micro1

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Ouro, a pre-owned sneaker marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire micro1, and what were your goals?

App development. iOS first, now Android. The goal was to build a simple, yet scalable platform.

SOLUTION

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

Was referred by a friend and developed a great relationship with the founder who helped address any and all concerns.

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

Meetings were done, then they created some mockups. We then entered development and I continued to monitor the work and addressed any changes that needed to be made.

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

• Project manager
• front- and backend developer
• UX designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The iOS app was launched within 4 months of the agreement of the deal.

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

All progress and communication were made through monday.com and Slack.

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

They have stayed on top of every task and never lacked awareness.

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

Add PayPal as a payment method.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director at Z Fellows, a fellowship for aspiring entrepreneurs. We also invest in early stage founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire micro1, and what were your goals?

We hired micro1 to redesign our website. Wanted a new refreshed design.

SOLUTION

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

We wanted a beautiful re-designed website and micro1 had a track record of amazing designs

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

We had a kickoff call, and then managed the project on slack with our project manager. In about 2 months, it was delivered.

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

We’re in contact with one project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyones loves our new website!

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

Monday and slack were the two platforms we used for managing the project

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

Their design abilities were out of this world

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

None that I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a stealth startup

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire micro1, and what were your goals?

We hired micro1 for a full-stack development of our platform. Our platform is deep tech & has many AI/ML components to it

SOLUTION

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

We care deeply about design and so did micro1. We also were close with the founder

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

Project is a stealth mode AI startup. We started with kick off call, designs, and are now in middle of development

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

We’re in contact with the founder and 2 project managers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re in the middle of development, but everything has been amazing so far.

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

The workflow is super smooth using monday.com shared board and slack as well as bi-weekly syncs

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

Their design and management abilities

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

Nothing, they're great!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Manager of Wishu Labs

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Wishu Labs is a software development agency with a product-centric approach to building applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire micro1 to accomplish?

• Hire software engineers for our latest project.

SOLUTION

How did you find micro1?

Referral

Why did you select micro1 over others?

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

How many teammates from micro1 were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We required additional software engineer staff for the development of a bespoke web app assisting a psychology research group in a university based in the UK.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Excellent sprint task completion by the hired engineers and clear communication of issues/blockers/successes through slack and the Micro1 dashboard. Great communication by the team at Micro1 that made the hiring process smooth, transparent and also flexible to meet our needs.

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

Items were delivered mostly on-time, with any issues being communicated as progress went on and quickly mitigated. Issues weren't significant, and the team was able to continue work without any major pitfalls, showing their experience as solid engineers.

What was your primary form of communication with micro1?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Straight forward approach to hiring, quick responses to queries through video-calls and emails. Discussions felt casual and non-corporate, sharing our culture, which felt like a good fit.

Are there any areas for improvement or something micro1 could have done differently?

The limits to hiring hours within a part-time or full-time package meant we had to negotiate more flexible hours for our project. Since our project wasn't for full-time hiring, rather it was for maintenance of an existing app, we required flexible hours and were working under the constraints of our own clients. If this flexibility was available from the get-go, the process could have been even quicker-given their pitch was impressive and we were already inclined to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at an early-stage startup. We’re building an end-to-end creative operations platform for companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with micro1?

We were looking to hire capable engineers to help us with our project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

micro1 has helped us augment our staff. Initially, I gave them a job description, and we reviewed it. We were looking for a full stack engineer with experience in the right technology stack. As for soft skills, we were looking for three: communication, a growth mindset, and the ability to work independently.

Since then, micro1 has helped us source the right candidates. For this process, they prescreen some candidates and send them to us. After that, I have my own interview process with these candidates. From there, I choose one candidate and move forward with them. Thus far, we’ve hired three engineers through micro1.

What is the team composition?

Initially, I worked with micro1’s  CEO. Now, I work with an account manager.

How did you come to work with micro1?

I did some online research and looked at several teams to which I spoke. Ultimately, I decided to go with micro1 because their sales package was more reasonable than the others. Moreover, they treat the engineers they provide better than the other companies I was looking at.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2022, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The engineers provided by micro1 are performing really well. They’ve done a pretty good job and met our expectations. For the first engineer we hired, I focused on a growth mindset. This person has grown pretty quickly with my help and mentorship, which is really good.

How did micro1 perform from a project management standpoint?

