Fully Customizable Landing Page using Next.js to get the advantages of React, without losing anything on speed and SEO. All the content is loaded from Strapi, that comes with a newbie friendly admin panel, so anyone can edit content, no coding skills required.

A unique Authentication System for Hardware and Software. Using the OpenID protocol, stored as a cookie for users.

Docker and CI Pipeline. To standardize our production environment we used Docker and made a Continuous Integration pipeline for a faster development process.

Reed Water is an IOT device that manages property water levels. We were tasked in creating the frontend of the user journey for potential clients. The website required 3 main features; Subscription Billing, eCommerce & Resource database.

The client's main request was being able to manage content on their own. We wanted to stay within reasonable budget, so instead of creating our own CMS, we opted for 

. Flexibility was important, and staying within the Node ecosystem was preference.

The clients needed a subscription model to accommodate purchasing and continued use of Reed products and services. Tiers for varied levels of features could be modified by the client, in the Strapi CMS.

We connected our front-end solution to authorize.net, which then sends a notification to the hardware that the customer owns. The external payment provider handles failed payment, or cancelation from their API.

With eComm solutions being few and in-between, Shopify is the usual go-to. The issue is we needed to create a custom solution that works within the client's current technical ecosystem.

Orders are sent to the Srapi CMS for the client to view & manage. Payment is collected from authorize.net, which first verifies the order before placing it in the shipping queue.

Introducing hardware and software as new as this, having docs, or in this case, Resources - is vital. We created a visual database for resources with the ability for Reed to upload PDF files, images, text, what comes in-a-box, and associate it with a product on the Strapi back-end.

Managing frontend has become a lot easier the past few years. Our main tool of choice when dealing with frontend work, is React. This choice stems from the fact that we enjoy writing Javascript, instead of logic in data-attribute tags. Of course, being personal preference.

We wanted to render on a server, while still keeping components modular. Again, instead of doing this from scratch, our favourite solution is 

. They take care of rendering React on the server, which really benefits in speed & SEO advantages.

Authentication & Next.js was pretty complicated originally. Eventually Zeit released a way to customize each page initialization (

). We check for a token stored in the users localStorage on every page load, using a custom HOC (higher order component) that wraps around each page.

For this clients scenario, we had to tap in to an external auth system. The one that controls the actual hardware. Fortunately, the engineers on the other team provided an OpenId solution, where users can login & register on our frontend app, while the external backend handles supplying the token.

Last but not least, was handling deployment. DevOps plays a crucial role in the Reed development ecosystem. Handling deployment for multiple moving parts became a challenge. Docker to the rescue, we containerized the whole project. We separated 

, the Mongo database, a web server named 

Below you can see the Docker Script on how we orchestrated Reeds' DevOps solution

Part of any great DevOps experience, requires some sort of CI (continuous integration). We host our projects on GitLab, who offer an amazing free solution. We wrote a .gitlab-ci file that pulled the docker-compose file above. Depending on which branch you pushed to, it would deploy to either the production or staging server. This allows for the client to watch as we iterate, without messing up the production server.

All-in-all, this was a great project for us to test different technologies. This really opened our eyes to the gap in finding a headless CMS that does exactly what we wanted. Maybe in the future, this can be the next open source project we tackle.

REED

NuCypher is a privacy layer for distributed systems and decentralized applications. NuCypher KMS helps dApp developers secure their data on the blockchain with decentralized proxy re-encryption as a service.

We were given the opportunity to work with them on the community development side. Creating and posting content on Twitter, Reddit and aligned digital communities.

Working closely with their team, we helped build and manage a growing community of developers, technologists and blockchain + dApp enthusiasts who wanted to know more and follow NuCypher.

We worked over 4 months to help bring their twitter following fro 628 to over 4000, a telegram community starting at under 1000 to over 20,000 and created an website called dappnews.io to bring light and knowledge seekers to an adjacent, unbiased platform.

We went to ETHDenver, meeting amazing individuals and companies. NuCypher is backed by the best and brightest, with a top notch team that made it easy for us to do what we needed too.

Using a shared excel document, we tracked tasks, projects, outreach, growth and more. Implementing a Gantt chart - we were able to successfully deliver on deadlines, while never losing quality.

There were numerous challenges throughout our tenure with NuCypher. None from them, but most from daily volatile markets and hyper-speed FOMO. We wanted to keep NuCyphers' brand identity and foundation within their community to be solid and authentic.

We maneuvered around fake airdrops and incoming SEC regulations. Failing ICOs and greedy companies looked for a quick buck - but NuCypher is different. We wanted to speak to that difference and longevity. They are a team of serious thought leaders and industry leading pros at what they do.

Building that out from the end user first, will create a lasting impression and give them reason to stick with it.

