Never Settle

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Marketing, Communication and Technology of Sweet Cow

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We make homemade small batch ice cream, and serve our communities with joy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Never Settle to accomplish?

• We were looking to overhaul and redesign our website to update the look and provide an easier and more engaging experience for our customers. In addition, we had a pre-existing API that needed to be simplified and improved for future use and scalability.

SOLUTION

How did you find Never Settle?

Referral

Why did you select Never Settle over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Never Settle were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Website Goal: 
  • Redesign and develop our website to a modern look that is specific to our industry and goals. 
  • Custom funnels and strategy to increase conversion while also maintaining brand consistency. 
  • Finally coded and structured in a way to maximize our search engine optimization. 
• API: 
  • Cleanup for an existing API that works with an internal system to allow easy of use and scalability.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've received many compliments from our customers and staff on the new site—it's an incredible difference. Never Settle transformed our website into a user-friendly and eye-catching platform. With the redesign we receive more direct and positive communication with our customers, while providing them a better web experience and more information to eliminate the need to contact our shops.

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

Never Settle communicated very effectively throughout the project. The only challenge was the time difference between us being in the US, and our specific designer and developer being located in England. We used Airtable, Google drive, Loom and email throughout the project. They delivered on time, and were always very responsive to our questions and needs at any point in the project. They were professional, thoughtful and excellent to work with at all times.

What was your primary form of communication with Never Settle?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We really liked their experience, culture and vision for what they want to accomplish as a company for their clients. We wanted a smaller company with a personalized touch, and received that experience. The people on their team are smart, engaged and creative.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Never Settle could have done differently?

Ensuring you stay in sync about what elements are in scope is crucial, and touching based on this point throughout the project when the project may start to extend it's reach. It would also be helpful to have a directory of information (write ups/loom videos) that the client can use as a guide when taking the site over.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Platform Architect of OneChild Global

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

OneChild is a global community that helps children in poverty.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Never Settle to accomplish?

• Securely integrate our mobile application with Stripe
• Mentor our development team in database design and coding

SOLUTION

How did you find Never Settle?

• Referral

Why did you select Never Settle over others?

High ratings, Company values aligned

What was the size of Never Settle’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Our mobile app development team had no skills on Stripe or Stripe integration. We brought Never Settle on to the project to create the integration between the app and Stripe. The Never Settle team was uber proficient in Stripe, Stripe APIs, Stripe objects ... pretty much everything Stripe. Our deliverable for Never Settle was 2-fold: We needed a checkout screen coded that had some intricacies coming from Salesforce.

This screen had to create a payment intent for Stripe prior to display. Secondarily, we needed a webhook created that Stripe would call upon an event. This would populate a table that became the integration / communication between Stripe and Salesforce.

Once Never Settle became part of the project team, it became evident that we needed more of their expertise. They became major contributors in the architecture of our backend system to include training our team in how to properly write API's, how to write expert SQL scripts to manage our data, and proper table design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Our mobile application is deployed to both Apple Store and Google Play. Children from across the globe are being sponsored. This means that donors are able to safely provide recurring payment information and this information gets back to our Salesforce platform to correctly associate a donor with a child being sponsored.

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

They joined our Jira project management tool and fit right in. We used Jira, Slack and Google Meet. Their deliveries were always on time and they responded to needs very quickly. We had daily status calls with the entire team and NeverSettle took the extra step to make themselves available for 'training' calls with the rest of the team.

What was your primary form of communication with Never Settle?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email 
• Messaging App

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

NeverSettle has a heart & desire to use technology to make the world a better place. This character, from top down, is both impressive and unique. The quality of design and code was nothing short of expert. NeverSettle never treated our team as less, nor the project as a side project. We always felt we were their number one priority.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Never Settle could have done differently?

Never Settle has expert people and they are a service provider that underscores both 'Service' & 'Provider'. I can find nothing that needs improvement as they are a company that is defining the standard.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Program Director for Christian education and leadership development organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Never Settle, and what were your goals?

Development of a website for a new brand and program for existing organization. This brand is intended to create a national facing presence that expand the reach of a city based organization.

SOLUTION

How did you select Never Settle and what were the deciding factors?

We selected Never Settle based on personal relationships wiht the owner.

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

The website project included 10 pages of content that included video upload, blog posts, events and more. Also included easy to use CMS to manage the site ourselves

How many people from the Never Settle team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had 4 people we worked with including CEO, Brand Director, Technical Customer Support and Marketing director.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The launch of the site has given us a place to create a national presence and aggregate resources and connection points for a fast growing community.

