Stormbreaker Studios

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Filance, LLC, a financial consulting company that gives everyday people access to financial advisors. It’s our mission to close the wealth gap through access and education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stormbreaker Studios?

We originally had a website and wanted to develop a mobile application.

Stormbreaker Studios was actually the second group we reached out to. We went with cheaper labor that ended up not working out. After that, we reached out to Stormbreaker Studios to clean up the previous work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had their team do a review of the app and let me know what the pain points were. After delivering that report, we discussed everything from timelines to cost. We also talked over some enhancements they presented to improve the look and feel and flow.  

From there, we went into a long-term contract that would allow them to clean up the issues they found and work on the design enhancements. The original developer used CodeIgniter, so they continued building on that along with Swift technologies.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Charlyn (Co-Founder). We worked with three individuals from her team.

How did you come to work with Stormbreaker Studios?

I found them on Fiverr.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested a little over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is now available for preorder. They were very responsive. Their ability to speak with me in less technical language was also helpful. Because of the original code, their team did run into some hiccups, but they worked through it and kept me informed any step of the way. At one point, I didn’t think anyone could fix it, but they stuck with it and resolved it for me.

How did Stormbreaker Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re not using any project management tools. All of my deadlines have been met. There was one time where I had to reach out about the status of something, but other than that, they’ve been great at meeting deadlines. Their communication is very great. I can always reach someone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is well-versed in technology. That was very helpful for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think I have anything right now. I’d be grasping at straws to find something. I enjoy working with them. Stormbreaker Studios saved the project for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have clear goals upfront. That’s important for any project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Keeepr, a new application for personal relationships to strengthen and be maintained.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stormbreaker Studios?

I was looking for an app development solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stormbreaker Studios built the app from scratch for iOS devices. I supplied some of the wireframes while they developed others. 

What is the team composition?

Charlyn (Co-Founder) is my main point of contact. Gary (CDO) acts as our project manager and is in charge of development. I also speak with Marcos (Project Manager) whenever I have any issues.

How did you come to work with Stormbreaker Studios?

I spoke with many agencies in Europe and found Stormbreaker Studios on Fiverr, a contractor platform. Stormbreaker Studios made me feel very comfortable from the beginning, and their price and timing were good.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent $37,000, which was an absolutely perfect price. They gave me amazing value.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October 2019 and is nearly completed. I just received the final version, but still need to test it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is not yet released. However, from a relationship perspective, the way we worked together has been phenomenal. I’m 1000% happy with their work. The next time I need an app development company, Stormbreaker Studios will be my first call.

How did Stormbreaker Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They always keep to the guidelines. Whenever they send me a new version that I’m 95% happy with, they were happy to make tweaks without additional charges.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I hadn’t worked with other agencies before, but I believe Stormbreaker Studios has done an outstanding job in communications. They’ve talked me through how everything goes. Every time I have a new idea or suggestions, they’re willing to solve it without issue. They really put the customer first.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Having a tool where I can see the developers’ progress would be helpful. Sometimes I wasn’t sure when a new feature would be implemented or when a change request would come through. maybe a project management tool so the client can see progress and where they are at current process.

Any advice for potential customers?

Go with them. Stormbreaker Studios gave the best price and service, and I felt really comfortable with them. I recommended four projects to them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Hello Mogo, Inc. We build custom learning web and mobile applications, offering our own SaaS product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stormbreaker Studios?

We hired Stormbreaker Studios to support our mobile application development efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Typically, we go to the Stormbreaker Studios team with an idea, and they help us strategize and refine it, breaking it down into small parts. We come up with wireframes and detail the goals of the application, all of which they assess before giving us an overall plan detailing the scope of the project. The team utilizes Native iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Charlyn (Co-Founder) and Gary (Co-Founder). 

How did you come to work with Stormbreaker Studios?

I connected with Charlyn through LinkedIn. Her knowledge as a platform developer influenced our decision to partner with Stormbreaker Studios.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2016, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Stormbreaker Studios has been a great resource, from both an execution and energy perspective. The team is incredibly easy to work with, and they create fantastic products for us. Our clients and customers are happy, and so are we. The fact that we keep using their services is a testament to their talent.

How did Stormbreaker Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve managed our projects very well. They keep up with schedules and timelines, and communication is easy. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Stormbreaker Studios listens really well. That element of the agency-developer collaboration is really important. Being able to hear goals, outline objectives, and understand what needs to be in the final product and how it will get there is essential to a project's success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they could do better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to the engagement prepared with a well-thought-out idea. It will help speed up the timeline and create a better collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a company called Minding Life which offers different ways of learning to meditate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stormbreaker Studios?

Initially, we had another developer working on a mobile application for us. However, she suddenly quit and left us with the half-finished code. We needed to find someone else that could pick up where she left off and finish the app for us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stormbreaker Studios worked with the half-completed code and developed a mobile application for iOS and Android. They also consulted with us on how to make the app functional by focusing on a few key features that would help us streamline the user experience. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with one person, Charlyn (Co-Founder, Stormbreaker Studios). 

How did you come to work with Stormbreaker Studios?

I talked to several other vendors after my first developer quit. Most of them seemed like they just wanted the job, but Charlyn came with a clear vision. She made me feel confident in her abilities from the first time we talked. 

How much have you invested with them?

