HandyBuilds

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder/Owner of VERDE LUSSO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Verde Lusso is Alabama’s clean beauty destination where your desire to shop clean aligns with what we stock on our shelves. With expert guidance and in-person consultations, making the switch to clean beauty has never been easier. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• We wanted our WordPress website to look better and work better, especially the home page. It was starting to feel kinda old, so we needed it cleaned up. We also needed some WordPress plugins added to make things smoother and easier for users. The goal was to make it all look modern, be user-friendly, and still work with everything we already had.

SOLUTION

How did you find HandyBuilds?

Referral

Why did you select HandyBuilds over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HandyBuilds were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Handybuilds fixed up our home page design—both how it looks and how it works—so it feels way cleaner and easier to use. They also added plugins for stuff like SEO, tracking, and making the site work well on phones and tablets. On top of that, they tweaked some backend stuff to make the site run faster, which was a nice bonus. They didn’t move on to the next step until we were happy with what they’d done, which was great.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Yeah, for sure. The changes Handybuilds made worked right away. The plugins gave us better tools to track how the site was doing, and the design update made everything look super polished and modern. We’ve even gotten compliments from users about how much better it feels to use the site now. Plus, since so many people use their phones to check out our site, the responsive design they added was a big win.

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

They were awesome. Handybuilds kept us in the loop the whole time, sending us updates twice a day—one in the morning about what they were working on and one at night to show what they’d finished. They always listened to our feedback and fixed anything we brought up fast. Everything was delivered on time (or earlier), which made things super smooth.

What was your primary form of communication with HandyBuilds?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

their communication and skills were next level. They made us feel like we were their first priority. They’re great at both the technical stuff and the creative design side, which is a rare combo. Plus, they explained everything in a way we could actually understand, which made things way easier.

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

Not really. Everything they did was solid from start to finish. If anything, we’re just looking forward to working with them again for our next project!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of design and development at a marketing agency. We do inbound marketing, custom design, development, print, digital, SEO, and PPC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HandyBuilds?

I was looking to find more developers for a project that’s ongoing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team provides development in the node.js framework, with Typesense and WordPress. They mostly do frontend development work. The team implemented a layer of design to create an interactive infographic. They also created a backend field so that all of the content was customizable.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one person from their team.

How did you come to work with HandyBuilds?

I found them on Upwork. I started with a small task. I was trying out a lot of developers. The reason why they’ve lasted is that I find them to be very responsive and easy to work with. The team communicates very well about the scope of work. They’re also flexible with their pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2021, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The response has been extremely positive for all the things they’ve worked on.

How did HandyBuilds perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via Slack and Teamwork to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a very positive attitude. That’s what makes or breaks a relationship with a developer. HandyBuilds is extremely consistent.

We’ve never had anything go off track or not end up being successful. If anything did require changes and adjustments, they’ve been very happy and willing to make those adjustments based on feedback.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’ve been very happy working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Anyone working with a developer needs to be able to communicate clearly what they’re looking for. They should also be able to provide specific feedback about what they want to be changed if necessary.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Up until last year I freelanced website design using wordpress templates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

When designing my clients' sites I would start with a template that had a structure I like but I would want to modify some features and aspects. I hired Adnan of HandyBuilds when I needed coding modified for edits I wanted to change the template to how I envisioned it. There were also times Adnan provided support for plug ins or glitches that happened.

SOLUTION

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

I found Adnan on LinkedIn when I made a post on needing help modifying a Wordpress template I was working on. He replied almost immediately and understood exactly what I wanted. I worked with him on a few more different sites as the work came in.

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

I would buy a template I mostly liked, and would do a mock up on how and what I wanted to change or didnt like. Adnan would modify the code to how I wanted it exactly.

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

Adnan, Senior Web Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

after working with Adnan, the sites all functioned properly and were customized to suit the clients' wishes.

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

Adnan is very responsive and clear with communication and very quick to get the requests I sent done. We contacted mostly through online chats and a few times through video chat. Working remotely from each other was no issue at all.

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

The speed at which they respond, the accuracy and the clear communication. Very good quality of work.

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

I have no complaints

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President and CEO of CALSTART Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a nonprofit organization driving the advancement of the clean transportation industry since 1992. Collaborating with member companies and agencies, we focus on accelerating the development and testing of new clean transportation technologies and implementing programs to accelerate market adoption. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• we hired handybuilds to help fix up our old woocommerce site… it just wasn’t working for what we needed anymore. we got stuff in our warehouse that needed to be listed, managed, and let people bid on em… also we needed to give different people different levels of access, depending on who they are. like some folks can bid, some just view. we also wanted a new look, something clean and not cookie-cutter.

SOLUTION

How did you find HandyBuilds?