Developer outreach through Reddit, Twitter, various forums and connections we had.

Created valuable content that spoke to the true brand identity and overall value of NuCypher for developers.

Created dAppnews which lead to a better direct connection with developers.

Created content that was authentic and within the right scope.

Didn't look to outsmart developers or consumers - kept it honest and valuable.

Made sure to be where it mattered most, but digitally and IRL.

Worked and partnered with other startups, journalists, podcasts and groups to bring NuCypher to the forefront.

The Ethereum community is growing at an incredible speed, and to keep up we made sure to stay fully immersed in all things dApp/ETH/Crypto/Blockchain.

Curated a personal news feed of the best links for dApps & NuCypher news.

Used adjacent articles and blogs to bring more attention to NuCypher.

Kept track of followers, messages and developers that came across NuCypher.

We quickly formulated the best digital platforms for NuCypher.

Twitter, Reddit, Telegram, Discord & Slack (Just a little).

Creating personal connections with devs and knowledge seekers.

Attended ETHDenver + were apart of the the Colorado Blockchain Slack, directly able to speak to everyone who attended.

Created a bot for NuCypher telegram channel that is able to push '/' commands to those who are just joining the telegram or have a various number of questions.

It was an incredible experience to work with NuCypher. Helping grow from a community aspect, a truly fundamental technology that will be a corner stone of the blockchain industry. We've played our role through various digital channels, nurturing and establishing NuCypher across dev groups.

We kept twitter growth consistent and quality, always showcasing the work of the NuCypher team. They traveled to various talks, meetups and developer conferences. We focused keyword content and back links for each channel, and they changed daily. We kept track and that made everything easier in the long run. Creating a social media template was a great way to track progress and reference for any info.

We also got to create dappnews.io (RIP) which was a blessing in disguise. We got to interact on a more personal level with the community, and drive traffic organically to NuCypher. We also were able to help showcase other startups, doing quality work within the space.

Upon completion of our tenure, we helped grow and build out the right type of consumer base. Individuals and entities that want to see NuCypher scale and become a large part of the industry.

NuCypher

Instagram is more than just a digital tool to follow friends or brands. It's the zeigiest of our time, and a big driver or sales, business and exposure. There are a ton of similar brands to yours, running ads and focusing on the niche audience you're going after.

How can you stand out in a crowded digital room? 

With a tool that gives your Instagram a power-up. A simple link that gives you analytics, more URL linking and the ability to direct your audience to more specific call-to-actions.

This case study will focus on the development, use cases and value of 

Since we usually work with Javascript, we went the Typescript route using the 

 is a framework for typescript that offers an out-of-the-box application architecture which allows developers and teams to create highly testable, scalable, loosely coupled, and easily maintainable applications.

We chose to use nestjs to ensure future scalability and feature development. A core concept with nestjs is to separate features into modules. 

Each feature of linkit.bio contains it's own module. For example: an instagram module to fetch users images, a stripe module to handle monthly and anual subscriptions, user auth, etc.

We followed a microservice architectural development style. Meaning the backend api is 1 service, the actual app it self is another while the user's profile page is another.

Both as an investor and artist that gets millions of impressions on his posts, can use Linkit to drive his audience to various call to actions. Concert tickets, new songs, playlists, merch, artists he's signed, etc.

As a resturant, driving cutomers to make reservations and informing them of new items is crucial. Using Linkit allows Old School to actively point what is hundreds of website clicks a week to OpenTable, events contact, menu changes and media coverage.

From a metrics perspective, we kept analytics simple and clean to start. Ranking to clicked posts, giving an idea of what content is getting more engagement. 

A monthly tracker with a breakdown for where the traffic is coming from gives an added insight. 

Currently, the only way to link to a website or listing is either with a single link in the bio or by running an ad. Most software out there that offer a similar service are pricey and include a bunch of other features that aren’t typically necessary

Linkit does what it's supposed to, and does it well. Open up it up, add your URL on your Instagram page and users will have instant access to content of all kinds. We didn't want users to get stuck having to budget for ads, when that's not always needed. Link to multuple funnels, see what content works and which doesn't.

We’ve made it super easy to not only sync your Instagram but set up links in literally seconds. This isn’t your regular Instagram tool, this is the best Instagram tool for driving traffic. Linkit.bio saves your time trying tools that don’t work and makes it easy for your audience to interact with your content and funnels.

It’s time your Instagram page starts to actually help with pushing sales. Linkit finally gives you the power to make each and every post a possible sale or lead. Less click-through means more sales. Simple as that.

Not only can you start selling and collecting leads from your Instagram posts, but we’ve also given you the ability to track every single link.

