“You do not have to be an expert in everything! It’s all about honesty – and your clients definitely will appreciate your honesty!” This is the philosophy of Jerry Pett. And it seems to be a good one as Jerry Pett doesn’t need to come up with great Marketing efforts, advertising, cold calls and mailings to approach clients. The clients approach him! Let’s take to Jerry Pett, freelance Software Consultant form Cambridge, UK…1) First off, can you tell us bit about yourself?
My name is Jerry Pett, I have been working in software design for over 20 years, the majority of this time as a consultant. I ran a consultancy business for around 10 years where we built bespoke solutions for clients. This was mostly database driven back-office solutions, and we branched into the web in its early stages and have never looked back. Following my consultancy business I joined one of our then clients, Dial-a-Phone to head their software development function and ended up being their Head of Information Systems developing and running one of the UK’s busiest ecommerce and mail order platforms. Around 5 years ago I left to form Burnt Orange Designs and return to my consultancy roots.
2) If you would search for your profile on Google, which are the three keywords you would type in the search bar?
Personally it would be Creative, Pragmatic and Dedicated
Tech wise it would be .NET, SQL Server, Web
3) What was your inspiration and when did you actually decide to become a freelancer?
I returned to consultancy after Dial-a-Phone was purchased by Phones 4U and Phones 4U elected to outsource all of its IT to TATA. Although I did transfer to TATA and helped them with the skills transfer I did not feel TATA was the right environment for me so I left to go back to consultancy. When I was at Dial-a-Phone I managed to remain involved in architecture, but with a team of 25 people reporting into me it was hard to remain hands on. I missed taking ideas from concepts and transforming them into real-world solutions, the hands on element, and the satisfaction of seeing your own software out there on the web and with end users, on their desktops, laptops, tablets and mobiles.
4) What kind of services have your clients asked you to provide?
Recent clients have asked for a range of solutions which I have architected, developed and delivered to them. Invariably they have been web applications (including for back-office systems) built in .NET on SQL Server. The applications range from online ordering, and web customer service systems, through to CRM, order processing, billing and reporting. One of the more unusual projects was to build a web image editor for a company that manufactures “teleprompter” devices for musicians. I have also recently built a SaaS survey platform which is being adopted by some household name companies. Some examples can be found on the Burnt Orange Designs web site here http://www.burntorangedesigns.com/Case-studies
5) Do you use other freelancers or companies to provide skills that you don’t possess?
I do work with other freelancers to build solutions. This has ranged from other senior developers with skills in SQL Server and .NET, as well as UI and graphics designers. I believe in working with people who have the right skills. It’s great if you can do it all, but it often makes more sense to pull in other freelancers to get things done faster or where their skillset is more focussed on a specific niche or individual need. For example, when we were doing the BI for lens manufacturer Jai Kudo we pulled in an MDX/OLAP consultant to help speed up some of the reporting work. MDX is a very specific skillset and one that it is hard to maintain unless you are doing it all the time.
6) Now tell us, how do you find new clients that are interested in your services?
Nearly all the work I do has come through recommendation and referral. There is a small amount that has come from the web (Google), or through local business networks such as Best of Cambridge or Connected Cambridge. I did experiment with advertising and cold mailing but found it didn’t really work for me. The best leads seem to come where someone knows about you through the work you have done in the past, or you are recommended by someone.
7) What about freelancermap.com? Can you tell us a little bit about your experience with our IT-network?
Freelancermap is new for me, but looks well thought out and a great platform to help get the right freelance people plugged into the right projects. So far it all looks good, and I have been impressed by the personal touch and quick responses to questions and queries.
8) How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? What makes you special?
I always find it difficult to say why clients like to work with me, it is always better if it comes from them rather than me. However they do tend to say similar things specifically that I am firstly very commercial, so although I am invariably looking at creating a new technical solution for some requirements, but it is all about what the business wants and needs that are most important. I also tend to quickly forget the supplier relationship, after all as a freelancer we are and should always be one of the team, so I work “with” clients rather than “for them”. Lastly I bring persistence, dedication and a mixture or perfectionism and pragmatism. Striking that balance is essential when building appropriate software solutions for my clients. One client told me in all his 40 years he had never had a software system that worked properly. I explained I had never had one fail and was not about to start with him! Once the system was delivered I asked him again how he found the new system we had created. He said that finally everyone had shut-up about IT which was great to hear.
9) What are the top three books, blogs or magazines you read to stay up to date in the IT-market?
I use Pluralsight for online training to keep up to date. I find their courses are excellent, easy to digest and highly practical. Apart from that keeping up to date generally involves talking to other freelancers or people I know who are permanently employed but working in the same space. There are many amazing people sharing their thoughts and techniques on Twitter, so that is great once you connect to the right people. In the Microsoft space seeking out the MVPs is always a good start. I also like to follow creative people who are more biased towards UX, UI, CSS and the like.
10) Freestyle! Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?
I always recommend a completely honest and open approach. Don’t feel you have to be an expert in everything, and don’t be afraid to tell clients if specific aspects they are asking for are not mainstream for you. They will normally appreciate your honesty far more than any attempt to bluff your way through something. Sometimes when these skills gaps come along we have brought in someone else to assist, and when working alongside them you often get some great new skills and insights. And some other times clients are happy that you just pick up these skills as you go.
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Where to find Jerry Pett?
freelancer profile: Jerry Pett at freelancermap.com
Link to website: http://www.burntorangedesigns.com
Skype: jeremypett
The interview was conducted by Doreen Schollmeier, freelancermap.com team.
Pic: © Jerry Pett
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