Referral

Why did you select HandyBuilds over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HandyBuilds were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

we sent them some notes and a few design ideas, nothing super fancy. they kinda just got it and ran with it which saved us a ton of time. didn’t need to go back and forth all the time. when they finished, they even gave us little guides so we knew how to use everything. they used wordpress and woocommerce, php, some javascript and css

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

our clients are happy with how it works now. the bidding part especially. it looks good and it actually works for what we need. feels like it’s gonna help us grow the business for sure.

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

we mostly talked over group chats on teams and skype. pretty chill and easy. no long boring meetings which i liked. we’d just message when we needed something and they were quick to reply.

What was your primary form of communication with HandyBuilds?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

they were fast. like really fast. didn’t need a lot from us and still got it done right. and the fact that they took time to write those guides for us? huge help. not a lot of devs do that. that was cool.

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

we were impressed. They did what they said they’d do and did it well. nothing bad to say.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder And CEO of Beauty Heroes®

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Beauty Heroes is a healthy beauty discovery platform and retailer with the most stringent ingredient standard in beauty. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had a lot of issues with our last developer. Things took too long, and there were constant problems. It got to the point where we didn’t trust them to handle updates or even small fixes. We needed a team that knew what they were doing and could help us get the website working right. That’s when we found Handybuilds.

SOLUTION

How did you find HandyBuilds?

Referral

Why did you select HandyBuilds over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HandyBuilds were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We hired Handybuilds to help with WooCommerce and fixing our existing website. At first, we had a lot of questions because the site was already built, and it wasn’t in great shape. They were very patient, and we talked through different options.

Once we signed the contract, they started by fixing smaller things cleaning up pages, speeding up the site, and making things more stable. We also gave them a report from an audit we had done before, and they took care of all the issues listed there.

Now we have them doing monthly maintenance, so they keep everything updated and running smooth.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is in much better shape now. It loads faster, it’s easier for people to use, and we’re getting fewer support messages. Sales are up, and people stay on the site longer.

We finally feel like the website is working for us instead of causing problems.

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

They’ve been great. Tasks are done on time, and we always know what’s going on. We use Slack to talk with them, and they usually reply the same day sometimes even faster.

It’s been easy to schedule calls or go over details. They make sure we’re updated without us having to ask.

What was your primary form of communication with HandyBuilds?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They always have a clear solution when we bring them a problem. We’re not tech experts, and they explain things in a simple way so we can make the right decision.

They’ve been dependable and honest, and they really care about doing things the right way.

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

Only small thing—we’d like to see automated invoices, but that’s not a big issue.

Handybuilds helped us move forward after a hard experience with our last team. They’ve been professional, reliable, and easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & CEO of The Soul Factor Talent Search

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are Executive Search Strategists specializing in identifying and engaging global leaders who drive real business transformation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• i tried to do my whole website on my own at first. thought i could figure it out but after like a year of messing around with wordpress and not really getting anywhere i just gave up and looked for help. i’m not super techy so it was kinda frustrating. that’s when i reached out to handybuilds.

SOLUTION

How did you find HandyBuilds?

Referral

Why did you select HandyBuilds over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HandyBuilds were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

they came in and redid my entire site. i had changed my business model too so they helped with that whole switch. new site, new layout, new messaging everything. they also did SEO and helped with content stuff too which i didn’t even realize i needed but glad they did. chris and his team kinda handled it all. i trusted them to pick who’d be the best fit for my project and they got it right.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

they’ve been awesome. like honestly it feels like they’re just part of my team now. they do everything from SEO to keeping track of how my site is doing. we go over the numbers every month which helps me a lot. the traffic on my site is way better than it used to be. more people are actually finding me now. if i didn’t work with handybuilds i really don’t know where my biz would be right now. no lie.

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

super organized. they kept me on track more than anything. i get busy and lose focus sometimes so having them there to check in and keep things moving helped big time. they also really respected that i still wanted to be involved even if i don’t know how to code. they made space for me to give input but didn’t make me do stuff i didn’t understand. they’re just good people. they cared about what they do and it showed.

What was your primary form of communication with HandyBuilds?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

the site looks way better now. cleaner and way easier to use. people can find what they need fast. it’s just solid and i don’t have to stress about it all the time.

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

 nothing bad comes to mind. the whole thing was chill. they did what they said they would and more. no complaints.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder And CEO of Media Components - Digital Marketing Agency

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Media Components is a go-to full service digital marketing resource for companies seeking increased profitability by maximizing their presence online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

e bought one of handybuilds’ plugins for WooCommerce – our client needed a quote system instead of a normal checkout. the plugin did like 90% of what we needed but we needed it to send quotes to a different place so yeah we reached out to get it customized.

SOLUTION

How did you find HandyBuilds?

Referral

Why did you select HandyBuilds over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HandyBuilds were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

we’ve worked w a bunch of Woo plugin devs before and honestly these guys were the most on it. even tho it was a small project they still set up a kickoff call, wrote everything down, gave a timeline and actually stuck to it. no surprises. everything worked like we asked.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

site’s not live yet but we tested everything and it works exactly how we hoped. clean and simple. no bugs or weird stuff.

