“Do you think we can have a new website up and running by January 1st?”
The answer to that question depends most powerfully … on when you ask it.
I asked our Head of Marketing, Daniela Gonzalez Martinez, this question on November 10, 2021.
And you guessed it, her and the incredible (lean) team she works in didn’t bat an eye. Didn’t twitch an eyebrow. Didn’t curl a lip. Didn’t hesitate a second.
“Yeah. We got this.”
On January 3, 2022, the first business day of the year, we soft-launched the new Boldr Website and it’s an incredible next step for Boldr. I see it as the cherry on top of all the next steps we took last year, and the first next step of what we expect to be many (stay tuned folks) in the weeks, months, and years ahead (as long as we keep taking care of our people, our clients and our communities).
In and of itself, pulling off a full Website redesign from a standing start is an incredible exercise. It’s even more incredible if you know that we didn’t have anyone in-house who could build it when I asked Dani this question.
Thank you, to the team at breef (George, that one dinner with Chris Schembra and the 747 Club has paid many dividends, but arguably none more relevant to me professionally than meeting you) who was able to source, vet, qualify and get us a development partner who embraced our values and committed to our deadline.
(Note: If you’re looking for a partner to help you find a design and development partner, turn to breef. That said, let me save you the time and tell you to work with Ugur and the team at Lemonat Studio. I cannot say enough about their work, their thoughtfulness, their integrity, their partnership.)
That next step we have taken is what we’re sharing with you now.
Personally, I’ve had the good fortune of leading the launch/relaunch of many websites in my career. From the large (Prudential.com, Dun & Bradstreet Small Business Solutions) to the more niche (Hagerty Consulting, Navex Global), to a slew of startup websites, since. I share that for context on what follows.
Of all the experiences I’ve had, this one is the most thoroughly transformed and executed under the most aggressive timeline and with the leanest team around us. It’s anchored in a strong analytics foundation. It takes on an entirely evolved design aesthetic. It evolves and brings forward messaging that had stagnated on our website for two years, but that had changed in our go-to-market (and that fueled our growth from 200 to 1000+ in the last 21 months.)
To lean into a mantra that carries me forward in good times and bad, I’ll say I’m in the sweet spot of being Happy, Proud, Not Yet Satisfied.
We’re Happy. Objectively Happy with the website that was produced. It starts exploring our new messaging, an emphasis on balancing how we help companies rethink what can be outsourced (elevating what kind of work people will consider outsourcing beyond the repetitive and transactional) and rethink what outsourcing can be (outsourcing does not need to be offshore, at arms length, transactional, and exploitative; the Boldr purpose-driven approach means you can build a values-aligned team, that performs exceptionally well, and that feels valued and like they’re on a career path not in a job assignment).
We’re Proud. We have a lot of “story” to tell. We’re Proud of how the whole team came together to bring something transformational to life. We’re Proud of how the team embraced the guidance “the only expectation for going live is that everything you create is better than what existed before it, be it a little or a lot, make sure it feels like progress”. This site, oh wow, does this site feel like progress.
We’re Not Yet Satisfied. Like everything here at Boldr, we’re just scratching the surface. We’re just getting started.
There’s so much we need to do. But that’s the beauty of building a new platform upon which to storytell, a new canvas upon which to design, a new foundation upon which to build: you know you’ve done it right when you focus on all the things you have to do better. The right v1 of anything is so good it pulls and compels you forward.
We feel pulled and compelled forward as ever. Hell, the website already looks different between when I started writing this post and when I finished. This. Sentence. We’ll keep rolling.
As you browse and explore the new website, we’d love to hear what you think. More powerfully, we’d love to bring you onboard as a Team Member or as a client and partner. You can jump straight to one of those by clicking here.
The best work is always a function of the best people. Dani, thanks for letting me write this introduction; but I know you’re itching to get to the most important part of all of it: the people who made this possible. Take it away!
For me, the best part about working at Boldr has always been the mind-blowingly talented people I get to work with on a daily basis. To say the very least: this website wouldn’t have been possible without all of you.
