• Justin Maxwell
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  • Justin Maxwell
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  • Justin Maxwell recommended Zeel
    As an ex-cyclist and now runner who sits at a desk all day, my hip flexors are the source of half my problems in life. I've had two sports massages now from Zeel and am pretty sure they're all I will use now. Another industry made easier through on-demand, one-click phone bookable service. No driving. You choose what type of masseuse & massage you want, pick the date and time, and they show up with the table (if you're a frequent customer they'll even give you one as part of a package deal). If you like the masseuse you can short-list them for future visits, which is really important. Overall it's great having your own environment, own music, not having to drive anywhere or deal with someone else's availability. And I am so happy I can use my Recommended Credits on them now :) read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Saber Roofing
    Well, it's our first day of rain here in the Bay Area, so it's time for roofs to leak and time for everyone to start panicking on neighborhood mailing lists and NextDoor. That reminded me to recommend Saber Roofing. They're they only firm we've used since 2010 for all our roof problems (and upgrades). Three times now they have fixed problems with our shingle roof promptly (crazy leaks during the downpours), professionally, and affordably. (When they weren't able to come out within 24 hours, they sent a team over to at least throw some tarp on the roof to stop the leaking temporarily.) Before that, they were the contractor of record for our home inspection prior to buying our home, and gave us accurate expectations on what we'll likely encounter over the next decade and the expenses we were likely to incur. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Agile Physical Therapy
    Highly recommended for sports PT, especially running & cycling. Dave helped me get back on my feet after a beginner trail running mistake this past spring, damaging my right leg in multiple spots (iliopsoas, hip labrum, vastus medialis) from pushing too hard in training without having built up stability on the trail. He set realistic expectations, provided me with proper exercises, and monitored my progress knowing that people tend to slack on the exercises that get them going again. It was great to have PT from someone who has spent time as a cyclist and as a runner so he fully understood my situation and steered me towards a stronger running practice. Recovery took longer than my impatient self would have liked, but I'm back out running now, back at my old pace, and have him to thank for even greater stability and control now. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended PostalAnnex
    PostalAnnex made a valuable international shipment of a vintage Sequential Circuits Prophet V synthesizer both possible — and easy. After a week of confusing quotes and conflicting info from DHL, UPS, FedEx, and even Shyp ("shipping made easy" hmm...), we finally gave up and called the place my friend Derek goes to regularly. We rolled in about five minutes before closing time. Instead of telling us to get out and come back tomorrow, Thomas never rushed us, and took his time figuring out how to double-pack an item that can't really be replaced if damaged. The important point here is that he was able to pack it up and ship it for less than all these places were quoting me, even if i had packed it up myself. So after about 10 years of doing it myself I'm going to him from now on. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended UrbanSitter
    Someone just asked if I had a babysitter to recommend, so instead of recommending one, I'm recommending how we find ours: Urbansitter.

    I don't know what we'd do without urbansitter. They changed the game by introducing payments and calendars to the booking experience. Before Urbansitter came along we would find sitters on Care.com or elsewhere and those sitters would, 100% of the time, ask us to book them off the platform and text them directly. Huge PITA, inconvenient for any parent. Now we launch the app, plug in a time, and either see if the sitters we like are available, or find new ones (which almost always works out well). You can filter by experience, languages spoken, qualifications, interests, safety experience, and even have screening questions if you're interviewing for a longer-term job. They store your CC info, you book and pay all through the app.

    The quality of sitters is very high, with a concentration of 20-30 year old students, many of whom are working in child development, education, psychology, etc. and looking for part-time work. This is a big contrast to other services where we found a lot of sitters always trying to upsell us on full-time nanny jobs or bringing a bit of jaded attitude ("i know better than you parents") from the "professional" sitters. Because their model is convenient for parents and sitters, they don't have a lot of attrition either — some of the sitters we book on there we've been booking for two years now.

    Of course it is also great for finding a nanny, but we don't use it for that. Two of our favorite occasional sitters have found their weekly nanny jobs through Urbansitter.

