Lunarbyte.io

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of operations for Franchise Ramp, a digital marketing agency for franchisees in the fitness and health and wellness space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lunarbyte.io?

We manage about 400 active Facebook accounts and we were manually updating weekly performance data onto our CRM, Airtable. Generally, that took 4–6 hours a week. Lunarbyte.io built a Facebook integration that will update multiple fields in our CRM on a daily basis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re running a JavaScript program on DigitalOcean with Airtable and Facebook Insights APIs. It automatically updates lead costs and performance rankings on a scale ranging from good, to average, bad, and critical.

Going through the project, we first built a function in the development platform, tested it, and refined it, before rolling it out to the platform our team uses

What is the team composition?

We worked with James (Lead Developer & Partner) and Francisco (CEO & Software Engineer).

How did you come to work with Lunarbyte.io?

We found them on Upwork, but the company also worked with them a few years ago on another Facebook API. So, when I came on board, I asked the team if they had any recommendations and they suggested Lunarbyte.io.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from October–November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before we had this platform, it cost about $960 a month for an outsourced team to do all of our updates manually. On top of that, the numbers on our reports weren’t always accurate because they were only updated on Mondays. Now we can access those reports immediately. This project has paid for itself.

How did Lunarbyte.io perform from a project management standpoint?

We had an onboarding call and outlined the scope of the project. Then they sent an estimate for the project and an agreement that ensured that we owned the code. It took about 4–6 weeks to complete.

We had calls with them once or twice a week if they had questions, but they also used Airtable for project management, so it was easy for us to collaborate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated that they let me help the project along by doing some testing and troubleshooting with them. It sped up the process and saved us a lot of hours.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took 4–6 weeks, but they only spent 20–30 hours on the project. With their capacity, I think they could complete the project in about half the time if they were more urgent. I didn’t set expectations ahead of time, and it wasn’t a huge problem, but it could have been completed faster.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have Francisco and the lead developer on calls at the same time because it will improve communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the process development engineer at a testing firm. We do a lot of software and robotic automation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lunarbyte.io?

We needed to build a few niche programs to help controllers communicate efficiently.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an initial meeting and laid out what we wanted to do. After that, we met again to describe our problem and how to fix it. Then we planned the project and got into the nitty-gritty details.

Once they built the software, I was able to use the program and implement it. I notified them if there were any bugs and asked them to add new features. Then they did some troubleshooting to make sure everything was working properly.  

What is the team composition?

I’m working with two people right now.

How did you come to work with Lunarbyte.io?

I knew them from college and it seemed like they knew what they were doing.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in March 2020 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project has sped up our automation processes. Now I’m able to design lots of projects while keeping track of my code. It also helps me avoid any major issues.

Lunarbyte.io did steer us in the right direction and helped us plan ahead. They proposed certain ideas that would streamline development. 

How did Lunarbyte.io perform from a project management standpoint?

They did really well. They were very organized and laid out what we were trying to achieve. They estimated how long it would take to complete everything properly. A few months ago, I was in contact with them 1–3 times a week, but now we speak about once a week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very responsive. When I’ve called them, they’ve been able to deliver whatever I needed quickly. They usually complete the task within 24-hours or by the end of the week.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should really know what your main goal is going into the project. It’s important that you nail down what you want so you don’t end up working on tangential tasks.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder of WheniLeave.com.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lunarbyte.io, and what were your goals?

Lunarbyte.io helps us build our minimum viable product. We wanted to have a product to pitch to investors and get to version 2 of our product.

SOLUTION

How did you select Lunarbyte.io and what were the deciding factors?

We interviewed a number of candidates and found Lunarbyte.io to be the most reasonable and the best at communicating.

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

In our first ever MVP, we executed on building an MVP that required an NYC Boutique Design firm and UX designer to eventually complete the project. The key deliverable was building a platform to help people leave their last messages, in case the unpredictable happens with one's mortality. The project was coded in Angular and used MongoDB.

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

Three - all were developers with the CEO being the primary developer on the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we wish the project completed a bit earlier, our lack of understanding of the ideal process in developing an MVP circumvented the ability of Lunarbyte.io to complete it within time.

