There is no shame in being small.If you have to restructure your business to survive, then you might discover hidden benefits.Your business should be exactly as big as it needs to be to take advantage of both your strengths and the market conditions. You should worry about proper size for the curren ... read more

10 years ago today my wife and I started Waterfall Way Designs. We started working from home in a little rented duplex in Armidale. We got a few clients in Inverell and fell in love with this country town. We moved here 8 years ago and worked from home again, travelling to client’s offices and wor ... read more

Many businesses are still shouting at customers like they did in radio and print advertising days. Most of their business feed is filled with posts about their products, boring posts that just show their followers something to buy. Your followers have liked your page for a reason. They have very bu ... read more

Most business owners would say “sure I do”. Well, lets do an experiment. Would you be able to answer the following questions with the next customer you interact with? What is their name? Do they live in town? What is their job? What did they purchase last? How long have they been your cus ... read more

Author: Melanie Thorpe Nestled in the heart of Inverell’s CBD, you will find a web design company dedicated to its rural community. Waterfall Way Designs, a bonafide, built-from-scratch business, is owned and operated by David and Alanna Carse. Their journey into business began in April 2009 and ... read more

Back in April 2009 we started our business. It has been hard work and we have made mistakes, we are not rich (yet), but we do enjoy helping businesses online. Here are a few lessons we have learnt.Embrace Change I am surprised how much things change. I thought you would get a list of customers and ... read more

Last week we spent a few days in Sydney attending a conference. This is the first time we have attended an event like this and we found it very inspirational. Some of the talks may not have been relevant to us but the atmosphere and excitement was infectious. The family tagged along and they caught ... read more

We are coming up to 7 years in business. We started our web design business, Waterfall Way Designs, back in early 2009. In that time I have rarely taken a holiday, not a real one like when you were an employee. I have been on holidays with my family, but I always worked while they did activities.  ... read more

We restructured our business at the start of the year after working with a corporate consultant. It has been nearly 9 months and we are still coming to terms with what we actually do now. I think the best way to explain it is to define what we don't do and then try to label what is left. Please rea ... read more

We started Waterfall Way Designs in April 2009, over 6 years ago. In that time we have worked with many types of businesses. We currently have over 230 clients on our books. We have seen some businesses grow and prosper, we have seen others have to close their doors. The vast majority are just survi ... read more

Last week John Chambers retired as CEO of Cisco Systems after a 20 year stint at the helm of this multinational business. Cisco is listed in the S&P 500 and designs, manufactures, and sells networking equipment. The backbone of the Internet and business networks.  In his parting addre ... read more

Below we have a few photos from a recent trip we took to Tenterfield to see some clients. www.washpoolfarm.com.au - I have been working with Melissa since 2010, love her passion, ethics and products. www.thegolfersinn.com.au - we staid at Pete's place, great value, look out for the expresso ... read more

We have just past 6 years of making websites for small regional NSW businesses and I am here to tell you websites do not work. We have 240 clients on the books and have done at least that number of websites. No one in that list is currently booming online or have had their business drastically chan ... read more

One of the first questions we receive is what a website design will cost? You are excited about the potential of your business being online and how it could help your bottom line. You talk about your business, your customers, your products and services being online. But like all business purchases t ... read more

There is no formula for success online. It takes time and effort to find out what works for your business. Then more time and effort to adapt to changes as your business evolves, internet technology changes and your customers needs change.  You need to try things out - different text on your page ... read more

Who would buy clothes online? That is what I always thought. I can book a family holiday online. I love the fact I can look through a caravan parks facilities and book then and there, even if it is 10 o'clock at night. Problem solved and an exciting trip for the family ahead. But clothes? The other ... read more

We have recently been going through the process of analysing our business with a corporate consultant. This has highlighted the value of our existing customers. Now we always knew that, we always appreciated the people who had worked with us. We knew them as our customers, we had a list of invoices ... read more

photo credit: Ken Hawkins We run a local online business directory, Buy Local Inverell. When we moved to Inverell there were hardly any businesses online and we wanted to know basics like contact details for doctors, plumbers, restaurants, and so on. So we set up this simple directory, anyone ca ... read more

"I don't have the time or money" We have been making websites for over 10 years. In that time a very small percentage of our clients have taken full advantage of their online presence.  We understand you have a business to run, products and staff to organise, family life balance to achieve. Howev ... read more

Back in 2009 we started our web design business. My wife and I were out for a walk with our daughter in the pram. I raised the subject of leaving my job and starting our own business. This is a discussion most business owners have had with their partners. Should we take the leap? Should we remove ou ... read more

This old adage is certainly true in a lot of instances. But in our industry we have found it necessary to say no to clients sometimes. It is a question of what you want from a web designer, if you want a web designer that is a yes man, or one that is intent on pleasing your customers?? Objectives ... read more

We recently took a trip to Armidale for a meeting with some potential web design clients. We travel regularly throughout the New England region. Moree, Glen Innes, Guyra, Uralla, Tenterfield.? Some really nice country to drive through. The picture above is a driveway we passed in Armidale. Armidale ... read more

Our web design business is now 4 years old. It has been so much fun, we have learnt a lot along the way. We recently had our 3rd child. Joshua is our first boy. It has been wonderful to be able to work at home and help out where I can. The girls come into my office everyday, for a cuddle or to tell ... read more

