Twirling Umbrellas

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Co-Artistic Director of a Canadian non-profit theatre company. We create and tour original theatre across Canada and the USA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Twirling Umbrellas?

• Website consulting to prepare
• Online ad management for our FB campaign

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We reached out to 6 companies listed on Clutch, and had interviews with 3. We chose Twirling Umbrellas because they were Canadian Based, were familiar with our target market, and communicated clearly in a timely manner. We were confident from our interview and past they had the competency we required.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They suggested and implemented edits to our website to improve its functionality. They structured and managed a targeted Facebook ad campaign.

What was the team composition?

We primarily worked with two staff assigned to our project, and had meetings with the Twirling Umbrellas executives at the onset and culmination of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very pleased with the effectiveness of the campaign and the competence of the Twirling Umbrellas team. Our goal was to sell tickets to our theatre tour, and we met our ticket sales goal.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We'd communicate primarily via email, supplemented with video chat when needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They understood our objectives, made the onboarding process easy, and they efficiently and they effectively managed our campaign.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

The dashboard they provided me had glitches that made it unable to view information I was seeking. This was never resolved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Kelowna Skin Cancer Clinic. We treat patients referred to us by other physicians who are concerned that their patients may have skin cancer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Twirling Umbrellas?

We needed help with web development and design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Twirling Umbrellas has created three websites for us. We initially had a meeting with them to get a better idea of what we needed and wanted to do. They then created a brand design for us, including a logo, color schemes, a brand guide, and other brand assets. From there, they developed the websites based on the brand design.

Their team built the websites from scratch using WordPress and is currently helping us with maintenance. They also help us with digital marketing, including SEO and Google Ads.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 people from their team, including one main contact point, a brand designer, and a web designer.

How did you come to work with Twirling Umbrellas?

One of my patients mentioned them to me, so I searched online to look at their website and reached out to their owner, Chris. He was very easy to talk to and very approachable. I also really liked that they have a young team with many innovative minds.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000 CAD on all three websites, including $15,000 CAD on the Kelowna Skin Cancer Clinic website.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around the second quarter of 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website has been getting a lot of visitors and explains what we do well. On that note, patients have been mentioning to us that we have one of the best websites for skin cancer in Canada. We’re also ranked quite high on Google search.

How did Twirling Umbrellas perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been great. They’re very open and spot on in giving me a timeline and telling me what to expect. Overall, they’ve been clear and concise in their communication, especially in meeting my expectations. We usually communicate via email.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to shout out to in this review?

Lyndsay has been awesome to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Twirling Umbrellas is very approachable and very good at anticipating questions. Moreover, the beauty about working with them is that they listen to our vision.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they need to improve on.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs

My recommendation is to answer their questions as promptly as possible. That will keep the creative juices flowing and ensure they can proceed with what they want to do.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Persona Informatics

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We support virtual care programs by supplying remote patient generated data to clinicians in a variety of healthcare settings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Twirling Umbrellas to accomplish?

• Provide the assets that would form our digital identity online (website), for our app, and dashboard.
• Design a website that reflects our corporate image and ethos

SOLUTION

How did you find Twirling Umbrellas?

Online Search

Why did you select Twirling Umbrellas over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Twirling Umbrellas were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of work included:

1. Digital brand refresh
2. Custom website design and development
3. Mobile app design
4. Web application design
5. Business card design

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All design was required to align with our ethos of simplicity and elegance.  All deliverables met this criteria.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Deliverables were provided on time.  Their project manager was responsive to our feedback and additional ad hoc requests - their flexibility in working with us was very much appreciated.

What was your primary form of communication with Twirling Umbrellas?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was very impressed by their design staff - they were clearly very experienced and were able to understand our requirements quickly, and echo them back to us with designs that aligned with our thinking from the start.

They listened very well, which made working together very pleasant and expedited the work.

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

Not so much improvement, but it would have been nice to have an in-person meeting with the team instead of only virtual.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a nationwide company that manufactures and distributes health supplements. We’ve been in business for 20 years and are a leading company in the Canadian natural health products industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Twirling Umbrellas?