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

Project management style was to listen to our needs, outline a project plan and then execute against deliverables Communication was focused on the front end, minimal during early development and then regular during content development and site iterations. WE used google docs and email as primary communication means

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

Their ability to deliver a high-quality product on time and on a budget in a time-sensitive situation was impressive.

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

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product for Selfbook. We created a new product that enhances the booking experience for hotels. The specific need that we tackle is accessibility — many hotels want their widget to be accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I work closely with engineers and designers to build the product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Never Settle?

We had an internal development team, but they weren’t familiar with ADA compliance. We needed specific talent to come in and help us with that part of development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we did an audit of our widget to find all the issues integrated within our Jira service. Never Settle came in, and we gave them access to our Jira account. They worked on the issues we’d found in the audit and did frontend work related to ADA compliance throughout our widget. Our software was built on React, but there wasn’t backend work.

Never Settle took the tasks we gave them, completed them, and found more issues. They picked up the issues again and tackled the work. Also, they helped with documentation around ADA compliance so we can use it for reference and best practices going forward.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with one developer. I believe he has another developer helping on the side, but we don’t have contact with them. Also, we’ve dealt with Kenn (Co-Founder & CEO).

How did you come to work with Never Settle?

We were referred to them through the ADA audit agency.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial estimate was around $14,000, but we’ve rolled over it, so it’ll be under $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2021, and our relationship is ongoing. We’ll be done at the end of this month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re super communicative and easy to work with. Never Settle has hit the ground running with the work, and they didn’t have too many questions, which was great. They’ve also helped mentor some people on our team, which is a nice addition. Overall, they’re really knowledgeable in their field, and we’d work with them again if we needed to. They’ve exceeded our expectations.

How did Never Settle perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s been good so far. We regularly communicate via Slack and calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They get the task done and are easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of. It would’ve been good if they’d told us when they hit the original estimate. I believe we’re now over it, but they haven’t communicated that to us, and it’d be good to know in the future. Other than that, it's been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d definitely recommend people to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of the Highland Art Center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Never Settle?

I was looking for a resource to help us make our website more user-friendly and acceptable for those on our team responsible for keeping the content current and relevant.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Never Settle updated our Squarespace website. First, we got on a conference call and talked about what was and wasn’t working on our previous site. Then, they made a recommendation on what they could do. From there, the team presented a price and a timeline. I managed the content and the team enhanced some of the content that I turned in.

What is the team composition?

I worked with the president, initially. Then, I worked with one developer as my go-to person.

How did you come to work with Never Settle?

We were working with a different firm and I think they sold their customer base to Never Settle.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2019, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything that Never Settle stayed within our budget and timeline. Never Settle was really flexible and patient while working with me. Our new layout flows and presents who we are in a more targeted and effective way. It’s less cluttered, too. My board members have been very excited about what they’ve seen, too.

How did Never Settle perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Google tools to share documents and manage the project. I really liked having one person throughout the project.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

The person assigned to me was really caring, conscientious, positive, and supportive. They made great recommendations that I wasn’t thinking of. It was a really good partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. Their prices were more than fair and we got a great value. The same services in California would’ve cost double.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be really clear about your needs. Never Settle is pretty resourceful and they have good ideas. You allow them to do a better job by being really clear about what you’re trying to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of We Grieve, an online community that brings grieving people together to heal. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Never Settle?

We needed Never Settle to create an online community that not only provides resources but also connects people with small, private groups where they can talk to each other via Zoom, Facebook, or other similar platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Through WordPress, Never Settle created a public platform that had free resources available to anyone who accessed its URL. They also built a member-only side that offered either a monthly or an annual subscription. It also gave users the option to gift membership to somebody who experienced a loss. A lot of details were put on the member-only side. 

On both the public and the member-only sides of the platform, people received loss-specific resources. For instance, someone who’d lost a parent would receive something different from a person who’d lost a child. Moreover, Never Settle helped people quickly get the information they need. Users could access content and resources in different ways without having to wade through 60 PDF files just to find something relevant. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with their CEO and a developer. 

How did you come to work with Never Settle?

