and junior) 1 founder 1 project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A broken and buggy mobile react native app. Despite it being on their Clutch profile, they do not value quality over quantity. It became exhausting working with them and the project deliverables did not match our provided designs or their intended function. When we first met with GoGrow about our mobile app project, they made the process seem like it would be straightforward and that they were familiar with mobile React Native development. However, many problems later made it apparently clear that this agency is not equipped for mobile app development. They struggled to provide an experienced development team that could do their job effectively, leaving us with delays, confusion, and poor code. We were left with an unusable incomplete app riddled with bugs.

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

we would communicate through slack, but mostly our in-house devops managed the project through github. Gogrow provided their developers.

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

They had worked with a startup called Hidrant.

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

When we first met with GoGrow about our mobile app project, they made the process seem like it would be straightforward and that they were familiar with mobile React Native development. However, many problems later made it apparently clear that this agency is not equipped for mobile app development. They struggled to provide an experienced development team that could do their job effectively, leaving us with delays, confusion, and poor code. We were left with an unusable incomplete app riddled with bugs. This was an expensive mistake that I hope no one else has to make and I would keenly recommend that you avoid this company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of a shopping portal that's designed with an algorithm to give suggestions to our users based on a number of criteria. We focus on curating gift suggestions that are unique and interesting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoGrow?

We hired GoGrow for development support and to act as an advisor. They developed and designed our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GoGrow developed and designed our website from scratch. They also worked on our branding assets, including the logo, color schemes, and visuals. Additionally, they powered the technology behind the algorithm that provided gift suggestions and built a signup portal that allowed the user to put in information about their gift recipients, such as age, gender, and relationship. These attributes were used to filter what products would be recommended. Their team used AWS for hosting and Heroku for the backend.

What is the team composition?

We worked with several people from their team, including a project lead and about 3–4 developers.

How did you come to work with GoGrow?

It was through a recommendation from one of our co-founder’s contacts.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement around September 2020 and paused it around December 2021. We intend to start it again in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team did an excellent job of taking ownership and leadership in the design and development of our website — in particular, the design they made was beautiful.

How did GoGrow perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always on time with deliverables, and any feedback was well received and incorporated quickly and according to our expectations. They also gave us accurate pricing and never went over budget.

We used Asana for project management, and they used Jira within their own team. We also used Google Analytics and HubSpot. For communication, we regularly interacted through Slack and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills were excellent, and they were always on top of everything. They were also very organized, knowledgeable, and skilled.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so.

Any advice for potential customers?

Come with an experience that you're trying to create. Also, have at least an outline of the plan even if you don't know the technical capabilities.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Call Emmy, a technology marketplace that provides on-demand household and childcare help to busy parents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had acquired another company and wanted to integrate their technology with our services.

SOLUTION

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

GoGrow had worked with Nanno (the company they acquired) and had done a great job for them. Based on Nanno's recommendation, we selected GoGrow.

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

GoGrow had to create a frontend PWA layer for the new services (React), connect it to the API layer and the backend technology (Ruby) - They also had to apply numerous logic functions for all the notifications (SMS, Push and Email) - Lastly, they had to migrate a very large database of the existing userbase to the new app without error.

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

We had a team of 4-5 people that were engaged with us ranging from Junior to Senior developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

GoGrow delivered the results with 100% attention to quality and functionality. They were thorough and communicative and while it is never possible to avoid all the bugs, their code was superb because all the bugs were quickly addressed and given that this was a very large project, we had a relatively smooth launch.

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

GoGrow uses slack, Jira and other tools to keep track of the deliverables. They were always communicative, responsive, and punctual. We had very organized and well-orchestrated meetings including the biweekly sprint meetings.

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

The quality of their work, their communication and their amazing collaborative nature.

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

Honestly, I can not think of any. They are my favorite development team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a fundraising company. We provide a turnkey 21st-century platform and product to deliver funds to teams schools groups and organizations nationwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Go Grow was hired to create a platform that would improve on a platform that was already highly functioning but needed to get to the next level! This team did it in spades… Every detail was precise and executed perfectly!

