I've been running Salcombe web Design for over 7 years now. I started freelancing when I was working as a cinema projectionist for Vue Cinemas in Manchester, so I've been in the business now for around 10 years. (wow that means I was just 22).
So why "Salcombe Web Design"? Why did I not continue operating on a freelance level? I think over the years there has been some confusion here over what Salcombe Web Design is.
When I relocated back to Devon (I grew up in Kingsbridge and spent most of my younger years helping out at the family art gallery in Salcombe.) Salcombe always felt more of a home to me than near by Kingsbridge, so in need of a space to continue freelancing from I chose to take up the offer of the back room in the family gallery to work from. After a couple of years I was ready to take on my own premisses and I moved into my current first floor office on Island Street in Salcombe
As a freelancer, putting yourself out there to get new work is as important as doing the work you have, I needed an internet presence. I needed to attract local business and I found the domain name salcombewebdesign.com was not already registered, it seemed silly not to grab the opportunity and get myself a place in Google, and thus Salcombe Web Design was borne.
Since then I have still been a freelancer, I kind of define this by the fact my customers are not only businesses and individuals needing websites, but also other local development firms needing outside help. Where I have run into my own capacity I have employed trusted local freelancers to fill in my staffing needs.
Today Salcombe Web Design is made up of a group of freelancers that share work and ideas, I work with specific people I both trust and know have the skills to deliver.
I discovered over the years that building a website as a freelancer is a unique process. I don't know of many freelancers who provide a solution for their clients by operating on a solo level. Great websites come out of great teams of people managed by an individual who understands all aspects of what is required, from client interaction and the design phase, through to html and css development, through to front end functionality and advanced server side programming. All of these aspects are needed for a website to be what a website should be.
I titled this article Big Changes, so what are these big changes?
A few week ago the phone rang and thinking it was a client enquiry and I answered as I usually do, to my surprise it was the managing director of Aspidistra Software with an attractive job offer, I think this technically means I was head hunted. It only takes a brief look through their website to understand why this offer is so attractive. Aspidistra Software have developed a unique ecommerce solution that integrates in to SAGE. That might not sound like anything special to you reading this, but what Aspidistra have is a key to unlocking the potential of SAGE in an ecommerce environment. This is serious software and Aspidistra are a company growing fast and strong.
So the opportunity is, to work in a team of professionals, on high end ecommerce solutions and for a company growing from strength to strength, which is something I will never get to do as a freelancer.
So what does this mean for Salcombe Web Design. Well it simply means we will still operate for high end clients like the Warwick Music Group, Bespoke Log Cabins and Quercus Devon Ales. We will remain a team of freelancers, but I will have to take a back seat and concentrate on the organisation of the business. This is an exciting prospect and with the right approach Salcombe Web Design will never die!
I'm really looking forward to unlocking the potential that lies in my team (Britany, Micheal, Shane and Lucent).
