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Small Biz Geek

Small Biz Geek

Small Business Design, Marketing & Technology Journal

Website design services

A Journal on Small Business Design, Marketing and Technology

  • The Internet
  • Marketing
  • Graphic Design
  • Web Dev
  • Web Design
  • Social Media
  • Technology
  • Miscellaneous

Small Business in the 21st Century

Small Biz Geek is aimed at UK self-employed/small business owners with a beginner to intermediate knowledge of design, marketing and technology.

My name is Darren and this website is an online notebook stuffed with thoughts, ideas, tutorials and practical tips.

Hailing from Ilkeston in the Derby/Nottingham area of the East Midlands, England, I’m passionate about teaching what I know and learning what I don’t.

I provide a website design service and love to work closely with self-employed individuals and small Companies.

What Type of Small Business Geek Are You?

This is the kind of geek you probably are:

  • Beginner to intermediate skill level 
  • Uses Windows operating system
  • Uses a Linux shared web host
  • Running a WordPress.org website

What Type of Business Person Are You?

This is the kind of person you probably are:

  • Business owner, manager, employee, freelancer, virtual assistant, technical support
  • Often works from home or remote location
  • Might also work from commercial office or premises
  • Reader of books, listener of podcasts
  • Enjoys learning and digging deep into the details
  • Hates spammers

Computer Love…

Society is firmly entrenched in computers. The charming allure of digital screens has fast-tracked communications and offered up convenience surpassing all past predictions.

Whether you’re controlling your boiler thermostat or trading in the financial sector, the varied applications of computer technology have touched every aspect of modern life.

While consumer habits favour and fuel technology, it’s fair to say it presents a non-negotiable situation often viewed with trepidation.

Printed Page Ink Cartridge

Disruption to the Status Quo

The cyber age is throttling the traditional manufacturing economy spawned by the industrial revolution of the 1700’s.

Early mass production led to the bespoke cottage industries of 18th Century England becoming disenfranchised if not completely uprooted.

Although large electricity companies still mine fossil fuels, and third world countries rely mostly on manufacturing, the age of industry is pretty much over.

It has been superseded by what began in the 1960’s as the digital revolution. It’s still going on today. 

Spinning Jenny

The Spinning Jenny seemed radical at the time

Disruptive innovation has both created and threatened markets for a long time. Henry Ford was able to find a way to use his Model T production line to double the wage of mechanics in Detroit.

Ford’s mass production lines were instrumental to the war effort and changed manufacturing forever in post World War 2 America.

With a sharp rise in commercial output, mass marketing was born.

Although new developments astonish us initially, they become part of the norm. Technology is predictable; it will always try to do things better, faster, cheaper.

Think about the following technological advancements:

  • Electricity disrupted gas
  • Aeroplanes disrupted balloons
  • Fax machines trumped letters
  • Hard drives are virtual filing cabinets
  • Scanners have threatened the photocopier market
  • Mobile phones have made public phones redundant
  • Email has just about replaced fax
  • SMS created a convenient alternative to voice calls
  • Cloud computing is gaining ground as a substitute for fixed data centers
  • Internet mobile devices have a larger market share than desktop computers
  • Social media is uniting kindred spirits (as well as sulking teenagers)

Thirty years ago, USB sticks, search engines, Photoshop, podcasts, YouTube, Skype and iPhones were unheard of. Now these technologies are as common as a cup of coffee.

Design, Marketing & Technology

Design, marketing and technology are a means to an end. Whatever a business is selling, they are first and foremost a problem solver.

Design can be conceptual as well as visual. Spreadsheets, management systems and coding are every bit as valid as logos, leaflets or business cards.

Marketing is the process of identifying and serving a particular group of people with a particular problem needing a particular solution. As a result of planning and analysis, the design is commissioned to deliver a specific message to those with the problem.

I Will Help You Build an Engaging Website

Shop

Whether you’re a consultant, one man band, small organisation, shop, office or factory, I want to help.

Let me teach you – in plain English – how you can use design, marketing and technology for decreasing costs, increasing income, streamlining operations and saving time.

Hire me to build a new website from scratch, or redesign an existing one.

