Let me tell you a little about myself and where I am today. I am an Information Technology veteran of over 30 years, starting at the programmer level, working my way up to being head of IT for several serious international financial services companies here in London UK. More recently I have been an adviser to small and medium sized owner manager businesses ranging from pre-start up to those which have been going for decades. I advise them on IT issues and strategy as well on structural and people issues, e.g. they may wish to get additional finance or 1 owner wants to sell or exit the business.
In my heart of heart I am basically an ‘IT techie’, I love solving problems and getting hardware and software to implement the solution. I will explain more about me and my skills as I write this blog, but if you cannot wait then look here www.linkedin.com/in/philmcconnell
So why have I decided to build an online business and why blog about it? I have built commercial web sites, designed, built, supported and sold software commercially and for in-house use by global businesses. Since becoming a consultant / adviser to small & medium sized businesses I have given them advice and support on what systems they should use and how to ensure they set it up properly.
Anyone in the IT industry knows that technology changes quickly so knowledge gained 3 years ago has a diminishing shelf life and knowledge must be constantly refreshed. Any client of mine (and any potential clients) wants up to date information and advice that is specific to solving their issues or problems in a realistic timescale and to a budget. Often they have asked me ‘where have you done this recently/, especially when speaking about how to improve the performance of their web presence. I know I have key skills, and I can get access to specialist skills quickly, and can give good practical advice.
However by my nature I like to get my hands dirty and learn more and quicker when I experience doing this or being actively involved in something myself. This is true of sport, hobbies, crafts and work.
So I have decided to build an online business, call it an ecommerce site if you want, from the ground up using my skills, software and services readily available. Over the coming weeks and months I will put into these blogs,
- The current state of the ecommerce site development
- The decisions I have had to make, and what is more import, what options did I review and why did I decide to make that specific decision
- The things I have learnt – very important to me – about the technology, the processes involved and myself
- Advice to others thinking about developing and running an online business
- How to make this business commercially success
I am not a total novice, as I said I have over 30 years IT experience. I also have an MBA and have worked in several small start-ups and commercially successful businesses. I also provide advice to other businesses. These facts may help me or they may blind me to the many opportunities available to me.
I will be investing a great deal of time and effort into this project and I want to make the time very well spent, which I am sure it will be. Enjoy the journey with me. Read the next blog or follow the series of articles as the business develops.