Between $10,000-$15,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018 and launched the app in November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Charlyn’s work has benefited us financially and through user growth. The app is also easy to change and update because of the way she coded it. 

How did Stormbreaker Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good at meeting deadlines and can implement changes quickly. Charlyn is able to take on a pretty heavy workload and manage it very well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Even though I was a paying client, it felt like a partnership. Stormbreaker Studios cares about their clients’ success. The project became more than simply hiring a developer to do the coding. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Charlyn should give herself a bit of a break and not take too much work on. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their experience. My only regret with the project is that I didn’t listen to Charlyn more.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work at a University on a project called Lawn to Wildflowers. We work with people around the country to help them convert turfgrass to pollinator-friendly wildflower habitat.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stormbreaker Studios?

To develop a mobile app for Lawn to Wildflowers.

What were your goals for this project?

To educate users about wildflowers and pollinators, to help them create wildflower habitat, and to collect scientific data on pollinators.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We heard about the from word of mouth and then chose to work with them because they were enthusiastic about the project and had much lower development cost that other companies we got quotes from.

Describe the project in detail.

The app allow users to learn methods for creating wildflower plots, has info about native wildflowers, has a interactive game about pollinator identification, and a tool for collecting pollinator data.

What was the team composition?

Gary and Charlyn and several other developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is nearly complete for Android and iOS but has not been posted on app stores yet. We are very pleased with the outcome so far and look forward to releasing it to the public.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team at Stormbreaker was very accommodating with bringing our, initially, incomplete vision to life. Our idea for what we wanted with this app changes a great deal over time and they were very helpful in helping us work out our ideas and translate them to the app.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very skilled at working with us to translate our general goals and ideas into a final product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Some of development milestones took longer than expected, but it all came together in the end.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a wholistic menstrual and moon cycle tracking app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stormbreaker Studios?

I wanted to work with an honest and trustworthy app programmer. I had a lot of issues with programmers in the past. The first agency I worked with had a good developer, but they missed a key feature that set me back. The second programmer was a con artist. After all that, I finally found Stormbreaker.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They moved everything over to a new platform. I wanted to maintain some of the features from the previous versions, though they approached the project as if it were from scratch. A few things were missed or lost in translation, and we're still working on some of those issues now. The finished product is a mobile app for iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

I work with one point person, though I've spoken with two other team members.

How did you come to work with Stormbreaker Studios?

I looked for new programmers on an online forum I belong to, and was referred to them through a mutual connection. I was excited to work with a female developer who was honest, trustworthy, and affordable. I was excited by her energy, especially after my negative experience with my previous vendor.

How much have you invested with them?

I've spent about $10,000 on their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together started around February 2019, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is high-quality. I'm very particular, so I took control of the visual elements, but everything they've done is very good.

How did Stormbreaker Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

My main point of contact is phenomenal. When we faced issues, they stopped everything and redid some of their work for free. We went way over the timeline, but the effort and intention were always there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're sweet, caring, and grounded, and they’re real people who believe in transparency and honesty. They work hard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Moving forward, I'd like to find a better communication platform. We communicate through email now, but that is something we can improve. I hope to work with them for a long time, and they're actively looking for a new team member to replace one that isn't working very well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any app developer, make sure everything is clear and concise to avoid any discrepancies.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive assistant for an app company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stormbreaker Studios?

Another company built out our app for iOS devices, but the code needed cleaning and rewriting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stormbreaker Studios rewrote the code in our existing app to make it more robust and include the features we wanted. Those features include a gift card page, a page for company subscriptions, and an HR dashboard. They also built an Apple Watch app version from scratch, working with Apple and us to make that happen. 

Stormbreaker Studios provides both creative development and code maintenance to our iOS app—built in Swift—and our web app—built in React and JavaScript. The API uses Python and Django, and our database is in Postgres.

What is the team composition?

I work mostly with Gary (Chief Development Officer, Stormbreaker Studios), our project manager, and Charlyn (Co-Founder, Stormbreaker Studios), who serves as our lead developer. They have a team behind the scenes, but I don’t have too much visibility into that.

How did you come to work with Stormbreaker Studios?

It was a word-of-mouth connection. A fellow app company owner had worked with them a lot and recommended their team to us. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2019, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We lack hard analytics on the app’s performance so far. However, we’re still really happy with Stormbreaker Studios’ work. We like to move fast and get a lot done in order to grow. To match our pace, their team fixes existing code and build new features very quickly and efficiently. That translates into happy customers, leading to more downloads, more subscriptions, and higher retention.

How did Stormbreaker Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

I love working with our project manager. He communicates progress, timelines, and other important information well. He also scopes out new tasks immediately. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Being able to turn around an Apple Watch app has been a great opportunity for us. Charlyn dove right into the project and figured out everything she had to do to create it pretty quickly. When we met with Apple, it was a successful meeting. We’re now in the process of finishing up our first version so that we can launch it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only way they can improve is if we had their team 100% dedicated to our business, but that’s not possible as an app startup. Stormbreaker Studios is really good with deadlines, communication, scoping tasks out, and making the time for us.

Any advice for potential customers?

Pay for more hours if you want to turn around something quickly. It really comes down to how much time Stormbreaker Studios invests in your project. Also, be clear about what you want, so they know exactly how to design it and make it happen. They’re equipped to handle any project even if they haven’t done it before.