69 Minute Designs

In all the time i have worked with computers, i have never been told that the work i do is bad. Ok, so im not up-to-date with the most current and cutting edge software or the latest methods of creating online web presences – but – i do what the people i work for want, and they are always happy with it.

When i left college (early) i went into an IT technician role for a local IT outsourcing company. I never wanted to pursue the role of a web designer (even though i enjoyed making stuff like that) as i figured every man and his dog would want to do it so the competition would be too fierce. I settled into the IT support role and i loved it! I loved the buzz you get from being the “It dude” and fixing a problem that is a big deal to someone, but is just a ten minute job to you. I learnt a lot, yet never gained anything on paper.

I then left there and flipped between jobs whilst always in the background doing the odd basic web design/graphic design/pc repair jobs for friends and colleagues i had at the time. After 6 months or so i got a job as a large scale digital printer and due to my knowledge of computers and basic knowledge of design i took to the job like a duck to water. I learnt so much more about design, and printing, it all kinda slotted in with what i already knew and i found a slight creative spark that had been sat inside me dormant, waiting for its time to shine. Haha.

I handed my notice in there to become self employed as the whole time in the background me and my mate dave had been continuing to do small jobs here there and everywhere and we figured we could get enough of these jobs now to pay our wages if we were both doing it full time.

So now, thanks to the wide variety of skills and experience dave and i bring to the table – we are and have been in business for over a year now, and are over the hill so to speak! We’re still very new to the world of business compared to many people, but we have made a good go of it and seem to be getting on fairly well.

We offer just about any form of marketing, sales or design type service, either from us of through our close relationships with other very talented people who specialise in different areas that we are not as skilled in. And have a long list of clients, many of them bring repeat business becasue we do what they want us to do, and as far as im aware, we do it well.

We had one guy complain ages ago because what he envisioned a website looking like was just a stupid idea, and moaned that we had client logos in the gallery that shouldn’t of been there (despite being on the CD they gave to me with images on to put in the gallery) That situation was rectified, and we have never had a complaint since. And that particular incident happened in the first month so thats over a years worth of 100% good results and no complaints.

So my point is, the fact i am pretty much self taught, and dont have hardly any qualifications to my name, and i probably dont do things exactly how other people do them in regards the work i do for people, but the way i do things seems to work well enough, and it all looks pretty.. So whats the big deal?

The reason for this post is that i got an email from a guy slating a website we sorted out for someone. It was totally out the blue, quite offensive really in some respects and just pretty rude. It was as if what he was seeing was causing his head to swell and the pain suddenly became too much to take. He needed to explode and he did so in an email.

It initially wound me up, as its not a very nice thing to read really, but then i kinda forgot about it. Its not worth taking it in the way in which it was intended. I have used it to push me to improve what i do and how i do things and it will just end up pushing us both harder and making us more determined to create a business we can sit back and be proud of.

What made me laugh about the whole situation is that i barely have time to update my blog once a month (this post took 2 days) yet he has all the time in the world and spends it writing hate mail to local competitors.

Maybe he’s got beef because he went to uni and wasted loads of time and money getting something that has got him working in exactly the same job as me?

I have a feeling i know the guy too, and he knows me, but i don’t think he knows its me that he’s emailed – if that makes sence.

Anyway, ill not name the guy as im not one to bad mouth other people (haha yeah right)

TTFN