[00:00:09.300] - Gordon
Hello.

[00:00:09.920] - Taylor
Hello.

[00:00:10.320] - Gordon
My name's Gordon from Drayson Design.

[00:00:12.240] - Taylor
And I'm Taylor from The Creative Tinker.

[00:00:14.340] - Gordon
And welcome to "This Week With Taylor and Gordon," a weekly podcast where we look at things that we've been doing during the week as two business owners. And for those of you who've been with us before, you might notice that it looks a little bit different today. We are a lot closer. We're not actually a lot closer, but the lens is a lot closer, mainly because the camera has changed. We got a new camera. We were using an iPhone X and we are now using an iPhone 12 pro and this has three cameras on it. Only just arrived with me. So we thought we'd try it to see how it looked close up. If we don't like it or it's too close, which is very possible, then we will move back a little bit and you'll be able to see more of us. But we will see how it goes. It just means I've got to be very careful how I move so I don't go out of the frame. And I'm guessing, we can't see, but I'm guessing that about here is where you can see my hands. So no point in me doing anything below that.

[00:01:26.160] - Taylor
Yeah.

[00:01:26.940] - Gordon
So it's been another busy week.

[00:01:29.880] - Taylor
Yeah.

[00:01:30.750] - Gordon
And for me. Can I go first?

[00:01:33.810] - Taylor
Yeah. You go first.

[00:01:34.710] - Gordon
Ok. So for me I've been looking at a project that Taylor and I have been talking about now for over a year.

[00:01:43.500] - Taylor
I've been bothering you about for over a year.

[00:01:45.720] - Gordon
This is true. The problem is when you run a website design business, your own websites get forgotten.

[00:01:53.700] - Taylor
Yes.

[00:01:54.570] - Gordon
You just, you don't have the time or the energy, really, to work on your own website when you've spent all day working on other people's websites. You sort of want to do something that's not website related. You want to have some downtime. And that is, that has been my problem. So I've had a website for my performances to grown-ups to adults. It's not blue. That's why... I always worry what to call it, because if you say my adult shows, it sounds like it's going to be x-rated and, you know, there's going to be nudity in it and stuff and...

[00:02:37.410] - Taylor
No-one wants that.

[00:02:38.340] - Gordon
And, well, people do want that. But that's not what I do. So what I do do, is I do entertainment for adults at parties and weddings and events like that. And I have a different name. So I call myself Pip Kennedy. And the reason for that is because I want to have completely separate marketing. In fact, that's worth talking about at another time. I'll explain why I've got a different name at a different time. But the website that I had up was a step up from what I originally had. If you're interested, pipkennedy.co.uk. It's not changed yet. This is the current site, you can have a look at the "Wayback Machine" to see what it used to look like, which is very different to what it does now. But it needs a major overhaul because it's been like this for quite a long time.

[00:03:34.440] - Taylor
You've changed a lot.

[00:03:36.150] - Gordon
I've changed a lot. Yeah, I've changed in look; I've changed in performance style; I've changed in what I do, the performances I do.

[00:03:44.280] - Taylor
You've also stayed the same, though. In size.

[00:03:48.170] - Gordon
Yeah.

[00:03:49.480] - Taylor
Since seventeen.

[00:03:50.400] - Gordon
My stature hasn't changed. I'm still the same height. Yeah. Which I guess is a good thing because at least something on the website is correct.

[00:03:58.320] - Taylor
Yes. Although it's very hard to perspect... err height perspective, but...

[00:04:02.670] - Gordon
Yes, agreed. So that is something that I've been looking at doing for a long time and I've been procrastinating a bit.

[00:04:11.820] - Taylor
Yes. Very much so.

[00:04:12.360] - Gordon
And putting it off and finding other things to do. Mainly because it's such an important website to me, I need it to be right. And I've spent way too long on it to actually get to the point when I actually know what I want. I've made lots of lists; I've done lots of preparation for it; I've done lots of investigation as to other competitors and so forth. And it's time for it all to come together and get it done. So I'm currently at the design stage, so I am now designing it. That is being done at the moment. And after I'm happy with that, then we get to code it. And I might actually in fact, I think I definitely am going to be calling in a copywriter for this.