    The team is very thoughtful and welcomes customer feedback. Last year I hit a boiling point and sent them all my feedback on how to improve the product — and they have addressed much of it.

    Overall Urbansitter is now one of those services in our life like Instacart we use at least 2x a week and rave about to our friends.

    Also if you use my referral code (link: https://bnc.lt/m/iVujqOZCrG ) you get $35 off your first booking! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Revolutions In Fitness
    For a fit: Curtis & the team at RiF has sorted me out twice, once when I got my first "serious" road bike and then again after my bike accident and a lot less flexible than I used to be. Curtis is famous for not only providing bike fits but also contributing to the guidelines and process that is used by the entire industry. They do Retul and other 3d/z-axis analysis, sit bone measurements and saddle recommendations, and much more. They came recommended to me by Rand Hill.

    (Also, I really recommend getting a fit at a place that isn't incentivized to sell you things.)

    More info on their process and qualifications here:
    http://www.revolutionsinfitness.com/bike-fit.html read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended AmyJacksonTalent
    Short version: Amy's a "recruiter" who follows designers through their careers and helps them grow.

    Long version: Amy's been a constant in my design career since Jason Putorti, design lead at Mint, introduced us in 2008. In a sea of "Hey $firstName I love your $skillset" template-driven recruiters, Amy reversed the model and was the first (i knew of) in Silicon Valley to represent the talent instead of the companies trying to place. She advocates for the designer and helps them find the right role, placing them in different interviews across different companies, whereas the traditional model is for a recruiter to cast a wide net and source many applicants. She had her ear to the ground and was recruiting before Beats was even called Beats, placed people into everything from Square to Samsung, and even just mentors and helps advise designers she's never placed in a role. Most of the designers I know have at least one conversation with Amy before moving on to their next gig, and many of them find a role with her help. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Don Gunn
    After years of mixing my own tracks, I came to the conclusion that it's by far my weak spot — and having finished a new album, having launched a company, and being the parent of a toddler, I knew there was no time to learn to do a quality job on it. (Most electronic musicians mix their own tracks and think of recording/mixing engineers as only focusing on bands with instruments.) I've been following Don on Twitter for years (found out about him via Sean @ ValhallaDSP) and decided I'm not going to waste any more time. Hiring someone with decades of experience doing it, on hardware meant for mixing and recording, who works in a room designed for the job, seemed like the right move. And it was! Don not only glued my mess of an album together, but also brought it to life. He carved out room for everything to breathe, rode faders to bring attention to elements that would give way to others (versus my static levels throughout phrases), and challenged me with creative elements like off-time delays that I never would have considered. read more

  • Justin Maxwell is looking for a great Handyman in Menlo Park, CA
    I'm looking for a handyman one would trust with carpentry, finishing, and painting work. We need a 3-sided shed built in our carport around a set of free-standing shelves we already have. It's a very small project, too small for a carpenter but big enough for a handyman with woodworking skills looking for 3-4 hours of work. read more
    I can help

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Voltage Control Lab
    Joe's tutorials on complicated modules and modular patch design are the best on YouTube. His series on Ornament & Crime were the only way I finally figured out a few of the more esoteric modes the module. As far as I know they are the only online school dedicated to modular synthesis and sound design, and offer courses as well as private 1:1 instruction in person or via video. I've recommended his Modular 101 course to many friends eager to dive into modular synthesis. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Sierra Schleppers
    Orion and his team have moved our home three times. They've moved many of our friends as well. For years they operated only as a word-of-mouth preferred client moving service, because they do such an insanely good job they didn't even need to spend any money on marketing. Orion has two modes — one of the most chill, personable, gregarious humans I've ever met, and then CAPTAIN OF THE SS SIERRA SCHLEPPERS, running the tightest ship in the moving industry, not missing a detail, not scratching a single piece of furniture. It's incredible. Everyone we have recommended them to only works with them now, as well. Highly recommended! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended John Hunter Acoustics
    John solved a problem I've had in music production for 15 years for around $1000: Poor acoustics in my room that led to bad mixes, which meant every sound I made or song I wrote sounded muddy, which led to two times the overhead on everything I was doing. That amount of money seems daunting when you're 30, but when you only have 1-2 hours a week to record or compose, it's worth saving up for. I had been looking for someone like this for years, came across recommendations for him on a private message board for audio production, and reached out.

