Archive for the ‘Business’ category

Beauty in Profit

If you’re reading this blog, you’re most likely a web designer/developer and you most likely enjoy your job too, but let’s not be shy because as much as we enjoy working in this industry we’re also trying to make a living.

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What web designers can learn from George Clarke

For those, who do not know, George Clarke is a highly successful British architect and he presents a TV show on channel 4 in the UK called, The Home Show. Although Clarke’s expertise is architecture and interior design, throughout the show he demonstrates some great techniques that easily cross over into web design.

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Tax

The fact that I spent Saturday morning on a course on the subject of tax with several other freelancers, says a lot about how much my life has changed recently.

The fact that I found myself thoroughly enjoying it and feeling it was the best money I’d spent in a long time says a whole lot more.

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The Autopsy of a failed web app

It’s time to stop pretending; Cart45, the web app released in July 2008 was not the resounding success I or my employers had hoped for. This post, will undoubtedly burn some bridges, but I hope something can be learnt from it.

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The cost of burglary

Two weeks ago, I arrived home to find my home had been broken into and most of my computer equipment had been stolen.

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Self promotion Part 3: Blogging

In the final part of this mini-series on self-promotion I discuss blogging, its benefits and how it works for self-promotional purposes.

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Self promotion Part 2: Speaking at events

In the second part of this investigative mini-series on self-promotion, I talk with Dan Donald and find out about speaking at events.

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Self promotion Part 1: Entering and/or winning awards

Freelancers don’t have the marketing budgets of large corporations but they still have the need to promote and market themselves. In this short series I’ll be talking to local web professionals and hearing about their self-promotion techniques. Part 1 focuses on entering/winning awards.

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Little yellow boxes

2008 is my first Christmas as a freelancer, so I thought I’d take the time to say thank you to some of my best clients with some little yellow boxes of joy.

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No more (web) heroes anymore…

The web has been buzzing this week over the ill-fated, make-your-employees-redundant-then-blog-about-it-somewhat-insensitively, debacle over at Carsonified HQ.

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Some recent business mistakes and the lessons learnt

This week, saw me make some business mistakes and pay the price for it. I hereby choose to share my shortcomings here in the hope that others may learn from my feeble business brain.

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How much does it cost to be a freelance web developer?

A computer, broadband and knowledge. Those three items alone are all you need to set up as a freelance web developer. You already have all three so, essentially, it costs nothing to start up your own web business: or does it?

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Review: Focal Point Lecture – Code Computerlove

Last night, I went to a talk by Code Computerlove’s MD, Tony Foggett – part of a series called the Focal Point lectures. It was a very useful talk where Tony told us all about how Code came about and its complete history.

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Web development tasks never take just 5 minutes

Whilst working at my last agency, I received an excellent piece of advice from the then Lead Developer: “Web development tasks never take just 5 minutes”.

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Bean counting… or how I manage my freelance business finances

When I first starting freelancing over a year ago, I quickly became dragged down with how much time it would take me to generate quotes/invoices and send them on to clients. Rather, than put up with that situation or pay for a solution I wrote my own.

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Phil Thompson

<img />... is the online home of Manchester web designer / web developer Phil Thompson.


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Manchester Interior Designer, Stina Willett