Despite the changes, Lunarbyte.io was always amenable to change and constantly supported us with whatever decisions we wanted and worked for our interests. At various turning points, the team showed us they were willing to do almost anything for our success.

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

We would meet once a week for a retro and used Air Table to manage all our goals and tasks. We communicated via slack and email. They are more than available than needed.

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

Lunarbyte.io communicates incredibly well. Their development skills are also broad. Their ability to build web apps and apps for all environments makes it attractive for any "dreamer" to work with them on building anything.

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

Every project could be better. However, the need for improvement sometimes is a result of the client's ability to manage the project. LB allows for any type of management or startup to succeed. It becomes imperative that the stakeholders run on all cylinders for Lunarbyte.io to succeed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of WillowFinch. It’s a data intelligence tool that helps people make more informed decisions about where and when they’re going to retire.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lunarbyte.io?

I am, what’s commonly known as, a data scientist or analyst. I build algorithms. I can build the tool’s backend logic. However, I’m not a frontend developer so I cannot create the affordability number of a specific geolocation or specific point. This is why I needed Lunarbyte.io to build a frontend for my tool. 

I deal with personally sensitive and identifiable information, so I have to take topics like security very seriously. I needed to have an architecture that included security and best practices for security. Additionally, I needed to worry about things like authentication as I’m going into the Fintech space.

My customers are financial advisors, and I have to worry about things like being able to pass basic security and privacy checks. It’s a pretty simple frontend, however, even though I’m doing 95% of the business logic on the backend, some of the components that I’m delivering and required were apparently a challenge.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

What they’ve given me is an architecture. Lunarbyte.io has integrated an authentication system with that architecture. I have a development environment, and we’re about to start passing back and forth the numbers between the frontend and the backend. The final product is going to be a mappable product, and this is only for the MVP.

The way my product works is that users will browse real estate websites for a location they’re interested in exploring the cost to live there. They’ll use a bookmarklet. One of the primary things I was really interested in working with them on was they’d be the functional CTO. I’m a data officer, and they would be the technical officer.

Lunarbyte.io moved me away from things like a Chrome widget to a bookmarklet, and that is one architectural piece I’m aware of. I saw the architecture document they delivered to me. Because of my lack of experience in working directly with web-based frontend architecture, we’re still overcoming some minor questions about what I assumed something was and what it actually is.

Their team uses a bookmarklet to add a property of interest to their personal data library. From that, it kicks off API requests to get geocoded information and return information. This doesn’t just put that location on a map, but also gets information such as past property taxes, applied market assessed values, and how many bedrooms and bathrooms that the location has permitted.

Then that information is sent to my backend which then is used to capture and model states and local income taxes as well as health insurance for a 10-year range of ages. Lunarbyte.io built that then my backend returns to the frontend. It’s a color code index that indicates whether that geospecific point is more or less expensive than a base address and budget that the user has put in their profile. They will eventually have a heat map that shows whether or not a cluster of geospecific points is more or less expensive at a specific year across a 10-year planning window.

What is the team composition?

I have three points of contact. Francisco (CEO & Software Engineer) is running the overall project, and then I have a backend architect who works with my lead contact. James (Lead Developer & Partner) is my technical equal. He is the one that I'm working with as we hammer out the details.

How did you come to work with Lunarbyte.io?

I ran into Francisco at a founder’s live event in February when I was already getting the sense that my first development firm just couldn’t pull it out. He was there and talked about his company and how he provides fractional CTO work to services. Francisco was really personable and that led to me remembering and considering him as things with my previous development company started falling apart. Of course, COVID-19 happened and that delayed me from making a cut loose decision.

How much have you invested in them?

My current budget is $18,000–$20,000 but we’re thinking it’s going to come out to be around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in August 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just finished launching the brand in early October 2020. Lunarbyte.io got the interface working. A fundamental aspect of the way we’re going to implement data security and data privacy is by making sure we only have tokens in one database. We have no identifiable information in the database that has sensitive information. They got the architecture functional.

How did Lunarbyte.io perform from a project management standpoint?