    A few weeks later he drove to my house, took measurements in my room, and provided a sketch of what we were going to do. Two months later his team was back at my house installing the panels. The room now sounds *amazing*. I no longer have to redo every mix. He custom-builds his own absorption and reflection panels, having expertise in the materials, design, and placement. This is not something that can be trusted to DIY or some $300 Auralex egg-carton kit. The difference between what I had before and what I have now is tremendous.

    Since my working with him, two of my other friends have also jumped on the bandwagon and hired him to fix their studio problems as well. I highly recommend having him come fix your studio space — it is life-changing. No amount of crappy DIY solutions comes close to trusting a pro who does it for a living. If you have a space in your home where you work on music or play instruments, do podcasts, or any type of audio work, I guarantee it is worth every penny to have him treat the space. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Frogleg Synthesis
    One of my most treasured voltage processing modules, the Serge VCS control voltage generator and audio source (I had the Bananalogue version)...stopped working right! Oh no! My zaps were no longer zappy and whomps were no longer whompy. (I realize at this point this recommendation reads like Sprigley Sprockets, but this is all real.) I reached out for help on Analogue Heaven, and it just so happened Pete was on a business trip to San Jose, and drove up to analyze the problem. He took the module back with him, fixed it for a very reasonable price, and got me back in a happy place with my music studio. Pete was a pleasure to work with and did impeccable work. I highly recommend getting in touch with him if your electronic music equipment — especially eurorack — isn't working right, or if you need someone to put together that amazing DIY kit you'll never get right. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Beeline Bikes
    Beeline is the only company who works on my bikes now. It's that simple. Before them, I had been going to Palo Alto Bicycles for a few of my bikes and Velo Tech for the nice one. I was under some impression that because Tom at Velo Tech was an awesome tech, that only he was qualified to work on my Pinarello, blah blah blah. Wrong. From the first time Beeline pulled up in front of my house with their truck and took my bike, I realized I never had to deal with the old model of bike service again. Whether it was at my house or at work (they would come to Google while I was working there), I could just wheel my bike out, go back to whatever I was doing, and get a call from them when it was time to come get it. I've had them do everything from trivial bar tape and tuneups to complete component overhaul and replacement, and it only takes a few hours instead of dropping it off at the LBS and waiting a week, having to nag them, etc.