Most of the time, micro1’s engineers meet the timeline expectations and push harder when needed to deliver the results. We collaborate daily with them; they’re basically a part of our team and participate in our Slack channels and Zoom meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

micro1’s screening is unique compared to the other companies we looked at. They focus more on soft skills, which I like. Other companies over-filter the candidates, so they only provide those with strong development skills. However, they might be dismissing potentially strong candidates. micro1 does things differently — if they consider someone has strong soft skills, they see potential in them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

micro1 is currently working on improving their infrastructure with new dashboards to manage talents and increasing their capabilities for certain needs, such as doing reimbursements for teammates. They’re going in the right direction.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to have your own interview process and know what you’re looking for. micro1’s process is very good, but you need to set up your own technical interview and tailor the process around that to ensure the candidates they provide meet your needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder of creative agency www.polyframe.works We do creative direction, design strategy, web des + dev, brand, and more to help businesses tell their story through beautiful and intuitive solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire micro1?

Easy outsourced development partner

SOLUTION

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

Micro 1 was a referral from a trusted friend. I really enjoyed their comprehensive approach to vetting the developers when hiring, as well as the account managers great job at communicating with us.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We hired 1 developer through Micro 1 to help build out several client sites as well as our own agency's site. Most of these predominantly are front end, but include complex integrations and interactions at times. Our clients are predominantly startups, service industry companies, as well as large non profits recently.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We discussed the process in detail with William our account manager who was excellent. We then proceeded to interview several developers and select which one was a best fit in terms of personality and skillset for what we were looking for.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are publishing several sites that drastically improve the previous versions our clients had. Everything ranging from UIUX as well as design. Micro 1 dev was crucial in building these features. We expect these sites to serve their customers best!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a easy integration with the developer. Great at communicating professionally.

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

Their customer portal is excellent!

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

Some of the pricing models could have been more transparent through the process. We weren't aware the price of the devs had increased from when we first had reached out. Minimal issue but worth noting. Nothing else really our experience has been great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a managing partner at LegalDevs LLC. We help law firms and people in the legal sector solve any technical issues they have. For example, we help law firms set up their case management software or set up integrations with other tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with micro1?

We needed engineers to help scale up our business. Our company had many opportunities because our marketing campaign went really well, and many law firms required our services. Therefore, we contracted micro1 to hire remote developers for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

micro1 provides us with staff augmentation services. We've hired five teammates through them, including developers, QA resources, and UI/UX designers. We require our candidates to have good English communication skills. As for technical skills, we need web developers who can build websites from scratch without help and developers with experience in case software implementation with tools such as Clio. 

We provide the requirements, and micro1 provides pre-screened candidates from their talent pool. From there, we go over profiles and set up a call with the candidates we're interested in. If the candidate is a good fit, we hire them through micro1. They handle onboarding for us and offer us a trial period for each new teammate.

The outsourced resources we've hired through micro1 help us implement new case management software. They set up the tools from scratch, and their processes differ depending on our clients' area of law. The development team works with tools like Zapier and Clio.

For web development, they provide UI/UX design and build sites from scratch. They use Figma for UI/UX design, where I make any needed corrections to their designs. Since most of our clients need static websites, micro1 uses Webflow to build websites. We've recently partnered with a new company and need more hands, so we're currently looking to hire another resource through micro1. 

What is the team composition?

For the most part, we work with developers and engineers from micro1. We also interact with micro1's accounting department because they help us monitor the engineers remotely and ensure the financials are balanced. 

How did you come to work with micro1?

We found them through LinkedIn. Although we saw other companies that provided similar services, we chose micro1 because their reviews were superb. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $20,000–$40,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with how micro1 has delivered. We measure their success by how well they deliver the work and their relationship with our end clients. We also track reviews from our end clients using a five-star ranking system. The resources we’ve hired from micro1 finish all their tasks on time, enabling us to deliver our work on time. Moreover, our end clients are very satisfied when interacting with micro1’s developers in one-on-one training sessions. 

How did micro1 perform from a project management standpoint?

I do some of the project management, so I work directly with the team from micro1. They deliver on time; when I tell my clients we’ll finish in two weeks, micro1 sticks to the timeline. In many cases, their work doesn’t require corrections from the end client. As a result, they stick to budgets without any additional charges. If there’s ever a cause to go beyond the budget, it’s most likely from the scoping I handle with the end client. 

We use monday.com for project management, which is one of the requirements for hiring a candidate. All the teammates from micro1 already know how to use the tool. As for communication, we use Slack and Zoom. Overall, our collaboration is really good. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

micro1 has been able to find the right candidates for us, and we haven’t had any cause to let anyone go; the only teammate who has left the project did so due to personal issues. micro1 sends us candidates within 1–2 days of a request, and all their candidates understand our requirements and perform exceptionally well. micro1 also offers us a trial period, where the candidates work with us first, and we only start making payments once we’re satisfied with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We give them monthly feedback, and they’ve improved. For example, we asked them to adjust to our flexible work hours a few months ago. micro1 was used to a fixed schedule, which caused delayed responses to messages. They’ve adjusted to our own flexible schedule, which implies more availability on the phone. Now, they work at different times of the day and always reply to messages within 12 hours. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve recommended micro1 to friends, and I always tell them to send a LinkedIn message to Ali (Founder & CEO). They’re very responsive and will connect you to the right person to meet your needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a technology manager for a marketing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with micro1?

