It’s been a busy few months at Bay Web Designs, I don’t seem to have stopped between autumn and Xmas and 2012 looks like it’s going to be the same. I love it!

I don’t make New Year resolutions, especially ones that involve denying myself cake, but one thing I have decided is to outsource the stuff I either dislike or am not very good at. The accounting went last year (thanks Tracy, you’re a sanity saver) and I am now making plans to organise my writings with the help of my fellow fat chip lover, Sarah.

If I do have a resolution for 2012 it’s this

laugh more, learn more, help more

Head on over to my Portfolio page to see the latest websites from Bay Web Designs.

No, not Nigel; for myself & my business.

I woke up this morning and had thoughts racing round in my head. Rather than sit in the office and be distracted away from them I took an hour and popped down to my local Costa to think & write. I sat in a corner table facing the bay, put on my headphones and wrote.

I wrote about the direction I want Bay Web Designs to take in 2012 & the goals I want to achieve.

I wrote down quick ideas for blog posts and articles that will help people starting out in business and beyond.

I also wrote a list of personal goals because I am not just my business.

Distilled into a few points it appears that I want to :-

• help others
• be creative
• write more

Yikes, I was talking to someone yesterday and realised that it’s three years this month since I started trading. It’s been hard work, I have been discouraged at times but, this last year especially, things have got better and better.

I want to celebrate my success somehow and have decided what better way than to help other start-ups achieve their dreams. You may have read about my Start-Up Package for new businesses – and if not why not? To give them an even better offer I am discounting the package by 1/3 up until the end of November 2011.

That means if you’re a new business or a business that needs its first website then you only pay £63 rather than the £95 it usually costs. I know it should be £63.333333333 (recurring) but thought that was a little silly

The only conditions are that you request the work and pay a £25 deposit before 1st December 2011. So what are you waiting for? In three years you could be celebrating your success too.

It’s cold, wet & windy outside but I am warm & cosy in my office. The sunshine of my day is being provided by my Twitter friends and also this lovely recommendation written by Maria on LinkedIn.

I asked Sharon to produce a clean & crisp webpage allowing the reader a brief snapshot into the services we provide at Artemis. I loved the fact the Sharon provides different packages for start-ups and those, like me, who just wanted a no frills clear webpage.

Being able to update and extend the site is another added bonus to Sharon being flexible – this mean as the business grows so does the website.

Maria is one of my first clients to use my Start-Up Package offer. You can see her website soon (should go live later today all being well).

I recently completed a website for Sue Mundy’s art studio. It is always lovely to work with creative people and Sue was no exception.

When you finish a website and send it out onto the web you are always a little apprehensive over how it will be received by the client & the public. You do your best for them (well I do anyway) but still there’s that little voice.

So it’s especially nice to receive positive comments, even more so when they are freely given not asked for. Sue wrote:

Thank you so much for all of your hard work I am really thrilled with my website – it is really excellent! (and has been much admired!)

Just that little handwritten note from Sue has made my day. Why not appreciate someone today, it will make them feel great

I recently answered some questions for Huddlebuy …

1.     Tell us who you are and what your business does. I am a wife, mother & web designer and I always know where my towel is (hitch-hiker’s guide to the galaxy reference). I love helping people get the right website for their business and their clients. My main work is with start-ups and small businesses, usually creating their first website. I try and keep things as simple and non-tech talk as possible.

2.     What inspired you to start this business? I went back to university a few years ago with the intention of studying IT & becoming a teacher. However I fell in love with web design so decided to follow my bliss & work as a freelancer.

3.     How is Facebook and Twitter used in your marketing scheme? What’s the best way to go about using social media as a marketing tool? Facebook I use to promote my blog posts (they auto post there) and also shout out about the latest websites I’ve done or any news I’ve had. Twitter is my ‘Starbucks on the web’ where I can hangout with fellow freelancers, listen to gossip or the latest tech news, have a giggle and promote any links, new clients, fellow freelancers etc. I also tend to promote my hometown of Morecambe whenever appropriate as I love where I live. I do not use FB as much as I could, I could look into it more to use as a marketing tool I suppose. With Twitter I see it more as a conversation than a marketing tool, although those conversations do lead to clients I am pleased to say. Social media – it’s all in the title, be sociable. Don’t be self-promoting all the time, be a person. Allow people to get to know you and your business through conversations & interactions. People like to work with others they know & trust.

4.     How do you acquire most of your customers? What activities have worked best? It’s strange but throughout the 3 years I have been a freelancer I have rarely advertised. I joined some local networking groups, I am currently in Pink Link Ladies which is fab, and started getting known around my area. People started contacting me and it grew from there. I get most of my clients now through referrals or from people connecting with me through social media (Twitter is the most popular).  

5.     Do you have any advice for other companies on how to cleverly manage your resources? I started with a minimal budget, getting out there and networking on social media can be an inexpensive way to get to know people. But get to know them, the quickest way to put someone off is to be always self-promoting. Be helpful; I am always happy to give out a little advice if asked. Be genuine.

6.     What’s the best feedback you’ve ever received from a customer? Any great stories? I have had some lovely testimonials from clients over the years, some of which are on the front page of my website. The best feedback is seeing their business grow and knowing I have helped them achieve their dreams in some small way.

7.     What sacrifices, if any, have you had to make? In the initial stages it was money, starting up is nerve-wracking and until those first payments come through you’re always worried. Having said that, I don’t feel anything I have done to get where I am has been a sacrifice. I am lucky in that I love my job and, while yes it is busy and sometimes stressful, I get to work my own hours around my family which is the most important factor in the universe.

8.     What is one piece of advice you would give to anyone wanting to start their own company? Be honest, be yourself, have courage.

9.     Give us a pitch for new customers. Talk to me, I don’t bite. I will do my utmost to create you a suitable website for your business and your clients. Attractive can be affordable and effective doesn’t have to be expensive.

Well, a lot less actually. In November Bay Web Designs will be celebrating its 3rd birthday. Rest assured there will be cake.

Not sure how to mark this point in the journey. I was told once to give my business 3 yrs at least to see if it was viable. I am pleased to say it is. This year has been better than ever, I find I am getting all my clients via word or mouth or referral and I have been consistently busy all year.

How do you mark epochs in your business? I would love to hear any ideas you may have.

Oh yes folks, it’s that time again – school holidays, the long summer ones.

I am dividing my time between work in the mornings and spending time with my kids in the afternoons. It works quite well with them being teenagers because they’re not awake much before lunch anyway I feel sorry for my fellow homeworkers/freelancers who have younger children underfoot. There’s only so many cartoons they’ll watch before the cry of “I’m bored” resounds around the house.

I was planning on reducing my workload for a few weeks but that hasn’t happened, I am not complaining though. I have got some lovely clients and enjoy my work. I must, however, make sure I take a few days off – oh yes, I forgot, I am going to London & Reading music Festival at the end of the month. Please let the weather stay dry at least.

Enjoy your summer.