News

Best Rated Website Designer? Thanks!

by | Feb 6, 2024 |

Award winning website-designer Newport 2021

Well, that was a nice surprise. Seems I’ve been listed as a best rated website designer in Newport again.

Award-Winning Web Services

It’s easy to be cynical about web awards. They certainly help with marketing, so many designers chase them. Yet most have strings attached, or a price tag in the small print.

So it’s refreshing to see that this one seems to be a free, genuine compliment, based on testimonials from my lovely clients and a 50-point inspection. It didn’t even ask me to link back to the award site in return — so of course, I’m happy to volunteer that.

Besides, I certainly aim to provide the best web services possible. Most designers do, of course — but I still pick up a worrying amount of trade from those who haven’t bothered.

… Read the rest “Best Rated Website Designer? Thanks!”

Freelancer Pricing

by | Jun 18, 2021 |

A Freelancer Pricing Poem For National Freelancers Day

Freelancer pricing is a serious matter,
It’s not just a game that you play with your mates,
Though you may think I’m as mad as a hatter,
When I tell you freelancers must know THREE DIFFERENT RATES.

The first is the cost of staying in business,
Your break-even salary plus all business costs,
Divide by the hours that you expect to be working,
If you sell below this, your business is lost.

Next comes the rate that you’d get in job markets,
Those costs, plus your worth as a full employee,
You won’t last for long if you sell below this one —
Morale cannot live on a substandard fee.

But the last is the rate that you really should aim for,
The one that will let you do more than survive,
The fair price returned for the value you offer,
That lets both you, and your customer, thrive.… Read the rest “Freelancer Pricing”

Small Business Coronavirus Lockdown Help

by | Oct 22, 2020 |

Coronavirus lockdown help

Don’t fret — act!

Get in touch today!

Wales is entering another COVID-19 lockdown (as of October 23rd). Folks found this post helpful back in March, so I’m updating it with some new offers.

As small business owners in these difficult times, we need to remember:

  • Adaptability is the small business advantage.
  • Negativity undermines creativity and planning.
  • Our families and teams need to see confidence, not fear.
  • Stress undermines the immune system. Breathe, and calm.
  • Mutual support, determination and flexibility will win.
  • No entrepreneur survives without being able to see hope in adversity. Silver linings may be a razor’s edge at times, but that’s where we find the silver.

Business Reality Check

Choose opportunityMany UK firms panicked at the first lockdown, fretting about remote working and scaling back on expenses.… Read the rest “Small Business Coronavirus Lockdown Help”

5 Top Marketing Trends for 2019

by | Jan 4, 2019 |

Marketing trends 2019Now that it’s 2019, the question on every small business’s mind is “How can I better prepare for the new year?” Taking advantage of the latest trends is an effective way to grow your business and reach a wider audience. So here are a few of the top marketing trends that you need to consider.

1. Content is still king

The growth of ad blockers has made traditional advertising tougher for small businesses. Paid ads simply aren’t as effective any more. It’s also a slow and passive form of marketing that you have little control over.

In any case, customers generally prefer to buy from people they know, like and trust. So even without an ad blocker, most people are pretty good at ignoring anything that looks like a traditional paid ad.… Read the rest “5 Top Marketing Trends for 2019”

GDPR – Where To Start?

by | Jan 26, 2018 |

GDPRThe new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on May 25th 2018. It will affect every business and change many established business practices and business models. It will also require a fair bit of work to ensure compliance, so if you aren’t already working on that, you need to learn about this and start now.

I was going to do a lot of research and attempt to write something about how all businesses need to be ready for it. However, I’m not a lawyer, and giving bad advice could be risky. Also, there is no way that I could come up with something as clear or comprehensive as Heather Burns’ white paper on GDPR for Business Owners & Senior Executives.… Read the rest “GDPR – Where To Start?”

Meltdown & Spectre Simplified

by | Jan 4, 2018 |

Meltdown & Spectre cybersecurity vulnerabilities

Meltdown & Spectre

So, 2018 has started with disclosure of two huge cybersecurity vulnerabilities, called “Meltdown” and “Spectre”. These are not like most of the “exploits” that hackers use. They affect almost all modern computers.

Sites like MeltdownAttack.com and Defiant.com (previously “WordFence”) have covered the tech details well. So, here’s a simplified summary of what non-techies need to know.

Why You Should Care About Meltdown & Spectre

Most vulnerabilities affect software. Meltdown and Spectre affect CPUs — the core computer chips — mostly those built by Intel since 1995. So they don’t just affect PCs, or Windows, or Macs, or Linux. They affect computers, regardless of what software or operating systems you use. In short — yes, this affects your computer(s) and phone(s).… Read the rest “Meltdown & Spectre Simplified”

Need Help?

Since 2005, I’ve helped small firms grow online through cost-effective:

Archives