Makers' Den

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Web Manager of Meister

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Meister's mission is to empower teams to plan and organize their work seamlessly – regardless of their technical experience. With our digital tools, every team member can navigate their tasks efficiently for a better workday, every day. Our work management software offerings range from task and project management solutions, through documentation, all the way to mind mapping tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Makers' Den to accomplish?

• Create a brand new website for our core product: MeisterTask.
• Move our web content from a WordPress-based system to Storyblok headless CMS.
• Enable the Meister team to work on content within our new headless CMS in a streamlined format, and in a fairly short time-frame (3-4 months).

SOLUTION

How did you find Makers' Den?

Online Search

Why did you select Makers' Den over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Makers' Den were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We had limited control over our website and over time have accumulated a lot of tech-debt which means we were not able to effectively leverage our most valuable marketing property. So, we invested in building a new, agile website to optimize our funnel:

• stand out in the market with a best in class website to uplift signup and conversion rates
• increase speed to market and enable commercial efforts, with the website facilitating new initiatives, instead of being a blocker
• eliminate tech-debt by simplifying current multi-domain and multi-CMS setup 
• enable PLG & PLS motion by creating scalable platform housing TOFU, MOFU, BOFU content 
• ensure compliance with the Accessability Act 2025

Besides the commercial goals for the company, the work related to Makers' Den focused on the following deliverables:

• enable the Meister Marketing Team to create content in a new headless CMS, Storyblok
• deliver the new website in a timeline manner, by a set deadline
• develop new blocks to be used in Storyblok, in a templatized manner
• migrate content from previous WordPress blog, to new system
• implement web design elements based on a set design framework set up in Figma

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• number of new content types developed in Storyblok
• number of website functionality created (search, animations, filtering etc.)
• number of website pages finished & published

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

• Makers' Den always worked in a timely manner, on a weekly sprint basis
• They delivered tasks on time, and within the project scope
• They were always open to feedback adjusting implementation details when needed
• They were rigerous with bug-testing and making sure the quality of their deliverables is up to a high standard

What was your primary form of communication with Makers' Den?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Their technical expertise and efficiency when it comes to Storyblok, Vercel and headless CMS set-up in general
• Their work ethic when it comes to delivering tasks on time and within the project budget/scope
• Their efficiency when it comes to async communication through Slack and virtual meetings

Are there any areas for improvement or something Makers' Den could have done differently?

In very minor cases, having another review round before delivering a task would have been helpful to catch additional bugs. But other than this small improvement, we were fully satisfied with their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of marketing at a company that installs solar energy systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Makers' Den?

One of our issues was regarding our branding and lack of consistency in communication. Last year, we created a rebranded experience for new and existing customers, and we wanted to take that rebranding to our website and create a new storefront for our business activities. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We previously used WordPress to manage our site, but Makers' Den decided to take a different approach and use a more modern CMS. Our team has designed the website, and Makers' Den has guided us through the process and coordinated the site's development. We decided to use Storyblok as a CMS and Vercel for hosting and storage. 

What is the team composition?

We've worked with different teammates throughout the project. Initially, we developed the whole website in a fast-paced environment, taking us around two months to complete everything. During this stage, we worked with Carl-Petter (Founding Partner), Norbert (Software Developer), and Paweł (Software Developer). Carl-Petter is the only team member we're still in touch with.

How did you come to work with Makers' Den?

Makers' Den was referred to us by our partner in Spain, who had already worked with the team.
How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around €34,000 (approximately $37,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2024. Makers' Den has completed our site and is working on some changes. We have a retainer contract with the team in case we want to adapt something or make changes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project's success is reflected in our marketing team's ability to work independently and develop pages. We can work on top of what Makers' Den has designed and implemented. Storyblok enables us to adapt and change content easily, and we need little development post-implementation, whereas, with WordPress, we always need somebody to help us follow up.

On the other hand, the site's loading speed is quicker, thanks to Storyblok's headless CMS technology. The team has used good practices, and the site is well-designed and has implemented the latest trends and requirements of search engines. Overall, we see a high quality internally of how the site has been implemented.

How did Makers' Den perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly stand-up meetings to review the development stages. We work in project management through Asana, where Makers' Den posts the latest work updates, and we can see progress in real-time. We also communicate via email and Slack for any tasks we need to look into in the meantime. Makers' Den meets deadlines.
Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Norbert has been very hands-on during development and offered a good experience. Carl is very knowledgeable and solves problems on the fly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We're impressed with Makers' Den's direct and hands-on approach to communicating with clients. With other companies, they create a black box project and deliver a website as an outcome. With Makers' Den, we've been part of the creation process and adapted it on the fly according to our branding view. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I'm well-versed technically. However, I think Makers' Den can improve their business communication with other customers who don't have a technical background. Although, because of our project, we haven't been able to communicate more data at technical levels since it wasn't needed. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend working with Makers' Den because they use amazing technology that offers flexibility for customers' teams and empowers them in a way other systems don't allow. Working with no-code tools can be tricky when adding new items, but using Storyblok can systematically improve your working methods and empower your team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a medical educational company that provides courses for nurses and medical personnel.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Makers' Den?

