Lets Nurture

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an independent entrepreneur who wanted to create an app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Let’s Nurture?

I wanted to develop a location-sharing app that would enable people to immediately see each other's location and create groups.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Let’s Nurture helped develop the initial wireframes. I gave them a rough wireframe, and they helped me get my ideas down. The app includes features like location and photo sharing, messaging, and a secure verification process. Once I gave them feedback, they started working on the actual app for Android and Apple.

They delivered earlier than expected, and the app hasn’t been officially launched yet.

What is the team composition?

I had contact with the project and financial managers. There were a few others on the team, but I didn’t work directly with them.

How did you come to work with Let’s Nurture?

I posted a job on Upwork, and Let’s Nurture gave me a good quote. I interviewed a few companies, but Let’s Nurture seemed like the best fit, so I went with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I hired them in September, and they finished in November.

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

I've shared the app with a focus group, and it's gotten all positive reviews. I wanted it to be eye-catching and colorful, and the look and feel are great. They did so well that I plan on working with them again for another app.

How did Let’s Nurture perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive, and they realized all my ideas.  We mainly used Basecamp to communicate, but we sometimes used Skype for calls.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was happy with the work they did.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an animation and kids’ entertainment company. We build animation making movies, films, and music for kids and family entertainment. We have children’s songs and a cartoon series. We’re in the process of making our debut animated movie. I’m an artistic director and an executive director.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lets Nurture?

We needed a mobile app developer.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I gave them all the specifications that I wanted. I gave them the sketch and provided them all the content that they would need like videos, articles, stories, and music. They developed and designed our iOS and Android app. It’s an entertainment app for Christian children. The app has the Bible, videos, and Sunday school songs for kids. It also has painting and activities for children.

They delivered the app around October or November 2015, and then they did maintenance. For the following year, they improved some things on the app.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Sunil [Senior Business Development Manager, Lets Nurture] and Ketan [CEO & Director, Lets Nurture].

How did you come to work with Lets Nurture?

I posted a job on what is now called PeoplePerHour. They applied for the job and said they could do it. They sent me a couple of things they’d done before. I was convinced they could deliver.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2015 until September 2016.

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

The feedback is great from the end users. There haven’t been any major complaints since we launched the app. We’re looking to bring it up to date. What they did was pretty standard, and it was good. The app was the 124th most downloaded in the U.K.

How did Lets Nurture perform from a project management standpoint?

I’d give them 95 out of 100. They managed the project well. Communication was fantastic. Emails were responded to with lightening speed. The project manager was very cool. They adhered to the timeline. The milestones were followed. We used email, Skype, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and phone. It was a very successful project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very efficient. They delivered beyond my expectations. I would work with them anytime, any day.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We live on different continents. The manner of communication could be improved. We’re in England where we don’t require anything of someone without saying please. They could improve in terms of politeness. In England, I can’t tell you to call me without saying please. Politeness is important.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give attention to the milestones. Provide them every single detail and the content they need from you so they can start working on your project. They are quite efficient, and they’re going to be asking for materials. Be sure to provide everything they need from you so they can get your job done on time.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the managing director of Activ EMEA, a franchise network that sells internet marketing products. We have an in-house staff of 15 and over 48 franchises worldwide.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lets Nurture?

They provide SEO work on a range of projects for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They currently provide search engine optimization for our company’s primary website, as well as the websites of our customers.

They've also developed mobile applications for us in the past, and provide a variety of internet marketing-related services.

What is the team dynamic?

There are project and account managers involved at all times who we communicate with directly, including the CEO. They supervise their development staff, though we have access to their team if necessary.

How did you come to work with Lets Nurture?

I found them through a Google search. We hired a number of similar companies before discovering Lets Nurture, but they’ve become our go-to vendor because they offer greater integrity than their competitors.

How much have you invested with them?

Our base engagement with them is between $30,000–$35,000 each year, while ad hoc projects can equal an additional $10,000.

We've spent at least $500,000 over the last 10 years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together over 10 years ago and our relationship is ongoing.

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

They send us a monthly report on the ongoing progress of the SEO projects. These consistently show an improvement in search engine ranking positions and increased lead generation, which is why we’ve relied on them for so long.

How did Lets Nurture perform from a project management standpoint?

Every project has its initial hiccups, but what makes Lets Nurture such a reliable partner is that they work proactively to solve those problems. They don't disappear and bury their heads in the sand like other companies.

