| | DECEMBER 202119CIOReviewthe project goals and the target audience will always yield an effective and comprehensively superior end product. This results driven mentality is a critical corner most small firms cut to the detriment of their clients and ultimately themselves.What type of clients does DA work best with?We've seen tremendous success working with everyone from one man start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Versatility of scale has been an important factor, something made possible by our ability to quickly mould ourselves to any company culture or operational imperative. At the end of the day we thoroughly enjoy creating for businesses of all sizes but find non-profits and small to medium sized businesses particularly rewarding.Did the pandemic change anything for DA?Not at all. Most of our clients are headquartered in states or even countries that we don't have a physical presence in. When the pandemic hit we already had well developed, time tested operational imperatives in place to seamlessly conduct business digitally.Can you tell us a bit about DA's leadership team?DA is family owned and operated. Ian Lai, my eldest brother, founded DA on a set of unified but diffcult to achieve principles that underpin every product we deliver - beauty, quality, innovation, consistency and service. Early on he recognized that turnover, especially in the ranks of leadership, severely handicap most firms so he recruited family to helm each major department to ensure these principles permeate company wide. This essentially resulted in zero top level turnover, plus it's not like any of us can just jump ship and hope to show our faces at thanksgiving [laughter].We keep hearing about DA's famous guarantee. What is this and how does it work?Our guarantee has been instrumental in new client procurement as confidence (the ability to deliver what you say you will) typically determines whether or not you get the job. That said, we literally put our money where our mouth is -- if a client isn't happy with the end product, they get their money back. Anyone can claim they'll get something done but to actually have skin in the game is a different story entirely.DA is one of the only firm offering in house financing. How has this worked out and how does a client qualify?We've seen mixed results and have taken some losses as about half of those we extended credit to default within 12 months. Despite this, we feel it's important to continue this program as it enables small businesses that demonstrate a viable concept, sensible business plan and solid leadership. After all, companies like Amazon and Apple started out of a garage so if we can do our small part to help introduce another Bezos or Jobs to the world, we're all for it. We look at a website as a business tool rather than a marketing tool
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