[00:05:05.850] - Taylor
OK.

[00:05:06.270] - Gordon
So I'm going to get somebody to copywrite this for me, so I'm just putting placeholder text at the moment, so hopefully we'll be OK with that. So that's been my week. If you hear voices in the background, we've got someone at the front door. So apologies for that. What have you been up to this week?

[00:05:25.940] - Taylor
So this week I have been talking to a good friend of mine called Steve Woody, and we met probably about 2012, I want to say. So I would have been about 11 or 12 or so and we met at a business convention, is that right? With Emma and other people like that?

[00:05:46.730] - Gordon
Yes, I think it was.

[00:05:48.230] - Taylor
And I was very young and stuff like that. And we added each other on Facebook and kind of, we've been watching each other what we've been up to and things like that. So he does kind of, he builds websites, and he has a, he's written a book on it actually, on how to build a website. And he's now setting up "Online Mastery," which is a course, has courses, it's an academy. And it's all about how, taking business owners and how they can use a website to gain more traffic, gain more leads, gain more whatever the objective of the website is, and build it into a system. And predominately he used to just build websites; that was all he does. However, he's now moved into all the systems behind it. So setting up a CRM so you can capture all of these leads.

[00:06:38.300] - Gordon
So that's a 'customer relationship manager,' for those who don't know.

[00:06:42.440] - Taylor
He's done like analytics and using heat maps and, you know, all of these things that you can track people with. And he's moved into that side of the business because he's found that business owners value that a lot. And that it is very difficult and tricky to understand, which I've actually found out because he helped me, kind of gave me some tips and advice because I've decided that I'm going to move to the system he uses, which is "Zoho."

[00:07:11.240] - Gordon
Just before you get to that, the tracking thing is going to get even more tricky because Safari, which is created by Apple, it's their browser they have brought in or they will bring in, in the next operating system, ways that will prevent companies from tracking you on the Internet.

[00:07:30.560] - Taylor
Yeah.

[00:07:31.370] - Gordon
And I think others are going to go along with this as well. Probably not Chrome, because Google rely on that data to make their money, basically. But it is going to be a lot more tricky to track people.

[00:07:44.750] - Taylor
Yeah.

[00:07:46.280] - Gordon
That's why you're going to need someone like Steve.

[00:07:47.960] - Taylor
Yeah. So what he does is he kind of he uses "Zoho," which is, it's an 'enterprise grade system.' So it's very advanced and it has so much flexibility and capability that...

[00:08:00.740] - Gordon
Probably more than you actually need.

[00:08:02.210] - Taylor
Yes. Because people like Toyota, companies like that, they use it for their entire company. You can basically segment the whole company into different sections and groups, you know, marketing, sales, all of that, all from one kind of entire system. And they have numerous apps. So I'm using something called "Zoho One," which is where they basically bundled every single app they have into one kind of system. And you pay a monthly...

[00:08:33.620] - Gordon
Good name.

[00:08:34.220] - Taylor
Yeah.

[00:08:34.760] - Gordon
Clever name.

[00:08:35.600] - Taylor
Because they used to, they used to have everything separate. However, they're kind of moving to trying to integrate everything to work with each other. And I created an account and just decided to have a look around, see if I could set myself up with it. And it's very, very difficult. It's not intuitive in the way that, you know, to be able to get the most out of it, to maximise the automations, to be able to make sure everything is set up correctly, is very difficult.

[00:09:01.190] - Gordon
Well, that's because it's an enterprise system and it's designed for hundreds of

[00:09:06.200] - Taylor
Employees.

[00:09:06.740] - Gordon
Employees to use, right?

[00:09:07.840] - Taylor
But the reason for it is because, you can pretty much customise the entire system. You can delete fields; you can remove stuff; you can add things; you can link everything together; which is why it was so kind of overwhelming. So Steve kind of went through and kind of showed me and gave me some good advice and tips on setting it up.

[00:09:28.820] - Gordon
OK.