We wanted a professional website that stood out and elevated our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Twirling Umbrellas took the time to understand who we were as a company, our competition, our unique challenges, and what the site must accomplish. The process started with an interview and exploratory meetings, and then we went through the planning, prototype, and development phases. They built the site from scratch on WordPress. They did everything including the designs and copy writing, but included me in the entire process to make sure I was happy and it was going in the direction I wanted.

What is the team composition?

Twirling Umbrellas has 13 creatives including designers, developers, copywriters, marketing strategists, and a dedicated project manager to keep the process moving efficiently. I personally had involvement with about 6 people on the team, including Chris (Founder & CEO), the Creative Director, the Art Director, and the Copywriter.

How did you come to work with Twirling Umbrellas?

I found Twirling Umbrellas after researching online, and then interviewing numerous companies across the province. I was looking for a top company that had the talent to create something awesome for us, but I was wary of larger firms that might put me in a queue and not give me the attention I wanted. Chris called me back immediately and was genuinely interested in our business. He and his entire team are just down-to-earth, good people, which is hard to find these days. From the first interview, I liked Chris and I came away feeling confident that Twirling Umbrellas was indeed talented and capable of creating something we would love.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $16,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September 2022–January 2023. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website’s design turned out amazing. It was exactly what we needed. They created a fresh new look for us that suits our brand, and is on point. Every objective was achieved. The feedback we have already received from retailers, consumers and colleagues is tremendous.

How did Twirling Umbrellas perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was impressive. They are super organized and a pleasure to deal with. The team was on time and within budget. I was constantly impressed with how professional the process was, and how experienced and talented they all were. To communicate, we used emails and had virtual meetings via Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was really impressed with the fresh design concepts they presented, and the quality of the copy writing, which reaches our target audience in a fresh new way. They are such a talented group, but also happy and friendly, and down-to-earth. I was pleased how they included me closely in the process, and valued my input.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can trust these guys. If you are fussy and want the best, this is it. They don't just have the talent, they are genuinely interested in you and your company, and creating a site that you love. It was very pleasant experience for us. From beginning to end it was a dream come true.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Administration for Canada Nufloors Group. We are a member owned group of flooring retail stores in Canada, all independently owned, and trading as Nufloors. We currently have 24 Nufloors locations in our group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Twirling Umbrellas, and what were your goals?

Our Nufloors website is for 24 locations, so it was slightly complicated, and Twirling Umbrellas came through with advice and ideas that made our websites professional yet customized for each location. TU were focused on creating a great user experience and we could not be happier with the result. TU also helps us with SEO to ensure our 24 websites are found on page 1 when searching flooring stores in our various towns/cities.

SOLUTION

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

Chris Stephens, owner of TU, presented concepts for improvements to our website. Chris had a flooring background so this was helpful in the process. After the initial meeting with the TU team to discuss, and receiving the estimate, we were happy with the presentations/budget and moved to implementation.

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

The scope of work was detailed in the project summary, showing steps and dates for completion for each part of the project, in order to meet our timeline. TU provided a project manager for us to work with to oversee everything and to help keep us on track. One of our goals was to increase overall traffic by improving search engine optimization. We had 24 websites in total, one for each location, which included considerable customization. TU built a CMS page that we could use to make future edits ourselves.

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

About 3 people from TU, but we worked mostly with the Project Manager.

• Chris - CEO & Founder

• Siobhan Collie  -  Project Manager

• Colin - Senior Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our websites collectively received an increase in traffic yoy, including an increase in new users.

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

Siobhan was extremely helpful in keeping our website project on time and on budget. She was friendly and knowledgeable and so easy to work with. TU also provided solutions to issues that we came across during the development stage, which helped improve our websites.

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

TU always had time for us, if we requested a meeting to review a certain issue or had questions. They are a busy agency; however, they always made us feel important and gave us the attention and time needed.

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

Nothing to add here, in fact, we were so happy with their work, that in 2022, we hired them to complete a second website project for us for new potential members to to learn more about Nufloors. Very happy also with the results of this second website.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations for a property development and management company. We run a variety of medical assets and residential portfolios that doubles as a vacation rental complex.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Twirling Umbrellas?