We needed support with coding and software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Makers' Den provides custom software development services for our company. 

What is the team composition?

We work with two full stack developers from Makers' Den, one of which is the lead developer and project manager.

How did you come to work with Makers' Den?

Makers' Den’s owner is a friend of mine. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around €50,000 (approximately $53,000 USD) with Makers' Den 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Makers' Den in January 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re waiting for the results and feedback from the makers, so we’ll have more metrics as time goes on.

How did the company perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication and ability to deliver everything on time have been excellent. They’re good at that as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're really reliable and will do anything they're asked. Also, they're very honest and reliable. They will do their job really well as they tell what they’re doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were the best to work with in terms of project management.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

No, there isn’t anything they can improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of an information security solutions company. 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Developers information security solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Makers' Den to accomplish?

• Improved delivery process
• Develop frontend
• Integrate existing APIs

SOLUTION

How did you find Makers' Den?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Makers' Den over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Makers' Den were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We needed to develop and integrate the frontend for an API that would display millions of records. It was paramount that the development was performant and wary of this. Additionally, as a small team, we don't have anyone dedicated to testing, so it was crucial that the deliveries were tested and proven.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Code quality and amount of features that were integrated.

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

Everything was perfect, from the project management to the actual development. I always felt that the PMs assigned to our project knew exactly what they were talking about and that Makers Den always had the expertise to do even more than what I needed.

What was your primary form of communication with Makers' Den?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Ease of communication and understanding of the technical challenges. Additionally, the fact that Makers Den also quickly adapted (and improved) our way of working was a big help.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Makers' Den could have done differently?

Nothing. I work with them to this day with 100% satisfaction.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Director of Kickflip

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Kickflip is a product customization software for ecommerce

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Makers' Den to accomplish?

• Website development

SOLUTION

How did you find Makers' Den?

Online Search

Why did you select Makers' Den over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Makers' Den were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We needed to migrate our website made with Gatsby to Storyblok, a Headless CMS. Our main goal was to give a full & flexible access to the marketing team to the entire website content management, what we couldn't do with the old Gatsby website. The main deliverables were : 

• Develop entire website with Next.Js and Storyblok 
• Develop blocks that can be used in a flexible way, in order to reused them over multiple pages and for different content needs. 
• Giving advices on how we should develop the blocks to be flexible 
• Developing new footer and blocks design based on Figma files. Giving recommendation when necessary 
• Set up editable SEO tags as : hreflang, title, metadescription, canonical.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Time to launch : The project was done faster then expected in the estimated timeline. 
• Number of Back & forth conversation :Only one conversation was needed to explain our needs and the results was exactly as expected. 
• Number of bugs to resolve before launch : Only few minors adjustments were needed. Was much less then expected.

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

Maker's Den create a clear Asana board where Kickflip team could refer to see the advancement of the project. We could also add task directly into this board when we had something new or something to fix quickly. Maker's Den also scheduled a weekly meeting where everyone could communicate what was done, what was needed to continue and what will be done in the next week. they also suggest to have a Slack channel to made communication faster when a quick answer was needed.

What was your primary form of communication with Makers' Den?

Virtual Meeting

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

They understood our needs very quickly and were real expert from who we could get really great advices on how to develop our website in a better way.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Makers' Den could have done differently?

To be honest...nothing!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Influencer DNA

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

An Influencer Marketing platform that is The fastest solution for Influencer Tracking, Analytics & Reporting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Makers' Den to accomplish?

• Build an email module that allowed user to send and receive emails with their own gmail or outlook account
• Build a new campaign module that allowed users to track the post analytics of the content the influencers posted on their social media accounts
• Build an agency module. An env where agencies could add and invite the brands that they are running influencer marketing campaigns for
• Make sure we have a scalable tech stack

SOLUTION

How did you find Makers' Den?

Online Search

Why did you select Makers' Den over others?

Great culture fit, Company values aligned, Other

What was the size of Makers' Den’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

Our platform needed to have3 extra key functionalities:

1. An agency module. Allowed user to add and invite the brands that the agency in running influencer marketing campaign for. This allowed us the add an extra renvue stream to our business
2. A campaign module. Allowed users to track the content that influencers had posted on their social media accounts for that brand/ agency. Makers Den worked on an integration with Instagram Graph API, Youtube API and TikTok API
3. eMail module. Allowed our users to send and receive email to and from influencers in our database

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Able to track, likes, comments and views on social media posts
• Happy users
• timeline of delivery

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

Fast and clear communication. Estimates were always spot on. Were always open to run the extra mile for us.

