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John Roescher began building websites in high school. He quickly realized he had a knack for it.
Then, just out of high school, he joined the military, becoming part of a hard-charging unit that felt like a family.
Since then, the two components of his background have played a major part in setting the tone for the fast-growing Austin-based company he co-founded. Handsome, which launched almost four years ago, is technically a custom product studio which is building websites and mobile products for brands, especially lean startups looking to break into the marketplace. To hear Roescher explain the company, though, it’s far bigger and more aspirational.
His studio is somewhere between an ad agency, with a focus is design, and a consulting firm, with a focus on business strategy. Handsome is distinguishing itself by being full service and incorporating user research to propel it all. So far, Handsome’s staff of nearly 50 developers, designers, brand messengers, engineers has racked up a resume of dozens of clients such as Austin standout HomeAway.
And when it comes to the way Roescher and his fellow cofounders Adam Deutsch, Brandon Termini and Alex Zub lead, the Marine Corps is a definite inspiration. Being a soldier, especially in conflict areas, has made Roescher able to handle several moving parts and to remain calm during chaos.
“We’re not any less afraid of risk but we take it for what it is,” Roescher said. “What we’ve tried to do is create a culture, align ourselves with our mission, values and strategy and then stick to that.”
What's in a name?
The name Handsome is not just meant as a superficial ode to attractiveness, but speaks to the more well-rounded definition that its founders associate with the word. Conceived in the prototypically startup way — over drinks in a bar — it encapsulates the desire for the agency to be “purposeful, beautiful and delightful.”
“Technology should serve design and not the other way around,” he said. “Companies and brands should become more useful, and we want to aid in that.”
The aim is creating experiences for users, not just developing an app.
Killer clients
When Handsome was hired by HomeAway it was at a point when 1 million short-term rental listings were up for grabs online. HomeAway wanted to do some sort of ad campaign to draw attention to this fact and to launch an online destination that could tie to a consumer contest around this.
For FareCompare, a Dallas startup that’s rivaling a travel search engine like Kayak, Handsome isn’t merely creating a website to get the brand’s name out there. Roescher says his team is looking into how consumers search for information about trips. They’ll study what users are ascertaining on their phones versus the web and come up with a comprehensive plan for FareCompare to utilize this information.
That way, Handsome is functioning as more of a partner than just a hired design hand.
Big growth
Being physically situated Austin -- except for a small presence in Russia -- has contributed to the company’s acceleration, according to Roescher.
“We have access to great people, and most (from out of the area) have no issue moving to Austin,” he adds. “Austin itself is a big draw.”
Learning about so many rapidly growing startups is one of Roescher's favorite things about working in Austin. One of Handsome’s future projects involves putting together a Product Hunt that will specifically showcase the city’s best and brightest in tech.
Also on the horizon is taking a human-centered design emphasis and applying it to an increasing number of clients.
“Our first priority is to grow our understanding and practice around this way of thinking. Out of that will come company growth,” Roescher said. “We’re just working on larger problems for larger and larger companies.”
