How a Team of Two Can Handle Web Projects of Any Level of Complexity

We have already introduced you to multiple reviews provided by TemplateMonster's customers. Now we have decided to change the concept somewhat and post case studies of our regular reviewers. This time we are glad to share an interview with one US home-based design studio that manages to handle small-to-large sized projects of any level of complexity, attract crowds of clients and keep them coming back. Eager to know their secret? Welcome to the interview.

This is not the first time that we post Reggie Byrum's review at MonsterPost. An advertiser in the past, he has a real feel for what he is doing. Having mastered the art of turning very vague ideas into intricate and (more importantly) effective websites, he has gained reputation of the first and foremost web design agency that many US customers go to.

Here is what Reggie has shared with us.

TemplateMonster: Tell us a couple of words about your company (studio). Where are you located? How big is your team?

Reggie Byrum: We are a small, home-based design studio. The only full-time employees are my wife and myself. We contract only with self-employed professionals on a “project-by-project” basis, depending on the project requirements, skill level and expertise. We utilize regularly anywhere from 10-20 different, self-employed professional designers, writers, programmers, SEO specialists, marketing specialists, illustrators and more.

TemplateMonster: For how many years have you been into web design?

Reggie Byrum: We’ve been doing web design for around 10 years now. We’ve spent over 30 years in the area of advertising and graphic design for print media, working for various local advertising agencies.

TemplateMonster: Do you commonly use ready-made website templates in your work or create custom designs as well? (In case you develop custom themes, in what cases do you opt for ready-made solutions?)

Reggie Byrum: It all depends on the client’s budget and application. Most of NC Web Pros’ clients are small, “mom-and-pop” shops, start-ups and small businesses that don’t want to invest a ton of money upfront in a web site. Most don’t know if the business is even going to make it, so they need the capital for other things. For these clients we readily offer ready-made web design templates either “as is”, and all we do is drop in their logo and content, or we give as an option to “customize” the template - keeping the basic template core in place and customizing it according to our client’s branding and personal tastes.

For the larger client, we may come up with some Photoshop mock-ups based on market research that we have done on their company, their competitors and their strength and weaknesses and offer to do a completely custom web site. However if, when a design is chosen, we’ve often found that there is an existing template that is very close to the design. We’ll offer to build from that with the client’s approval for a reduced rate. If not, we will custom design and develop from “scratch”.

TemplateMonster: How much time does is normally take you to create a website based on a theme? How fast do custom-made projects launch?

Reggie Byrum: Wow - that is a difficult question to answer. It all depends on the client’s product or service and how quickly they can produce content needed for the site. But if we have all content already in hand and the client has chosen a ready-made template, for a standard site up to 5-7 “pages” with no customizations, we can usually turn that around in a couple of days. Again, depending on how quickly the client provides content and how quickly they review the site for changes (we allow three rounds of changes).

TemplateMonster: What's an average bill for a theme-based website creation? How much does it cost to launch a custom-made site?

Reggie Byrum: A ready-made template with little to no customizations, up to 7-10 pages, roughly $1200 - $1500. That does not include hosting or after launch maintenance.

TemplateMonster: How long have you been with TemplateMonster? How can you evaluate the results of our collaboration?

Reggie Byrum: I’ve been with Template Monster for a number of years. I did belong to a couple of annual template clubs, but the themes they were putting out (usually one new per month) really did not fit with any of the clients I had. They tended to get too “fancy” and catered toward the younger “gaming” crowd. I stopped all of my annual “club” memberships and went strictly with TemplateMonster which has a wide range of templates for any profession. I’ve never not been able to find what I needed at Template Monster. They are quick to respond to questions and customer service is always helpful and friendly.

TemplateMonster: What do you enjoy the most? What should be changed/enhanced?

Reggie Byrum: I enjoy the wide selection of templates for any occupation at an affordable price. The Templates are easy to work with and if I ever have a problem (which is rare) they are quick to respond. It's hard to think of what could be changed, but just keep it coming with the high quality, responsive templates for every profession.

TemplateMonster: What is your audience? What niche do you target? Do you target foreign markets or prefer working with customers from your country only?

Reggie Byrum: I actually have two different niches and clients. NC Web Pros is for quick, affordable web development, catering mostly to small businesses, start-ups, mom-and-pop shops who are on a tight budget. The main company, Pro Image One, LLC is focusing mainly on custom development, especially high-end, custom e-commerce solutions. Pro Image One’s clients are not as concerned about price as they are about effectiveness and quality. I only target the United States.

TemplateMonster: How do you attract new customers and keep them coming back?

Reggie Byrum: Do what you say you’re going to do, provide it when you say you’re going to provide it and be quick to respond to problems. Don’t make the old fashioned phone a stranger. Call your clients instead of emailing all the time, drop in to see them just to see how they are doing (a box of Krispy Creame donuts don’t hurt!) and just be available. One of the main things I hear from clients coming from other firms is that they NEVER get to talk to their developer, he’s too busy for them and they only communicate through email. I think we need to step back a bit and reach out and be more personable to our clients. Put a face with a name. They’ll soon become a free “evangelist” for your company. Client referrals are how we mainly get new clients. We spend $0 on promotion and advertising. It’s all word of mouth and web site exposure.

Here is an example of one of NC Web Pros' latest works. They used Gitex WordPress theme as a foundation of Pro Imageone design site. See the results of their creative work below.

Site:

We are grateful to Reggie and appreciate the time that has spent for giving answers to our questions. We hope that his success story will inspire other creatives who are looking for the ways to show their talent to the world, and help them stumble into new career and succeed.