Rebel & Reason

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Elev8 Hire Solutions, an IT staffing firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rebel & Reason?

I brought them on board because I’m looking at how we change our branding and naming. Staffing is an ultra-commodified industry, so I want to find a way to brand uniquely and differently.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started by helping us view ourselves differently. We’re looking at ways to change the game and have a different story to tell from our competitors. We’re still underway, but everything has been drafted. 

What is the team composition?

Two people have been working with me. 

How did you come to work with Rebel & Reason?

I’ve known Nicola (CEO) through the tech & female community in Atlanta. I finally just reached out to her to help us when COVID-19 presented the opportunity for us to shake things up. From a timing perspective, it seemed right to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $8,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All of the work they’ve produced so far, I love. I know the branding will do well once we go live with it. The biggest game-changer is how differently they make us look at ourselves, which has been incredible. 

How did Rebel & Reason perform from a project management standpoint?

They are incredibly responsive. Every time they’ve said they’d deliver something, they have. If I need to go back and forth, they’re accessible to me. I’ve worked on other consultants in the past who are hard to get in touch with and make tweaks. Rebel & Reason is open to any changes and never complains. They’re always on time, too. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their unique approach to branding and strategy sessions are most impressive. They flip things on its head and make us think outside of the box. Sometimes it’s easy to get biased or be like-minded with competitors, but they help us be different. They stretch my mind as a leader whereas other companies are just doing the same old thing. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

With marketing, there’s always going to be little tweaks needed for personal preference, but that’s not their doing. I can’t think of anything for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be ready to want it and go for it. If you come to them, they are ready to produce and you should be ready to execute and work with them. There will be a bit of time you need to spend with them, so be prepared for that. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of MOR. Our focus is on helping businesses better support and invest in their working mom and parent contingency. We help them navigate through how to implement a paid lead program and invest beyond policies and processes to create a better working environment for parents.

We are a service-based consultancy that makes recommendations based on employee feedback and moves projects along while measuring impact.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rebel & Reason?

Myself and my co-founder have a great synergistic relationship, but our skill sets were lacking in creating a go-to-market strategy. We needed help with how to appropriately brand ourselves and how to disrupt the current state of things. We hired Rebel & Reason to help articulate our values and think about the clients we wanted to go after. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did a 3–4-hour strategy session for how to tackle the challenges we were facing. They helped us dig deep into understanding the clients we wanted to go after and the common characteristics of those organizations to disrupt the status quo, looking for a strong set of core values with a good emphasis on diversity and inclusion practices. 

We took the preconceived notions we had about presenting ourselves and flipped it on its head in a beneficial way. They helped us identify our advantages as a company that doesn’t have tech, showing that our face-to-face work benefits the personal services we provide. From this, we were able to start talking about why our service focuses on human interaction and is important. 

We had that one session and then there was a bit of followup between our teams. They sent me information and decks that had been used by other clients with similar language.

What is the team composition?

Nicola (CEO) worked with us along with one other person from their team. 

How did you come to work with Rebel & Reason?

We had mutual friends that referred me to them.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $5,500 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in August 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work was really beneficial and helpful. We got a lot more meetings out of that session after we started thinking about ourselves differently. We were able to get in and talk to higher-level HR people and we were getting more efficient returns on our prospecting. Our warm leads increased in terms of cold outreach and getting a response. 

How did Rebel & Reason perform from a project management standpoint?

They didn’t really need to manage the project. I didn’t assign anything for them to follow-up on. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They thought about things differently and allowed us to build a unique relationship with an audience. They used data to find information, not just third-party information. They did a really good job helping a challenger brand like us focus on how we can provide value. They created an urgency around needs and gave us the right tools to take action. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was really happy with how the work ended up, so no. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If your goal is to have someone to tell you that what you’re doing is right, then they are not the right company to work with. They will challenge your thinking, which businesses need at this point in the world. You have to have an innate desire to be better and to care, or else you won’t see any value. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO for MARTA, a major public transit agency in Atlanta.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rebel & Reason?

We pulled them in because we needed a go-to-market strategy for a new mobile ticketing solution we were getting ready to roll out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They conducted a market survey and gave us a recommended approach for how to position the product in the market to complement what we already have. They conducted market research to understand how other peer agencies have rolled out similar services. They did benchmarking efforts and interviews with potential customers to find out the important factors. 

With all of that, they put together a roll-out plan for market placement and campaigns. They included information on the tone and message we should use to position ourselves for success in the market. 

Another project they’re working on for us is digital sign design. We’re rolling out a passenger information system and they are working to prioritize customer needs in the UI design. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 3–4 people from their team. 

How did you come to work with Rebel & Reason?

I knew the owner before they started the company. I’d worked with her on previous projects so I called her when we had this need.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent in the ballpark of around $60,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since November 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t rolled out the product yet, but I’d give them the highest rating on the quality of work they’ve produced. Their process and product have been great. We’ve been very pleased with the final designs. 

How did Rebel & Reason perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done great. Their team is very flexible and has had to work with some other vendors, which they’ve done well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their adaptability and willingness to work in a very fluid environment that is very heavily constrained stands out. Unlike larger firms, they delivered what they said they would and then they would adapt as we found out any changes we needed. They’ve dealt with ambiguity on our side and are very patient. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints. They’re not a 300-person shop with an infinitely deep bench, but that hasn’t affected us. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk to them and have an idea of what you want to accomplish. Make sure you have the clarity to get the most value for the dollar. If you’re looking for someone with a larger size, it isn’t them because they’re a small shop.