Monstroid Customer Case Study – Way from a Beginner to a Pro

Katherine Crayon

8 years ago

It's been a while since we've posted interviews with TemplateMonster's customers. Today, we are back with a case study shared by a freelancer from Canada. Monstroid multipurpose WordPress template is in the spotlight. Keep reading further to find out how you can save loads of time on web development, manage a theme with no coding routine being involved, and still have time for family life.

Name: Martin Vondruska
Occupation: freelancer
Location: CANADA
Site: martinvondruska.com

Even if you order a custom-made site, it is not guaranteed that you will get the desired look and feel of a web project in the end. It's a negative experience that Martin has faced several times in his life. However, every cloud has a silver lining. By trial and error, he has found the most optimal solution to get a website live with no coding skills required. Learn more in the interview.

TemplateMonster: Tell us a couple of words about yourself. What's your experience with website creation?

Martin Vondruska: I've been creating websites for the past few years because of necessity. There were a lot of companies out there that make websites but aren't easy to talk to. Also, the upfront cost of getting your site built, when including content and layout is extremely high. I also wasn't well educated in how websites worked so I thought it's best to learn.

I started out with DreamWeaver CS3 and built my first site (many years ago). Because I understood what I needed it went quite well, but I slaved away trying to understand coding. Maybe it was a good thing, because it made my first site very simple and user-friendly, but didn't look very flashy.

As I was doing the sites, I also learned Photoshop. I'd make my content. Loved to work with PhotoShop and Gimp and got very good at it. No coding, you will see a pattern here.

My next few sites I got made in other countries but it was so frustrating. Even when I sent them a Photoshop picture of what the website was to look like, colour and all, they still got it wrong. I spent tens of hours writing work scopes where I was losing money on the build. It seemed easy and I didn't have to do any coding, but the time I spent taking what my customer wanted and I drafted up to what the developer gave us back was unworkable.

The few sites I got made in India I later had to abandon because they were poorly developed and the company no longer was in business for me to get anything else done. Not a happy camper.

TemplateMonster: What templates did you purchase? What were the key factors that influenced your decision-making?

Martin Vondruska: I used Monstriod theme 55555 and others since.

I saw the short video and thought I'd give it a try. The upfront cost wasn't too bad and even if it didn't work, it was still better than getting anything made in India.

No coding needed and I could just drag and drop.

The upfront cost is relatively low. As I later found out, the support was excellent.

Here are just a few examples of Martin's projects:

Savannah Heating

The Fireplace Warehouse

TemplateMonster: What do you think about the TemplateMonster's flagship theme Monstroid? What are in your opinion the main advantages of Monstroid compared to other themes? What kind of website did you use Monstroid for?

Martin Vondruska: I can't speak to this point because I only use the Monstroid themes.

TemplateMonster: How much time did it take you to create and make your site live? Did Monstroid manage to speed up this process?

Martin Vondruska: Well, to be honest, the first time I uploaded the theme, everything went well. No issues and I did it myself. However, the second theme didn't work so well, and I was working with a few support people to try and solve it. They were polite, but couldn't resolve the problem. Then I was transferred to a guy named George that was a bit rude at first and told me I should have paid for the install package. He solved the issue very fast. Later he followed up with me and everything is great now.

The actual building of the site is incredibly easy and quick. I'd say it's sped up my build by 3x or more. And the level of look and feel is great. Far better than anything I've done to date.You

You do have to understand how the pages work if you're using a pre-built theme, but wow how easy it goes without any coding.

TemplateMonster: What are your recommendations for other users who are just planning to launch their site?

Martin Vondruska: My advice for other users. I've tried to do the free thing. Free themes. Free plugins. Free hosting. Free... Free, but if you don't value your time, it might make sense. However, for the cost of the theme and the support, you get you will make your whole life so much easier and quicker. To this point, I haven't had to worry about updating WP and have the site fall apart. (happened to one of my sites from the past).

Price is good.
Build time is great.
Lack of coding, not an issue.
Support is good. (via onscreen text window)

I just can't say enough of the excellent experience.

And here is my biggest point.

There are more and more drag and drop type sites coming on like Wix where they say it's free to build a site, however, find out if you can:

Transfer the site to any other host?
What are the costs for each additional add-on? Monthly payments: Video you pay.
E-commerce you pay, etc.
No one does a business by giving away anything for free.

**You will live in their ecosystem and play by their rules.**
I won't
I Live and play by my rules.

Thanks. That about sums it up.

Have you ever worked with Monstroid? Do have anything to tell about your experience of developing a site with its help? You are welcome to share your reflections below.