Year round learning for product, design and engineering professionals

Kay Smoljak – Starting and running a successful web development business

Web Directions South 2008, Sydney Convention Centre, September 25 10.45am.

Presentation slidecast

You can also listen to the audio recording separately.

Session description

Working for yourself is a dream that many web designers and developers have. You can pick and choose your clients, work in your pajamas, and sleep in until 10am every day if you want to. But there’s a more serious side to starting a business, and lots of factors to consider if you decide to head out on your own. Kay will share the story of Clever Starfish’s journey from a seed of an idea to a thriving small business, with lots of handy hints for both things to do, and things not to do, along the way.

About Kay Smoljak

Portrait of Kay SmoljakKay has been working with the web since the dark days of the last
millennium. She left full time employment to start Clever Starfish
with her partner and two overly bossy cats in 2006, and does not miss
commuting in the slightest. Because she’s a sucker for volunteering,
Kay sits on the committee of the Australian Web Industry Association (AWIA) and is one of the organisers of the WA Web Awards. She has three separate blogs (at last count) and also writes on ColdFusion for SitePoint and Fusion Authority.

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I’ve been admiring the Web Directions events for years, and was honored to be part… What a fantastic event!

Ethan Marcotte Inventor of 'Responsive Web Design'