We needed someone to expand our efforts in web development, digital marketing, and the SEO space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Twirling Umbrellas serves as an extension of our digital marketing efforts, and they provide us with a wide variety of services, such as backend development, ad buying campaign strategies, Google Ads management, and keyword research.

They also provide us with Google integrations to ensure our servers remain highly efficient.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with Chris (Founder & CEO) and Carla (Marketing Director).

How did you come to work with Twirling Umbrellas?

They were recommended to us by a colleague who I used to work with a long time ago.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent around $500,000 CAD ($380,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a significant increase in our conversion rate since partnering with Twirling Umbrellas. They’ve also helped us outrank some of the industry's most prominent property rental services. 

The quality of their work is outstanding, and their team has been key in helping us hit all our goals and ensuring that we’re ranking at the top for our keywords.

How did Twirling Umbrellas perform from a project management standpoint?

They implemented a more relaxed approach to budgeting, and they’ve never missed a deadline. Furthermore, Twirling Umbrellas doesn’t require a lot of supervision; they understand how to manage time-sensitive tasks and fully commit themselves to their deliverables as if it’s their own.

We use Semrush for reporting and typically communicate through Zoom, phone, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their biggest strength lies within their overall company structure and how they’ve built their core competencies. They take relationship building seriously, and the process of communication has been fully transparent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There hasn’t been anything I’ve given them that they can't respond to.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to come into the partnership with your goals and expectations because it helps the team achieve the best results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of a Science Institute

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Twirling Umbrellas, and what were your goals?

We needed to update our old web site to have a modern look. We also needed to make the information more accessible to the general public while maintaining the rigor needed to provide information for people applying to our programs.

SOLUTION

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

We searched a number of vendors by looking at web sites they developed. Twirling Umbrellas had experience with sites like ours and we like the design of the web pages they had as examples.

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

We had a complete redesign of the website after providing a list of requirements, a description of communication goals, examples of web sites for other operations we liked, and a joint analysis of the old site. They did a complete redesign, went through an extensive editing process based on our feedback, delivered a draft structure that we populated with details, and redid some pages that needed changes.

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

We had a project manager and two people on a design team. There were others that handled technical aspects (programmers) but we did not meet them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just launched our site so we have no metrics. But the site is much easier to manage and we have removed issues with various conflicts in presented information. The site itself is nice looking and meets our goals.

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

We had regular contacts with the team, especially in the editing phase.

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

They gave us a professional site that is much easier to maintain and has a modern look. The organization of the site provides a lot of information for a general viewer while giving the precise information needed by applicants.

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

not really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Valens Groworks is a supply chain partner in the cannabis space aiding licensed producers of cannabis with testing/analytics, extraction, post-processing, formulation and product development. I work in business development, marketing, IR and PR.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ten/17 Digital Cannabis Co.?

Ten/17 does a variety of services for us including podcast production, copywrite, design and more.

What were your goals for this project?

2 things drive our marketing at valens, authenticity and authority. With a rare opportunity to be a touch point with many LP's in the space, Valens is able to provide education and understanding on the industry through it's vast experience in the space. We capitalize on this positioning for marketing and that is what Ten/17 has provided for us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Some of the team members have been with Valens since the start, but they continuously show up by learning about the space, understanding who we are, and going above and beyond. Thus, we've never strayed too far from them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Website design and development, copy write, digital assets, podcast production and more. They are integral to all of our marketing needs.

What was the team composition?

Ryan, Carrie, Chris, Carla, Christine

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Podcast listed on top 100 health-related on iTunes, blog content heavily read, outreach from cannabis/marketing industry folk on the quality of goods provided, etc.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely, always in touch, always available. Vendors take feedback with pure class and build upon it. Being in the cannabis industry, we are extremely limited/restricted by The Cannabis Act's promotional regulations thus it's been a lot of learning and adjusting and they are always diligently strengthening their understanding and open to feedback on this wild journey we're on.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their due diligence and commitment to understanding the industry were impressive. There is a science behind cannabis and its extraction and its clear from their ideas they understand that.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I am always extremely pleased with this team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Making Lemonade is a health business consulting company. I’m a registered nutritionist. I have just transitioned from doing client consultations for nutrition into doing business consulting for other nutritionists and other health experts. I provide consultation services to new or experienced nutritionists and other health practitioners or experts. I help them get their businesses up and going. I also do health writing for other practitioners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Main Street Creative?