SOLUTION

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

I interviewed several teams all over the country and I found them to be the most competent kindest and ready to make it happen team by far!

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

This project was not an easy one to begin with because we had to re-create the platform that was already in existence and then augment it with 21st century tools to make sure that we were delivering the highest level of Fundraising available. They had a remark on time and actually over delivered!

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

There were four people on the team and I cannot say enough about their capabilities! From the beginning Franco took charge to make sure everything was what I was looking for. Then the team of Gonzalo Micah And Juan Made it happen! I will be back to use them for anything else I need there is nobody better than this group I assure you they are golden!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have not watched yet but I am sure that we will have no issues because they have been so thorough and so thoughtful about each step of the platform being done exactly how it should be

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

We used for the most part slack to communicate with you it's super easy and kept us all in touch for any necessary conversations we also had a zoom meeting once a week to show the status of the project they were ahead of time in every step of the way

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

An absolute joy to work with on all levels they could not be more kinder humans and for me that is really important! Their competency is unparalleled anybody I have ever worked with in this industry has always been a bit difficult not this group they are smart capable and go-getters that can do anything I cannot say enough about this group except I will be back :-)

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

No once you have perfection there's nothing else I can say. They were truly the best team I've ever seen! I suggest anybody who needs anything in this arena to hire them Immediately!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I co-founded a financial services company with a friend of mine. Although we both have other active and time-consuming roles, we had an idea that we wanted to bring to life. We’re just starting, so we don’t have any active employees yet.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoGrow?

We engaged with GoGrow to help us bring our vision to life, creating a custom platform for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GoGrow has helped us develop the custom platform required for our business. The project’s scope has ranged from regular and UI/UX design to software engineering, backend development, and data management. In terms of technologies, we’ve used AWS as the core for web development.

First, we talked with GoGrow about our initial concept at a very high level, and we started working with their team on parallel paths to get the product out faster. This process included working on our branding, designing initial sketches, designing the platform’s wireframes on Figma, and going through the overall workflow and UI/UX.

Once we got settled on the design, we started working on some of the required data integrations. Among those integrations, we implemented one with QuickBooks, and we created an interface so that users could share information on the platform.

Among our platform’s main features is a data ingestion tool. It allows us to upload data and manipulate it from the platform. It is also able to map fields to common financial traits within a company, creating white data integrations that can be updated.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 6–8 people from GoGrow, including Franco (Co-Founder & CTO), Gonzalo (Project Manager), and a mixture of UI/UX experts and front- and backend developers.

How did you come to work with GoGrow?

My co-founder recommended GoGrow. He had worked with them for a healthcare data startup.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $33,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around September 2021, and GoGrow delivered the product by December 2021. They’re still engaged with us, and they will be providing us with maintenance for our platform. Unfortunately, we haven’t been active, and we want to find a team to work with us before we launch our business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

GoGrow has exceeded our expectations. They’ve made our vision happen, even though that vision was more complex than initially anticipated. What we requested was a bit counterintuitive. Still, they were able to think critically and approach the project from a broader perspective to deliver a very solid product.

How did GoGrow perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m very satisfied with GoGrow’s performance and their ability to meet our tight deadline. Their project management has been impressive. During the development process, we had weekly meetings and shared emails on an ad hoc basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

GoGrow’s ability to hit our goals and stay under budget is very strong; we’re very impressed with their efficiency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could do better, especially considering the challenging circumstances they’ve been working under.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as clear and timely as possible in your communication and map your requirements in detail. As long as what you request is within GoGrow’s scope, they’re very flexible and responsive, and they implement changes quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Lever is a consumer fintech company. I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Lever is building our chrome extension.

SOLUTION

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

GoGrow was referred to us by a close friend.

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

GoGrow is developing a chrome extension. They started with researching the space, the possibilities to build our capabilities and products, which requires strong understanding of the financial world and a wide range of data.

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

I believe 5.

• Project manager
• 2 developers
• 2 data scientists
• a few others here and there

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've continue to deliver on expanding our offering and improving our product. It is a difficult task and GoGrow does a good job doing the research before building and understanding the challenges ahead. Franco does a great job explaining each situation and how to address them.

