R&V Studios

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Sowards HIC, Inc., a web-based company that connects homeowners with home professionals for house project consultations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with R&V Studios?

The initial concept for our e-commerce website was scaled-down, but as we moved forward, it became more and more complex. We decided to reach out to Marcell Rekasi [CEO, R&V Studios] to help us navigate the challenges and scale up our site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a site capable of processing large amounts of payments that are split between several parties. Home professionals are also able to provide customers with a cost estimate checklist when they schedule a consultation so they understand what they’re paying for.

We’ve just finished with the website development, so now, Marcell and his team will be doing our marketing as well.

What is the team composition? 

I work exclusively with Marcell. 

How did you come to work with R&V Studios?

My lawyer, who had worked with Marcell, suggested that he reach out to me. That same day, I received a call from Marcell about the project. With other firms I had been looking at, I had to remain persistent in order to communicate with them. Marcell, on the other hand, was invested and put in 20 to 30 hours of his own time to structure a plan for my website before I had even hired him. Although his prices were very reasonable, it was his work ethic that convinced me to partner with him.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent roughly $20,000 on the project. They charged me a quarter to a third of what everyone else planned to charge me — the next lowest quote I received was $30,000 and the rest were all over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began partnering in June 2017, and we’ve recently finished the website production. We’re getting ready to kick off the site’s marketing now, which is a long-term commitment. R&V will also continue to take care of the maintenance of the site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site has yet to launch, but internally, R&V’s work is considered excellent. Not only did they complete the project on-time and on-budget, but the design work is great.

How did R&V Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

With any concern I had, Marcell was very receptive and addressed it immediately. I never had trouble getting ahold of him, day or night. I receive daily briefings on the project’s progress, and I was also able to watch its progress through the InVision app — one of the many high-end technologies Marcell invested in to ensure the most efficient experience. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work ethic is what’s most impressive. It was a huge, complex project, and Marcell and his team moved very efficiently to get it done. The number of hours they worked far exceeded what I paid them for. They were incredibly dedicated and provided more than I ever expected to get.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m very satisfied.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure your partnership is collaborative. They are so talented and really understand what they’re doing, so be open to their suggestions. If you decide to work with them, you can relax knowing things will be taken care of. They’re the firm you want to hire.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a basketball apparel and training company. We are an LLC, and I am one of the managing members, in control of finances.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with R&V Studios?

I was trying to address selling online, such as starting and being able to integrate SEO. We had a good following on Instagram already and wanted to get in touch with someone who could build a good, distinguished website. We also wanted to figure out how we could have the best ranking, once we launched and went live.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

R&V Studios developed our WordPress site. It has a custom payment portal and multiple plug-ins, including WooCommerce and MailChimp. We have an integrated platform for shipping sizes and weights, which automatically updates cost based on the order. We have PayPal and USPS integration, with a routine schedule for order pickups.

They have helped different campaigns—prompts and discounts for recurring customers—running through various plug-ins.

I have backend software through which I can track how my sales are doing, and what elements were linked to any changes. Since I am in charge of financials, I need to see how much we’re spending on marketing, and what the dollar return is for each campaign. It’s an involved website which takes the place of a physical store.

They have also helped with Instagram marketing. We were well-off before starting the engagement, with 59,000 followers, and high retention rates. The team mapped out the best-trending hashtags and most influential pages, educating us in this area.

What is the team dynamic?

I know that they have a team, but I’d worked with their principal at a previous job. He was my main contact, and I’ve never had an issue, but there were 4-5 different directors which could speak to clients. We coordinated through calendar invites, email, and phone. Everything was mapped out.

How did you come to work with R&V Studios?

I was in need of a logo, as well as building an online platform. I decided to invest a bit of money into it, in order to have a good result, since it would be a long-term investment. R&V Studios showed me some of their work, and I liked the graphic design aspects. I provided a description of what we wanted, and they put together multiple logo variations. Based on that, I chose them for my site.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been around $6,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with R&V Studios in April 2017. The logo took a month to build. I plan to use them on work with the Instagram account of a new business I’m starting, as well as pay-per-click.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site was launched, and we promoted it for a bit, but we have a different focus now. We had $1,100 in sales over a week and a half, which was good for us, but we had to shut down the site. I didn’t have the time to continue working on it. Sales went well, and we had no issues on the backend, in terms of putting packages through.

When we posted the picture of our logo, we received around 5,000 likes, compared to the 3,000 – 4,000 likes we usually get.

How did R&V Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

It might help that I am friends with the principal, but he was definitely hands-on with all the clients he’s worked with, that I know of. The work was good, and they got everything done in a timely manner. R&V Studios has a large design and coding team.

Because of the nature of my job, it was a matter of me dragging my feet, so they ended up giving me deadlines. During the project, we were also getting professional photography done, and all that content needed to be put on our site. This and the logo creation took the longest time. We had multiple revisions on the logo over a month-and-a-half period.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re also working with another company I know. In both cases, R&V Studios has been able to nail the creative part. Everything they do is good in terms of design, and they were able to bring broad ideas to life. My concept was quite obscure, and I didn’t provide a lot of detail, so this was important for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In terms of timelines and project scoping, they could detail every single deliverable—which part will take place during which phase, and delivering on a daily schedule. I had to sign up for different plug-ins at different times, but it was an overall easy process. My situation was a bit unusual at the time, and R&V Studios did accommodate my busy schedule.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They do their job well, the designers are great, and the coders will make any necessary adjustments. Like any other provider, it’s important for the customer to know what they want at the preparation stage, and provide a detailed description or examples.