About: Behind the Screens

Over thirty years ago, I started my career managing a busy KFC restaurant in Ashford (Kent - UK), leading a team of 15+ people while juggling everything from payroll to customer complaints. I had no idea that this early taste of leadership and problem-solving would eventually lead me down a completely different path—one that would take me from employee to entrepreneur, with the goal of building web applications and businesses without ever needing to rely on social media for marketing.

What followed was the classic entrepreneurial cycle that so many of us know too well: employee to self-employed when the entrepreneurial itch becomes impossible to ignore, then back to employee when you crave stability and steady income. I’ve done this dance multiple times over the decades, each transition teaching me something valuable about what I actually want from work and life. But this time feels different.

With three decades of experience across industries and the technical skills to build what I envision, I’m confident this final leap into independent web development is exactly where I belong.

My journey into technology wasn’t planned. After years in various roles, from government work at the Valuation Office Agency to running my own DVD retail business that reached £90k in annual sales, I found myself drawn to the emerging world of the internet. What started as curiosity about building websites in the early 2000s became a passion that would reshape my entire career.

The transition wasn’t immediate or obvious. I was running a successful physical retail business when the internet started changing everything. Rather than resist the shift, I became fascinated by the possibilities. I taught myself HTML and CSS initially out of necessity, creating a simple website for my DVD business. But I kept going because I genuinely enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of making things work on screen.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about taking an idea from concept to working application, watching it solve real problems for real people. What started as a practical business need gradually became something much deeper: a genuine love for building digital solutions.

For seven years (2018-2025), I immersed myself in commercial software development with a global company specializing in lifting and winching equipment. I started as the sole European developer and gradually grew into managing a small development team. This experience taught me everything my freelance background couldn’t: how enterprise systems actually work, what it means to maintain code that multiple teams depend on, and why simple solutions often beat clever ones.

The work was genuinely fulfilling. I was building rental management systems that helped businesses operate more efficiently, working with stakeholders who actually used what we created. There’s something satisfying about solving real problems for people who appreciate the solution. I learned that the best code isn’t the most impressive code, it’s the code that works reliably when someone’s business depends on it.

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By March 2025, however, the landscape was shifting. Potential mergers between EU and US development teams meant new workflows, different approaches, and fundamental changes to the role I’d grown to love. While change isn’t inherently bad, I realized I’d been preparing for something else entirely. Over those seven years, I’d deliberately saved over £40,000, not for security, but for freedom. The merger discussions simply confirmed what I already knew: it was time to make the leap I’d been planning.

Serving my four-month notice felt surreal, but also liberating. My final day is set for August 28th, 2025. After that, it’s just me, my savings, and the challenge of building something sustainable on my own terms.

My entrepreneurial instincts kicked in long before I discovered coding, and honestly, they were driven more by passion than any grand business plan. I’ve always been drawn to the weird, niche corners of industries that most people ignore.

In the early 2000s, I co-founded Sarcophilous Films with a partner in Canada. We were obsessed with cult horror movies that major distributors wouldn’t touch. Picture this: two guys spending hours authoring DVDs for films like "Cannibal Ferox" and designing covers that would make your grandmother faint.

We handled everything ourselves, from the technical stuff to convincing small retailers that yes, people actually want to buy these bizarre movies. It taught me that there’s always a market for things that seem unmarketable, you just have to find your tribe.

Around the same time, I was deep into the drum & bass scene with Future Pressure Recordings. We were releasing vinyl records, running digital releases, and operating an online radio station from my spare room.

The music industry was chaotic and full of creative egos, but I loved the community aspect. You’d work with producers from around the world, build relationships with DJs, and watch how music could bring people together. These experiences taught me more about building authentic communities than any marketing course ever could.

The funny thing is, both ventures needed websites, and I kept finding myself frustrated with what developers were charging for basic functionality. So I started building them myself. What began as "I can probably figure this out" turned into genuine fascination with making things work online. Before I knew it, I was getting freelance requests through Zen Dev UK, creating websites for local businesses who needed someone who actually listened to what they wanted.

Eventually, the appeal of steady income and learning from established teams drew me toward employment. But it wasn’t giving up on entrepreneurship, it was strategic skill-building. I knew I needed to understand how proper development teams operated, what enterprise-level code looked like, and how to manage projects that actually mattered to people’s livelihoods.

Think of it as my apprenticeship before going solo again.

I’ve spent enough years in development to know that the fanciest code isn’t always the best code. Some of my most reliable solutions are embarrassingly simple, while I’ve watched elaborate architectures crumble under real-world pressure. There’s something deeply satisfying about building something that just works, day after day, without requiring a PhD to maintain.