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

We do a meeting every Monday on Google meets. They are alway son time and we give them new tasks every week. They manage it on their own and tasks are done in a timely manner.

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

We are working on a difficult concept that requires a lot of data. I am always impressed with Franco's deep research and problem-solving skills. He identifies early and comes up with great solutions.

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

TBD

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Founder & CEO of Hidrent. We are a marketplace that helps firefighters supplement their income during their off-duty days by connecting them with people and businesses near them in need of gig labor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our MVP apps were built in 2017, and we needed to start fresh using the feedback we have received from the market. We needed to update the mobile app and build a new web app from scratch. Our goal was to increase functionality and usage of our core products and services.

SOLUTION

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

We chose GoGrow based on a trusted referral, affordable pricing and their undeniable talent.

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

The first step was create the user experience and we used a separate design team to accomplish this. GoGrow was on every call with the design team so when they were ready to start coding they would be up to speed on everything. Once the development work began, they were extremely efficient and communicative.

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

We worked with up to 4-5 people from the GoGrow team and each new their roles and responsibilities. From front end to backend, and mobile to web, they had it all down to a science.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Using the new platform developed by GoGrow we were able to increase our margins from 12% to 20% at launch.

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

We had weekly calls on Monday via Zoom, and communicated daily through Slack. The team is very responsive and hit their timelines.

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

I'm happy with the front end, and we have received a lot of positive feedback. What I have found most impressive was their ability to create a back end environment that saves me time, and allows me the ability to conduct business much more efficiently.

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

None that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Pilleve is a DC-based digital health company with the goal of preventing substance abuse and addiction. We have created an end-to-end system starting with a smart pill bottle that monitors prescription usage and goes through a patient-facing mobile app and physician-facing portal. I am the CTO and oversee anything technical or design-related.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GoGrow.dev, and what were your goals?

We hired GoGrow to build out a complete revamp of our portal in React. We had an existing portal and some new designs, but taking it from design to functional reality was difficult for our team, especially when we are stretched on resources. Our goal was to make our portal more efficient, easier to use, and better matched to the needs of our users.

SOLUTION

How did you select GoGrow.dev and what were the deciding factors?

We were connected to GoGrow through a mutual connection at an accelerator that we went through and after getting on a call with the GoGrow team and hearing about them, we fully trusted them. They are always willing to work with your constraints and are very flexible, but also full of knowledge and expertise to get the job done.

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

We had a kick-off meeting where we had all of our wireframes in Adobe XD as well as access to the portal we had previously built. We communicated what we wanted changed specifically and our timeline.

Our portal was already built in React, but we wanted the GoGrow team to go through our existing codebase and refactor and fix it up so that it holds up to best practices and implement any necessary changes that would be conducive to future growth.

In terms of specific changes, they updated the entire UI and switched out our data visualization library and built out all the functionality to pull data from our DB (Cloud Firestore) and display it.

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

We worked directly with both Agustin Giacchello and Franco Pariani and both of them did the jobs of product managers and developers at the same time by translating the feedback we were giving them into the working application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We cannot share full metrics, but after the release of the web application that GoGrow built for us, we had our most positive reviews from our users and it also allowed us to gain better insights and feedback because our users were able to see the potential of the portal more clearly and suggest updates and changes.

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

Both team members were very active in communicating exactly what they were doing and any questions they had through a time tracking spreadsheet and a Slack channel that we had. We had biweekly standups to make sure that we were all on the same page as well.

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

The best thing was how startup-friendly the team was. We have worked with bigger firms and they tend to be extremely expensive and very structured. Since we need to be nimble and be able to build quickly and update in response to new feedback, we would have wasted a great deal of money and gotten a product that we weren't really happy with if we went that route.

On the other hand, finding a freelancer is also a little difficult because it can be a hit or miss and the timeline might be extended. Instead, GoGrow pretty much becomes a part of the team and was really flexible in adapting to our systems.

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

From our experiences, there really wasn't anything we could have expected more from GoGrow. There were many times when a design was slightly off and some contractors might just build exactly to spec, but the team made sure to communicate when they had questions and I hope they continue to do so.