R\nd

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a Commercial Real Estate Advisory that specializes in Multifamily properties in the eastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area.

For what projects/services did your company hire R\nd?

Web design, website construction, the complete establishment of my web presence.

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

I interviewed several vendors regarding what I was looking for. I eventually settled on these guys after a few conversations and careful study of their portfolios. The determination was made to go with their preferred medium: WordPress due to its flexibility and ease of use by the operator.

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

After a few discovery meetings, there were two designs made up, and one of them they knocked out of the park. I couldn't have been happier. I have been forming this website for a while so I had a lot of things sketched out, a site map made, content, and everything one would need to populate the website. I gave them everything with a broad direction to take it and they nailed it. I'm pretty easygoing as far as these things go; I was raised to pay professionals to do what they do best.

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

Drew was my main point of contact. Drew is the man. He was the go-between for the client and the developer.

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

The project was more of a success than I could have ever imagined. They were very mindful of some of the issues that crept up in my personal life and were able to account for them by way of giving me time, which was great. Drew and Ron and awesome. I'm sure I'll need a site in the future for another business or opportunity and they'll be my first call.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Drew was great to talk to, easy to talk to and we clicked.

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

The professionalism of the product delivered and their depth of knowledge of working with small businesses such as myself. I learned a lot about my brand from interacting with R\nd. It was a great education.

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

Nothing. These guys are one of the best vendors I've ever worked with.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager at a spirit company that distributes vodka based on team colors.

What challenge were you trying to address with R\nd?

I was the first marketing hire and we needed help getting our new website up and running with analytics.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We built our WordPress website with them. The team provided design and development. They also proactively did a lot of the analytics tracking on the backend as well.

What is the team composition?

We work with Ron (Co-founder) and Drew (Co-founder).

How did you come to work with R\nd?

I found them on Upwork. I gave them a shot doing our first micro landing page. After they were successful in helping us plan for that, we decided to give them bigger projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2020, and our work is ongoing.

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

They’re a super organized and proactive team. They don’t need a ton of direction and are excited to get the work done. One of the biggest challenges being in the liquor industry is that we can’t sell our own product; we have to go through other vendors. Ron and Drew are very well versed in talking to other vendors and have helped us immensely in figuring out the tracking on their end.

How did R\nd perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very flexible, which is great for a new brand that has so many wants and needs. They’re always willing to prioritize and have met every deadline. We communicated via Wrike in the past and now we use email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to meeting deadlines stands out. Whenever a vendor is delayed, they’re ready to get on the phone and move things along. Even if there’s a page with no content, they’re willing to make the layout so we can get the ball rolling on our end. They’re just really great partners.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to have open communication. They’ve been able to help us on issues I didn’t know they could because of how open and clear we’ve been.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager for The City of Grapevine Parks and Recreation Department. I manage all communications, marketing, and public relations of the Department. One of my duties is to oversee and manage the website.

For what projects/services did your company hire R\nd, and what were your goals?

R/nd help me with website management and development. They also help me understand our users by conducting in-depth surveys and research.

How did you select R\nd and what were the deciding factors?

They are quick to help handle any issues that arise and also very solution-driven. They also have innovative ideas on improvements and user-based researched.

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

We have meetings to discuss roadmaps, we also have monthly reporting that occurs and monthly goals to accomplish. Yearly we also perform user feedback through surveys as well as we analyze year-over-year reporting details.

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

Ron and Drew both help with my project.

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

We rely a lot on user feedback and google analytics. Those two combined help us understand if we are delivering a good website that is informative and helpful.

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

Very communicative and helpful.

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

Their readiness to help with the project.

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

I think the company is working toward growth and the sky is the limit with the services and time they will be able to provide their clients.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Penobscot Financial Advisors is an independent SEC-registered investment adviser based out of Maine, providing financial and investment advice to individuals. I am the Chief Operations Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, but to keep myself well-rounded (read: not bored), I take the lead on our online presence and marketing efforts.

For what projects/services did your company hire R\nd?

We hired R\nd to create a new service landing page. They developed the main services page with links out to 4 specific service packages.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to drive more traffic to the services page and once viewers were on a site, a clear path to connect with us. We wanted to clearly explain each service, the pricing, and what becoming a client of ours looks like.

How did you select R\nd?

We interviewed 3 different professionals. What drew us in was the R\nd full squad approach. They did not mind getting into the weeds with copy, design or development.

From our first conversations through the culmination of our project, they were the expert on getting our objectives met. In the past, we have been dissatisfied when working with a firm the can do one thing really well, but lacks the know-how and talent to complete an entire project really well.

Describe the project in detail.