See the device used, browser, country and how many clicks. Easy to understand analytics, that you can use to track and measure how content is doing. It's a feature we built in for no extra cost, because it's important to know what you can do to test and make your content better

Linkit.bio

We helped Old School grow their real world business, with digital strategies, and here's what we learned:

Meetups are good Marketing and bring in new clients

Instagram is a great source of Social Proof

Free WiFi is a chance to engage with customers and make them loyal

Running a restaurant means having to deal with a lot of variables.

As we can't deal with all of them we found two and used them to our advantage - 

 Meetups need a venue and are specific to each area. By hosting one you get to engage with a local community that has some common interests.

Old School is located just outside the heart of the downtown core, but close enough to major subway and bus lines.

Making it a great spot for Toronto's meetups to be hosted.

Your local business can be in a big city or a small town and leverage this same technique. So we'll lay it out step by step how we approached hosting meetups.

The second step is finding communities in your target.

We used the radius selection option in the 'Groups' tab to target organizers from 2-10 Miles away. Sorted by 'Newest', checking daily.

From there we see all the new meetup groups, and we can start using ctrl + left click to open multiple groups at once in different tabs. We want to be efficient in our outreach, as it is cold but at the same time you are given a lot of data on each organizer.

Those little red markers titled 'New' are a great sign. These places either need a venue, guidance, etc. So I'll reach out to a bunch, and usually have a pretty good response rate.

Here's an example of my simple and effective opening message to start a conversation:

"Hi [first name], My name is Kevin and I manage community development for Old School in Toronto (800 Dundas St W). I wanted to reach out and ask about possibly having some of your meetups at OS? It's free to host your event, we have amazing food and if you want a specialized menu or even for us to set up an entire room - it's no problem :) Would love to discuss this more if you're interested - I can send over pictures as well and/or a little package we have for a more detailed dive."

Here you can just some of the responses we've gotten

This way, I can grab their email and follow up with pictures and the organizer package OS is offering. I also make sure to attached HQ pictures of the restaurant and each room (if multiple)

It's our job to make sure organizers keep spending money and hosting meetups, so upon discussion with Old School, they offer 10% of the total spend back to the organizer.

3 meetups a month x $500 ~/meetup = 1500 x 10% = 150.

Right back in the pocket of the organizer.

What's been a crucial success point is the recurring meetups. 3/4 a month, of different types. Spread out over different days, makes a huge difference. Winter hours means OS is closed Monday and Tuesday, so that gives us 3-4 days to book meetups.

https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Entrepreneurs/events/254027338/

https://www.meetup.com/pro/robotics-bitcoin-cannabis/

https://www.meetup.com/Bio-hacking-Longevity-Group-Toronto/

https://www.meetup.com/Career-and-Coffee-Toronto/

https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-VstDBHkd/

https://www.meetup.com/Uncommon-Investors-Club/

https://www.meetup.com/Lunch-and-Learns-HR-for-People-Leading-People-Toronto/

We've booked others over the last 6-8 months, but some didn't stick.

It's important to sit down with each organizer and understand how we could help them. It wasn't only a matter of being a host venue, there is an element of community development that needs to be done to make it a lucrative ecosystem.

Instagram Marketing And Why Using $200/Month For Ads Is Enough

This is a restaurants best friend, and the most important social platform. Forget the native Facebook platform, Snapchat, etc - Instagram is where it's at, for now at least.

When we took over the Instagram it had a 6k-7k follower-following ratio. Not something we like or that looks good, so we spent the first month or so working the following number down. Instagram has a 180 person unfollow limit - so be watchful if doing this on your end.

Hashtags are Instagram's currency, so use it. Our team uses Slack, so I can ping myself and keep saved, hashtags for different posts. I even have it saved with the 5 dots, so when inserted into the first comment - it collapses nicely.

Copy in your descriptions are important, so make sure to spread out sentences with emojis, periods. Tell a story using linear progression (tech term for ya head top). See each post as a potential paid ad that you may use. Not to mention, the amount of content that will come from your community.

We tend to use copy like 'join us for brunch + dinner', 'Toronto's best brunch + coffee' - I like the minimal look and usage of the '+' sign.  I also break up each sentence with accompanying emoji, giving some life to the post and timeline when people scroll.

If the budget is large, than feel free to spend on ads and promo - but realize that you can do a lot with a little. Test on a small scale, see how metrics stack up over time. A/B/C/D/E test if you have too.

Our budget is $200 per month, which on Instagram is more than enough depending on the scale of promo. We like to test out different post types: videos, graphics, food shots and community content. Each one will get promoted at some point, to see how it does and to keep OS on the timelines of Torontonians.

Keep switching up the marketing and ads. We never settle for good metrics, as they can always be better. Running an ad for a video which got over 30K views in a few days, is just a small piece of what can be done with a small ad budget.

Instagram is a great tool, which is useful for the fact it gives you direct contact with your customer base and feedback is present.