    They've given me the same amazing advice I would usually get from my LBS (like which vintage derailleur to put on my old bridgestone) and unlike the shop I was going to they weren't overcharging me on parts. So basically everything about this model is better, whether it's just having your bikes tuned up and cleaned for the spring, having a new online bike purchase assembled, or whatever, and their techs are absolute pros. Yes I am raving about them — and honestly I think everyone should be using them! It is just so much more convenient and it's an added bonus that the quality is so high and cost is reasonable. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Stork & Sprout
    Responding to a request for a night nurse — Stork & Sprout offers education and consultation at all stages of early newborn life — they worked with us up and through childbirth and the following few weeks and trained us on keeping things sane. They are likely able to help, or at least refer someone who can. But I'd suggest them as a first step and say that Justin and Cynthia Maxwell recommended them. Beyond that, I have to say that what ended up finally working for us was my being prison guard at 5 months, giving Cynthia earplugs, and going full on cry-it-out. It was three nights of torture followed by what has now been nearly 2 and a half years of great sleep for all of us (with occasional hiccups due to growing pains, teething, illness, and lately, monsters) read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Tim Curtis
    Tim responded to a request for assistance with my Sequential Circuits Studio 440 on Analogue Heaven. It's a 20 year old drum machine/sampler filled with irreplaceable parts that should only be worked on by someone who knows what they're doing. Specifically, I was modernizing it by installing an internal SCSI port so I could retrofit it with a SD card instead of using its own floppy drive — the disks suffer from bit rot and really, who wants to wait for a floppy drive to load anymore? Tim was incredibly helpful and went above and beyond on the job, sanding down a chassis part I had provided that didn't fit well, testing everything thoroughly, and even sending me photos of the completed job. To top it all off, he even delivered it to the person who was helping me sell it (Perfect Circuit Audio in the valley). He makes a strong disclaimer that he only works on stuff for friends & family, but I still wanted to recommend him here anyway because he did amazing work! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Sports, Orthopedic And Rehabilitation Medicine Associates (SOAR)
    Dr. Lehnert is both an outstanding orthopedic doctor and a top-notch human being. On a doctor level, he's friendly, upbeat, personable, and knowledgeable. On a human being level, he runs the International Extremity Project, a medical mission which provides free surgical correction for severe lower-extremity deformities to the underserved. I'm pretty sure he's a good person to start with — If not I am sure he can refer you to someone else he trusts. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended G & G Carpet, Rug, Upholstery & Tile Cleaners
    G&G has bailed us out a few times now. Let's just preface this with the important fact: we have a toddler. Our main couch began to look like a fluid battlezone. Mystery circles and splotches of all shades, everywhere. Ketchup handprints that still carry the audio fingerprint of the "NOOOOOOOOOoooooooo" vibrating through the air as the hand landed on the couch. Raisin smears. (Raisin smears? What?) And of course, the spills. Of every density and color available at the grocery store. So ok, the couch needed some attention. But the final straw came via a diaper blowout on the headboard of our master bed. G&G came to our rescue, handled it like pros, and restored the couch back to near-newness — which of course will last about a week. And then we'll call them again in 4 months. read more

  • Justin Maxwell is looking for a great UX/UI Design Firm in SF, CA
    A mobile financial app.

    A friend reached out to me because her private bank is looking to upgrade their mobile banking application. They are on the hunt for a great UX/UI design firm to work with. It's a large contract and needs a firm, not an individual. They'd like to have the firm on retainer through the end of the year. read more
    I can help

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Fabio Rosati
    Fabio is not a simply an investor in good ideas, he's clearly an equal member of our team. Even on our initial meeting where we went on a long walk discussing product vision and getting to know each other, we went into brainstorming mode for where the product could go and what the company could become. Working with him for the past few months has pushed us to think bigger and more clearly, getting our heads out of the features and value propositions and more into the trajectory and mission.

    I find that every time we discuss product — collaborate — with Fabio, we come out of the session invigorated, enthusiastic, and more focused on our goals as a company. Much of that is due to his inquisitive and non-confrontational style. Despite being tremendously successful in business, he never tells us what we are doing is right or wrong, only cites his own experience and asks us to evaluate whether or not that might apply to our situation. The conversations could be about the interaction design of our profile pages or the way we present our narrative to investors — at both levels he approaches the conversation as a collaborative mentor. We are truly fortunate to have him on board. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Bend Law Office
    Bend Law Group came highly recommended to us at Smith.ai (from another lawyer) as one of the best startup law firms in the area, and in turn, we recommend them as well. We worked with Luthien Niland. Luthien helped us in a big way. Our company has grown astronomically through word-of-mouth from happy customers. Many of them are practicing attorneys and firms. Our boilerplate Terms & Conditions suited us well for a while, but became a Frankenstein's monster of additions and clarifications as the service grew. We were finally called to task on it by a potential customer — it wasn't clear what we were trying to say, and they weren't comfortable signing up until we clarified things.

    Not only did Luthien help make our T&C more human-readable, but she also organized it in a way that allowed potential customers to clearly understand our focus on confidentiality and information ownership. The net result was a terms and conditions document that built a narrative of thoughtfulness and thoroughness for those reading it to understand the big picture, yet still provided detail and organization for the critical eye looking for specific answers.

