Introduction
I am an entrepreneur and web commentator. I have a passion for computers and the web and I enjoy building my business every day. I was born in 1979 and was brought up in London. I went to Charterhouse School followed by a few short months at Southampton University.
I live my life to the full and when I am not sitting at my laptop you can probably find me near the sea hanging out with friends. I enjoy many types of sports including kitesurfing, snowboarding, running, swimming, and yoga.
First Business
Green Graphics was my first foray into business at just 16. I had a passion for photography and I put that passion to work. I would attend the dress rehearsal for every school play, musical or concert and take several rolls of film ensuring that I captured every person and asking for a group shot at the end.
At 6am on the morning after the dress rehearsal I would get on my bicycle and negotiate the surrey hills and morning mist. I dropped the films through the letterbox of the Godalming photo studio where I had arranged an ongoing deal. After class I would then bicycle back down to Godalming to collect the photos; 2 copies of each and a fistful of the group shot. By 6.30pm I had laid out all the 10x8 photos on tables in the lobby of the Ben Travis Theatre.
The key with this business was immediacy. Human nature showed me that people would simply not bother to order prints from thumbnails or master copies. However if there was a large print right there with little Johnny centre stage they could never refuse! This little business enabled me to live the lifestyle I wanted at school!
Toolkit Websites Ltd
I setup my business in 1999 whilst at Southampton University studying Computer Science. Within days of getting my first client I quit my course and began working on the business full time. Today the business has over 2000 clients and is growing fast.
The goal of the business is to be the market leader providing websites for Small Businesses. We typically build 10 and 20 page websites for small businesses in the UK. We custom design and build our websites and then provide a content management system that allows our clients to update their website 24/7 from any computer.
I am lucky to have a superb team with me at Toolkit Websites. They are constantly coming up with new ideas to drive the business forwards and they work hard at pleasing our growing list of clients.
The business wass based in Southampton for many years until recently moving to a larger office in Havant. The new location is an excellent hub for business and our has easy access to local shops and suppliers.
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