We will come up with a plan of action together by first completing a questionnaire about what you do and what you want to achieve, change or improve.

Let’s make your website content-rich and engaging to help you build trust among your prospective clients/customers.

There’s nothing worse than a website that fails to communicate properly. I see it all the time! Don’t be yet another online corporate brochure – be interesting.

  • Read the monthly journal for tips, ideas, guidance and motivation
  • Let’s work together on your small business website

OnPage SEO Website Structure Spreadsheet

Website Architecture, Planning & Development Spreadsheet

Plan Your Website On Page SEO: Free Excel Template

By Small Biz Geek · Filed Under: Featured, Video, Web Development

The next time you build, develop or SEO a website, consider using this handy free Excel spreadsheet document designed to help organise on page data…

Recommended Books

Don't Make Me think - Steve Krug

“Don’t Make Me Think: Revisited” – Steve Krug (Book Review)

By Small Biz Geek · Filed Under: Books, Design, Web Development

A person of average technical ability must be able to navigate your website easily. This is required reading for anyone wanting to create a better experience for their visitors…

Graphic Design & Web Design

Waiting on Final Images for a WordPress Website? Use Temporary Placeholders & Design Around Them

By Small Biz Geek · Filed Under: Design, Web Development, WordPress

Don’t wait on graphics or photos while your WordPress website is being built. Create your layout using placeholder images and edit these exact same files once you have the final artwork. How often do you begin building a site only to discover the images you need are not ready? Perhaps you’re eager to add photos, […]

Marketing

Rivals can edit public online business info

Competitors Can Easily Edit Your Google & Facebook Business Listings

By Small Biz Geek · Filed Under: Marketing

It’s possible for competitors to maliciously edit your public Google and Facebook business information listings. These attempts by rivals to mislead your customers could be happening right under your nose and you might not even notice.

Technology & Gadgets

SIM Card Cutting Guide

Resize Your Phone SIM Card: Free Printable Cutting Guide (PDF)

By Small Biz Geek · Filed Under: Gadgets, Video

In situations where your SIM card is too large for the phone, you’ll need a cutting guide. In this post, you can download a free printable PDF guide…

Ideas, Rants, Thoughts & Musings

Car wash

Childhood Business Ventures: What Was Yours?

By Small Biz Geek · Filed Under: Miscellaneous, Operations, Sales

What did you do to earn pocket money as a child? Oh, how times have changed, and yet it is still fun to remember the excitement of young entrepreneurship…

About the Webmaster

Hello, my name is Darren, a 35-year-old business enthusiast eager to learn and do good work.

I’m a website builder for hire working with small to medium businesses.

I network in Derby, Ilkeston and Nottingham in the East Midlands, England.

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Recently Read Book

Don't Make Me think - Steve Krug

“Don’t Make Me Think: Revisited” – Steve Krug (Book Review)

A person of average technical ability must be able to navigate your website easily. This is required reading for anyone wanting to create a better experience for their visitors…

Latest Journal Entries

  • Competitors Can Easily Edit Your Google & Facebook Business Listings
  • Waiting on Final Images for a WordPress Website? Use Temporary Placeholders & Design Around Them
  • GoDaddy Loves Spamming Branded Footer Links to WordPress Installatron Sites
  • Dealing with Negative Comments on Your Paid Social Media Posts
  • Childhood Business Ventures: What Was Yours?
  • Local Business Websites: “About” Pages Done Right Will Attract and Delight Readers
  • Magazine Advertising Scam: Rogues Impersonate Crime Prevention Officers
  • Privacy and Data Protection is a Matter of Life and Death for Some
  • Magazine Advertising Scam: Bogus Children’s Cancer Charity Misleading Small Businesses
  • UK Businesses Electronically Processing Data Are Legally Required to Register with the ICO
  • Stolen Credit Card Email Scam Targets Small Businesses and Service Providers
  • Nuisance Calls, Emails and Empty Promises: The Bungling Incompetence of Yell.com

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Small Biz Geek
Office 897
109 Vernon House
Friar Lane
Nottingham
NG1 6DQ

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Tel: +44 (0) 7951 897 243

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