    Communication-wise she was very collaborative — we worked together on a Google Doc until everyone was happy with the result.

    Overall — they know their stuff, their pricing is reasonable, their communication is quick and clear, and they are pleasant to work with. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended John Burkholder
    Dr. Burkholder is the first dentist I've had in decades of the "going to the dentist" routine who approaches dentistry as an ongoing coaching and betterment relationship. Prior to this, all my dentists had been reactive, cleaning up the problems, a slap on the wrist for missing a spot with floss, and out the door you go. My criteria for "a good dentist" was one who had the best chairside manner, best/modern equipment, best precision with the work itself and manner in which it was conducted, etc. And that's great, in that time I had some good dentists who did quality work. That is probably what most of you have experienced as well with your dentists.

    Dr. Burkholder instead approaches dental care as a forward-thinking, preventative practice. In covering the previously-mentioned areas, he and his team (Charmain, Vivian, and Farideh) are outstanding — so just being on par with what other dentists can provide, they would get a high recommendation. However, in focusing on optimal dental and gum health, they go above and beyond, creating action plans for their patients involving home cleaning routines other dentists would not mention, preventative resins to prevent the cavities from even developing, identifying areas the patients may be missing in their existing routines and how to remedy them, etc. I could go on forever. As Dr. Burkholder told me today, "we're not here to be judgmental, we're here to coach you."

    I found Dr. Burkholder because another friend of mine recommended him in a comment on Strava, saying similarly...that he was the best dentist he'd ever met and had been going there for years.

    The point is that I would describe Dr. Burkholder's team as more of the dental equivalent of a personal trainer + nutritionist + coach + doctor all in one. Absolutely the best dental team I've ever encountered and I have since recommended them to everyone I know! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended The Key
    Martha was critical to Mint.com's success. But let's back up.

    Before I met Martha, my experience with PR was essentially that you hire a person or firm to broadcast your product, feature, message, angle, story, etc., to the right journalists. You were paying for placement of your story in the media. Our PR at Apple was to shape and spin the story, coordinate the release of information and the influence it had. Our marketing team, not PR, ran the show — strategy, message, even the ordering of product features on a box.

    What Martha brought to Mint was a focus on that second component — product and messaging strategy, paired with the channels to release it on, timing in doing so, and coordination of product development to meet the message. Working with her reshaped my expectations for PR to consider "getting people to know about and use your product" is an essential part of a user journey. How and where they hear about it influences what they will expect when they use it, who they will tell about it, and how much leniency they'll grant your product in the early days.

    I left our collaboration on Mint knowing that not only was Martha the best PR i'd ever worked with or seen in action, but also she had reshaped my understanding for how PR (on a product that meets user need) can be an integral part of ongoing product growth. In 2017 with a business of my own now, when it came time for us to reach out to PR, she was the only person we even reached out to — why would we? :) read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended SynthSpa
    Allen created custom end panels / wood sides for my Korg Poly-61M. I was in the process of restoring mine to resell it – as much as I love it, I'm downsizing. So after doing the Tubbutec mods, replacing the battery, and cleaning it up a bit, the last bit was the problem: the already crappy particle-board end panels were falling apart. Lots of people just slap brown wood sides on a synth that were never meant to have them. After discussing it with Allen, he devised a plan to create a gray wash to capture the original aesthetic of the Poly-61M but add the classiness of the wood.

    Since he usually does this work on-site, he offered to send me the end panels and then walked me through the installation in detail which felt like someone telling me not to clip the blue wire or the whole bus would explode. But he stayed on the phone with me for an hour, preventing me from making mistakes (e.g., DO NOT USE A POWER SCREWDRIVER!) and nudging me to just push a little harder to get the existing end caps off.

