I first started working with websites while studying for a degree. Having a background in IT support, I got a summer job with a local IT company who had a web department. I ended up working on client communications and training for the web team and learning more about websites. I then began building small sites for people I knew. After my degree, I went to work for an IT supplier doing project management and got involved with their websites too.
My side hustle of building websites for people freelance was getting busier at this point, with referrals starting to build my list of clients. I then went to work as a project manager for a local design agency, where I learned more about working with larger clients and managing more complicated projects. I became frustrated with the layers of communication and saw how these processes could be used to offer high quality web design to small businesses.
With a gradual increase in client work and working evenings and weekends to keep up, I took the plunge and left full time work to do freelance web design. The next few years saw the business grow but also me sink into depression, and nearly go bust. I climbed back out of the hole however, developing the business with the help of a mentor to be more profitable and rediscovering my love of creating.
Freelance life has also enabled me to try being location independent; remote working in SE Asia and Europe as well as being free to move around the UK. It’s also allowed me to prioritise gym and cycling to help combat the middle aged spread!