My advisor felt comfortable enough to back out of managing Lunarbyte.io because of how well they lead tasks out, how well they communicate, and how well they track it.

When working with Francisco through the RFP process, I discovered that he was very consistent in his message. He was very consistent in what he delivered and set expectations. I had originally planned on a three-month development window and he said that their experience is six months. Francisco also manages me very well and keeps things within the borders. I’ve been very impressed with him.

Working with James has been not only a pleasure but a learning experience. I know I’m going to get a superior quality product out of this. I’ve been approached by development firms left and right, but the minute I start talking about topics like managing data privacy or data security, they drop out of the loop. The fact that Lunarbyte.io has included best practices on security is one of the strongest things that kept me looking at them and thinking about them.

In working with James as a partnership, I’ve learned a lot about him. He listens to what my concerns are and has no problem telling me no and why. Yet, even as they tell me no and why, they stop and think about it. We’ve come back and ideated compromises. I feel very strongly that their technical leadership on what they do is a good match with the type of tech work that I do on my side, and it hasn’t been a frustrating experience at all. It has been a pleasure to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with the technical talent they have. This team is great. I’ve worked with some of the best programmers in wireless telecommunications, and Lunarbyte.io is better than a lot of the outside companies that I’ve touched base with in the past, including some very big companies. They have the chops.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, because they’re easy to work with and if there’s a problem, it just gets addressed. They’re not perfect but it doesn’t matter.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think Lunarbyte.io is the one that’ll help guide you to success.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of Storytellers for Change. I'm the Storyteller in Chief at the organization and I also lead all strategic growth operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lunarbyte.io?

Our business had been running on the same basic business formula for a while. We were seeing steady growth and we were also struggling to keep up with demand.

While we knew there were various tools available to helps us automate a few of our tasks, we found ourselves overwhelmed with the amount of options and we knew we didn't have the in-house technical knowledge to make sure all of this tools were integrated and work seamlessly. In order to scale, we needed to make some changes.

What were your goals for this project?

Automate as many workflows and business processes as possible to free our time to engage with more customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with the founder of Lunarbyte, Francisco, a while back on a different project and we knew he would be a great fit. However, we did reach out to a few different vendors who also offered us competitive pricing and who had great referrals.

At the end of the day we chose Lunarbyte because we they saw our organization's potential, approached our questions with curiosity and empathy, and offered us great and timely solutions.

Describe the project in detail.

Lunarbyte audited all of our existing information technology infrasctructure we had in place as well as all our common business worflows. Came up with solutions for our team to consider and then we made a few choices on how to move forward. Lunarbyte then migrated all business data to the cloud and automated business processes using custom API integrations and Zapier.com.

In addition, Lunarbyte, has also supported various other technical needs we've had. We've decided we will retain Lunarbyte for any ongoing technical needs as we scaled our organization.

What was the team composition?

We had a project manager work with us the whole time. When needed other team members stepped in to provide us with updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new design of our contact form, the integration with Zappier.com and HubSpot, as well as other tools has freed a significant amount of time from our Programs Coordinator.

We've also seen an increase in submissions from potential customers since Lunarbyte updated our contact form. With more time in our hands and an increase in traffic to our website we are already seeing our organization grow and we can plan for how to scale even more.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication is crucial, but you also want the right information at the right time delivered in an effective way. Lunarbyte excelled at this. Lunarbyte also helped us to integrate a project management tool as part of our organization and we utilized this tool for project management as well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are a humans-first, highly efficient company. We will continue working with Lunarbyte because they have the expertise and they check in with us continually to ensure our organization is growing and their exceeding our expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nope. We are looking forward to continue working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Dollar Flight Club. We’re a membership platform that alerts our customers to deals on flights.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lunarbyte.io?

As a robust bootstrapped company, we lacked the resources to afford an in-house developer. We needed a full-stack engineer who we could turn on or off depending on our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lunarbyte.io helps with new product development. They created our payment systems, mailing, and deliverability. They’ve also helped with WordPress, which we didn’t hire them for but appreciated their help. Their team makes sure everything is connected and working properly to for our millions of customers

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 people. We communicate over Slack every day. 