    A lot of people gripe about his turnaround time but i can vouch that it was worth the wait to get exactly what I wanted for restoring this synthesizer. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Jenn Marie Writing & Marketing, LLC
    Jenn is incredible. From customer outreach to sales to writing, she brings a confident yet friendly voice to her clients. In our experience working with her, she helped our company grow through pushing us out of our comfort zone, saying "yes" to things we didn't know if we could say "yes" to yet, and most of all helping establish a point of view in the blog posts we were writing. We came out of the gate swinging as a result of her confidence and attitude and are forever grateful. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Simple Bit Design
    We've been following Craig's work since he announced his agency departure for a life of nomadic freelance design, living on the slopes of Whistler. When we had the chance to finally work with him, we jumped.

    Craig honestly redefined our expectations for remote design. From day one (maybe day two), he was a part of our team. He participated more in our Slack team than some of our own engineers — he quickly dove into product decisions, conversations, etc. He moved at the pace of our own process, quickly adapting to the tools we used and the ways we made decisions.

    When it came to his actual work, Craig was like a kid with a bunch of legos (legos being our bootstrap design system). He'd throw together multiple versions of things in minutes, removing his ego from the process and just getting conversation going about the options and advantages/disadvantages of each.

    Craig gets our absolute highest recommendation and we'd be thrilled to work with him again. We only parted ways because he took a full-time role. But the moment we can steal him back, we will. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Margo Stern
    Margo serves one of those critical functions you might not know exists in how feral & rescue cats eventually become fantastic, loved pets. She works with rescue cats to become more socialized, learning to trust people and adjust to households. It's a balance of patience, affection, and most importantly not-getting-attached-and-turning-into-a-crazy-cat-person-with-100-cats, which occurs in pet rehabilitation. She evangelizes the work, shares photos of the cats and tries to get people she knows involved in their adoption and care.

    If it were not for someone like her, we would not have our cat (the best cat ever), who lived as a stray in Sacramento for a few years before we got him at 9 Lives in Redwood City. So if you have a rescue cat that hasn't fully adjusted to your family, she is someone you can reach out to for advice and perhaps some consultation. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Smith.ai
    Joelle has been the friendly face of my business for over half a year now. When I can't get to the phone, she does, and she's far better at handling the calls and keeping them under control than I have ever been. She's incredibly organized, personable and unexpectedly funny — not something we anticipated but are very thankful she is! Her organizational and leadership skills quickly helped her become a product specialist and lead receptionist, able to not only be the face of our company but also lead its growth. Joelle onboards new clients for us, sells and evangelizes our capabilities to customers who aren't sure yet, and recruits new members of the team to help us scale up. It is fair to say we couldn't have done it without her and for that we highly recommend her! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Sartain's Sassy Stitches
    Angela's custom dolls, baby hats, and baby costumes are like no others I've ever seen. Many people mix traditional styles with modern interests but Angela takes it to a new level. From afar it's a cute doll, but up close it's missing an eye and its limb is coming off. Or hey, why does Iron Man have to be so cuddly and cute?

    I met Angela through our receptionist service and have watched her knitting and crocheting business skyrocket during that time, creating characters from The Walking Dead, Avengers, horror movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, and many others. Her work is so in demand now that she's backed up for months. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended MightyTidyOrganizing
    We highly recommend Bridget for home organization work. She's very thoughtful, prompt, and professional, with a bit of humor that made our pantry more fun than we would have (e.g., "funny flours" as a label on my bin of flax, almond, coconut, lentil, and other flours).

    Bridget came recommended via PVForum — a few people had worked with her and had great things to say. We just finished a remodel and I hit a mental roadblock. The new kitchen was different than the old kitchen, and I was just stuck trying to figure out where everything should go and starting to really stress out about it. The thought of paying someone else hundreds of dollars to sort the issue out started to seem a lot more reasonable considering how much time I was spending getting nowhere.