[00:09:29.060] - Taylor
And I've been kind of going through and creating my own kind of system that works for me. And what I'm doing is basically taking everything that I, has worked for me, using all my other systems and trying to move it all into "Zoho." So, you know, that's the managing all my leads that come in and the proposals that I send out. And keeping track of who I've sent proposals to; where they are in the process; whether or not I've contacted them; whether or not they've accepted the proposal. Then you can kind of convert them from a lead to a contact; and then you can create a project which you can then attach to a contact, for example; and then you can create invoices, which you can then attach to companies and contacts. And so everything is kind of integrated in, everything comes from different places so you've got "Zoho books," "Zoho CRM," "Zoho projects," you know, there's so many different stuff that all integrates together, which is what makes it so good.

[00:10:26.140] - Gordon
Now, what's interesting is you've, you're sort of still on this journey to find the right software, aren't you? Because you've moved from two other softwares recently.

[00:10:36.230] - Taylor
Yes.

[00:10:37.150] - Gordon
Into "Zoho," which I mean, is a big upheaval, really, isn't it? Because you're taking all your data from one system and moving it into another system, and then doing the same again. It's like moving house twice.

[00:10:47.540] - Taylor
And you still, and with the system before that I was using, I never actually ended up moving everything entirely.

[00:10:53.770] - Gordon
Right.

[00:10:53.770] - Taylor
So, I've still got stuff in the system before that, and so it's trying to manage all the data and find the best way forward that I don't lose data, and I don't lose out on information, but I don't have to do all the manual work that will take hours.

[00:11:08.920] - Gordon
And then going forward, it's going to be much easier to manage.

[00:11:12.640] - Taylor
Yes. So I've been through many systems and, you know, although I've lost some money from, you know, having to pay to get access to it, I think that in the short term, yes, it is a bit of a price to pay. But looking forward to the future, if I ever want to bring people on, either employees or people like freelancers, it's, and also just for the future, you know, I'm only in my kind of second year of business, really. And, you know, I'm hoping that I will keep this going until I'm, you know 25, 30, 40, whatever. And, you know, being able to have a good, solid system in place that I know is going to be reliable, and can expand and scale with me, then it's a small price to pay.

[00:11:57.850] - Gordon
So 25? What are you going to do at 25?

[00:12:00.920] - Taylor
Well, I was just, you know, I was more saying 25 as if I was to employ someone maybe and...

[00:12:06.940] - Gordon
Right I see.

[00:12:07.120] - Taylor
Grow my team, and grow the business.

[00:12:08.230] - Gordon
So you're hoping that it will grow with you?

[00:12:11.290] - Taylor
Yes.

[00:12:11.940] - Gordon
At different milestones of the company.

[00:12:14.980] - Taylor
Yes. And I can add things as and when I need them. So, if I need to add a new section, I can without being limited.

[00:12:21.100] - Gordon
I thought your goal there was to sort of make the company so good that you would get bought out at the age of 25...

[00:12:27.400] - Taylor
Well there's always that!

[00:12:27.400] - Gordon
And then just retire.

[00:12:28.780] - Taylor
There's always that.

[00:12:29.230] - Gordon
And look after your dad.

[00:12:30.880] - Taylor
Yeah. So what about you?

[00:12:33.880] - Gordon
So I've got some news.

[00:12:36.130] - Taylor
Ok.

[00:12:36.130] - Gordon
Just before I get to the news though, something you said there I think is worth reiterating. Finding the right software for you. I mean, Taylor's gone through I mean, he's on his third system now. And, you know, it's early days, but it's looking like it's going to be a good one for you.

[00:12:54.490] - Taylor
So I'm on my third system, second website software.

[00:13:01.960] - Gordon
So what I'm trying to say is, it's a good thing to try out new technology because you might find that something you've always wanted to do or something that's been holding you back, is possible with new software. And you've got to basically just sort of weigh it up and decide if moving everything to the new software is going to give you enough advantage to put in all that work and the pain of moving stuff.

[00:13:27.910] - Taylor
So that same system, same scenario as when I moved from kind of one software builder to another, and I had to learn an entirely new system.

[00:13:38.050] - Gordon
Yeah.

[00:13:38.410] - Taylor
But I have probably doubled my kind of profits because I've been able to offer more complex websites.

