I keep myself motivated by listening to music when I work. It helps to keep my focus (well, depending on the song, some make me want to sing and dance). Another way I keep myself motivated is by writing to-do lists. The third way I keep myself motivated is with FOOD!!! Never work on an empty stomach. It affects your focus.
Rich started doing freelance back in 2006 in the evenings and weekends outside of his full-time design job in Cambridge. We lived in Wicken in the countryside next to a big crop field. It came to harvesting time. It was so warm we had the windows open a lot, BIG MISTAKE!!!
During the day, whilst we were at work, all the crop spiders fled into our house! When it came to the evening, we could see these big shadows on the back of the curtains, then one moved!!! It was at this point we realised they were spiders. Huge harvest spiders!!
Rich is petrified of spiders! So I was pretty much left to deal with them. Let's just say, for the next year we lived in the house we didn't open the windows again.
So back to how we called the business Spi-des-ign...
Rich thought it was best to give his freelancing business a proper brand rather than just his name. So after brainstorming different ideas for web design, he came up with the idea of using his fear of spiders/webs as a play on words with Spider (web) and designing into Spi-des-ign. Then use a spider as part of the logo to go with the name as part of the whole brand. The logo has evolved over the years to our current design, created back in 2013. We have always kept the red but changed from black to the blue you see today.
The coolest thing is that it has enabled us to have the flexibility as a family. We have never missed an assembly, share morning, or parents' evening due to work. Before working at Spi-des-ign, I worked as a teacher, which generally meant that I missed or would have missed all these parts of my boy's early years. Something which I realise now they are older was such an important part of their childhood for both us and the boys.
Since not having to work the typical 9-5 job, I have been able to take and pick up the boys from school.
So ultimately, the coolest part is being able to be more present in my boy's life day 2 day.
Success to me is being happy.
Being proud of what we have achieved over the years, with work and family. If you are happy and proactive, you can be successful in whatever you seek to do.
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