FAQs
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
My career actually started when I was 17 years old. I rode BMX bikes and because of the rate my friends and I were destroying Taiwanese made BMX bikes, my partner(17 years old also) developed a business plan and looked for small investors in family and friends to start a company to build superior hand made in the USA bikes and components. Within a year or two we had designed and produced six prototypes with one model in full production being sold around the world. We had them hand made in the USA, took out full page ads in BMX magazines as well as representing our company at events around North America(the events that were later bought by ABC and built into the foundation of the Xgames). I created all of the art work for our company, including the ads but also T-shirts, graphics for the bikes, stickers, brochures, etc. Not bad for two 18 year old kids(by this time), as well as riders with no formal business training. We started by making small batches and put all our returns back into the company. I gained real life experience in not only bicycle engineering but, art and how to apply it in the business world, as magazine advertisements, graphics, etc. My riding eventually reached the Pro level and I found large paying sponsors in companies like Vans Shoes, Budweiser(even though at the beginning I wasn't even old enough to drink alcohol) and four of the top bicycle companies at the time. This led me to put our company on hold and my partner headed to an Engineering program at Virginia Tech. After years of competing in ABC/ESPN's Xgames, touring with Vans Warped Tour and many other high profile events(and the injuries that come along with it), I decided to form an exit strategy regarding my riding career. Going back to my beginning, not only creating art for advertisements and other projects but also constructing the marketing plans of these products, I started(with a partner/investor) another BMX related business, Transit BMX Video Magazine. Within six months we had to hire help and held distributors on six continents. After this, a degree in web development and multimedia was the step I needed to add to my previous experience. This allowed me to work with the tools and programs that had emerged and/or evolved over my riding years. I know this has been a long winded story, but I feel giving prospective clients an understanding of how Infinite Design came to be is an important factor that will benefit any forthcoming business relationship. About two years ago I decided to take my accumulated knowledge and start a company, Infinite Design. While I began my meager advertising campaign in starting Infinite Design I realized that the majority of the small companies I was approached by needed more that just a website. They needed help developing a complete marketing approach, both internet based marketing including a website but also the general building of a solid marketing plan that would help get them off the ground(in the case of new companies) or "resurface" the face of established companies in a way that would bring a new-found confidence(and thus increased business) from existing clients. I hope any of those reading this will gain a greater insight into what we do here, but more importantly I look forward to understanding the stories and experiences of those that may form a relationship with Infinite Design.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
Americans are starting to see outsourcing web development and design to India will usually result in a negative business experience. This type of shift in the U.S. economy is what is helping drive Thumbtack and its support of American small business. Sites like Thumbtack are how many people enable themselves to stand up and take control of their financial situation. As a result of this shift to a different business modality, clients are coming to infiniteDesignCompany.com with many web development and design issues in which a client's previous outsourcing to India has put them in a difficult financial situation. This results in many "fix-it" type jobs in which clients need a professional to undo the damage outsourcing has done, especially to prior work. Opportunity follows because the client learns first hand from somebody in their own Country, State or City that allows them to open with ideas, then build on their small business. This being a boost to both the economy and community in general.
- What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
Web development is only a portion of what Infinite Design offers prospective clients. We build not only web sites, but more importantly we seek to work with our clients to build a solid and lasting brand. An organization looking for a website usually needs updating, "resurfacing", or feels the need for a web presence(which is almost necessary in today's crowded market). Above all we seek to educate our clients and perspective clients about the web and successful branding in the "information age". Generally(actually considered a "law"), the processing power(of micro-processors including our computers and mobile devices) doubles every 18 months. That's why by the time a consumer or business invests in technology, they may soon feel like it's obsolete. As a rule we constantly look to the future, just as we seek to keep our knowledge current, we keep the design and engineering of our work a step ahead. This philosophy gives our clients and their business's the knowledge and power to keep a step ahead.