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Making physical things is being superseded by what began in the 1960’s as the digital revolution and it’s now really beginning to take off.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