What was your primary form of communication with Makers' Den?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

I've worked with different (Digital) agencies in the past. Communication for us, is the most important thing. We took a risk to work with an Agency that was based in Berlin instead of close to us (Amsterdam) but it worked out perfectly with Maker's Den. On slack in felt like they are always available. They responded fast to questions. The weekly check ins via teams allowed us to really understand what they were working on.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Makers' Den could have done differently?

Nothing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Pexip.com - Pexip Engage VP Business management & Member of the CTO Council

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Makers' Den, and what were your goals?

We need a scalable, self-discovery showcase platform for our product integrated in dozens of use-cases for each vertical.

SOLUTION

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

We already worked with Maker's Den for our website, and needed a partner for our project who understand our offering and has the agility to successfully deliver. Most importantly, we needed a partner that can come up with ideas and not only waits for requirements

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

Design of platform User experience and flows of platform Authentication and tracking in showcase platform Scalability in architecture to expand for different usecases and verticals Developed with maintainability for us in mind Build on:

• Storyblok
• Vercel
• Pexip Engage proprietary tech for Customer Engagement

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

3 including technical project lead

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Delivered on budget with a better outcome than expected and on time. Our showcase platform is being praised by both our Sales and CSM team!

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

Weekly project status meetings Daily communication through shared slack with next to instance responses pro-active communication (and to the point) at every step from the vendor clear project board

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

We were impressed by their ability to co-own the project. They feel and act like part of the team

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

None I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Fyrfeed solves the creation of social media posts by harnessing an efficient Human-in-the-loop approach to AI. Customers subscribe to our service for a monthly fee and enjoy premium-quality posts regularly. Content doesn't get any easier than this.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Makers' Den, and what were your goals?

At the start of the project, we had limited development capacity. Therefore we were looking for support in the design of our frontend.

SOLUTION

How did you select Makers' Den and what were the deciding factors?

We approached many providers in Berlin and abroad. For us, the most important factors were easy communication and a quick understanding of the project. Makers Den stood out because in an extremely short time they had penetrated the project and found errors in the design and logics. This allowed us to hand over the project completely to Makers Den without micromanagement.

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

Conversion of about 50 screen designs into Django templates. Revision of the screen design.

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

Carl-Petter Bertell

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Finished in time

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

Slack, Google Meet. Weekly Meetings. Design revision via Figma.

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

They were 100 % committed to the project.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the cofounder of the HealthTech startup Healthzilla. Healthzilla provides consumers a free app for creating healthy habits, and tools for companies to monitor customer/employee wellness data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Makers' Den, and what were your goals?

We wanted to launch a B2B offering by creating a SaaS dashboard on top of our existing backend platform. Our goal was to release a first MVP in just a month's time using the latest web technologies.

SOLUTION

How did you select Makers' Den and what were the deciding factors?

I've known Kalle to be one of the best developers out of hundreds I've worked with. The team at Makers' Den are very straightforward, they have the experience to turn vague requirements into clean code and functionality. They know the latest tech always and are very fast.

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

We had made a rough static prototype before, and had some high-level descriptions of what kind of data we wanted to present, as well as a styleguide for our brand. From there, Makers' Den guys took over and asked questions to fill any gaps.

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

We worked with Kalle (integration) and Harrison (UI).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been able to soft launch the platform as scheduled, and gotten our first clients to give us valuable feedback. We're now in-process of further refining the dashboard to enable self-service onboarding.

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

We use Slack with the Makers' Den team, and given our own technical knowledge it is very easy to communicate in common language about how requirements should be interpreted and what technical options are available. I can trust that when I need them, the guys are available.

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

In terms of speed & quality versus cost, Makers' Den is offering something unique as a boutique developer studio.

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

I like how well Makers' Den style of working fits with our own, given we're on Slack and Asana the guys just use our tools together with our internal team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Healthcare IT provider, CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Makers' Den, and what were your goals?

We had a use-case for using healthcare professionals' internet searches for epidemic outbreak surveillance (such as influenza). We had previously demonstrated the capabilities of these kinds of surveillance methods and wanted to capitalize this.

SOLUTION

How did you select Makers' Den and what were the deciding factors?

We got in contact with Makers' Den through referral. We were looking for a flexible and trustworthy partner with the suitable technical background and possibility to provide services rapidly.

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

Makers’ Den provided advice and implementation on service design, frontend and backend code, cloud infrastructure and ML processes; adjusting bits as the project went along. The technologies used were Javascript, ReactJS and NodeJS, PostgreSQL.

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

3 people: 1 lead developer, 1 full stack developer, 1 data scientist-

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The original project was finished early which left space for extending and developing the service further within the original timeframe. The project resulted in the CEO receiving a national award for most provident digital healthcare influencer of 2019.

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

They were very agile and flexible. The communication tools used were Asana, Slack and video calls. We had bimonthly meetings to assess progress and could follow updates constantly through Slack. It was important to us that they can answer any questions we had any time.

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

The work we had originally asked them to do included technical development, but we received additional value from the team's participation in the whole product design.

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

Nothing comes to mind.