| Programming | These days my main development languages are PHP, C, Objective-C and Java, mostly on open-source platforms. Normal rates are £45 per hour, discounted for long term projects and for new businesses/start-ups. I also consider part payment/part equity deals for entrepreneurs. |
| Website Usability + SEO Reports | If you have a business or consumer website (B2B, B2C, or C2C), I can review it for you and advise how well it has been optimised for both humans (usability) and search engines (SEO). You receive an extensive report on each page, detailing problems and suggested changes. This typically costs £7 per page, with a 50% discount for new/small companies. |
| Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Optimisation (SEO) | Having decided your website needs shaping up, I can assist in the overall SEM strategy, make the required programming changes and put together a plan for you to take forward. Normal cost is £30 per hour with a 50% discount for new/small companies. |
| Technical Candidate Assistance | Looking to hire a programmer? I can assist with the hiring process. I am happy to provide my expertise for filtering CV's, writing and evaluating technical tests for candidates, or sitting in with you on interviews to help provide the technical element if you do not have these skills to hand. These services are provided for £45 per hour. |
| Technology Provider Assistance | I can assist you in choosing a programming or web hosting company. It can be very difficult for companies to choose the right technology partner if they are not already experienced in this area. By adding my many years of technical experience to your own I can help make sure the companies your are shortlisting will meet your requirements. This can be done remotely (and somewhat superficially) by looking at their website and marketing materials and performing a few checks and emails, or can be conducted by telephone or even face to face meetings, to make sure pertinent questions are asked. These services are provided for £45 per hour. |
| Start-up advice | If you are looking to start a new business but are simply not sure where to turn, I can provide you with either the answers, or information on where to get the answers, plus general advice about utilising The Internet within your new venture. I generally try to give this information away for free unless it becomes too time consuming. |
| Travelling time | If you require me to travel in order to provide the services (e.g. to attend an interview) then I charge for travel time at a rate of £15 per hour, unless it can be worked around other travelling and appointments I may be conducting. |
From there I filled a variety of programming positions both at end-user sites and at commercial software houses, for a number of small, medium and global companies, before forming my own hardware company at 21. Five years later in 1997, spurred on by the rise of the Internet, I switched my focus to Open Source software (free software) and started a few of my own (mostly web-based) businesses. I continued to alternate between these and corporate employment for a number of years.
As my career progressed in to management roles I became the Technology Director of a new start-up and I have recently left corporate employment altogether to persue this full-time.
Throughout my career I have always provided advice and assistance (mostly technology related) to others at the early stage of business and am keen to offer this more pro-actively in the coming years, alongside my entrepreneurial ambitions.