They use Basecamp to manage projects and they’re always available through phone or Skype. I’ve met with them at their office, and we have in-person meetings as required, whether those take place in London, India, or Singapore.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I admit that I can be a difficult customer, so I’m always impressed by their ability to manage my demanding expectations.

Having worked with them for so long, I’ve also seen them grow from a small staff of five to well over 100.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were communications issues in the early days, but at this point I can’t think of anything they could improve upon.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a car selling app and website called Autocroc. It is like eBay or Craigslist, but a lot simpler to use.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lets Nurture?

We needed to develop a mobile app for our company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I came up with the design and built the wireframes for them to work with. From there, they did everything, handling every single bit of coding for me. They helped develop the mobile app for our company on iOS and Android, as well as the website.

With the app, buyers can list their used auto parts and consumers can buy what they need for free. Everything is free, unlike eBay and most of my competition where there are big prices.

The app and the website are both live and anyone in the world can use them. We’re now looking towards our next big marketing push and some upgrades that Lets Nurture will be handling for me in the coming months.

What is the team dynamic?

There was a project manager that I spoke to in the beginning that started off the work. As we went through different stages, other project managers were in charge of the Android, iOS, and website aspects respectively. They would individually ask me questions related to their side of the project, but most of the time we used Basecamp to communicate questions, graphics, and ideas back and forth.

It was a very simple process—we only used one system to communicate with the whole team.

How did you come to work with Lets Nurture?

I used an online staffing platform and I pitched an idea from a few years ago on there for an app that I made. It was pretty terrible but they helped me get through the project even though I didn't know what I was doing. They really tried to help me build it, and so, when I had my second, third, and fourth apps, I didn’t even try to go anywhere else. I trust them to do a really good job, be very polite, punctual, fast, and deliver quality work.

What is the status of this engagement?

I've been working with them since September 2016 on this particular project. They maintain the site for me if we have any issues, but we haven't had any come up. They’re available 24 hours a day to respond to any requests or to address anything that needs changing. I will be working with them again in the next few months to do some upgrades and changes in the graphics.

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

We have about 4,000 monthly users without doing any marketing. We have a lot of positive feedback and can see changes that need to be made from the feedback as well.

How did Lets Nurture perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m very impressed with the other apps they've done for me. They're always able to understand what I'm asking for and relay that to their team.

From a project management point of view, it’s well done. They use a tool called Basecamp, which makes everything on the project management side very simple for me. Everybody is very busy nowadays, so the least amount of confusion or questions we have, the better.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I often send them ideas and have sometimes left it up to them to interpret and make out how things look on the screen. It's one thing to draw something in Illustrator or Photoshop and another thing to implement that for an actual phone, iPad, or Mac. I gave them free rein to do what they thought would look good, and they did an amazing job of creating what I wanted without asking too many questions. They know how to think for themselves when they need to, which is great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Everything just flowed really well. They’re in India, so there’s a time difference. By the end of my working day, I'd often get a lot of feedback from them or maybe a beta version to check. I’d revise that into the early evening and get all my reports back to them, so by the next day, they had those changes or those updates done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

By all means, use them. One great thing about using offshore developers is that they will do work for a set price and a set amount of hours. They give you a very detailed description of how long each stage will take and the cost for it, and then they allow you to pay in milestones when you agree that the milestone is complete and the result is how you want it to be. Afterwards, they start on the next milestone.

Trust is an issue at first with these offshore developers, especially when it’s about big money, so I think this is a very good way of doing business because it builds trust. This way, we do not waste each other’s time and resources. It’s a business model I insisted on using at the beginning, and they were quite happy to do it. I don't know whether they do so for everyone or if that's the norm; it's just how I like to do things, and they agreed to it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Co-Founder of Bindle, an app-based, on-demand moving and delivery service. It allows consumers to access to a vehicle and driver to move or deliver items.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lets Nurture?

Being a startup, we needed the app and website essentially built from top to bottom.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them with wireframes and graphics. From there, they developed everything for the mobile app, which launched on IOS and Android, and company website.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked with the owner directly, but also with 1 project manager and 5 developers.

How did you come to work with Lets Nurture?

We found them on Upwork. After speaking with several developers, we decided Lets Nurture was who we wanted to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000–$70,000 for on app development.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2016, and now we keep them on retainer to fix any bugs that may occur.

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

User feedback has been extremely positive. The app is intuitive and Lets Nurture made sure the customer experience is the best it can be. We’ve had over 1,200 downloads in 4 months, but can’t be sure that’s directly related to their work.

