DEV Community: Gage Henderson

The Most Under-Served Market In Web Development

Gage Henderson — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 02:04:42 +0000

Small business websites

After getting laid off of my first web dev job I decided to start my own business developing and designing websites independently. In reality, it was just me freelancing with a good friend handling all of the sales and client communication for me (I'm not exactly a "people-person").

Our goal was to get our name out locally and start helping smaller businesses get a solid website up to represent themselves online.

There are so many of these businesses that have websites littered with inconsistencies and straight up broken features. We wanted to reach out, give them a fair price, good customer service, and leave them with a solid website that can last.

I'm getting a bit sales-pitchy - My goal with this post is not to share my "10 tips for getting small business clients" or anything like that.

Rather, I wanted to share an extremely under-served market that would be a great fit for any newer web developers trying to get their feet wet.

Squarespace, wix, etc,.

Basically every client we ever had could have just taken the time to sit down and create a simple website with Squarespace, Wix, or your website builder of choice.

In-fact, we recommended this - A LOT. Most businesses really just need a good-enough, passable, static website that explains who they are and what they do.

But, most small-business owners are extremely busy people, and although they might technically have the time available - They simply want to pay someone to take care of it for them and you're likely not going to convince them otherwise.

Even the most tech-savvy clients we've had just wanted to offload this work and know it was being done.

This is the main reason I wanted to post this, in-case any younger developer out their, or anyone considering getting into web dev happens to stumble across this:

There are so, so many small business-owners who will pay you to make their simple static site for them - Regardless of the tech stack you use.

Never developed a website from scratch? Don't know the ins-and-outs of html/javascript/css? You can still provide them a good service and solid website even with Wix or Squarespace, and they will be extremely thankful for your work.

I don't know how other web developers would feel about this sentiment.

Obviously there are tradeoffs to using something like Wix, but I believe that for someone looking to get into development, starting with one of these online website builders could be an amazing way to begin their journey - And, in the process, get some real-world experience.

I feel like this might leave a bad taste in more experienced developers mouths - But when it comes to a skill as daunting and with as much depth as programming - Having an extremely user-friendly and straightforward place to start can be the difference between someone starting a new career that they love, and never taking the first step because they are so intimidated.

Communication

In our few years of business, we never heard a single positive thing said about web developers from our clients.

This could very-well be just my personal, skewed experience - But most developers in the small-business price-point are shady, flaky, and often straight up scam their clients.

It would be a great service not only to them, but to the internet as a whole if there were more legitimate people creating quality websites for these businesses.

Communication and responsiveness is one of, if not the most important thing, in my opinion, when working freelance. I know this can be a huge hurdle for some people, myself included.

I was lucky enough that me and my friend were both in the right place at the right time, and that he was willing to pursue this with me. But most people won't be able to hide in their comfort zone like I did, and will have to push themselves a bit to get things going.

Like I said, I really, truly understand how difficult that can be - But, if it helps, know that you will run into a lot of amazing people and likely be as fulfilled as I was making these websites. A lot of my direct interactions with clients gave me a sense that I was actually helping someone out, that I was helping relieve someone of a bit of stress that has been hanging over them for months, or usually years.

Where I'm At

When developing these websites I used a blank Wordpress theme and would set our clients up with their own hosting account to bill them directly.

Believe it or not, if you don't use any plugins with Wordpress it can actually be a pretty great experience - Especially if there are some small fields that the client might need to update somewhat frequently.

Over time I enjoyed the process of designing and developing these websites less-and-less, and have since stopped. I could go on for a while about all of the things I learned and what I would do differently.

There are definitely a lot of downsides to freelancing in general and specifically when working on smaller projects - However, it was extremely fulfilling - Even though it's just a small thing, I did feel like I was doing something positive with my time, and it allowed me to be extremely creative.

I simply used Wordpress with a blank theme because it was the most natural and productive workflow for me. I would design our websites in Adobe XD, then write all of the elements and styles and interactivity in php/css/js. BUT - someone could just as easily do this with an online website builder, and be just as successful as any other small business web dev while providing a great service for their clients.

I'm not the most experienced developer, I'm not trying to prop myself up as an expert in the field or anything - I just wanted to share my experience - If I hadn't already gotten into programming at a younger age, I would've loved to be able to dig into web development by building simple websites for local businesses, and I believe there's a vast, underserved market for just that.

Advantages of designing and/or developing a site "mobile-first"?