1) Basic Services Landing Page

• Summary of our company and service overview -"Three Ways to Get Started" menu at the top (click to schedule, call or complete an online form)
• Our Services section with tiles you can click to get to individual service landing pages
• SEO dumping ground at the end to add more color and SEO keywords in

2) Individual Service Pages (x4)

• "Three Ways to Get Started" menu at the top (click to schedule, call or complete an online form)
• Summary of service
• checklist of service's value-add
• Description of service
• Fee Schedule/Fee Calculator (super cool/robust feature)
• Our Process
• Resources
• downloadable PDFs with our actual forms/agreements photoshopped into the stock photos for a really nice finish
• Precipitating Events (why people reach out to us) description with appealing tiles/photo composition
• Tiles with links to our other services
• An SEO dumping ground for more details

3) Tightening up another page of ours to add a section that links out to our services pages

What was the team composition?

There were many hands on the project, each working within their specialty. Drew did an excellent job keeping us informed each step of the way. The initial planning meeting was so well-orchestrated that we knew what to expect next and it put us at ease. He did a great job setting expectations and coordinating deliverables from us.

Team From R\nd:

• Copywriter
• Designer
• Developer
• Project Manager From our company:
• point person for content (me)
• vision/in put x2

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

Our services pages are professional, visually appealing, and easy for our prospective clients to understand. Our conversations with prospects go so much more smoothly when they follow a similar outline and content to the website. We can drop specific slugs into emails to send clients to exactly what spot on a page they need to go to.

Our online presence matches our caliber. Every page that R\nd did not update is now on our list of pages to update in 2021! It is still early to tell from a traffic/stats standpoint, but all of the qualitative data suggests this was a great investment.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They definitely have the process down. They had agenda and timelines, and templates. I received at least weekly updates and never had to wonder what the status was. I left each call with clear instructions on any homework I had, what R\nd was working on, and when I would hear from them next.

They understood the human element of working with a small business and when deadlines needed to shift on our behalf (because we got busy) they were extremely understanding and were ready to pick things back up when it worked best for me.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

In the first week of working with them, on a Friday afternoon at 3 pm, I received an email from Drew saying "Hannah, if you have a minute, I want to show you something I am excited about!" ... we hopped on and he did a screen share showing me some design ideas that he wanted me to check out before they ran with it too much. His excitement about the project really drew me in.

I get very passionate about my company and our projects, but what R\nd showed me is that an out-sourced marketing partner should be as excited about the project as you are.. and if they are not, they are not worth partnering with. It was refreshing to work with a group of passionate people who truly wanted to see traffic go up and deliver measurable results with impact.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We loved every aspect of the process and the final product of working with R\nd! We were very loose about deadlines though and the project took longer than expected (often on our accord with getting them deliverables), but it did make me wonder about if we did have a hard launch date/time-sensitive item, how that would go.

I think they read the room (me being very busy and getting them what I could when I could) and that was likely the driving force in the delayed launch!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Marketing and PR Manger of a middle-market private equity firm.

For what projects/services did your company hire R\nd, and what were your goals?

While our website was technically up-to-date, we wanted to redesign the site to make navigation more intuitive and to be able to accommodate a large influx of content over the coming months and years. We also wanted the design to be a little more exciting and modern, while maintaining the simplicity/clean lines of our previous site. We hired R\nd to help optimize and refine our in-house designs, and to build the custom Wordpress theme.

How did you select R\nd and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online and on freelance sites to create a list of small and large agencies able to do the work we needed. We shortlisted several and interviewed them to explain the exact needs of the project and understand their experience and pricing. We decided based on the price relative to the scope of work each provided (e.g. some included design work, others just included the web development cost), as well as the experience and past portfolio of work of each.

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

We had a kickoff meeting to discuss goals and requirements, as well as to share our initial design wireframes we wanted refined. R\nd design team got to work and presented us with refined wireframes which were reviewed and perfected before sign-off. After design was finalized, R\nd began web development of a custom WordPress theme. Some specific features we needed was a variety of contact forms and a robust news and resources section with multiple ways to browse or search content.

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

We worked with two project managers, Samantha (Senior Digital Strategist) and Drew (Chief Experience Officer) as our main points of contact. We also interacted with Ron on the development side. There was also a designer on the backend that worked on our wireframes.

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

Our site just launched and we could not be more pleased. One of our main goals at this point was to raise brand awareness and consistency. So far, our investors and our potential clients have provided extremely positive feedback about the look and feel of the new site, and commented on the ease of navigation. We have also seen that it encourages people to browse the site more. Expectations were more than met.

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

We communicated as-needed throughout the project, mainly via email (which was decided upon at the outset of the project). We communicated feedback via Figma (design-phase) and Bug Heard (development/staging phase). Anyone we ever emailed from R\nd was extremely responsive, and we did not face significant delays or issues.

