UKBF user name: Tin
Real name: Ray Field
Company name: Tin Solder
Website: www.tinsoldierdesign.co.uk
Contact: 01298 813372
1. How did you start your organisation?
More by accident than anything else. In 1992 I was pensioned out of the fire service after an accident damaged my knee and had been bumbling along on various little schemes, none very productive. I designed a website for my young daughter, more as a plaything for her than anything. Then I did a small brochure site for a friend. Interestly, the site found its way to the top of the search engines without me knowing why. I suppose I just thought all new sites do that.
Someone else asked me to do a website for them and to put it at the top and I did (in the days before Google and sophisticated algos). Time went on, things repeated and I had no idea why? Over the years I read as much as was around at the time, through experimentation saw wins and losses and worked at this until I developed my own techniques through on-going observation and analysis.
2. What services does your organisation offer?
We offer a full search engine optimisation (SEO) service, bespoke SEO training courses teaching website owners how best to optimise their own sites,. It is not aimed at teaching people how to become professional SEOs. We are an SEO consultancy where website owners can hire our services on a pay as you go basis (i.e. just get us to work on their site on an 'as and when basis', with no lengthy tie ins).
Primarily our core business is optimisation but as we get quite a lot of new clients who don't have a site so we do web design as well.
3. What were the main challenges you faced when starting up?
Loneliness. Having worked 20 years as a team player in the fire service, sitting day in day out on my lonesome in front of a computer is no fun. I missed the comradeship of having a collegue who could help out if I was stuck or be a sounding board for brainstorming.
Cash flow was erratic too with lots of peaks and troughs which was a bit depressing.
4. How would you rate the success you've achieved?
I have absolutely no business head whatsoever so this is difficult to quantify in the normal manner. In the last four years our reputation has grown very considerably and the books are now full three months ahead. I think the phrase is we've reached a "tipping point".
As the majority of our customers come from word of mouth and recommendations I am very satisfied with the companies growth.
5. How has UK Business Forums benefited your organisation?
The knowledge and support available on UKBF is priceless and the ability to build a reputation for the company through helping others has been amazing. I have been able to tap into other skillsets and knowledge to compliment my business by networking with other members and simply getting involved in the business community that's rife on UKBF.
6. What are your plans for the future?
To turn more towards using my SEO skills to my own end, looking for the perfect dosh as you dose scheme that will enable me to retire early and gracefully. We have also teamed up with several other businesses from UKBF with a view to pooling our skills together on projects.
7. What are your three tips for business success?
Sheer determination and perserverance to keep going no matter how difficult things become but with the flexibility to change direction should it become apparent that things will not work out. That's the tricky bit, being able to see where things are not working out and and be brutally honest with yourself.
Ensure that you give complete customer satisfaction, afterall it is your customers that make your business and will also be the best advert you could possibly have.
Take a bit of quality time out for yourself now (almost impossible but an ideal I'm aspiring too) and then learn to accept that Rome wasn't built in a day. You also need to have a good sense of humour to see you through difficult days oh, and a bottle of Jack Daniels for when your humour deserts you. Only kidding!
Ray Field is a moderator on UK Business Forums.
Real name: Ray Field
Company name: Tin Solder
Website: www.tinsoldierdesign.co.uk
Contact: 01298 813372
1. How did you start your organisation?
More by accident than anything else. In 1992 I was pensioned out of the fire service after an accident damaged my knee and had been bumbling along on various little schemes, none very productive. I designed a website for my young daughter, more as a plaything for her than anything. Then I did a small brochure site for a friend. Interestly, the site found its way to the top of the search engines without me knowing why. I suppose I just thought all new sites do that.
Someone else asked me to do a website for them and to put it at the top and I did (in the days before Google and sophisticated algos). Time went on, things repeated and I had no idea why? Over the years I read as much as was around at the time, through experimentation saw wins and losses and worked at this until I developed my own techniques through on-going observation and analysis.
2. What services does your organisation offer?
We offer a full search engine optimisation (SEO) service, bespoke SEO training courses teaching website owners how best to optimise their own sites,. It is not aimed at teaching people how to become professional SEOs. We are an SEO consultancy where website owners can hire our services on a pay as you go basis (i.e. just get us to work on their site on an 'as and when basis', with no lengthy tie ins).
Primarily our core business is optimisation but as we get quite a lot of new clients who don't have a site so we do web design as well.
3. What were the main challenges you faced when starting up?
Loneliness. Having worked 20 years as a team player in the fire service, sitting day in day out on my lonesome in front of a computer is no fun. I missed the comradeship of having a collegue who could help out if I was stuck or be a sounding board for brainstorming.
Cash flow was erratic too with lots of peaks and troughs which was a bit depressing.
4. How would you rate the success you've achieved?
I have absolutely no business head whatsoever so this is difficult to quantify in the normal manner. In the last four years our reputation has grown very considerably and the books are now full three months ahead. I think the phrase is we've reached a "tipping point".
As the majority of our customers come from word of mouth and recommendations I am very satisfied with the companies growth.
5. How has UK Business Forums benefited your organisation?
The knowledge and support available on UKBF is priceless and the ability to build a reputation for the company through helping others has been amazing. I have been able to tap into other skillsets and knowledge to compliment my business by networking with other members and simply getting involved in the business community that's rife on UKBF.
6. What are your plans for the future?
To turn more towards using my SEO skills to my own end, looking for the perfect dosh as you dose scheme that will enable me to retire early and gracefully. We have also teamed up with several other businesses from UKBF with a view to pooling our skills together on projects.
7. What are your three tips for business success?
Sheer determination and perserverance to keep going no matter how difficult things become but with the flexibility to change direction should it become apparent that things will not work out. That's the tricky bit, being able to see where things are not working out and and be brutally honest with yourself.
Ensure that you give complete customer satisfaction, afterall it is your customers that make your business and will also be the best advert you could possibly have.
Take a bit of quality time out for yourself now (almost impossible but an ideal I'm aspiring too) and then learn to accept that Rome wasn't built in a day. You also need to have a good sense of humour to see you through difficult days oh, and a bottle of Jack Daniels for when your humour deserts you. Only kidding!
Ray Field is a moderator on UK Business Forums.