How did Lets Nurture perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been hyper-responsive throughout the course of our relationship. They accomplished whatever task we required and did so within our timeline and budget. During development, we used Basecamp as our project management tool. We used Skype, WhatsApp, and email to speak with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Anything that has to do with development, whether it be hardware or software, they have a team that can do it. Being a new company ourselves, they were able to walk us through any processes that we didn’t fully grasp. Additionally, they’re open to feedback and criticism to ensure they deliver the best product possible.

Advice for potential customers?

Be prepared and able to communicate your vision in detail. If you do so, they will be able to build your vision.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I co-founded Snowmowr. Our mobile app lets customers order one-time, on-demand snow and lawncare services directly from their phone. Individuals describe their need and prepay for the service they want, and our contractors can claim those jobs on a first-come basis.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lets Nurture?

We had the wireframe of our app built, but needed help coding and creating both native Android and iOS versions of it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided the wireframes we had, and they made modifications and suggestions. They helped design how the app would look, and solidified our branding through the visual aspects.

What is the team dynamic?

I spoke with several people for each project, including our project managers and the owner of the company. They had either five or six people in their team.

How did you come to work with Lets Nurture?

We find contractors on Upwork. We considered our options there, looked at their past projects, and felt they’d be a good fit for our needs and for the budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent roughly $40,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started brainstorming the app in January or February of 2015, and brought them on in April or May that year. We still work with them for touchups or adjustments. We’ve built another app with them already, and they’re helping us with another project now.

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

The app runs perfectly. Whenever we find a general bug, they’re quick to fix it. Our contractors appreciate the easy user interface, especially compared to our competitors’ apps. It’s clear, concise, and straightforward for our customers as well.

How did Lets Nurture perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive whenever we needed to schedule a meeting or speak on the phone. They made themselves available when we had issues to resolve or changes to make, and always kept us in the loop. Most of our communication was through Skype, either video conferencing or over the phone. We also used Basecamp and corresponded occasionally via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They met deadlines, their communication was clear, and they gave us what we needed. They were also willing to share their ideas. They didn’t just follow orders, but made suggestions when they could make improvements. We had a really good experience with them.

Advice for potential customers?

Be clear, descriptive, and concise about what you want. There can be a bit of a language barrier, but they do well over the phone, especially if you can navigate them through any resolutions.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I've worked with Lets Nurture at two different organizations. The first was a startup which I co-founded and was CTO of called Waysay. It was acquired by a company called Branding Brand and my role there was senior director of product.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lets Nurture?

Our platform is a drop-in SDK [software development kit] for mobile apps built on Android and iOS, essentially exposing an inbox for in-app users, which an app owner could use for things like transactional messaging, marketing, promotions, and so on—much like email is used today, but with an app.

Our skill set when we were a startup was around iOS development and the SaaS [software-as-a-service] components, including the platform, database, and so on. Since we had no Android experience, we brought Lets Nurture on to essentially build our Android SDK to match our iOS SDK. This was for phase one while we were still Waysay.

When we were later acquired by Branding Brand, we needed to roll out version two based on the improvements we made to the iOS side. We decided it would require a full rewrite of the Android SDK given the new capabilities that we had exposed in iOS. So, we brought Lets Nurture back to rewrite that Android SDK again.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They initially conducted a project kickoff, discovery phase, and feasibility analysis. The discovery session helped define how our SDK components would look in the app, what was feasible to share between the two platforms, and understand what needed improvement from the first version.

We mapped out the new requirements based on what had changed on the iOS side. The difficult piece of that work was really the translation between the two platforms. Certainly, there are some things we can do in iOS that we can't on Android, and there are certain things we can do on Android that you can't on iOS, such as background geolocation. Android is a little bit more flexible in terms of getting permission and tracking folks in the background if they let you, whereas iOS is a bit more rigid.

What is the team dynamic?

From our side, me and another senior director of product—who was my co-founder at Waysay—were involved. We had a project manager on our side to help guide the project. Our iOS developer played a role too, translating between the two platforms.

From their side, there was a project manager as well as a business development manager overseeing the relationship. Underneath the project manager, they had two Android developers that were doing the actual work.

How did you come to work with Lets Nurture?

We went through a site called Upwork and tried out a few different freelancers with really poor results. We finally found Sunil [Sr. Business Development Manager, Lets Nurture] online and were very impressed with not only their communication skills and their technical knowledge but also their rich portfolio of happy clients. So we ditched Upwork and took a shot with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $10,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is completed. It took about six to eight weeks—probably between February and March of this year.

