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Interview: Tjobbe Andrews - Entrepreneur to Employee… and back again!

13 June, 2007 - Interviews - 7 Comments

Tjobbe Andrews is a self employed Web developer. He was self employed for several years using the company name “Now:Design” before leaving for London to enter the corporate rat race and the world of the employee. Since then, he has returned from London and left the world of the employee to establish routes in freelancing under the company name Site Creative.

Jamie: You were self employed for a number of years leading up to mid-2006. Why did you decide to become self employed?

I was working for my Dad at the time and having just finished making his Web site (which took me three months using Dreamweaver 3!), his clients started asking me for a Web site. I think this was around 2001 (Editors Note: here is that very site: Web Site from 2001). I took on a few small projects and as time went on it became a necessity to register my company, NOW design, and actually start trading properly. Ideally I would have liked to have been employed back then, but living in the heart of the English countryside meant there where no opportunities locally and I was not prepared to re-locate.

Jamie: In the number of years leading up to the sale of Now:Design, what were your highs and lows?

I really enjoyed the complete freedom I had and also the lack of any real responsibilities. As I lived at home with my Dad there were never any budgets to hit or targets to meet. This had its good points and bad points though!

The real success I achieved came from my Web site search engine rankings. Thanks largely due to the back links I had, I was number one for local Web design searches and even made it to page two on Google, Yahoo and MSN for the term “Web design UK”. I also created several Open Source templates, one of which went down *really* well. It currently stands in the top five for downloads on two of the most prominent Open Source template download sites.

So mid-2006 comes around, and you decide that you fancy life in the rat race. You move to The City, find a house, find some housemates, and then enter the big wide world of being owned by a boss. Why? What was it that sparked that decision?

I had become stagnated and lazy in my approach as a Web designer. I was picking up maybe one client a month at the most, and was skint and bored all the time. I started to get really down, and really needed to pull my finger out and do something - anything just to boost my morale. I started hunting around for “real” work, and then happened to notice the amount of junior Web design jobs in London that were available. I applied for a few and found a perfect one in Covent Garden which I was accepted for.

I hadn’t planned on selling NOW Design at all at this stage. It was meant to be my creative outlet for my templates and something for me to fall back on incase I wanted to go back to self employment. It wasn’t until six months later that I decided to sell, when I received an offer I couldn’t refuse.

I know you went through several different jobs during your time in The City. What were the hardest differences to adjust to when compared to self employment?

I thought I knew it all before I went to London, but very quickly I learned this wasn’t the case and that my Web development skills definitely needed improving! One of the main aspects of my work that was affected was my attention to detail. Previously I had been letting projects finish that worked fine and did the job, but now I like to get the whole project as perfect as I can.

Also, I found it quite hard to adjust to getting up in the mornings! I was used to getting up late and working until late.

Now, one year after moving to London, you are back in rural England working as a freelancer. Is that because you wanted an extra hour of sleep in the morning, or was there another reason for the return to self employment?

It was a combination of things really. I was really unhappy in my last job and I just could not for the life of me find anything within easy commute. I had a few small companies who got in touch for a Web site and I kind of fell back into again.

What mistakes have you learnt from your first period of self employment, and are you doing anything differently compared to the first time you were self employed?

Motivation was an issue, as well as efficiency. I’ve made some changes in my mind to really focus and just get on with things. Now I’m self sufficient it’s vital I stay on top of everything.

I’m also making sure I do things properly. Tax is sorted. I have a company bank account and so on. I’m also looking into investing in some good targeted advertising locally and nationally, which is something I didn’t try last time.

It seems you spent twelve months being somewhat unclear about where you really wanted to be and what you wanted to do. Do you regret any of that twelve month period?

Not at all! I learned so much from being in the industry that I can now take and put into my own business. I have so much more focus and motivation right now, I’m finding it hard to switch the computer off!

I’m happier now than I have ever been, and I’m really excited to see what the future brings. I’ve got local press interviews lined up, one of my designs was featured in a PHP book by Larry Ullman and I am ready to really grab the bull by the horns.

Thanks for taking the time to answer those questions, Tjobbe! I wish you the very best of luck in the future.

Do you have a question for Tjobbe or have thoughts on what it is like being on either side of the employment fence? Write them in the comments below.

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Posted on 13 June, 2007 by Jamie Harrop
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7 Comments»

Comment by Ross Chapman

2007-06-14 11:50:40

Loved the interview Jamie!

And you totally didn’t mention his bad lad background. Ohh, whoops….

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Comment by Jamie Harrop

2007-06-14 12:06:22

Thanks Ross.

Yeah, I was going to mention his Bad Lads experience but I forgot. Woops.

For those that don’t know, Tjobbe was a TV celeb for a while. He appeared on the hit UK reality show, Bad Lads Army.

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Comment by Tjobbe

2007-06-14 12:51:19

*cough* ITV4 Sunday nights *cough*

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Comment by Ross Chapman

2007-06-14 15:49:09

Oh Tj, I hope you’re getting talent rights!

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Comment by Russell Wagner

2007-07-10 03:15:32

hey I love your interviews! They are all very interesting!

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Comment by Jamie Harrop

2007-07-10 08:36:48

Thanks Russell.

I’ll probably do one more interview before I go to HostingCon (next week), so look out for that!

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Comment by John Cow

2008-09-04 15:22:54

I found this interview very interesting, but I am left with a question.

I am amazed at someone who is a self expressed “Lazy, none motivated individual who lacked responsibility and targets” was able to overcome many personal objectives and become successful in your endeavour of being a successful entrepreneur in you related field.

You stated “One of the main aspects of my work that was affected was my attention to detail.” “but now I like to get the whole project as perfect as I can.”.

Can you share some steps you took personally to overcome this professional obstacle?

John Cows last blog post..The Sumo Lounge and a Video That May Make You Stupid

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