Today we’d like to introduce you to Keith Thompson.
Keith, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I left the office for the trees. Big ones. After a year as a developer for an advertisement network, I took my dream job leading a summer camp for high school students in the Giant Sequoias. After a summer under the trees, I couldn’t get back to an office under the fluorescence, so I made my own business building websites and web apps.
I began as a jack of all trades with experience in back-end development, chasing down any lead I could and adapting to each client’s project. Through friends in the San Diego retail community, I began working on e-commerce sites and found the niche that I wanted to grow in. Now, I focus on building unique e-commerce sites that reflect the visual language of the retail space, designer or brand.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was difficult to find clients when I first started freelancing. I didn’t have much of a portfolio given that a majority of my work was for in-house admin tools and APIs. So, without a name in any particular industry, work hard to come through word of mouth or essentially cold-emailing.
Another learning curve was how to run a successful business. When you’re freelancing, you don’t get to just do your trade, you have to do the accounting, bookkeeping, taxes, sales, biz dev, etc. On top of growing the skills of your trade and in web development, those are constantly changing.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Keith Thompson – what should we know?
I’m a web developer and designer, specializing in e-commerce sites in the fashion retail, design, and art community. I create sites and apps that reflect the visual language and design systems of the product or business that are results-driven through the memorable experiences they create.
I see a clear disparity between the conversion-tailored ‘call to action’ statistics that lead the e-commerce industry and the feeling and experience that a customer should have when interacting with a retail space, product, or design. I want to create shopping experiences that provide consistency across those experiences.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Passionate interest in the industry, involvement in the community, and careful attention to detail in the work.
Contact Info:
- Website: actualkeith.com
- Email: hello@actualkeith.com
- Twitter: twitter.com/actualkeith
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