It’s hard to write a personal ‘about’ page without immediately disappearing up your own rear end. So I’ll make do with a photo (that’s me above) and some basic information about what I do and have done.
What I Do
I write and I help others write.
I know about writing and the struggle that many face when it comes to getting words down. Especially when it comes to business writing. And I know how to match writing (and content in general) to your business objectives.
In short, this means that I do three fundamental things to help your business.
- I write whatever you need written
- I help you plan and produce content for your business
- I help free your own staff (and you) to write what needs to be written
I use the word ‘free’ in item three precisely because so many people feel locked into not being able to write. Put them in front of a blank page (physical or electronic) and ask them to write a blog post, an internal memo, a status report, or a product description…..
Well, I think you know what tends to happen. And yet these are people who know their jobs and your business really well. And they may be passionate about it, too. They just can’t convert that passion and knowledge into the content that is vital for your business.
There’s an old saying about the difference between giving a man a fish and teaching a man to fish. That sums up the difference in my core services – numbers 1 and 3. (If you want to stick with this metaphor, you can think of the second service on the list as providing the rod, the fishing license, and the hooks. The current most popular term for this service is Content Strategy.)
My services can also be expressed as single words:
- Writing
- Consulting
- Coaching
The Past
Here’s a bit about my past.
Work
- After university, I had a number of jobs, including tractor driver on a vineyard, teacher, and bookshop assistant.
- Then I got into IT in 1986.
- After a spell at Commercial Union Insurance, I joined Reuters in 1988.
- Over the following 18 years, I worked in Europe, Asia, and the US designing, implementing, and documenting business IT systems. I know how to convert a business problem into a system solution.
- From 2000, I have worked as a freelance writer.
- In 2007, I created bpodr – a web development and SEO company – with Adam Austin, who now runs the rather splendid Better Web Company.
- Since 2011, I’ve worked with a number of business owners and authors who wanted help finding their (writer’s) voice and to overcome the obstacles that stood between them and starting, writing, and completing books.
Writing
- I worked briefly on the TV series The Bill back in 1997-8.
- I wrote a monthly column — and conducted technical reviews — for Internet Business Magazine between 1998 and 1999.
- I’ve also spent more than fifteen years as a Marketing Copywriter. In that time, my clients have included Vodafone, Hitachi, PA Consulting, Citrix, Microsoft, and a large number of smaller businesses.
- You can find three volumes of my short stories for the Kindle on Amazon (that’s a link to my author page on Amazon UK).