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

Our product is a fully customizable SDK that brands put in their app. Lets Nurture’s work is mainly behind the scenes, so we really can’t measure success with customers based on their work per se, but the platform itself had very measurable results. Without their SDK, we wouldn't have been able to embed our technology in Android apps at all.

There's a very large, luxury retail global brand that everyone knows and loves that has our technology as a primary feature in their mobile application; it’s also a strategic element in their go-forward strategy. Also, a large nutritional retailer in the country uses it for geoanalysis across their client base, with hundreds of millions of data points across their customers. All this is a testament to their SDK work.

How did Lets Nurture perform from a project management standpoint?

They were really great. They have dedicated project managers that help steer the project and conform to your tools and how you work.

Once we decided what the requirements were, we had a project manager on our end shadow them. For the most part, they do their own project management. We use an Agile methodology and have daily and weekly Scrum calls for status updates, identifying blocks in the workflow, and so on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer an incredible value for the money and do phenomenal work. Because they’re mostly offshore, it's incredibly affordable and the value is really rich.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't really think of anything. I've referred them to another colleague that has a startup, so I've been in the mix although I'm not really leading that project. They're incredibly flexible with him as he changes his business requirements over time.

Because of that flexibility, I can't really make a recommendation for them to do something better. The main thing when you're looking for a partner is if they’re open and accommodating to shifting scope when it's needed. In my experience, they have been.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

AddyMate is a startup operating out of Washington D.C. whose core offering is a mobile app targeting professionals. As founder and CEO, I head up product development and oversee technical implementation and operations.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lets Nurture?

The app is a location-based service which shows users who is around them, and helps them connect in real life. We targeted professionals in the 24-35 age range who are very active networkers. It was built to help them network without sacrificing their privacy, by providing them a platform to connect after they've met in person. They can then continue to communicate in-app until some trust has been established.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lets Nurture was tasked with the core responsibility of mobile app development and development of the supporting backend. They handled all the technical app initiatives, including native iOS and Android development, backend infrastructure setup and logic development, and a system-wide rollout.

Their team was brought in to complete development, as well as build additional features and functionalities after the 1.0 phase. These included QR code generation and scanning, as well as being able to connect with people nearby who had common interests and friends.

What is the team dynamic?

I’ve worked with an average of six developers across the iOS, Android, and backend teams. The team comprises of tech enthusiasts who understand consumer products and techniques on improving conversions and repeat engagement.

How did you come to work with Lets Nurture?

I came across Lets Nurture via Elance [now Upwork]. After having interviewed several other firms, I found Lets Nurture had the best understanding and capabilities to build the app for me at a reasonable cost.

How much have you invested with them?

Just under $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The overall project duration was of 1.5 years.

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

Lets Nurture did a fantastic job with translating the designs, overall user experience, and system requirements into a solid working product that integrated with several third-party APIs, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, and Twitter.

I’ve heard feedback from the users of the app; they’ve been happy with the implementation. It’s been stable across iOS and Android.

How did Lets Nurture perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was excellent at meeting tight deadlines and turning around change requests in a timely manner. Besides being able to help me develop additional features and functionalities, their strong capabilities in this area help them in accurately estimating both the costs and timelines. Lets Nurture has helped me stay within a strict development budget.

We used Basecamp and Skype for project communication. We also used videoconferencing platforms like GoToMeeting, and tracked issues or planned sprints using tools like JIRA.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is exceptional in their flexibility and their dedication to delivering to a customer's needs.

They command an advanced technical knowledge with a strong grasp on best practices across all major platforms. They’re accommodating of the client’s needs and timelines, jumping on urgent requirements and making sure resources were fully dedicated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s been a fairly good collaboration in general, but with every project, there is a certain level of quality and testing which can improve. This is not specific to Lets Nurture, but they can definitely focus on getting better.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company's name is Party Goals. I am the creator and the head of a business.

It is an app and website for event planners that allows them to post party pictures, post about upcoming events, professionals can post videos about different ways to plan parties and more. The information allows people that are not professional planners to get some ideas. The app is the same concept.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lets Nurture?

I brought the entire concept to Lets Nurture. I had given them drawing snippets of things that I wanted to see. From there, they made my vision a reality. They were able to make it exactly the way that I imagined just from my explanations and drawing I showed them.

We started with the website and once the site was developed we went right into the app. They both were launched at the same time. I'm not sure what CMS they used for the site but I know it involved a lot of coding.