High Quality Food Content And Consistent Posting

Do not underestimate the power of the mind. We eat with our eyes first, so we keep a constant flow of HQ food shots.

One thing OS was doing prior to Creators Never Die was giving 10% off your meal with a tag on Instagram. Great way to get customer and content. I have a daily influx of food shots from OS, which I can use in posts.

Posting is done 1-2 times a day, with ads usually running in succession. We also aren't shy with the Stories using the feature generously.

Depending on the cost of food at the restaurant you're doing this for, you can afford to offer free meals.  You'd be surprised the cost of a plate going for $21 is only $7 to make. Reach out to relevant food accounts that you've done your research on. Toronto is a large city, so there are a plethora of food related accounts to choose from.

Make sure you check metrics, engagement and their response. You can DM and set up a few a month or more - you'll see good results and gain easy exposure.

Using Canva To Create Graphics And Designs

Variance is good on a timeline, and for OS that meant interactive posts and designs that are both eye catching and fitting of the aesthetic.

Canva is the tool used for all OS designs, allowing us to launch templates in minutes. I can create 10 different graphics in about an hour, maybe less - giving us at least a week or two of content.

Building An Email List Using A WIFI Captive Portal

WIFI is huge for any establishment where patrons are sitting down, or taking some time out of their day. Most coffee shops are seen as co-working spaces, so internet needs to be on point.

Old School sits in an area with a good mix of those who work remotely and those who don't. However, it's even more important to retain the customers that come in who use the WiFi. Retargeting these customers and potential new ones are a big play that can pay off over time.

At the time, OS was using their Rogers modem to allow guests to sign in - giving them no ideas of who was using their WIFI, and how to reach them. We implemented a pre-flashed router from 

. They have the hardware + web portal which makes setting up the captive portal super easy.

Collect the emails customers who sign into the WiFi

See their Social Accounts (if they used Facebook or Twitter to sign in)

Redirect customers to an offer page or to our site

We then take the emails and import them to 

 which is a great email marketing solution. It's free up to a certain number of users, and their support are really cool so just message them if you need more free subs to add.

This is something we just started doing, so we can't measure results yet, only having sent 3-4 email campaigns at this point. But as you can see the numbers are pretty good.

The goal of this is to take new customers who sign into the WIFI each month, add them to MailerLite and continue the cadence.

Each newsletter offers a discount, what's coming up next and a variation of content from the one before. There is so much content I could include, that it's a blessing and curse to have to decide. We'll keep it moving, and hopefully build a large list with active members that gives OS a digital community that most restaurants don't have.

Old School


Club Row Fitness offers an incredible entertainment experience in Vancouver, BC. It mixes modern hip-hop and rowing, bringing together two worlds not yet before married. We were approached by the founder to create a mobile solution, which would be the first of its kind bringing this revolutionary idea from a shop in Vancouver, to worldwide.

During our initial meeting, we were shown apps like Peleton, LiveRow and other modern workout solutions. The client wasn't pleased with what was out there and had a vision to focus on their bread and butter - the Concept2 rowing machine.

Our main challenges were ensuring the capability of connecting a mobile device to an actual 

 using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), and accounting for thousands of data entry points per few seconds.

Bluetooth Connection (BLE) to the Concept2

The client initially sent over a Concept2, which we had the pleasure of both using for personal and business reasons. Right away, we had to work with the documentation for the 

 (Software Development Kit) and write our own scripts to grab the data from the rower.

All data from the PM5 come in hex codes which need to be converted to a readable unit. We were than able to test as we rowed, isolating each data point with the correct mnemonic.

Dealing with thousands of data points and users at the same time can be disastrous if not handled correctly. Each class is meant to be a worldwide interaction if possible, so latency is a major factor.

By having a good foundation, real time becomes easy using a language like Elixir, known for running low-latency, distributed and fault-tolerant systems. A tried and tested programming language used in the likes of Whatsapp and Discord.

Converted the hex codes to readable data points

Designed and created an iOS app with Swift

Connected to a socket with Swift, sending incoming and outgoing events to routed channels

Snapshots of the users progression are taken every few seconds

Custom charts are built with Swift, utilizing the X-axis for 'Time'

Y-axis is agnostic to the metrics, requiring us to scale the data

Created a web dashboard using Next.js and React-Apollo

Various levels of account types (admin, instructor and user) allowing admins and instructors to create classes and view users

Mobile and Web are two different beasts when it comes to DevOps and CI. The biggest issue was dealing with code signing, so after trying multiple solutions we decided on 

. This allowed us to have a staging build for internal testing, while being able to set up the client with TestFlight - for beta users.

A massive undertaking, this project took 6 months to complete in creating an MVP the client is proud of, as are we.

Digital Product Studio