I searched for the top 10 web development companies in the Denver metro area and chose three of them. I called and interviewed those companies, and I ultimately chose Never Settle because of their track record and success in projects related to what I was trying to do. On top of that, they had the passion and personal interest in what I was doing.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from November 2020–March 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For success metrics, we needed the website to work, and people should be able to navigate it well. It was also important that I didn’t see a lot of abandoned carts because some people changed their minds after seeing all the details of their purchase. People’s feedback about professionalism, photo quality, and number of words per web page was also important to me. Those were some of the measurements that told us the launch was successful. Generally speaking, Never Settle met our overall goals. 

However, this business has a slow growth process, so it’ll take a longer time to measure success going forward. 

How did Never Settle perform from a project management standpoint?

Our communication was very positive. I was happy with the fact that I didn’t have to talk to a lot of people during the project; I didn’t have to talk to a different person every time I needed help. The developer was very responsive, and he worked on the project at times that I wasn’t expecting him to. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised at the speed at which things were resolved. He was always good, and our communication was always clear. 

Meanwhile, their CEO was a little hard to communicate with because we were on different pages a couple of times. We were trying to match technology, art, and business to help people and give them something that met their needs, so it took us a while to get to what we were trying to accomplish. However, we worked through it, and he was consistent in asking questions until we arrived at the solution that we were looking for. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

What stood out to me over time was their grasp of the complexity of the project. They kept us from getting buried in the weeds too quickly and helped us stay on the big picture. I never had to deal with or get involved in all the project details because they always knew how to handle those details.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our engagement was a “discover as you go” project, so it would’ve been helpful for us if we had more upfront information about the phases and parts of such a project. However, it wouldn’t have mattered to me whether we stuck to those parts or not as long as I was aware of the bigger picture since I’d never developed a website of this size and complexity before. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you want and your ultimate goal; always keep that goal in front of you in all conversations. Sometimes, other businesses put you on a lane and tell you that that’s what your business is and that’s what you do. However, it might not be correct, so you must stay truly clear on what you want and have conversations about your goals continually. In our engagement, Never Settle was very responsive, and they listened well. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a small upscale home consignment business, Finders Keepers. It is just myself and one employee running the business. We have been open for a little over 3 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Never Settle?

Never Settle completely redesigned my website to be more user friendly and have a more updated design. They also helped me with some social media issues.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed a website that was easy to navigate on desktop, but most importantly on a mobile device. Before this, the website was not mobile user friendly and I noticed more than 85% of my site visits were on mobile. I wanted it easy for my customers to see my product and enjoy going to my website - not have it be hassle.

SOLUTION

How did you select Never Settle?

Never Settle was the owner of my old site designer from years prior. I interviewed a few companies prior to doing a new design and loved who I was already working with. I decided to stick with them!

Describe the project in detail.

Never settle team completely redesigned my website. After quite a few back and forths and conversations regarding myself as the owner and what I am interested in, they nailed it! It took a few tries to get it right but overall, I am incredibly happy with how the project turned out.

What was the team composition?

I worked with numerous developers who took different parts of each project. They all worked directly with me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, the website has only been launched for less than a week. I have heard good feedback so far!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I loved that they took what I was looking for and made it come to life. Showed them a few examples and they made it work!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Line sof communication and maybe a few more phone calls

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of a company called Eceipt, a digital services provider of receipts to POS companies and retailers. We’re a small startup with the goal of embedding ourselves in the retail industry as the number one choice of businesses for coupons and receipts. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Never Settle?

We needed Never Settle to work on the initial framework, website, and marketing strategy of the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Never Settle used Webflow for developing our website, and they built it around an organized structure. There was a main landing page, and it was our main point of marketing. Users could get 80% of the information they need by scrolling down through it. They built it using our wording and images. Then, there were three other pages that provided more detailed information. 

Never Settle also worked on our image and branding. They developed our logo, color schemes, and profiles, as well as our catchphrase.

The third leg of their work was developing the MVP of the application itself. This was our main concern. They took my wireframes and put them into a clickable and more professional setting. We parsed it through each other to have an idea of how the app would work and function in terms of screen changes and information presented. We could then take it to our potential customers and tell them it was what they’d be seeing if they signed on with us.

What is the team composition?

I initially worked with Kenn (CEO). When Kenn had to leave, I worked with Stephen (Customer Service Support Manager).

How did you come to work with Never Settle?

