A Techie Who Writes Well?

Believe it.

My first professional writing experience dates back to a computer store in Dayton, Ohio where I worked when I was in college. The store published a newsletter with national distribution in 1977 and 1978.

The store owner appointed me editor of the newsletter when he was unable to support it. While this was truly "big fish in a little pond" experience, I kept the newsletter going (as well as doing all typesetting and pre-press preparation, and even bulk mailings) while holding a full course load in engineering school.

If I had been wiser I would have stayed with the writing, but I decided that I needed to apply my new engineering degree. Upon graduation and with a newly minted BSEE, I worked at a number of engineering positions around the country.

Business and Consulting Background

In 1993 I made the plunge into full time IT contracting and I have continued this work up through the present day. Most of my customers have been "independent software vendors" or "ISVs" and I have usually supplied expertise to create new Windows application software or to supplement or extend their existing products.

Baptism by Fire and Paying the Dues

In this business, I have worked directly with owners of many small businesses. I learned that no business is guaranteed any sales. They all earned their customer's business by supplying something unique, essential, or "better than" someone else.

In turn, I have been in that same position in my own business. I learned to effectively communicate the value that I could add to my prospect's business.

Speaking the Language - or, Many Languages

I have been exposed to many different industries through my contracting projects. Some of my clients have been in vertical markets such as health care or accounting, and others are consultancies themselves with a need for internal tools. In so doing I have learned to speak many "languages" in many different professional spheres as a matter of course.

Software development and engineering is often unfairly characterized as a stale, dry occupation that is filled with social misfits. In contrast, engineers and programmers are truly creative artists in "work boots". Their "pen" or "paint brush" is a programming language or an integrated circuit. So in that work I learned to collaborate with these true artisans, and help them to do their jobs better so that their bosses - my clients - would earn more money or save on expenses.

At the same time, I worked with the clients themselves - the owners and managers - to ensure that projects would meet their business goals. Great communication is essential here as well so that everyone is on the same page.

And Now...

I am applying what I have learned in more than a quarter century in the technology industry to the challenges faced by all businesses: communicating better with their past, current and future customers.

You may be asking: what does this mean to you?

It means that I can supply you with insight into how real people make buying decisions in the day-to-day course of their work. I can then take that insight, combine it with your product and business strategy, and from that I can produce clear, compelling copy that will help you to sell your product or service.

My life experience, business experience, and "in the trenches" realism can complement your company's message to produce a winning formula for your team!