[00:13:46.600] - Gordon
And speed up sites, which was your reason for going there originally.

[00:13:49.810] - Taylor
And having the customer, the more flexibility to do more kind of advanced things.

[00:13:55.930] - Gordon
And that's mainly because you're getting more into the developer side of it now, isn't it? You're not just taking sort of drag and drop interfaces. You're actually building your own functions.

[00:14:05.590] - Taylor
Yeah, definitely. So I'm kind of trying to do more advanced things like nice animations that, you know, are basically like a timeline. So it starts with this animation. And then the next step it does this animation.

[00:14:17.470] - Gordon
I mean, Apple's website is a good example of that. They do an awful lot of that. If you're not quite sure what we mean, I mean, they are the masters at it. I think they're the first website I saw that actually did animation like this, and I couldn't understand how they were doing it within a web browser.

[00:14:33.520] - Taylor
Yeah.

[00:14:33.970] - Gordon
But HTML5 is just amazing. It allows for all of this to happen. So, yeah, go look at that.

[00:14:41.230] - Taylor
What's your news for this week?

[00:14:41.980] - Gordon
So the news, it's not going to be happening immediately, but in December of next year, so that's 2021, there are new laws coming in that mean that mobile companies cannot lock your phone when you take out a new contract with them.

[00:15:03.550] - Taylor
That's really nice, because a lot of the time you see people on eBay and Facebook selling phones that are tied to a service provider, mobile phone provider. And it just becomes a pain, you either have to pay to get it unlocked by someone that knows how to do it, or you have to buy it and know that you have to be on that service.

[00:15:22.020] - Gordon
I mean, I've been on, I've been buying my phones outright for the last 10 years or so. So I've been keeping my monthly costs very low, but making a bigger expenditure once every four years, three years, that sort of length of time. And by doing that, I've always had an unlocked phone. Now, for those who don't know what I mean by this, it's locking it to that carrier. So if you, for example, take out a contract with EE and you are getting the phone as part of that package, you will pay a higher price per month because you're paying off for the phone as well. And what they do currently, is that they lock that phone to the EE network, which means that, at the end of your contract, you have to stay with EE because that's what it's locked to. Having said that, you can have your phone unlocked by the carrier. Sometimes they charge you for this.

[00:16:26.230] - Taylor
Yeah.

[00:16:26.580] - Gordon
Sometimes they don't. But stopping them from being able to lock the handset is a great benefit to customers because, for example, if you have a 'pay as you go' sim in your phone and you run out of credit and your mate wants to make a call and their phone is dead, well then just take the SIM out of one, put it into the other, make the call.

[00:16:53.460] - Taylor
Yeah.

[00:16:54.090] - Gordon
Which you can't currently do unless you're both on the same carrier. So in the long run, this is going to benefit customers. It's very new. It just, the news came out the other day. This is subject to things changing, you know, a year is a long way away. It might change between now and then. But currently this is what the plans are. And I think it's a good thing.

[00:17:18.450] - Taylor
Yeah, me too.

[00:17:19.380] - Gordon
So that's why I'm telling you. So, if you're looking at upgrading your phone, maybe hold on until this new law comes in, because then you'll get a better deal and a better phone, which will allow you to use any network.

[00:17:34.750] - Taylor
Awesome.

[00:17:35.350] - Gordon
That's it for me, anything from you?

[00:17:36.940] - Taylor
No, that's everything from me.

[00:17:38.410] - Gordon
Well, thank you very much for joining us. As always, we can be found on Facebook and on YouTube. The links for those are on the screen now.

[00:17:47.650] - Taylor
And you can also go to our website: thisweekwith.co.uk, which has all of our past episodes and has the videos, audio and also the show notes on there.

[00:17:58.690] - Gordon
Very good. You can find me at draysondesign.com.

[00:18:02.170] - Taylor
And you can find me at thecreativetinker.com.

[00:18:05.650] - Gordon
Thank you for watching. We'll see you next week, one o'clock, Friday afternoon. Until then, goodbye.

[00:18:11.860] - Taylor
Bye.

This Week's Topics

Show Notes