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

it was all email for this one. simple project so didn’t need anything fancy. but they were super clear and fast w updates. sent everything on time.

What was your primary form of communication with HandyBuilds?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their attention to detail and professionalism stood out. Even on a small project, they maintained a level of structure and accountability that we don’t always see, even from developers handling larger engagements.

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

No. Everything was handled well and completed on schedule.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of Meritage Entertainment

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Meritage Entertainment is a strategic and creative agency that designs and executes immersive live events, festivals, and brand partnerships blending music, culture, food, and wine to create memorable sensory experiences for brands, media companies, and celebrities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• we had just built a new site with another company but there were still a bunch of things we needed added. like parts of the site that didn’t get done or needed some fixing. we didn’t wanna go back to the old devs so i was looking for someone new who could come in and just get it done. found Handybuilds and they seemed solid.

SOLUTION

How did you find HandyBuilds?

Referral

Why did you select HandyBuilds over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HandyBuilds were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

they built out this whole custom section in WordPress that let us manage different types of content better. also made these special blocks inside the editor that my team could use when building pages (which they loved btw). they added filters so people on the site could sort stuff way easier.

They redid our menu too. made it simpler and looked way better on phones. plus they fixed a bunch of random stuff—like some block styles that didn’t match, fixed how the site looked on mobile, and cleaned up some links and urls to make more sense.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

it’s still early to tell numbers-wise, but feedback’s been good. our team says it’s way easier to update content now. and our users aren’t getting lost as much on the site. site just feels better all around. 

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

we mostly used basecamp which i don’t really love but it worked. i usually prefer slack or trello. but they kept track of stuff well and sent me updates + time logs. they were pretty quick to reply too so no complaints there

What was your primary form of communication with HandyBuilds?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

they’re just good at building stuff that works. Even when I didn’t have the clearest instructions, they figured it out and didn’t make it a big thing. they just got it done

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

at the start they had a pretty strict process and we kinda had to go by their steps which was hard for us cause we were still figuring stuff out as we went. but i brought it up and they changed things up to work better for us so that was cool. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & CEO of Local Eclectic

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Local Eclectic is a women-founded, women-run brand. Supporting women in their missions and creative endeavors has been our focus since day one.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Our website was outdated and difficult to manage. It didn’t reflect our current brand, and there were ongoing issues with performance. We needed a reliable partner to redesign and rebuild it so it would work better for both our team and our users.

SOLUTION

How did you find HandyBuilds?

Referral

Why did you select HandyBuilds over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HandyBuilds were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Handybuilds handled the full rebuild. They redesigned the site, improved the structure, and worked on the backend to clean up the old code. They built it on WordPress so we could update it ourselves going forward. They also integrated our social media and worked directly with HTML and CSS when needed. It was a full upgrade.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The difference has been clear. The new site is easier to use and manage. We've seen more traffic, better engagement, and fewer technical issues. It's also more aligned with what our audience expects now. Maintenance on our end has become much easier too.

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

Communication was consistent and clear throughout the project. We used tools like Trello and Asana to stay organized. They provided regular updates, explained anything technical when needed, and responded quickly to questions or issues. Weekly check-ins kept everything on track.

What was your primary form of communication with HandyBuilds?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They were organized, responsive, and delivered work that met our expectations. The design and functionality were both strong. They focused on what we asked for and stayed aligned with the goals of the project.

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

No major issues to note. Everything was handled well from start to finish.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder and CEO of Toolfetch

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Toolfetch works with small, medium, large, government, municipalities, school, universities, hospitals and more. We specialize in helping purchasing agent/buyers who have trouble sourcing industrial tools & equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• our old website was built on a template that stopped working with the newest wordpress update. kinda scary cause we knew it could break at any time. we needed a new site that wouldn't fall apart and actually look good too. something more modern and easier to update.

SOLUTION

How did you find HandyBuilds?

Referral

Why did you select HandyBuilds over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from HandyBuilds were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

 they made it super easy. we told them what we were hoping for, they listened, came back with a custom design that actually made sense for us. we went back and forth a few times with tweaks and they were chill about it. they helped us figure out what content we needed, made sure everything worked before launching, and then even showed us how to manage the site on our own after it went live.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

100%. traffic went up, site looks way better now, and we can actually move stuff around without breaking anything lol. just feels way more solid.

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

very efficient. they have a ticket system that keeps everything organized. nothing got missed. they responded fast and were clear in every step.

What was your primary form of communication with HandyBuilds?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

they’re flexible and creative. they understood what we needed and delivered. felt like they were focused on getting it right, not just getting it done.

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

no. the work was solid and the experience was positive all the way through.