How did you come to work with Lunarbyte.io?

I used to work with Francisco (Co-Founder & CEO, Lunarbyte.io) at another company about four years ago; he was one of our head engineers. He’s probably the most personable engineer I’ve ever worked with. He’s so ingrained in our business that he or Benjamin (Co-Founder & CTO, Lunarbyte.io) is in our weekly team calls. They’ve bought into our business like it’s their business, which is priceless. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in June 2019 and is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had major product launches that were made 100% possible by Francisco and his team. Thanks to their work, our business grew by more than 100% last year, surpassing major milestones that we wanted to hit. Lunarbyte.io helped us conquer so many issues, like our transactional processes with our payment system, dispute issues from an engineering perspective, and our premium product getting launched. And we’re keeping them around because we have a lot more goals that we want to achieve this year.

How did Lunarbyte.io perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re extremely organized. Everything we do — from proposal to completion — is through Trello. They have all the systems in place on their end for any project we think of doing. That makes things simple and intuitive. Lunarbyte.io also has long-term vision. We have a short list of things we want to do within a given year, and we can turn Lunarbyte.io on when we can afford their services.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and overall attitude stand out to us. Everything they do is delivered well, and they aren’t stressed about the production process. Those are qualities you can’t buy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the beginning, they were a small team. They didn’t have the resources to manage multiple clients and were stretching themselves a little thin. It’s not a challenge now — we feel like they have the capacity and resources to scale — so we currently don’t have any issues with them. Working with Lunarbyte.io is the easiest part of our day.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you want good developers who aren’t full-time engineers, find small portions of your project or product improvements and bring them on to test out their abilities.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-owner of Preflight Mitigator, a product that allows pilots to perform a flight risk assessment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lunarbyte.io?

Our product was 70% of the way to its launch, and we needed a backend developer to wrap it up. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lunarbyte.io helped us create a web app using Angular. It’s responsive to both desktop and mobile devices. 

For each feature I request, I provide Lunarbyte.io with the direction, designs, and user flows. However, they sometimes come back with their own flows to explain specific processes, such as how the backend interacts with the frontend, or to discuss ideas for visuals. In other cases, they’ll release a feature to our dev application that I’ll then take over to style the frontend. 

What is the team composition?

Ben (Co-Founder & CTO, Lunarbyte.io) is the one person I consistently stay in touch with daily. Depending on the velocity we need and the availability of their resources, we’ll ask Frank (Co-Founder & CEO, Lunarbyte.io) to step in.

How did you come to work with Lunarbyte.io?

We went through a research process to evaluate different developers and find one we can rely on. When we found Lunarbyte.io, we felt they were the best equipped, given their experience and expertise. They also sold themselves through their thought leadership: they offered better approaches to our ideas instead of just listening to our requests. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2019, and the first iteration of the app launched in August the same year. We’re still in a working relationship, though.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a little premature for us to talk about results just yet. However, other companies have expressed interest in integrating our application into theirs. That’s due to the fact that we have a modern build and a team that can provide those services. 

Lunarbyte.io has given us exactly what we asked for—and even more when it comes to service. Their wireframes and thought leadership have help us make critical decisions about the application, and it wasn’t even a requirement from the outset.

How did Lunarbyte.io perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done exceptionally well. They constantly communicate—I never have to track them down to find out what’s going on. They respond at all hours of the day, which isn’t a requirement but still something I appreciate. We use Slack, which adds that extra level of accessibility and visibility.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their thought leadership impresses me the most. Lunarbyte.io doesn’t just fill your requests to the letter; they take the time to recommend the best options for the product. It feels like they care about my project like it’s their own, which is really cool.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, if there were areas to improve, we’d look for someone else. I’m extremely pleased with Lunarbyte.io’s work.

Any advice for potential customers?

One thing I originally did was write out all the user stories I needed in Google Spreadsheets. I used those materials to quote the initial launch. Lunarbyte.io then transferred that to Jira, which has been really helpful for us to track our work together. 

I’d recommend that anyone looking to work with a development shop to think through their user stories and put it in Jira. It’ll make your life a lot easier and let a vendor give you a much more specific quote.