Pottle Web Solutions

Chenille Pottle’s story

Facing redundancy in the summer of 2020 as a result of covid-19, Chenille Pottle knew that it was now or never if he wanted to start his own business. The pandemic was creating an urgent need for businesses to move more of their operations online, meaning Chenille’s experience and skills as a web designer and developer were more in demand than ever.

“I’m fascinated with the way the internet draws people together and enables them to connect in mutually beneficial ways. It lets us do things that once upon a time would have been considered impossible. As a web designer I help others to get their website ideas off the ground and, given what’s transpired with Covid, the need for such things has become significantly more evident.”

Chenille knew he had the technical knowledge to make brilliant websites for his clients, but setting up and running every other aspect of his business seemed like more of a challenge. He was recommended the services of Outset Cornwall as a place to get reliable support to pursue his business ambitions.

Outset Cornwall’s business start-up support sessions all moved online during the pandemic and Chenille was able to access fully-funded group training and 1:1 mentoring to support him with every aspect of starting Pottle Web Solutions – from marketing to finance, business planning to sales.

‘The Outset workshops enable people in different industries and at different stages of business development to come together and share their experiences. As something of an introvert myself, it was especially helpful for me to be able to socially validate my ideas with strangers. To see your product or service through the eyes of others, allows you to see the steps you need to take to keep moving forward while granting you the confidence to carry on. The expertise of the Outset team has also been great at helping me to narrow down my focus into realistic and actionable steps.”

Chenille soon realised that the popularity of DIY website builder platforms meant that lots of small business owners were creating basic websites on their own, reducing the demand for web design services alone. Chenille therefore decided to enhance his service offer by including specialist techniques such as search engine optimisation and conversion rate optimisation, to ensure his customers really see a great return on their investment.

“Good design can literally influence a website visitor to make a purchasing decision or not, it affects the position of your website in search engines and the number of website visitors that you get. I’ve chosen to focus my business on the results that a website can deliver for a potential client. This enables me to provide far more value to the market.”

Chenille has already built five portfolio and two client websites and has big ambitions for the future of his business. “I hope to turn Pottle Web Solutions into something of a web studio, adding application development and greater variations of digital marketing into the mix. I then hope to outsource all the different aspects to either in-house staff or third parties so as to maximise the impact that I can make for my clients.”

Chenille recommends the Outset programme to individuals thinking about starting their own business;

“If you have the time and the desire to get your business off the ground, but need reliable direction, then it’s a no-brainer. The combination of interactive materials and online resources in tandem with social exchange is very empowering. Having the opportunity to speak about your business before an audience is useful to socially validate your idea and receive feedback.”

To find out more about Pottle Web Solutions visit https://pottleweb.solutions/