Small Biz Geek is for small business owners, managers, freelancers and virtual assistants with a beginner to intermediate knowledge of design, marketing and technology.
My name is Darren and this website offers practical help, ideas and tutorials in the blog, as well as reviews and recommendations of handy tools. 💡
A website design service is available to help you market your business and sell your stuff in a way that your prospects and clients actually care about.
What Type of Business Geek Are You?
This is the kind of geek you probably are:
✅ Beginner to intermediate skill level
✅ Uses Windows operating system
✅ Uses Linux web hosting
✅ Operating or planning a WordPress.org website
What Type of Business Person Are You?
This is the kind of business person you probably are:
✅ Business owner, manager, freelancer, virtual assistant, tech support
✅ Often works from home or remote location
✅ Reader of books, listener of podcasts
✅ Hates spammers, scammers and idiotic salespeople
Computer Love?
Society is firmly entrenched in computers. If you’ve still not figured that out, or are “stuck in the nineties”, well, FFS, what the hell have you been doing? Digital this-that-and-the-other has been breathing down our necks for a good twenty years and is integral to commerce.
And yes, you’re correct in saying that anyone who enjoys shoving Bakewell tart up their own backside on TikTok for likes, shares and comments needs to exiled to Siberia in a Soviet-era Gulag.
Look, whether you’re controlling your boiler thermostat or trading in the financial sector, computer technology is all up in our faces. No putting the toothpaste back in the tube now!
On the other hand, please, please, PLEASE tread carefully in this dangerous world of internet myopia, mass social media groupthink, technology panacea ideology, and misguided, boneheaded marketing and sales disasters.
Asleep at the Wheel
For decades, influencers have been selling shovels and pickaxes for the internet goldmine, and the walled garden of Big Tech social has lulled us to sleep amongst their massively profitable but wildly-changing rented land algorithms.
Yep. The shifting digital sands beneath the very foundations of our businesses are in fact sinkholes that can and do indiscriminately swallow entire livelihoods.
One bloke told me “it’s ridiculous having to rely on Google the way that I do.”
Disruption to the Status Quo
The cyber age has throttled the traditional manufacturing economy spawned by the industrial revolution of the 1700’s. History teaches us much, so lets gorge on facts!
The Spinning Jenny seemed radical at the time
Early mass production led to the bespoke cottage industries of 18th Century England becoming disenfranchised if not completely uprooted, and although large electricity companies still mine fossil fuels, and developing countries rely mostly on manufacturing, the age of industry is now pretty much over.
Disruptive innovation has both created and threatened markets for a long time. Google did it, but that’s already old hat.
In the twentieth century, Henry Ford found a way to use his Model T production line to double the wage of mechanics in Detroit, and Ford’s mass production lines were instrumental to the war effort.
With a sharp rise in post World War 2 commercial output, mass marketing was born.
Let’s fast forward to the present day. We’re drowning in plastic shit that no one needs. However, this cheap imported crap gets sold by the bucket load through the creation of desire and aspiration.
You can refer to that as “demand generation”.
Anyway, fancy new developments and innovation astonish us initially, then they become part of the norm. Just remember this: we all have tiny computers in our pockets – and these very devices also happen to be able to make phone calls. As amazing as that is, I’m a little concerned for my testicles! It’s as serious as cancer.
Technology is predictable; it will always try to do things better, faster, cheaper. Even before the internet, technology was always in development. A plastic biro pen is “technology” for God’s sake!
Think about the following technological advancements:
✅ Electricity disrupted gas
✅ Aeroplanes disrupted balloons
✅ Fax machines disrupted letters
✅ Hard drives replaced most filing cabinets
✅ Mobile phones made public phones almost redundant
✅ Email replaced fax
✅ 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 (and dividing others)
✅ Artificial Intelligence is [fill in the blank] 😆
Thirty years ago, USB sticks, search engines, Photoshop, podcasts, YouTube, Skype and iPhones were unheard of. Now these technologies are as common as coffee, and as addictive.
Problems, Problems, Everywhere…
Whatever a business is selling, they are usually a problem solver. Yes, some selling revolves around gain rather than pain, but if you want to be philosophical, a lot of buyers’ reasons behind purchases (and buying is emotional, not logical) comes down to a lack of something.
Fancy bullshit websites absolutely do look good. They should be fast loading – and all that jazz – but what the hell is the website for? Why does it need to exist and how is it furthering your business objectives?
If you’re having someone build you a website, you’d better know who it’s aimed at, why and for what purpose, and how you’re gonna get it done (the “how” is the part the expert supplies).
Why You Should Read This Website
On this website, I write blogs that explore various technology ideas and concepts for the running of a modern small business, some of which might be totally new to you (or not, if you’re a seasoned intermediate business owner/manager) with an emphasis on problems and their solutions.
Scam Alert: They’re Everywhere All Day, Everyday
One thing we all loathe is scams. Those represent not just problems but in many cases, disaster.
There are plenty of frauds, scams, cybercrime… there always will be, and it grows in sophistication by the day.
Sadly, because of the internet, many of us have become indoctrinated by, addicted to, and willing participants of cultural hysteria. Often leading the charge and stoking the flames are dollar-eyed gurus dangling gold-plated carrots wrapped in clever online clickbait right in front of the gullible, greedy and desperate.
Handing Cash Over to Cryptomaniacs?
For example, during the pandemic, there was a huge uptick in Tinder-related cryptocurrency scams. People honestly thought communicating with and sending vast sums of money to complete strangers online was a good business investment.
“Well that won’t ever happen to me, Darren!” I hear you cry. That’s what everyone thinks… right up until the point that it actually happens.
Good Old-fashioned Pyramid Schemes Plague Social Media
Take me for example: in 2006 I managed to find myself participating in the Amway pyramid scheme. That was a close call! No harm done but, oh my… was that an eye opener.
The SEO Deathmatch
There’s other stuff you should read too..
…like the crap that goes on in the battleground that is search engines, where the competition for attention does not preclude having to watch your back to make sure your business rivals haven’t hired dodgy anonymous agents to sabotage your online presence.
SEO has turned into something of a deathmatch, frankly. And if your business strategy rests on this and nothing else besides (to mitigate the inevitable rug pull), you might want to hold your horses and rethink everything. Without going into too much detail, you might want to prioritise website conversion optimisation over pure search rankings. Common sense, that.
Can We Ever Actually Trust Online Reviews?
There’s all the stuff about fake reviews too. Yes – that’s something else we all need to be aware of, lest the result of a bad decision made on faith actually lead to a fatality. No exaggeration there!
The Internet CAN Be a Force For Good…
Sorry to sound like it’s all doom and gloom. It’s not all negative, but people really must wake up.
For many people, the use of the internet in general for marketing and sales purposes is very much a “glass half full” proposition, when in fact, there are incredible opportunities to grow your income and have the lifestyle you want, and in a meaningful, ethical manner.
All I ask is that you be careful and make decisions wisely. Watch out for charlatans. Avoid Yell.com. Realise that echo chambers surround us even if it doesn’t feel like you are the one suffering with myopia.
There are plenty of blogs on design and marketing to set you straight and ensure time is spent on the right things while avoiding as much of the shiny bullshit as possible.
Attract, Seduce, Sell: Let’s Build You an Engaging Website
Whether you’re a consultant, one man band, small organisation, retailer, office or factory, give me money to help you get more.
Let me help you use design, marketing and technology for decreasing costs, increasing income, streamlining operations and saving time.
Hire me to build a new website or redesign an existing one while keeping in mind what it all comes down to: your sales.
- Read the journal for tips, ideas, guidance and motivation
- Let’s work together on your small business website
