I design & build functional
& responsive websites,
and I love what I do.
Hello, my name is Jamie, I am a WordPress / Front End Web Developer living in the Isle of Man. I began my journey as a freelance web developer almost 5 years ago. Having graduated from university and then working as a graduate web developer for a number of years, I decided that I wanted to create my own business.
Since I began freelancing my aim was always to work with new startups or existing small-medium size companies. I find helping these companies and charities really enjoyable and beneficial. From the initial projects I worked on, other new and existing companies have and still are noticing the work I have done. I continue to have the same enthusiasm and passion to help these types of businesses grow and succeed.
Working as a freelancer has also allowed me to grow and learn along the way. I continue to strive to learn more about the industry I am in, whether that be SEO, Social Media Marketing or legal issues such as GDPR. Deciding to freelance is something that has benefited me and although the work is tough it is also extremely rewarding. I hope to continue to grow my business and to provide my services for more great people and businesses alike.
My likes: Football Coaching, IOM TT, Tech Stuff, Gaming Chinese Food, Hot Chocolate, Movies & TV, Hot Countries.
Why Work With Me ?
Experience
In 2013 I graduated from Edge Hill University with a degree in Web Systems Development. Since this time I been doing web development professionally. I have been involved in a number of roles most notably as a web developer for a small but successful e-gaming company. In late 2016 I decided to go self employed and to start freelancing. Since the start of my journey I’ve had the pleasure of working with lots of local startups and small businesses – like myself – to help create a online platform for them to grow and succeed.
Dedication
Since I only started freelancing in 2016 I have throughly enjoyed being involved in each individual project I have undertook. Being a small business myself I know all to well how hard it can be for a new or small existing company to find its feet. I believe that this is one of the most important factors that motivates me and drives me to help other small or startup businesses. I feel that I can relate to their business needs and that they can trust me to help them grow. Delivering successful work for my clients has also helped me to grow, thanks to client referals I have been able to meet new business owners and take on a variety of further projects.
Research
In the two years I have been working as a freelancer I have constantly tried to find the best methods and approaches for how I work and to make my business more efficient. In doing so, it in turn has helped me to provide a more consistent and valuable service to my clients. Not only am I continuously looking to improve myself and my business, I am also striving to help my clients in the way they can operate with their own business online too. I find keeping myself up to date with the latest in web trends and seeing what new technology is available for client ease of use, allows me to provide a valuable and productive service for everyone. I continue to have a huge desire to find the best solution of how I work and the balance between this and making my life out of work just as enjoyable.
Understanding
Let’s face it running a business is tough, keeping on top of work load, meeting deadlines, managing your finances, reaching out to new customers all whilst having a life outside of work is not easy. It requires you to plan everything, budget yourself and means you have no choice but to be organised almost all of the time. I truly understand how difficult it can be to manage all of these tasks, that is why when I work with my clients I listen to discover and learn about each individual businesses needs. This way I can provide the best possible solution to fit into the scope for each tailored project. Therefore all the clients I work for can be sure that I won’t automatically try and sell them the biggest and most expensive package available. Delivering an affordable and practical service helps my clients businesses to grow which also helps me grow too.
Meet Jamie –
the man behind the screen
If I had to describe myself I would say that I am very much a people-person. I love meeting new people and learning about their background and what they do. I would say that am friendly, confident and also a good listener. Hopefully those attributes help to make people I work with feel comfortable in my presence. I find this skill is especially helpful when starting projects with new clients and as such it is much easier to work together to complete projects on time.
I also feel I am fairly ambitious and well driven. I constantly set myself challenges and set myself goals so I have something to strive towards. I am always looking to improve, be better and achieve bigger things.
Outside of work I enjoy plenty of activities, one of my most enjoyable things to do is playing and being involved in my local football team. Not only do I play (when I am not injured) I am just as enthusiastic about helping the junior sides to progress who I coach every Saturday morning. The Isle of Man is a wonderful and beautiful place to live (especially in the summer) so I also love to get out and explore all over the island.
I would just like to thank you for taking the time to visit my site and I hope I can be of assistance to anyone looking for the services I provide.
Quick Fire Questions
Football Or Rugby?
Football, obvsiously !
Would You Rather Live Where It Is Constantly Winter Or Where It Is Constantly Summer?
I am most definitely a summer person. Who honestly enjoys cold weather?
is a jaffa cake a cake or a biscuit?
It’s most defintely a cake !!
Which TV series would you rather real life be like? the walking dead or game of thrones?
I am a big fan of both shows, however after receiving a book on how to survive the zombie apocalypse I have planned in great detail what I will do if it actually does happen and its a solid plan. So if you do become a zombie then you don’t stand much of a chance I’m afraid to say. Also everyone seems to die in Game of Thrones so I think I will take my chances in the zombie world.