Gage Henderson — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 01:10:25 +0000

Just curious, I've tried this with a very recent project and I was wondering what other people's experience with designing (and/or developing) mobile-first was like.

It seems like it's a bit of a buzzword at the moment, I'm not even sure of it's actual definition, but I've interpreted it literally - Meaning, starting designs and/or development at mobile-sized resolutions.

Recently I designed mobile-first for a client who was very concerned with the responsiveness of their site. This made creating the designs a much smoother/simpler process initially - There was less space to work with, and less room for stylistic elements that you might spend more time creating on a desktop site.

However, once I finished the mobile designs and moved to larger screen resolutions, I started to notice a lot of dead-space that was hard to fill with substantial content or elements.

I like to think the site still turned out great (The client is happy with it:) But I still wonder if it would have turned out better if I hadn't designed mobile first.

What are your thoughts on the mobile-first workflow? Pros? Cons? Concerns?

P.S.
I actually developed the website "desktop-first" because I'm used to that workflow, but maybe it would've been better to stick to mobile first throughout the entire creation of the website.

New Beginnings, Starting my Own Business

Gage Henderson — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 15:28:42 +0000

Recently I left my job at a world-class design agency in Portland, Oregon. Well, I didn't leave it - I got laid off for financial reasons. But I had been thinking about leaving for a few months prior, and everything kind of lined up perfectly.

I've never been one to take take the typical, expected path. I dropped out of high school, never had plans of going to college. While my friends were studying for their finals, I was teaching myself how to code. I've always wanted to start my own business but never knew what I wanted it to be.

So, when I got the news that I was being laid off, I decided this would be the moment. Now is the time to walk the talk, and take the risky leap into the depths of entrepreneurship. I started my own web-development/marketing agency with my life-long friend - He handles everything that isn't technical (sales, bookkeeping, time-management, etc) while I do all of the dirty work.

So far we haven't gotten any actual profit, but things are actually going better than expected. We decided to really lay in on the "local" aspect of our service - Going door-to-door and pitching local businesses, letting them know we're real, here, and responsive. That angle has been working out extremely well, I live in a somewhat rural, isolated town and all of the businesses here get their websites made by some developer they found on the internet who takes a week to reply to their emails. So when we walk into their store, and have a face-to-face conversation with them, it seems to really strike a chord.

I'm writing this on a Wednesday morning, tweaking out on a massive cup of coffee. It's the 24th, rent is due in a week and I don't have nearly enough money to pay it. I'm putting off time with my friends and family, not getting nearly enough sleep, treating my body like an old run-down car, deflecting waves of hate from my peers, and loving every second of it.

I've never seen the point in living a life doing what others expect of you. I don't know if I'll be able to pay my landlord, or buy groceries next week, but I know that whatever happens is up to me.

Feedback On My Portfolio Site

Gage Henderson — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 16:43:11 +0000

Hello everyone! I've been working on my portfolio site and it is now live. I'm still making tweaks and edits, but I was hoping to get some feedback on it!

Just a quick note: I'm still pretty unhappy with the mobile version, any ideas or critique on that would be greatly appreciated!

Website - http://gagehenderson.com/
Github Repo - https://github.com/quangogage/Portfolio-App

Remote Jobs: How-to, and the Downsides

Gage Henderson — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 22:16:27 +0000

I've always wanted to work a remote job. My current job is in Portland, Oregon, but I live somewhat far away (about a 1 hour commute). Remote work has always sounded like a good fit for me, I feel like I am good at managing my time, and can hold myself responsible for things.

But it seems like the type of thing that is "too good to be true". What are the downsides? I feel like if it really was as awesome as sitting at home and coding all day, everyone would be doing it!

Also, if I do end up looking for a remote job, what should I be looking for? What should I avoid? Any guidance on landing a remote job would be super helpful.

Advice for creating a Portfolio Website With Little Experience?

Gage Henderson — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 20:19:55 +0000

I have only been in the tech industry for a little over a year now, working as a web developer which I love. I'm hoping to create a personal web site to show off all of my work, previous jobs, and experience. The only issue: I don't have too much of any of those.

Does anyone have any advice for someone new to the industry, trying to create a portfolio website? What are some do's/don'ts? Should I link some of my github projects?

Although I am still somewhere in the novice to intermediate skill range, I feel extremely capable of handling any development challenges thrown my way, as I have been facing a constant stream of them since I first got employed (as an intern, now a full time developer.)

I am hoping to use the portfolio website to sort of "legitimize" myself for potential future employers, but more so - potential clients for freelance work.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!