I needed help with my entire website. It’s something that I had tried to do entirely myself, but I am not the most technically skilled person. After about a year of trying to learn all of these new strategies and techniques and trying to get a WordPress platform figured out, I turned to Main Street Creative.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They completely reconfigured the website for my nutrition consulting business. Now that I’ve transitioned into a new business model, they’ve actually facilitated that transition. They did the new website for it and made the transition easier for me. They helped me organize and strategize how that move would go. It’s been helpful in more ways than just website development. They did search engine optimization and content management as well. I left it up to Chris Stevens’ [Owner, Main Street Creative] discretion as to who was going to be the best people to work on my project.

They’ve worked on three websites for me in the past year. We started with MakingLemonade.ca and that coincided with another project, HormoneReboot.com, which is a women’s health program. Now, we’ve transitioned MakingLemonade.ca into KristaGoncalves.com

How did you come to work with Main Street Creative?

I learned about them from the recommendation of a health professional in Kelowna. She just couldn’t say enough great things about them. I called them up, and it was definitely one of the best business decisions that I’ve made.

How much have you invested with Main Street Creative?

Each project has carried its own financial budget. For the initial work, I spent $1,500. It was another $1,500 for HormoneReboot. Our current project just went live in the last few weeks. I don’t know what the total investment will be for that project. I have an ongoing monthly commitment to them. If you’d put it all together, it’s probably around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2016, and the work is ongoing. I plan to keep them onboard. I feel like they’re part of my business team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Main Street is kind of a one-stop shop for me. I’m sure other companies don’t need to employ so many of their skills, but I have the full package with them. They’re keeping track of all of my metrics, and we go over those on a monthly basis. In terms of the benefits of the SEO work that they’ve done, the traffic that’s been driven is phenomenal. The collaboration has been nothing but positive. I can honestly say that I’m really not quite sure where my business would be today if we haven’t made that connection a year ago.

How did Main Street Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. If anything, they kept me on schedule. They help me to establish a schedule and we work very closely together in keeping everything on task. They’re really helpful in prioritizing what needs to be done on a month-by-month basis. I have gotten exactly what I’ve asked for. I’m someone who is very hands-on with my own website. They respect that and they honor that, and they work with me to facilitate that because I’m not a coding expert. I’ve got a great team of professionals there, and they clearly love what they do. It’s all well and good that you can feel good about the company or the service or just the person that you’ve chosen to help you with a particular task in your business. And for me, that was all things to do with website, content, SEO, and digital marketing. We’ve seen also seen results from their work. It’s rare that all aspects of the experience would be so positive. I’ve recommended them to several friends and clients of mine.

What did you find most impressive about Main Street Creative?

I have several friends and family members who do exactly what Main Street does, but I chose them based on the recommendation of a health practitioner. I wanted someone who had experience in that arena, in my niche. That stood out for me, and that’s why I gravitated towards them in the first place. Second, they were local and willing to meet with me in person. That’s actually a rarity in this digital world. We don’t get to have that face-to-face interaction. That’s what has stood out above and beyond what I know about other similar companies or similar services, including my own friends and family members who do this very work. They weren’t willing to provide that level of service to me within the exact same budget. I might’ve gotten the same quality from other people, but that has really stood out for me. Chris personally has sat down with me on a number of occasions and has taken the time to work out things in person. That was important for me and the kind of work that I do. Ultimately for the type of business that I’m in, my website is literally my storefront. That’s been absolutely incomparable.  

Are there any areas Main Street Creative could improve?

We had a positive interaction. Nothing comes to mind that I would ever construe as a negative experience or something that need to be improved on.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Main Street Creative?

Be as clear as you can with your vision. It’s very uncanny how they can tap into what your vision is and help you to make that happen in a digital sense. It’s amazing when you’re trying to just say words or images, and they are able to bring that to life within a website for you. I came in with perhaps not as clear vision as I would’ve liked, and they actually helped me to pull that together and organize it a bit better.