I was working out of the Denver area and looking for local companies that I could meet with in person, and Never Settle was one of the companies I found. I liked their portfolio and their business model, and the contract they offered was competitive. At the end of the day, they were inexpensive, but the value-add they had was more important than the money, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$11,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2020–February 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t begun the final leg of the project, so the metrics that I used were more personal, such as telling them whether I agree with what I see or not. The only metric that they didn’t hit was the timeline. We were hoping to be wrapped up by early January 2021. However, there was a bunch of circumstances outside their control that limited their ability to stick to the original timeline. 

How did Never Settle perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of project management, the part that was most lacking was communication. It was very intermittent. There was no weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly communication about questions or updates. They would simply give me the website and tell me what they needed. Then, I’d send them a bunch of edits. To be honest, I was hoping for more regular communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about them was their ability to work on details that I wasn’t necessarily paying for. I wasn’t paying them for that type of precision, but they did it anyway. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Realistically, they could improve their communication frequency. That was the biggest deal for me. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust Never Settle and their inputs. They know what they’re doing. Make sure you keep up good communication. Have your documents and information prepared for them beforehand, because that’s going to make the job a lot easier. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of VP Health Systems, Inc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Never Settle?

We have a platform that networks small family pharmacies, and we allow them to use the existing infrastructure to provide nonprescription products through a consumer portal.

We had hired another local firm to do the project for us. When we were more than two-thirds through paying the project costs, we realized that most of the work hadn’t been done. Never Settle came in and picked up the project midstream.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The majority of their time was spent cleaning up and figuring out what had been done so far by evaluating previous work to determine how much remained. They developed a WordPress consumer-facing site. On the backend, they built a file configurator that compiles orders and codes them into a .DAT file format that’s then sent to individual pharmacies so the file is readable by their equipment and software.

Their team also built a custom assessment tool that goes through our products and determines which ones to recommend to customers. They also set up payment processing, integrated tools, and handled other logistics including email notifications.

What is the team composition?

Kenn (CEO) and Andrew (CTO) are my two main points of contact. They manage the rest of their team. There are about 8–10 other individuals involved that I know of.

How did you come to work with Never Settle?

I found them on Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $45,000 to the entire project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Communication is really important to me, and they’ve been amazing at that. They answer phone calls on the weekends and emails late at night. They’re great about finding different tools to help explain things. Their team uses video snippets to explain things I don’t understand. They go out of their way to make sure we’re comfortable and understand exactly where the status of the project is.

How did Never Settle perform from a project management standpoint?

They use a custom project management tool but they also use Airtable, Loom, Metorik, and a snippet tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand WordPress extremely well. There’s no doubt they know what’s going on with WordPress’ capabilities and incapabilities. What’s more, they’re more than capable of coding out custom solutions to make something do exactly what we need it to do.

Andrew in particular is a machine, he’s phenomenal. They do everything so quickly. I’ve worked with a dozen other firms, and Never Settle is at the top of the list when it comes to their ability to build custom code tools from scratch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. We’ve had a really good experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more specific you are with your requirements and specifications, the better. Never Settle is good at taking layman’s terms and turning it into something real. They have people working around the clock.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Iris Global as a manager of Stop for the One, our child sponsorship program. We’re an international mission non-profit organization. We do humanitarian aid and missions work all over of the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Never Settle?

We were using a monthly service to manage our website with another marketing company and Never Settle acquired that company. They reached out to us about marketing opportunities and we went along with them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They offer both monthly service and one-off projects. Currently, they manage our website and do a lot of our advertising on social media. They also do SEO and manage various blog postings and content.

How did you come to work with Never Settle?

We were with JCI Marketing, who’d built our website, and then Never Settle acquired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $9,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Never Settle since May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did a full update of our website that we were very satisfied with, especially regarding the design. They’ve also improved a lot of our SEO on the website that has driven an increase in monthly sign-ups for sponsorship, our key metric. Social media traffic and newsletter signups have also both increased.

How did Never Settle perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been excellent. We’ve loved working with their team. They’re efficient, down to earth, personable, and understanding. They genuinely believe in what we’re doing as a mission, and that support comes through as they manage our projects. They’re always on time and creative in thinking ahead on things we haven’t considered. Solutions come before we’ve thought of the problems.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ken (CEO) has gone above and beyond to show that he believes in our mission. Their entire team is just very gracious and wonderful to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, no. We’ve loved their services, from the tools they use to meet with us to the monthly reviews they do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Really let them explore all the options for improvement. We didn’t know a lot about non-profit SEO, and they had a lot of knowledge.