Starting a web design business

BusinessesForSale: How did you start your own web design business?

Ravi Patel: I started the business from home, from the box room of my parent’s house, and then after the first year I saved up enough money to move into a serviced office, and it’s just grown from there really.

BFS: Are you very hands-on with the business - do you believe that’s important?

RP: I check over all the work we do and I take great pride in the services we offer. Although it’s the companies name it’s my name behind the company, and I don’t let anything leave the studio unless I’m happy with it. So everything is checked and tested by me before it goes to our customers.

A good team will definitely make work feel less of a chore

We have a couple of people work in our design studio here in Middlesex, where we design all interfaces, etc. We also have a print factory in Southampton and a development studio in India where we have 17 people working for us.

BFS: the advantages of running a business are well documented - what would you say are the main disadvantages?

RP: When you own a business and you're your own boss, working hard to make your business work, you don’t really have much of a social life! But when you do go out and socialise you appreciate it a lot more and make the most of it.

It’s for yourself at the end of the day, but it's important to have a good team around you, who share the same ambitions and goals. A good team will definitely make work feel less of a chore.

BFS: What were your working hours like at the beginning and have they calmed down?

RP: My working hours now are the same as when I started four years ago! But I don't mind that; I'm really passionate about what I do.

I love waking up in the mornings and I’m excited about coming to work. If it came to the stage where I couldn’t be bothered to wake up and I didn’t feel like going to the office, I would stop what I’m doing, because if I don’t have the passion for it I don’t see the point in doing it.

BFS: How difficult is it being in an industry which has a lot of competition?

RP: We sell ourselves as a creative company and we are all creative people; if you’re not creative yourself how can you sell yourself as a creative company? How can you expect someone to pay you to create them something when you look like everyone else?

So we have a unique image. We give other companies an image, so if our image isn’t right we’re not doing a good job for ourselves, let alone someone else!

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