This philosophy extends way beyond code. I’d rather have one genuine client relationship than a thousand social media followers. I’d rather solve one real problem well than chase the latest tech trend. I’ve seen too many developers burn out trying to keep up with every new framework, and too many businesses fail because they prioritized looking impressive over being useful.

Here’s what actually matters to me: building things people can rely on, communicating clearly instead of hiding behind jargon, and growing sustainably rather than chasing explosive growth that burns everyone out. I want to create solutions that make someone’s workday easier, not ones that make other developers nod approvingly at conferences.

The goal isn’t to build the next unicorn startup or become a social media influencer. It’s to prove that you can create valuable digital solutions while maintaining your sanity and actual human relationships. Maybe that’s old-fashioned in 2025, but I think there’s still room for approaches that prioritize substance over style.

When I’m not debugging (why is there always a missing semicolon?), you’ll find me exploring a surprisingly eclectic mix of interests that somehow all tie back to the same core principle: understanding how things really work beneath the surface.

I’ve been drawn to Buddhist philosophy for years, not from a religious standpoint, but because its practical approach to mental clarity and problem-solving translates remarkably well to both code architecture and business strategy. There’s something powerful about the Buddhist concept of "beginner’s mind" when approaching complex technical challenges.

This interest in mental clarity extends to minimalism, which influences everything from my living space to how I structure code. I’m fascinated by how removing unnecessary complexity, whether it’s physical possessions or redundant functions, creates space for what actually matters. It’s the same principle that drives my "function over form" approach to development.

On the more physical side, I’m passionate about mixed martial arts. There’s a beautiful parallel between grappling and debugging: both require patience, systematic thinking, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Plus, after hours of staring at screens, there’s nothing quite like the immediate, tangible feedback of physical training.

My curiosity extends to the unexplained. UFOs, ghosts, and conspiracy theories fascinate me, not because I’m necessarily a believer, but because I love examining evidence, questioning official narratives, and thinking critically about what we think we know. It’s the same analytical mindset that makes me dig deeper into why certain code patterns exist or challenge conventional approaches to business problems.

Then there’s bonsai cultivation, which might seem unrelated to everything else, but it’s actually the perfect metaphor for my approach to building applications. Bonsai requires patience, long-term vision, careful pruning, and understanding that the most beautiful results come from thoughtful constraint rather than unlimited growth. Every branch you keep or remove shapes the final outcome, just like every feature you add or eliminate in an application.

I’m also a firm believer in continual learning and simple living, principles that surprisingly translate well to both sustainable business practices and maintainable code architecture.

Let me be completely honest here: the immediate driver is necessity. I’m currently surviving off savings with no stable income, so there’s a very real urgency to make this work. That kind of pressure has a way of clarifying priorities quickly.

But beyond the financial reality, this is also a deeply personal experiment. I’m quite the introvert by nature, though I’m perfectly comfortable with people and socializing when the situation calls for it. What I can’t stand is the constant noise and time drain of social media. It feels like a massive distraction from actually building things that matter.

So this blog and my entire approach is an experiment: can you build and launch profitable web applications and solutions without relying on social media marketing? Can genuine value and word-of-mouth recommendations still win in a world obsessed with follower counts and engagement metrics?

I’m documenting everything here, the successes and failures alike, partly for my own learning but also because I suspect there are others who feel the same way about the current state of online business. If this works, great. If it doesn’t, at least I’ll have captured the real story of what it’s like to try building something meaningful without playing the social media game.

There’s something appealing about the challenge of creating digital solutions that are both technically sound and commercially viable while maintaining quality of life and authentic relationships. My goal isn’t to build the next unicorn startup or become a social media influencer. It’s to prove that thoughtful, sustainable entrepreneurship is still possible for those of us who prefer to let our work speak for itself.

If you’re curious about my journey, interested in collaborating, or just want to chat about the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship, I’d love to hear from you.

A few random facts:

• I’ve lived at over 29 addresses spanning 5 countries across 3 continents (North America, Europe, Asia).
• During the 1990s I was an avid D&B DJ who won "mix of the month" in a magazine called "Eternity" and was invited to play at one of their events, but couldn’t get the time off work at KFC. I could have been a world famous DJ by now!
• My favorite animal is a gorilla, and I sometimes go by the pseudonym "SpicyGorilla" online. Why spicy? I honestly don’t know, it just looked and sounded good.

I’m currently based in the Northwest UK, working remotely and always open to interesting projects.

Last Updated on May 26th 2025