They were hired to provide consulting services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

micro1 is guiding us in strategic decisions as they relate to development. 

What is the team composition?

We work with one person, but our main point of contact is Ali (Founder & CEO). 

How did you come to work with micro1?

We found them online and invited them to join our RFP process. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in January 2022, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

micro1 has been helping our project to deliver faster, and our time to market has been positively impacted. 

How did micro1 perform from a project management standpoint?

They are responsive and always get back to us very quickly. We use Zoom and email to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re providing us with valuable knowledge and expertise, and are incredibly professional. They’re well-written and clear, and we haven’t had any issues since we started working with them. They have a high level of availability, and are both nimble and cutting-edge. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing more they could be doing for us. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more you tell them, the more successful you will be with them. Disclose everything that you can to micro1.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Pure Life, a social networking platform for active adult communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with micro1?

We needed a company that could provide us with web design and development support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired micro1 to design and develop a SaaS platform geared for the administration and revamp our code base, which involved taking what we already had and building a better product at a faster rate than our other developers. They’re tasked with developing prototypes and a version one of our platform.

We initially provided micro1 with a feature document and an MVP, which showed them all the platform's feature sets. The platform has two sides: the residents' side and the admin side. For the residents' side, micro1 has built a whole social platform that has features like user profiles, peer-to-peer messaging systems, and media sharing. It also has a feature called "meet", which allows users to send invites and meet other people at sports or recreational venues. The app also allows users to create groups with which they can send invites and share posts with. We're planning on adding a payment feature, which lets users pay each other.

For the admin side, micro1 is building proprietary peer life analytics, which understands how many members are in the club, what's their status of membership, how much they are spending per year, where their locations are, and what groups they're a part of.

In the future, micro1 will continue to work with us in order to make this product even better. Right now, they're working on a prototype and version one.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Ali (Owner & Founder), who works with us on the business side to understand our product at a high level, a project manager, and seven other people from micro1.

How did you come to work with micro1?

We found micro1 through Clutch. We are a startup, and I like to work with vendors who also have that startup type of atmosphere within their company. When I went when I saw micro one, I saw a lot of innovation and excitement within their company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $72,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've added a lot of hours for us in a good way. They always make sure that we're well taken care of.

How did micro1 perform from a project management standpoint?

Micro1 has performed well in terms of project management. They’re quick to respond, and they’re excellent at solving problems. We typically communicate through Slack, Monday.com, and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're not just a development firm —  they're a real business partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have anything at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're very design-centric, so make sure to remain open to their ideas when it comes to design.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the US commercial coordinator for a biotechnology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with micro1?

We needed help with web development. We’d had a lot of trouble finding in-house developers and hiring people to develop our website reliably.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our in-house design team designed the website. We initially gave micro1 an Adobe XD file, and their designer took it to build the site. They’ve done all the coding and implementation.

What is the team composition?

We’re just working with one part-time developer.

How did you come to work with micro1?

I searched online for different types of agencies and options for web development. I came across another company, which later merged with micro1. I reached out and contacted the founder; he explained to me over a quick call how everything worked. We took it back to our team and waited about 1–2 weeks. Then, we interviewed the developer and liked him. In the end, we decided that micro1 was the best option to hire a developer.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $2,000. We hire the developer for 20 hours per week, and his hourly rate is between $28–$29.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2022, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went live last week, so we haven’t seen a significant impact in numbers yet. They just started working on our website, but we are responsible for the number of visits and conversions. All we’ve asked micro1 is to build and maintain the site and its actual performance, and they’ve been able to do everything we’ve asked so far.

How did micro1 perform from a project management standpoint?

We haven’t given them fixed deadlines. However, we’ve worked with other web developers and agencies, and micro1’s developer works more swiftly and efficiently than others.

For communication, we have a Slack channel with the developer, our team, and micro1’s leaders. We talk there all the time, and the communication is pretty fluid. Also, we mainly use emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer a quick and easy service. Most of the time, agencies want to provide everything; they want to do development, design, and SEO. In our case, we do most of those things in-house; we only need a developer. micro1 has fulfilled our specific need and nothing else.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We don’t have any complaints so far. The only possible communication problem is that they’re in India, so there’s a big time difference. We can’t work with them throughout our workday.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you just need development work or have trouble finding talent, they're an easy way to get a developer. On the other hand, they might not be the best option if you don’t know where to start; you’ll need a full-service package.