I know this was a tough challenge for everyone, but your commitment, professionalism, and creative passion shone through. I’d like to take a moment to do the hugest shout out to all the team members who were involved tirelessly in this process.
To My Wonderful Designers:
JM (John Michael Cuizon or Jolly Me) and Arwin Enriquez (RR, if you’re friends) – you are the ones who brought this design to life. You set the stag and the bar for everyone else and then blew it out of the park. And even though we were running against the clock (and your long-due vacation was looming over) YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN. In under two weeks. UNBELIEVABLE. Without your creative approach, time, and above all, effort, this website would not have existed. THANK YOU.
And a special shout out to Kelly Liwanag. Sir Kelly, this website proposal was based on your dreams, your vision, your plans. Thank you for giving us such an amazing legacy, such a strong foundation. You will continue to be our biggest inspiration, and your mark at Boldr is now clearer than ever. THANK YOU.
To My Amazing SEO Miracle-Worker:
Mary Ann del Mundo Musni (or as she prefers, Ann) – you are the one who helped keep me grounded. Thanks to your calming approach and amazing expertise, we were able to plan and map out an entirely new website from scratch, one that matched our vision and needs. And even more so, we were able to add all the checklist pointers so our SEO improves in the long-term. You were also the voice of reason and the connection between the necessary parties. Basically, our glue, holding us together during this entire ride. You rock, and I’m amazed at how fast we got this done even at a distance. THANK YOU.
To My Fantastic Writers (And Editors, Proofreaders, & Everything In Between):
Nicole de la Peña and Liam Jacobs are peas in a pod. They were an endless support for this project, tap, tap, tapping away at their keyboards and reading, re-reading, and re-re-reading every single page until it was not only finished, but met every single one of our standards. Your words are permeating every single page of this website, and it shows. And the best part is that it’ll only get better from here. We got this. I got you. THANK YOU.
To My Astonishing QA Checker & Cheerleader:
María Galindo is a singer, a mom, and an amazing team member. Thank you for your outstanding involvement during this process. You helped us ensure that the website’s quality was up to par. And you also functioned as a team cheerleader, engaging everyone at Boldr to get excited, ramped up, and provide feedback that made this website better. You are the best. THANK YOU.
To The Brilliant IT Team:
Ken Northmore and Natheer Maloon converted this website into a reality. The switch from staging on such a complicated weekend was an extremely hard process (and to be honest, it still is). I couldn’t be more grateful for this superb team’s involvement. We wouldn’t be live today if it weren’t for you. THANK YOU.
To My Formidable Team Members
This is a thank you to all the team members who took the time to review the website, provide comments, add suggestions, and put in their grain of sand. Your feedback and passion for this company are what makes Boldr, Boldr.
Also, a special shout out to Glo Anne Guevarra, Alex Peña, Zaahid Johaar, and David Sudolsky. All of you put in the time to analyze endless amounts of copy, provide comments, and suggest changes. All of these made the website its best possible version to date. And I know that with your help, this will only keep getting better.
To Our Outstanding Agency
Ugur Akdemir and Elif Akdemir are two of the most amazing human beings you will ever meet. The Lemonat team made all of our website dreams come true in TWO. SINGLE. WEEKS. I have never met (nor will I ever meet) a team more magnificent than yours. You are absolutely the best, and I am so grateful for this partnership. THANK YOU.
I know this was a long thank you, but trust me – it was necessary. Every single one of you played a key role. You are all awesome. And I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to work alongside a team of such amazing, talented, inspiring individuals. I love you. Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Like most things, building a website sounds easy. And like most things, it isn’t. All the cogs need to be aligned, communication needs to be a priority, the message needs to be displayed the right way, and the planning has to be absolutely on point.
And then, you need to be willing to listen to feedback, investigate the data, and rethink all that isn’t working.
This is one of the reasons why launching a brand new, fully revamped website can take anywhere from 4 months to a year.
This is also why it is even more astounding that we managed to get this done in 2 months. From planning, to staging, to life. But again, this is what makes this team so mind-blowing. This is why, when Suneet asked, we didn’t hesitate.
We got this.
And we promise, we’ll keep getting better. Here’s to the best start we could have asked for in 2022, with so much more on the way.