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

They are extremely thorough and dedicated to getting you the site you want. I personally don't have a lot of experience with some of the back-end aspects of a site (like choosing a host or some of the intricacies of WordPress), and they took the time to explain these, teach me, and make recommendations when needed. You can tell they are dedicated to what they do and truly client-focused, which resonates with our company.

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

No areas of improvement - even when minor bugs arose during development they were extremely quick to update, so we had no issues!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-owner of a company that provides sales training and marketing consulting services for direct sales companies. We have eCourses and that we sell to individuals in the industry and license to corporate clients through a website platform based on WordPress.

For what projects/services did your company hire R\nd, and what were your goals?

We already had a platform based on WordPress and the LifterLMS plugin to deliver our eCourses to our own customers. We would also clone this site to license the course content to our corporate clients.

We had a couple corporate clients that were not happy with their current eCommerce and back office/affiliate solution so they asked us to provide it for them by adding it to the course platform we were already licensing to them. This was outside my depth of knowledge with WordPress and web development so we needed a developer to execute the project.

How did you select R\nd and what were the deciding factors?

We did a lot of searching online and talking with developers referred to us from business connections. R\nd's portfolio of work, testimonials, values, location and flexibility all contributed to us selected them for the project.

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

The project included extending the capability of WooCommerce and AffiliateWP WordPress plugins to add a Back Office/Affiliate Management area specific to the clients and industry we support. We generated a detailed PowerPoint of the functionality we were looking for prior to requesting quotes from developers.

R\nd was one of the development firms we reached out to. They were responsive, hopped on a call and walked through the project to understand the requirements and discuss options. Because of the dynamic nature of our project and knowing that requirements would be changing as we progressed we decided to go with an hourly contract.

This worked really well for us because we were able to shift course and change direction as needed based on feedback from users. We had quotes come in as high as $100k to get our initial version released but we were able to get it done in less than $25k with R\nd.

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

We worked with Ron Zvagelsky who is the CEO and developer.

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

We had an extremely short turn around request from one of our clients. We met with R\nd the first time on 7/8/2020 and needed to roll out the initial version for this client on 8/31/2020. We were able to get a working version deployed 8/31/2020 and have continued to add features and functionality since then. A second client started using the platform in September.

Feedback from the clients is that our system is much simpler and easier to use than what they were using before. We'll make our investment back in less than 4 months with just these two clients and expect it to be a significant portion of our revenue in 2021 as we add more users.

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

R\nd was very easy to work with. We primarily worked through phone calls and email. The project was broken up into phases. We'd discuss and settle on the requirements for each phase then launch off on the work. R\nd was good about hitting dates they said features would be ready and keeping us updated with status.

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

Working with R\nd felt like an extension of our company, not a subcontractor. It was like a partnership.

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

We only had one minor hiccup in the project where a requirement got mixed up, but that was really it. We had a lot of changes as the project progressed and we received feedback from clients. R\nd was flexible through it all and rolled with the changes.

Considering how dynamic the project was I was extremely happy with how it turned out and impressed with how we were able to keep the requirements straight and meet our client's needs.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a pharmacist at an independent pharmacy.

For what projects/services did your company hire R\nd, and what were your goals?

We needed a custom built web application capable of drawing values from a data set based upon user input.

How did you select R\nd and what were the deciding factors?

We were quoted various prices for the project, ranging to astronomical values. We selected R\nd because they were going to be the FASTEST (and this turned out to be true!) and also provided great communication and value for our money.

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

The application was built in wordpress using data and *rough* idea sketches provided to R\nd. We really relied on the design and creativity of R\nd to tackle problems that we, as healthcare professionals, did not see coming within the project. We had 3 phases of the project: initiation/brainstorming, programming, and testing. R\nd had us a working prototype within 3 months, and frankly, very few changes needed to be made to the prototype. Since we have gone live with the application, we have continued to expand the sophistication of the tool and add features that we did not know we needed at the initiation of the project.

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

I worked directly with Ron, the owner. Communication was superb.

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

So far, the application feedback has been 99% positive from our users, and the 1% of issues arise from the philosophy behind the application itself, not from the UI or tool that R\nd developed.

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

We had a few phone calls at initiation and at the beginning of each phase, but primarily communicated through email.

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

The speed, accuracy and problem solving skills of Ron.

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

N/a

Please describe your company and your position there.

We develop enterprise pricing and cost management software for Agricultural input retailers, distributors and manufacturers. I am the CEO.

For what projects/services did your company hire R\nd, and what were your goals?

We wanted a modern, technology-branded website for the company to convey our brand voice to customers, investors and prospective employees. It was important that our website differentiate the company vs. competition in our vertical industry.