    I emailed Bridget and heard back within two hours, which is a great sign to me — if I don't hear back I'll just move on to the next person. We coordinated a walkthrough where she came over, assessed the available space, the layout, the goods, and interviewed me about how I use my kitchen, how we cook, how our minds group things (really important!), what things are in flux and what aren't, and so on. A few days later she came back with two bags of containers and organizers in hand and got to work. I stayed around working from home in case she had any questions, which happened a few times, like "which oil do you use most?". Four hours later everything was in cabinets, organized, and labeled. And the best part is that she planned ahead of time for our son to be able to reach his snack drawer. Everything appears organized in a way that works with the way we work, and far better than we would have done (she knew that tiny lazy susans existed and put them in small, deep spaces where reaching back would have been annoying. Overall we are very happy with her service and find this to be well worth it. Her rates are totally reasonable considering how much time it saved me. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Carrie Dean-Hood
    Carrie is the best cat sitter on the planet. She is trustworthy, reliable, and most of all genuinely loves the cats she looks after. We have been working with her for probably 5-6 years now. She used to be part of Fetch! Pet Care, but when they closed up shop she went solo. When she looks after our cat she plays with him for at least a half hour every day, sends photos and videos, tells us about any unusual behavior. When he was sick she gave him medicine without any problems, too. But the best thing ever is one time we went on vacation and she sent us photos of him wearing a spider costume! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Wilson's Window Washing
    Jose and his team did an outstanding job of navigating our house on a hill with ease last year, and even got past some crazy hornets we didn't know about. They were very fast, thorough, and meticulous. The price was great as well. Many people on the Ladera mailing list recommend him as he has been working in the area for years and knows what to expect read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Fenwick & West LLC
    Where do I begin? On a business level, Michael is _sharp_. He forms opinions about things through questioning and filling in information, not through snap judgments and opinions. He is passionate about new technology and services that make the world better, yet remains grounded in reality. When committed to your project he brings a passion and dedication to it as a real stakeholder. Of course the basics apply, he knows his stuff when it comes to startup law. On a personal level, Michael has been a friend and mentor for a decade. He brings a positivity and energy to conversations that find the bright side of everything, and turns challenges into opportunities. And it's his fault that I started running 10 years ago! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Fenwick & West LLP
    Stefano was recommended to us by Michael Esquivel of Fenwick & West for help with our Terms & Conditions. It was clear from the moment we began discussing the product he had already familiarized himself with it and understood its mechanics. His questions were insightful and thorough, probing how users interact with each other, how pros can interact with each other, and the security and privacy implications of such. When working with the expensive guys you're always concerned about the time on the clock, and we felt our conversation with him was well worth it! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Maria Delgado
    Maria has been cleaning our house since...before we lived here. She was employed by the previous owner who highly recommended her. Our neighbor has worked with her and her family for 20+ years. She is reliable, trustworthy, prompt, and also happens to be an amazing singer! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended AIS, Inc.
    Jim and Reese did an amazing job installing my Bosch kitchen appliances this week. Their attention to detail on the existing work in the kitchen was evident. They got the fridge panels 99.9% of the way there and then only needed me for the last 0.1% alignment, and even then I imagine this is just a trick of the trade to make the client feel useful :) They were incredibly professional and careful. When an incident arose where someone banged the wood and dented it, (even though I am pretty certain it was not them but someone else who wouldn't fess up to it) they offered a compromise on that as well. I highly recommend these folks for any appliance installation in the future and am very thankful that Sharon at CBD recommended them! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Modica Landscaping
    Bob Rosenberg of Gr8Work builders recommended Don to me. My friend Gina is working on a project and said she simply needed someone she can trust to tell about the project, walk away, and have it done perfectly without needing a ton of decisions from her along the way. Bob said Don is the guy to go to. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Innovect
    Mark was the first "startup guy" at our company who knew how to Get Shit Done™ when he joined Upthere. He took care of every niche was covered — everything from marketing to server maintenance to getting the team out for social events. He knows how small teams work, how to organize, and how to work with...difficult personalities. Mark got our JIRA set up properly, greased the wheels between design and management, and kept a smile through the craziness.

