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Small Biz Geek

Small Biz Geek

Small Business Design, Marketing & Technology Journal

Website design services

Nerdy analysis of 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 containing thoughts, ideas, tutorials and practical help.

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 where I work closely with self-employed individuals and small firms. I’m registered with HMRC as a sole trader so IR35 tax status does not factor in. 

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
  • Operating or planning 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.

Even China’s Five Year Plans reflect a shift to information and finance.

Making physical things is being superseded by what began in the 1960’s as the digital revolution and it’s now really beginning to take off. 

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 almost redundant
  • Email has just about replaced fax
  • SMS created a convenient alternative to voice calls
  • Cloud computing is gaining ground for home-based remote staffing
  • 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. 
  • Technology is the hardware and software operating in our lives, whether we acknowledge it or not. It could be a simple Biro pen or a complex block-chain. 

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

Photo of a dog wearing large glasses using a computer tablet

Computer Says No: Does Your Website Work for People with Disabilities?

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

The 2020 surge in internet use has led to record levels of online activity. It’s high time for businesses to check that their apps and websites are fully accessible to all.

Marketing

Graphic image of Face mask and QR codes

In the Pandemic, QR Codes are Finally Proving Worthy in the West

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

In western society QR codes have been mostly regarded as an ugly marketing gimmick, but they’re now proving valuable as a logistical solution to the virus problem.

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

Photo of a person typing on a laptop keyboard

Small Biz Owners “Trapped” Using Email Addresses Belonging to Internet Service Providers

By Small Biz Geek · Filed Under: Internet, Miscellaneous

Don’t build your personal and professional life around the complimentary “free” email addresses supplied by your broadband provider. It shouldn’t need to be said, but apparently it does.

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Latest Journal Entries

  • Exposed: The Chinese Investment Fraud “Recovery” Scammer Deceiving Victims
  • Computer Says No: Does Your Website Work for People with Disabilities?
  • Chinese Tinder Profiles Are Using Photos of Pretty Girls to Scam “Investors”
  • Small Biz Owners “Trapped” Using Email Addresses Belonging to Internet Service Providers
  • In the Pandemic, QR Codes are Finally Proving Worthy in the West
  • Small Businesses Finally Start Marketing and All It Took Was a Global Pandemic
  • Unable to Meet in Person? Communicate Stress-Free with Online Audio/Video
  • UK Contractors Operating Ltd Companies Should Be Mad as Hell with HMRC and IR35
  • 20 Years On and Website Hit Counters are Still a Waste of Pixels
  • Competitors Can Easily Edit Your Google and Facebook Business Listings
  • Waiting on Final Images for a WordPress Website? Use Temporary Placeholders and Design Around Them
  • GoDaddy Loves Spamming Branded Footer Links to WordPress Installatron Sites

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Small Biz Geek
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37 Westminster Buildings
Theatre Square
Nottingham
NG1 6LG

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Tel: +44 (0) 7951 897 243

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