Project Rebel

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an independent, fee-only investment management firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. For over 20 years we have served a range of clients including a range of small institutions and high net-worth individuals. In my role as project manager, I work directly with the President to develop and implement our technology solutions.

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

One of the mission critical services an investment manager requires is the accurate and timely reporting of client performance. Having recently transitioned custodians (Schwab, Fidelity, E-Trade, etc), we were looking for a more responsive and customized solution for client performance reporting. The goal was to create an easy-to-use internal database for our staff to: a) generate customer performance history easily and quickly b) to monitor data accuracy from the custodian bank’s data feeds to give us confidence in the completeness and accuracy of the data being generated c) to ensure security of the database to prevent potential risks like intrusion or data leaks

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

Nolan, the founder of Project Rebel, had formerly worked on our Wordpress based website. We were seeking someone who could put together a database, was able to understand the mathematics behind the required financial calculations and who was willing to learn about our business and what we were trying to achieve. Because the database occasionally handles sensitive data, in addition to technical expertise, we preferred to work with someone we already knew and who had a reputation for reliability and integrity.

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

Scope included:

1. A reliable mechanism to obtain daily feeds from our custodian for inclusion into the database including the monitoring of import errors
2. Programming of financial calculations to derive client level positions, profit and loss and performance.
3. Customized reporting of data including aggregation of performance data into different sorts (account, client and strategy) and time intervals.
4. Program database monitoring, data correction tools and audit functions.
5. Ensure security of data including encryption of account numbers and scraping of personal information The database is programmed in MySQL and hosted on AWS.

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

There were two people who worked with me, Nolan and an intern. However, Nolan personally worked on most of the programming and quality control.

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

Nolan delivered a custom database that replaced a costly vendor solution. He worked hard to deliver a reliable product along with the appropriate tools and quality control mechanisms to monitor for accuracy and completeness of data. Even though this was not a client facing tool, we like the clean, user-friendly interface Nolan created for us. It is also visually pleasing.

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

The main communication tool was ASANA, a project management tool Nolan suggested. It was easy to set up and included a mobile app and email notifications. All tasks were organized and tracked on the ASANA project board allowing Nolan respond efficiently and quickly. Nolan would respond to urgent requests often within the day and sometimes had solutions and fixes within 48 hours.

Project timeline: September 2018: Contract Confirmed October 2018: Initial Scope Confirmed May 2019: Scope Revised Feb 2020: Database Core Reports Quality Control completed and delivered Dec 2020: Database Monitoring and Quality Control Tools Delivered Jan 2021: Transition of site to AWS Vapor Feb 2021: Project Completion and Delivery

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

This project was technically challenging for us and Nolan as programmer. Both client and programmer had steep learning curves and there were quite a few changes in scope and approaches. They succinctly expressed the nature of challenges and initiated conversations at critical junctures. His detailed research provided enough information for us to make good decisions on both cost and technical levels.

Nolan impressed us with his perseverance in finding the best technical and most cost-effective solutions at each level. I felt he went the extra mile in accommodating requests and features for the agreed price even when unexpected challenges prolonged the work. We chose to cooperate rather than take a confrontational stance when problems arose.

We leaned into Nolan’s kind demeanor and found trusting him and cooperating with his suggestions to be highly productive. He was generous and responsive with his time and thorough in his thinking through solutions. Nolan was also patient in listening to our needs while guiding us honestly to solutions that matched our goals. We would be happy to speak with potential clients about our positive experience with Project Rebel.

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

After the project was complete, we recognized that there could have been better cost and time estimates. However, at the start we recognized this project was complex and that there was a big learning curve for both Nolan and for us, so we were willing to be patient as the scope and deliverables evolved over time

Please describe your company and your position there.

Musical Bridges is a business I started 2.5 years ago. As a Music Circle facilitator, I lead groups for kids, youth and adults. The goals of each group include; creative self expression, connect with others, collaborate and cultivate something new together.

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

Musical Bridges needed a simple, professional website to launch our business. Rebel WordPress was ready to take action from the beginning. Our goal was to create a website that expressed our vision and have a contact page.

We knew that our goals and needs would change as the business grew. So, we also wanted the site to have a simple structure that could be flexible to developing into something more.

How did you select Rebel WordPress and what were the deciding factors?

Nolan, the founder of Rebel WordPress, and I have mutual friends and he was recommended to me. I was seeking someone who could put together a simple website, understand our vision and communicate that through the webpage.

I preferred to work with someone who had respect in the community, could be trusted to do quality work and have business integrity.

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

Our initial meeting, we talked about the vision of Musical Bridges and the type of website we wanted. During the following weeks, Nolan and his team sent over photos and drafts to get my feedback. For each interaction, I was given 3 concepts to look at, compare and make adjustments. There were about 3-4 weeks of going back and forth and nailing down concepts until the final one came together.

I appreciated the process because there were many ideas to sort through. I felt I had the time and space to toy with different ideas until having that internal peace to move on.

The initial meeting was in person. Communications continued through e-mail messages and screenshots. Zoom meetings also took place about 1x a week for the first month. Since the initial website set up, most communications have been via e-mail.

There have been about 3 Zoom calls since the initial set up in 2019, during which Nolan shared his screen and showed me how to organize certain aspects of the website.

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

There were two people who worked with me. One who was the CEO and another who was a student in training. The student in training assisted in the communications and drafts of the website for the first month in 2019. He worked under the oversight of Nolan. Nolan would approve concepts before being made finalized.

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

As a small business start-up, it was important to have a landing page. People take the business more seriously when you have a website. We have used the website on business cards and documents for Musical Bridges.

We have also connected the website to other platforms, in the name of our website, to function in the diverse ways of our business needs. That was a huge breakthrough!

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

The main communication tool has been e-mail. I typically get a response within 24 hours.

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

They work to meet your personal business needs. They didn't come in with their agenda, but rather listened and engaged in what we were asking. Rebel WordPress meets you where you are at and gets you to where you want to go.

Rebel WordPress continues to be available and assists Musical Bridges as new needs arise. Nolan is quick to respond, gives feedback as needed and will take time to teach (usually through a Zoom call) so that I can be more free and independent in managing my website. Nolan is patient and clear in his communications. His time and services are greatly appreciated!

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

Overall, I have been very satisfied with my experience. The cost was a bit much for a new business to take on, however, they were flexible with payment options and it's all said & done now.