Frank owns and operates Dynamic Webs, LLC and has been in business since February 2000.
Quite often I am asked by my clients and perspective clients if I do web development full time. And, all too often the answer is no. In fact, it appears I'm not alone in this trend. Back in early 2000 when I started Dynamic Webs, LLC, Yes, I was fully self-employed and made a very good living developing web sites for clients in Ohio and servicing other vendors that provided internet related services as well. Unfortunately, shortly after the .com bust, many of my clients went out of business...
Shortly after the .com bust and with the failure of many companies, locally and nationally, many computer experts (programmers, developers, designers) found themselves out of a job. Many turned to self-employment as a means of making ends meet. The rest of them took off for greener pastures in other states. Ohio was on the economic downturn in late 2000 and early 2001…. 9/11 only made matters worse.
Myself personally, business was good. I was very aggressive in sales and negotiating contracts with the remaining Internet vendors in the area. I was making better money than I could working for another company full time. Life was good. Then, in 2003-2004 I made a couple of unwise business investments and partnerships that cost me a lot of money and almost destroyed my business. Fortunately, I leveraged my assets and bailed myself out of the “Red”. Since then, business has been slow. I have seen a slew of computer professionals come and go in the area and have watched more than a dozen companies spring up one year only to vanish the next. I have watched as the ethics of the industry have degraded as individuals represent themselves as Companies with imaginary employees and the “We” montra, when in fact they are an “I” entity.
Findlay itself has seen its share of individuals come and go. Businesses that once thrived, now are struggling to make ends meet. Local media outlets are using cut throat tactics to win accounts and starving web design artists are undercutting each other for bread crumbs. You would think this is good…. That the client market would win out. Unfortunately, this is not the case. As prices for services sink into the basement, many developers find themselves unable to afford to stay in business, unable to pay their debts, unable to advertise, eventually, unable to compete. It is this lowest bid mentality that is destroying the industry in Ohio and the United States. A recent survey from “A List Apart.com” conducted a survey of over 33,000 web designers and Internet industry experts and found that nearly 25% of the industry was self-employed and nearly 20% of the entire industry made less than $20,000 a year. Those that were making above average salaries were in the 25%-30% range with the average employee making between $20,000 to $59,999. However, in the report the industry as a whole suffers from a high rate of employee turnover and job dissatisfaction. Of those surveyed, more than 50% said they have been at their current job for less than 2 years and more than 40% have held more than 4 jobs in their career. See the full report here: http://alistapart.com/articles/webdesignsurvey.
Personally, I found many of the statistics to be very informative and true. Quite frequently the number one reason I inherit so many websites is from the following two reasons: 1. The current web developer is no longer in business or has moved and 2. The current company no longer has an individual who can handle the client needs.
So, when I client asks me if I develop websites full time and I see their eyebrow raise in concern…. I explain to them why and then clarify that I’ve been in business for nearly 10 years and have over 10 years of development experience and 15 years of business experience in the graphic design and Internet marketing ventures. I’ve been living in Ohio my entire life, I’m invested in the Community and my wife is a full time educator. I’m not going anywhere and I’m certainly not going to fold up shop any time soon. Sure, I may not be a “We” company. However, I am a solid “I” individual who can get the job done, under budget and within a reasonable time frame.