How did you select R\nd and what were the deciding factors?

Our key decision factor was R\nd's project-driven approach. It was clear that they offered a comprehensive method for getting the project completed - integrating the concept work, design, copywriting, and website construction.

This was different than the other agencies and freelancers we interviewed, many of whom offered a portion of what we needed, but would then have left us, the client, to coordinate and fill in the gaps of the missing pieces.

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

The scope included a preliminary design, key messages, updated copy, etc. R/nd selected a WordPress site, with a few links to analytics tools and a calendly and linkedin integration.

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

4+ A project manager, designer, copywriter and developer.

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

We've had very good feedback from our target audiences (customers, investors, candidates). Particularly in the new, remote COVID world (this was an early 2020 project), the site has been instrumental in connecting us with candidates.

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

The R\nd guys are very practical, but always structured. We had project status, budget-to-actual reporting, and a project which kept to timelines. (The only major delay was on our end - organizing people to have their photos taken!)

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

For a small, independent agency, R\nd brought the integrated, single-stop experience we'd have expected from a much, much larger firm.

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

None.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Acutrans, and we are a language service provider in the Midwest. We provide four core services to the medical, legal, and educational verticals, including onsite interpreting, video and remote interpreting, over the phone interpreting, and document translation.

We’ve been in business since 1996 and are focused on marrying human skill with leveraging tech to create a superior product.

What challenge were you trying to address with R\nd?

We wanted to develop a website that would be mobile friendly and have quick loading times on a phone, as well as being able to add features across multiple platforms.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ron (Owner, R\nd) developed a new website for us from scratch, working closely with a graphic designer to deliver a whole new branding feel as well as the upgraded functionalities of the site. It’s built on WordPress and has several key features, including password security for our proprietary software and a content blog to improve our SEO.

What is the team composition?

We just worked directly with Ron for everything.

How did you come to work with R\nd?

I originally found Ron on Upwork, and his portfolio and reviews were really impressive. We want people to know that we provide a superior product, so our website had to showcase that, and he really accomplished that goal.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little over $12,000 on the project in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The whole web development project lasted from May–June 2019.

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

We don’t have any specific metrics in place to measure the impact of his work, but as far as our satisfaction goes, we are very happy with the quality of the work he delivered. The difference between our old website and the current one is incredible.

How did R\nd perform from a project management standpoint?

He does an excellent job managing all of the work. We communicated via email and conference calls, and I would always get a response to my emails right away including all the changes I had requested. It’s clear that he is very respectful of your time and very professional in general, which makes him really easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things I appreciated most about his work was that he went out of his way to make the site incredibly easy to manage on the user end. We work with a marketing company to update the actual content on our site, but they have had no problems doing that because of the modules he created for them. That foresight and consideration is something I really appreciate about them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t think of anything I wish had been improved. It was an absolutely painless process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

R/nd is a relatively lean operation, so you do have to understand that he’s not a designer, he’s not a marketer, but he will do his job incredibly well. As long as you’re not expecting a one-stop-shop for all your needs, you will be completely satisfied with his services.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an online technology platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with R\nd?

I needed help building my marketing website. My goal was to increase my company’s online presence.

What was the scope of their involvement?

R\nd took my designer’s wireframes and turned them into WordPress designs that are live on the web. Another company designed the website, they just helped develop it.

What is the team composition?

My point of contact is Ron (Developer, R\nd). He’s fantastic.

How did you come to work with R\nd?

I found him through a freelance networking platform. After interviewing several designers, I chose Ron because he had technical chops. I’m an engineer myself, so I can spot talent. Ron clearly knew what he was doing.

I gave him a small assignment to test the waters, and he hit it out of the park. He’s my go-to guy now.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $15,000 with them. He’s on the higher end, but compared to everyone else who charges the same rates, he’s a great deal.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have an ongoing partnership that started in 2018.

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

I receive constant feedback that my website is fantastic. R\nd is impeccable. If I have any changes, they’re very responsive to making them—from communication to execution. Ron’s work is so good, he’s top-notch. I referred him to my full-time company.

How did R\nd perform from a project management standpoint?

From project management to design to implementation, R\nd was fantastic. I give them five out of five stars. I’ve worked with several designers before and have had subpar results. Now that I’ve worked with Ron, I’m not open to anyone else.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Two things—great attention to detail and excellent communication skills. Ron possesses attention to detail to the smallest pixel. He is very communicative, which a lot of people overlook. Communication is critical to a project staying on task and finishing on time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d be great if he didn’t cost an arm and a leg. I understand why he does though. He’s certainly justified in his prices.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Drop everyone else and hire R\nd immediately.