Newance

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a mobile app and website that is focused on identifying, cataloging and assessing high-end collectible comic books

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Prior to the launch of the company, I was considering, at the very least, engaging a software consultant to provide a second opinion of the UX/UI of the app, stress testing, security weaknesses and any additional due diligence necessary that I did not have the experience or tech savvy to initiate or express my concerns over.

The best case scenario, however unlikely, was to also find a stronger fit for my business as a development partner after concerns had arisen of the initial developer.

SOLUTION

How did you select Newance and what were the deciding factors?

While networking I met Amanda from Newance and discovered her company did exactly what I was looking for at that very moment which was unbelievably serendipitous because I wasn't confident to render a knowledgeable assessment of whether or not this product was ready for user engagement. She seemed to really understand my concerns and my level of experience.

At the end of the conversation she said she'd had someone in mind and the process was on its way. While working with Newance I had an ally to accomplish my goals with logic over emotion.

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

A comic book database, price guide and cataloging resource for Apple and Android phones with dynamic abilities to make real time changes, push notifications and have the flexibility for scalability

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

I worked with Amanda who I believe is owner or co-owner

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I launched my business in October 2017 and excitedly introduced a resource to the collectible world that had quickly becomes the top app in the industry. The developer Newance connected me with could not be more perfect for my business as a technology consultant and business advisor.

My business has grown consistently since launch and successfully navigated through challenging times with confident and clear vision that I don't think would have been possible without the intuitiveness of Newance and the networking pool to find the right match.

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

Newance understood my needs and that I was intent on making a decision on how to proceed with development. They had taken the time to gather the necessary information of what qualifications were necessary for my project to proceed and relayed the details to a candidate who checked all of the boxes. It was a quick introduction and smooth transition to onboarding the new developer as I had hoped.

I was able to reach out to my point of contact at Newance when necessary but the turnaround occurred so quickly that not much conversation was necessary beyond the initial connection, a few phone calls and an introduction

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

I can't express how thankful I am for the direction they provided when it was critical to receive professional, experienced advice while being equipped with the resources that allowed my idea to have the best opportunity to succeed in ways I couldn't have expected. I feel fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time to connect with this company

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

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former managing partner for product development at HealthChampion. We were creating an app that allows end-users to get all of their healthcare information on their phones.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Newance?

We hired Newance to do our recruiting and sourcing for us since we didn’t have an in-house recruiter. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We told the Newance team what we were looking for, and they proposed to us what type of positions we were looking for. They led us in the right direction and told us if we were being realistic or not with our expectations. Our partnership went on for years, and for each engagement, we only looked for one position at a time. 

For every position, they asked questions and clarifications. They also gave us a good estimate of what type of salary we’d have to pay for a certain position and how long it would typically take to find a suitable candidate for the position. 

Overall, Newance set up the hiring process together with our company. On top of that, they set how we would screen the candidates and how we would interview them. 

What is the team composition?

We were involved with 2–3 people at different times. We also worked with Amanda (CEO).

How did you come to work with Newance?

Newance was recommended to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $50,000–$100,000, but we might’ve spent a little bit over that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from September 2018–December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We grew from a startup to about 80 people in two and a half years. They were extremely quick at screening candidates, and they speedily ushered candidates through the process. As a result, when we were ready to give offers to potential candidates, they would typically accept them within 24 hours. 

Newance also understood what type of personality we were looking for, and they checked if a potential candidate was culture-fit for us. Essentially, they knew that we were not only hiring because of a person’s skills. 

How did Newance perform from a project management standpoint?

We typically communicated through phone calls, texts, and emails, and they kept us up to date. In our perspective, things just got done. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Newance had a great network of the best developers in the city. We didn’t just get random people that were open to job offers — we got qualified candidates that were screened by the team. What set them apart was how they took time to get to know our company’s culture, and they used that during their sourcing and recruiting process. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I suppose they could’ve been cheaper. They were not the cheapest, but they were good and quick. In the long run, we got what we paid for. If we opted to use some random headhunter, we would’ve taken ages to find somebody. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a conversation with Amanda because she’s good at what she does. Newance is growing and getting bigger, and you’ll definitely find value when you engage with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our SaaS company is called Mpirik and we provide a software application for the healthcare industry. Our primary focus is in the cardiac space, for which I am the product manager. We screen various cardiac diseases and support the workflow for patients and clinicians across the country. We have supporting account managers and business development staff, and a primary technical workforce.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Newance?

We were facing the challenge of hiring. We hired half a dozen people last year and it was becoming a time burden on our small management staff or 16–18 people. Going through the screening process and finding the right skillset was very time-consuming and, frankly, not something we were good at. We needed a much more talented organization for that, so we worked with Newance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a job description and went through roles and responsibilities. Newance interviewed us about what we’re looking for in a candidate, taking into account the management style of each individual manager. 

Initially, they found a series of sample candidates on LinkedIn to demonstrate who they would pick for the role. Based on that, we would tell them how close or far the sample candidates are from what we’re looking for. It helps us calibrate our requirements, whether we want someone with more data experience, someone who’s a more clinical background, and the like. Newance was very good at teasing out our needs through that process. 

For each role that was recruited, their team employed a different way of finding out about the candidate. They screened a summary of information about the candidate’s background, took note of how they answered particular screening questions, and asked questions surrounding what they look for in a job. They recruited appropriately based on our technical needs, company culture, and extremely high expectations. 

What is the team composition?

We usually worked with two people, the owner and one of the recruiters. 

How did you come to work with Newance?

My colleague, the head of our engineering department for heart technology, and I used to attend industry meet-ups in Milwaukee. In one of those social events, we met and struck up a conversation with Amanda (CEO) and other members of Newance. 

Amanda knew many people across the city, knew the market and was familiar with the engineering needs of various companies from small businesses to large corporations. Years later, when we were in need of recruiting services, we remembered meeting Amanda and decided to go with Newance.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We hired them right before the COVID-19 pandemic, around January 2020, and worked together on a quarterly basis. Our contract has just ended and we will not have any hiring needs for at least a few months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I wouldn’t have been able to do my job this year if not for Newance. They absolutely changed how we hired and were really good at providing feedback from candidates. We had taken in some people who didn’t work out and Newance would retrospectively try to understand where it went wrong and where there was a mismatch of expectations. The team was really hands on in helping us become better at interviewing, hiring, and understanding our own needs once our boots are on the ground.

How did Newance perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a summary email that goes out regularly and details the number of candidates screened and who got through the next round. It shows how the process looked like under the hood. They also have a weekly call with whichever department we’re recruiting for, coordinating which of the candidates we would like to have a phone call or video interview with and when. 

Newance was super flexible in meeting whatever requests we had, especially in terms of how they will deliver information when we bring a screened candidate to the next step of the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What was really impressive about Newance was, though they did recruitment work, they were excellent at understanding our technical needs and what a technically capable candidate looks like. They’ve taken the time to understand both the job description and our company culture. We’re not a high-touch management type of team; we’re highly autonomous and expect everyone who joins us to be a superstar.

Newance was adaptable and willing to change a process. They had a desire for continuous feedback that helped us refine our recruitment and have better outcomes. If something wasn’t working, we would talk about how to make it better, what additional questions we could ask, or if we needed to do a different type of screening.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Newance would ask us on a weekly if there was anything for them to improve on, but they did such a great job of being responsive and reactive to our feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide as much information as possible. We did so well with Newance by thoroughly communicating what our company’s culture is and what we truly needed from each of the roles. They were able to find the right candidates that fitted the picture and narrative.