    As a automotive enthusiast and early Apple employee, he's brought that same valley savviness to his passions as well. He is a person to turn to for getting business going here. He knows people...and those people know people. He knows how to connect the dots and can advise on the strategies to do so. read more

  • Aaron Lee recommended Justin Maxwell
    Justin is the rockstar designer. He builds sexy design with attention to details. His ability to listen to idea and feedback is very rare because most designers think they need to be stubborn and opinionated. On top of that, he loves talking to customers and users to build features that actually matter to them. Highly recommended! read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Commite Inc.
    We've been working with Héctor and Commite for nearly a year. They are fantastic. At first I was hesitant about putting so much responsibility in a team on the other side of the planet. However, Héctor works hard to bridge the time-zone gap with daily standups and thoughtful communication throughout his day. The work the team does is very requirements-driven. They do everything by the book and to the detail specified in our product documents. Their skills range from front-end to back-end, and Héctor himself has thrown in UX and UI design skills in our agent-facing products as well. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Carbon Solutions Bicycle Painting & Carbon Repair
    I met with Joe of Carbon Solutions Bicycle Painting and Carbon Repair last weekend.
    Joe painted my Leopard a couple of years ago and recently did a little work on my bike.

    So interesting factoids about Joe.
    -He's got about 25 years of bike repair experience.
    -He was one of the main, possibly the main carbon fix it guy at Calfee for about 10 years. Still helps Calfee when they get busy. He was painting a Calfee tandem when I dropped off my bike.
    -Once Calfee decided to start up their own carbon repair business he opened up his own business. Real simple not fancy, no frills kind of shop.
    -He was the painter/repair guy for Leopard before the Leopard brand folded and he was told to stop.
    -Joe is the fix it guy for Specialized. Sounds like Specialized has had numerous failures where the seat stays come off the seat tube.

    He gets real busy during the race/crash season then things slow down during the off season. I asked him if he wanted more business, he said
    sure. He's got several other guys he can bring in when Specialized gives him a dozen + frames to work on so he can handle more business.
    I asked him what can and can't be fixed. Almost everything on a carbon frame. All the tubes can be repaired, the only area he doesn't repair are forks, they can easily be replaced, and he'll avoid rear dropouts with serious damage. It's too critical an area to repair.

    So if you've got a broken frame in your garage or in your future don't chuck it fix it.
    If you're itching for a new customized paint job on any bike, Joe can do it. Some of our club members have had their bikes painted by Joe. read more

  • Justin Maxwell created a new Startup Advisor / Design Mentor profile
    Justin Maxwell read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended John Tejada
    John is capable and talented across a wide range of musical styles, primarily electronic. He's extremely easy to work with and very honest about the material and options. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Envirotek Restoration Inc.
    Sammy did first-class work on our deck and front stairs. He's fast and reliable.

    We had a bit of a scare once when his team came a month early and we thought there were people breaking into our yard, called the cops on them (we saw just a bunch of people show up on our security cameras taking away our patio furniture!), and he was hugely apologetic about it and cleared the whole situation up. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Brown Financial & Insurance Services
    I have a great recommendation for you to someone is very experienced and knowledgeable about life insurance. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Gil Mora
    Gil is great. He's worked on our house for a few years, replacing screen windows, fixing rotting eaves, repainting our stairwell and front porch, fixing interior stair lips and planters, and much more. He is very knowledgeable, pays close attention to detail, and is professional and friendly.

    Sometimes he is away on travel, so if you attempt to get in touch with him and do not hear back, that is likely why. Otherwise he is very responsive and attentive on the phone. read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Gr8Work Builders, Inc.
    Mark has kept our project on track and is very focused on customer satisfaction read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Harney Floors
    Bob and Mark of GR8Work Builders brought Tom on to our project read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended York's Wood Restoration
    Steve and his helper refinished our deck by hand and repaired damaged boards. They did incredible, detailed work. He books up way in advance so it's best to plan ahead. He is also highly recommended by neighbors for restoring wooden furniture read more

  • Justin Maxwell recommended Bronwen Williams Bodywork
    I haven't worked with Bronwen, but I have heard really great things about her work from many friends. Many people that I know say that she is the right person for the task. read more