Xbox or PlayStation?
I have always been a Sony fan so PlayStation wins this one.
Stay Connected
You’re the Founder OF Jamie Clague Web Development, How Did It All Start?
My time spent as a graduate web developer helped me tremendously in my development but also helped me to get a solid understanding of a working business environment with other people. From this I grew the confidence to be able to do exactly what I wanted and was most passionate about, to create fantastic websites for small local businesses. I decided to give it a go initially for the first 6 months and from there I haven’t looked back.
What is the first experience you have with web design & development?
Well my very first memory with web development goes as far back to when I was in my first year of college in 2006. I seen a web page using scrolling horizontal text (A marquee tag back then) and from that one single feature I was hooked . I loaned a “HTML/CSS For Dummies” book and started to create – what was probably the most basic – first web page.
What is your background? Education, Work Experience?
After completing 3 college courses I was able to attend Edge Hill University where I studied for 3 years in Web Systems Development. My degree provided me with the foundations to be able to have the required skills for a career as a developer and after university I was able to secure a role as a graduate web developer in a fast growing e-gaming company. After almost 2 years I moved into a new role as lead developer where I worked for a container company. It was during my role here that I decided that I wanted to start my own business.
What are the greatest challenges you face running your own business ?
There are always lots of challenges when you run your own business. Making sure you meet deadlines, meeting clients, keeping up with the lastest web technologies and trends or marketing yourself to gain new potential clients. Working alone can be extremely tough, not only do you not have the company like a traditional workplace has but with so much work to do it can sometimes be difficult to balance time with also having a social life.
Has it always been an ambition of yours to start and run your own business?
It probably wasn’t until I left university that I had given any thought about how it was possible to work as a freelance web developer. At that time I knew I needed some real work experience to help me learn, grow and develop my skills. After 4 rewarding years of working in roles for other companies I decided that I was ready to start on my own and Jamie Clague Web Development was born.
Having to CONTINUALLY look for new projects must be tough, how to you market yourself to continue to find new customers?
The Isle of Man has such a small community and word spreads quickly and thankfully this has been the case with my business. Almost all the work I have took on has been referred to me by happy clients I have completed work for. Therefore I hope to continue to make new clients happy so that I in turn continue to grow. Hopefully this will mean more people get to hear about my business and the work I do.
what is the best piece of advice you have been given to be able to work in the way do ?
There are two main bits of advice that I remember very clearly which I have remembered and tried to carry with me since I started in my working career. The first advice was from my time at university, a tutor of mine stated “find a niche you like in your work and to then become good at that”. The other was from a former boss of mine who helped me to realise that it was okay to sometimes say no. Its easy to want to help everyone buts its rarely the most productive method.
What is the most rewarding parts of running your own business?
I think that the most enjoyable aspect of what I do is helping local businesses to grow and try to establish themselves to get heard or for some exposure. Each client is different and has different needs, some may have a web presence and some may not. The most rewarding part of what I do is seeing a happy client after delivering a solution to what was missing or simply wasn’t there.
your business name suggests that you work alone! Is this true?
I generally do work alone yes, but there are certain projects that allow me to sub-contract or to bring in other professionals that I 100% trust and know I can rely on to deliver fantastic work. The contacts that I have allow me to take projects onto a another level simply because I am working with people who specialise in what they do. It does not matter if it is branding / logo design, graphic design, photography, video production or content writing. I am able to work hand in hand with other professionals to deliver fantastic results for my clients.
What are the future plans for jamie clague web development??
I like to keep myself grounded and try to continue and carry on delivering work that local businesses are happy with which will allow me to establish my business even further. I do believe it is important to have a objective or goal to try and reach. I have always thought about the possibility of growing the business to be able to then take on staff and new employee’s. I think that would would a fantastic 1st milestone for this business.
What would you say has been the biggest thing you have learned since you have been in business ?
I think that over the course of the last 2 years I have leaned a significant amount not just about how I run my business but also about myself. I think one of the the most important lessons I have had is to not presume how a project is going to develop. I have been involved in a number of projects that haven’t necessarily took the path I thought and from this I have learned to adapt and curb expectations as projects progress.
If you could rewind the clock and go back to when you started Jamie Clague Web Development would you change anything??
Well remembering back to the first client that I had, the work I did then was miles apart from what I do now but it got the ball rolling for me. If I could go back I would make sure that I had the best setup possible in terms of being able to do all of the necessary tasks that are involved to make my work flow more efficient whether that be creating invoices or having the right software and platforms for development.