We recently went to our first trade show. We had a 3m*3m bit of grass in a powered marquee, pictured above. Inverell on Display showcases local businesses to people from our town and the region. This year over 8000 people attended.   Leading up to the event we were excited about getting together ... read more

We have been in business for three years now. That time has passed quickly, we are amazed at the energy and resolve we still have. As our daughters grow up my wife is able to take on a bigger role in the business. It is wonderful to have her input and for her to implement ideas to grow the business. ... read more

I meet with new clients each week. One week might be a local mechanic, the next a mum starting a handmade soap business, the next a local company exporting internationally. To make an effective website I have to understand these companies, this requires me to sit with the owners and ask questions an ... read more

We started this business in early 2009 after the first GFC. We saw a need in the region and built up the courage to go out on our own. It has been hard, but in 3 years we now have over 115 websites and some wonderful clients.  We made the decision to start our own business as a lifestyle choice. W ... read more

We recently received our first large novelty cheque. I follow Luke Fahy from the Armidale professionals on twitter @armidalehomes?. He mentioned a local community award as part of the LGSA Local Govt Week. I submitted my Buy Local Marketplace website and described how it could benefit the community ... read more

This week the head of the AFL, Andrew Demetriou, mentioned that the AFL could use the National Broadband Network to sell directly to the consumer. This could have big ramifications for the TV networks. They run on an advertising model. They buy shows and then sell advertising space in these shows. I ... read more

How do you measure the success of your business? Cash in the register? Number of rooms booked? Number of covers per night? I am not a business major, these are just observations from running my small business. I am sure you can study many aspects of this, I just wanted to cover how what metrics you ... read more

We are coming up to our 2nd anniversary in business. Its been fun but it is not all rainbows and unicorns, we have had some tough times and made some mistakes. But it is nice to learn from those and carry on building a better business. We have found that two major factors in running a good business ... read more

I have been reading “The Four-Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferris. I have read a few of these type of lifehacking books lately. “The Art of Non-Conformity” by Chris Guillebeau, “Life Inc” by Douglas Rushkoff, “Small-Mart” by Michael Shuman. They have been very inspirational and good fo ... read more

I recently attended our Chamber of Commerce Awards night. We were nominated in the professional services category (we were beaten by a bank!). We had a great night, it was wonderful to be in a room of some 250 business people keen to build their businesses in regional NSW and recognise others. It go ... read more

My Father has worked for the same business for over 32 years. When he started, it was an opportunity for a stable job. Then over time it provided a way for him to support his family. The work has had its ups and downs and it was not where he would have seen himself as a kid. He pursues things he is ... read more

Our small business has been up and running for 15 months. In that time I have learnt a lot, and I expect my learning is to continue. I thought I would share some of the things I have learnt. If you are new to business it might help, if you have an established business it might get you thinking on th ... read more

Waterfall Way Designs is coming up to its first birthday. We want to take this opportunity to thank those people that have supported us. You have given us the opportunity to live a wonderful work life. The first year has been a bit of a rollercoaster, but we are still here and solvent. Even when we ... read more

Today marks the end of our first 6 months in business. 12 months is the do-or-die mark. It is the point at which my wife and I have to look at how we are doing and decide to continue or not. From the 6 mth mark, it looks like we might get a good first report card. Speaking with peers in the industr ... read more

I have written before about developing a company culture and philosophy. That even at this early stage your company takes on your personality. Your culture grows from your decisions and direction, then those of your employees. The way I treat people is something I have been contemplating recently. ... read more

We are now two weeks into our armidale web design business. We have done three websites and on our way to a fourth. We have had five decline our services. We have proposal ideas but no more work in the pipeline. The people side of small business is the biggest challenge for me. With some of my clie ... read more

When you are running a small business you tend to concentrate on your core business, what you are good at, what makes you money. There are many other things a small business owner needs to consider. Amongst them we have discovered tax, GST, indemnity insurance, travel and office use log books, keepi ... read more

When you are running a small business it is important to lift your head occasionally. It is too easy to be caught up in the day to day activities, paying that bill, calling that client, finishing that project. It is nice every now and then to step back and see what you have done, what you are buildi ... read more

Our objective as an Armidale Web Design business is to get new work and clients by word of mouth. I think this is the ideal way to get work for most businesses. You have done such a good job for someone, that they become your champion, if someone mentions needing something you can do, your client wi ... read more

As we cope with reality we try to categorise things, to simplify the complexity of life we create patterns. This is what I find myself inadvertently doing with each new client. I use what has worked in previous client relationships. I treat new clients the same as previous clients. A lot of my recen ... read more

Waterfall Way Designs philosophy and culture is developing and we need to consider who we want to be. This is a consideration both for our own sense of purpose but also for the financial well being of the company. I think the best way for a web design company to grow in regional areas like Armidale ... read more

Well, here we are three days into the business. First impressions are, I am so much happier, I am more relaxed, I get a lot more done because it is for me and my family. I also feel engaged with my clients, I want their websites to succeed, I want someone to ring them or visit their shop because of ... read more

Well this is the first blog for our Armidale Web Design business. I have been building up my skills over the years working for other people. We decided recently to do it for ourselves. My passion lies both in the back end technical stuff, but also as importantly, meeting and helping people, making s ... read more