How did you come to work with Lets Nurture?

I actually found them on Twitter. I was looking for an app developer. I wrote something on Twitter to the effect of, "Why is it so hard to find an app developer these days?" and they reached out to me. We had a few conversations. I did interview a few other companies that I had found but Let's Nurture just worked best with my personality.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app allows users to send custom party invitations online. The invitations can be made private or public and you can upload photos, customize fonts and designs. The invitees are also sent reminders about the event. People can post comments on the event, too.

The mobile app connects to the website. So anything that anybody uploads onto the website or the app is also reflected in the other. Each has the same components but they function a tiny bit differently. The app is more for quick access, for instance, if you're on the go and you need to check your schedule or your to do list for the event real quick. You can go on there very quickly and do it with the app. The website is more informational.

What is the team dynamic?

I have a main account manager and that's the person that I go through whenever I want to start another project. The CEO touches base with me often just to make sure everything is going well and that I'm happy. We have the app development team which consists of about four people. We also have testers to make sure that there's no kinks or bugs that need to be worked out. They keep a constant eye on my assets just to make sure that I'm if not on top of it, they know that something's not going right. There's also the website team and that consists of two or three people. Each team has a team lead that I deal will and then I'll have direct contact with others when there are issues.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working them about two years ago. The initial phase did take somewhere between six to eight months which I understood that to be from the beginning. They always hit their deadlines. We have developed phase 1 and phase 2 and now we're talking about the next phase. So it has been an ongoing process for about two years now. Phase one was just to get just place setting on the Internet, so that included a framework for the Web site and the app. Phase 2 was more technical, like the customized invitations, the video components of it all, message boards, etc. The first phase didn't take as long as the second because it was very bare.

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

There's a few vendors on the platform currently. I haven't marketed it, yet because we have been seriously beta testing it for the last year. I don't want to start getting advertising involved until everything's worked out. That will occur in phase three.

How did Lets Nurture perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is amazing. The people that I deal with right now are in India. The time difference is 10 and a half hours and they have accommodated my time frame. They'll have meetings in the middle of the night to accommodate me. Everything gets communicated well. If I send an email or a message it is responded to very quickly - within 24 hours. Any concerns that I have that something's not working right or if there's a bug they fix it immediately. I've been really impressed with their level of service.

We use Basecamp. There's a team of about eight people that work on different aspects of the project with me, plus my account manager. Basecamp is fantastic because if I send one message, they all receive it. My iOS developers and my account managers can all see it, so I'm not looking for the right person - the right person will then get in touch with me immediately.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think the communication has been especially good. I am a veteran in the event planning field, but I am new app development. They've walked me through every step. Communication is fantastic. I just really appreciate that aspect of working with them. They put my mind at ease when something doesn't work. They tell me it's going to work and if I say I need something fixed because I don't like the way it looks, they say, "We want you to be happy, we will do it," instead of charging me for more work. They're amazingly customer service oriented.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They've been so accommodating. I don't think there's anything negative that I could say. I am amazed that we communicate as well as we do with each other despite the language barrier. They all speak very fluent English - it's just amazing.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of an IoT [Internet of Things] startup based in Singapore. We use wireless technologies to keep everyone and everything in the family safe and connected. We currently sell 3 products: smart jewelry for women’s safety, an item tracker, and a connected health kit.

For what projects/services did your company hire Lets Nurture?

We hired them to handle Android and iOS app development for our health product.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed an easy-to-use, Bluetooth-enabled app with a good user UI/UX [user interface/user experience].

How did you select this vendor?

We found them online. We wanted a company that had experience in making apps for Bluetooth products and LetsNurture has good reviews for such apps.

Describe the project in detail.

It took one face-to-face meeting, 10 Skype calls, and about one month to put down all deliverables on paper and close in on the price. After that, they took one and a half months for designs, wireframes, and changes. To build out the connection to the devices via Bluetooth also took another month. Once the connection was stable and all data was being received, it took 2–3 weeks to get the first builds for testing. We spent another month doing 3–4 rounds of changes and testing and finally went live in mid-December.

What was the team composition?

There was one account manager, two iOS engineers, two Android engineers, one PHP specialist, and two designers.

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

The project was big but they managed to finish within six months. The initial response has been very good.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had daily interaction on Skype. We also used Basecamp for major updates one or two times a week.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What’s most impressive is their Bluetooth experience and speed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The delivery of the app could’ve been 10–20 days faster.