Hello, and thank you for taking just a moment to learn a little more about me, my services and how I can help you. My name is Scotty, and I’ve been a professional web designer and developer since 1998, have seen and participated in the evolution of the Internet as far back as 1994, and all the advances that have taken place during that time.
I live and work out of my home office in Westlake Village, California. And while I do have clients that are from outside the region, I take great pride in providing a superior product and a personalized customer service experience to clients in the Southern California area, from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles.
A Brief History
Like many in my industry, I started out in the corporate world, honing and developing my skills as a programmer and developer, and as time progressed, later incorporating graphics design into my skill set. I’ve spent several years working for a number of large corporate entities, including Caprock Communications, Deloitte & Touche, Homestore.com (now Move.com), and a couple others. While the corporate environment provided me with the security of a regular paycheck and benefits (and even a nice corner office), I found myself wanting for something more.
So, after working for “the man” for several years, I came to realize that I could do more with my skills and experience, and so in 2002 I struck out on my own, now working under the simple if not somewhat understated moniker of TechGuru4Hire.
It Hasn’t Been Easy, But…
Trading guaranteed security for the freedom to be my own boss hasn’t been easy – thus far, I’ve survived the “Dot-Com Bust”, outsourcing to India, two hurricanes, our most recent recession, and a myriad of other miscellaneous tragedies that I thought for sure would be the end of me. I’ve seen many in my industry (including more than a couple of business partners) throw in the towel. There have been times when I was tempted to go and find a regular 9-to-5 job, but have managed to stick it out through good times and bad, improving my skills and earning my stripes in the industry. I’m nothing if not a survivor, and because I’ve endured, I’ve become better for it.
Ultimately, I enjoy the freedom of working for myself, meeting new people and the ability to work in an industry that allows me to be both technical and creative, so even with all the struggles that have come from being in this industry, I still look back and think – it’s been well worth it.
What Keeps Me Going?
There was a time when I was all about the money (glad we don’t have that problem anymore!). And for awhile, I made a pretty good living, but I also felt like I sold my soul. I didn’t enjoy what I did so much as enjoyed having the money I earned from it. But after awhile, I started to realize that something is missing.
Honestly, I do this because I enjoy it! I love it when one of my clients calls me up to tell me how excited they are about the new logo I put together for them, or jazzed about helping me put together their website, or just grateful that I did a good job for them. I do this because I enjoy design, and I really like to help people when I can. I enjoy the freedom of working for myself, and solving the creative and technical challenges that I’m presented with.
Sure, I still do it to pay the bills, but mostly I do it because I love it. And, I hope you do too.
My Most Valuable Skill
Through all this, the most important skill that I’ve developed over the years isn’t what I do behind the keyboard, but rather being able to understand and communicate with my clients in order to provide the type of service that is virtually extinct in the 21st century. My clients don’t know or care about code, programming languages, or any of the nuts-and-bolts of technology that most in my industry like to tout and even use to confuse their clients – a practice that I find personally distasteful – in order to sell products that their clients don’t understand and don’t need.
My clients care about personal service, results and relationships. They care about saving time, their bottom line and knowing that they can get simple, easy to understand answers to their questions. They care about being able to speak – and meet in person – a real individual who will simplify and guide them through what has become a daunting process by any measure. It’s a simple concept, and something I tell all the wonderful people for whom I work – “I’m a geek, so you don’t have to be”.
At the end of the day, my most valuable skills are communication, compassion and understanding, and my most treasured assets are my clients.
