I'm Andy: freelance developer, designer, problem solver, and the person people call when a website suddenly thinks it is 2003 again.
If you've landed here looking for someone who can fix a problem, build a solution, untangle a mess, or explain why your website has started behaving strangely, you're in the right place.
Today I specialise in PHP, Laravel, WordPress, databases, automation, custom business systems, and rescuing projects that have gone slightly, or spectacularly, off the rails.
Quick facts
The route into PHP Ninja was not exactly a straight line, but every stop added something useful to the toolkit.
My journey into technology started many years ago in the print room of a bank. Back then, computers were large, spreadsheets were exciting, and we were still figuring out what to turn off before turning it on again.
From there I moved into computer support, where I quickly discovered I had a knack for spotting inefficiencies and fixing them. If someone was spending eight hours a week entering numbers into a spreadsheet, my response was usually: why don't we make the spreadsheet do that?
Before long, Excel spreadsheets were being upgraded with VBA automation, saving time, reducing mistakes, and making me look much smarter than I probably was.
Then came a move into television. I became the New Media Manager for a TV company at a time when online video was still considered a strange new concept, before YouTube existed. That role taught me video editing, digital production, programming, and how quickly technology can change.
Next stop: Cornwall. As a Broadband Advisor, I helped businesses understand and adopt broadband technology when it was still the shiny new thing everyone was talking about. That introduced me to networking, infrastructure, and the technical side of getting businesses connected.
So now the toolkit contained programming, video editing, and networking. Naturally, once businesses had broadband, they all wanted websites.
The toolkit so far
Web design company
What began as building websites quickly expanded into graphic design, branding, application development, database systems, e-commerce, and just about anything else clients needed.
Combining a love of technology with a passion for art turned out to be a pretty good recipe, and the business successfully ran for more than 15 years.
The toolkit grew again, with graphic design sitting alongside programming, video editing, and networking.
The toolkit grew again
Hotel owner
For four years I swapped debugging code for serving breakfasts, managing staff, fixing boilers, dealing with guests, and discovering that hospitality is one of the few industries where every day delivers a brand-new challenge.
It was an incredible experience.
It was also enough.
Back to technology
The hotel was sold, the stress levels dropped dramatically, and I returned to what I genuinely enjoy most: solving problems with technology.
These days I work as a freelance developer and designer, specialising in PHP, Laravel, WordPress, databases, automation, custom business systems, and rescuing projects that have gone slightly, or spectacularly, off the rails.
The toolkit today
How I help now
I enjoy taking complicated problems and turning them into simple solutions. Whether that is building a custom application, fixing a stubborn bug, improving performance, automating repetitive tasks, or helping a business turn a spreadsheet nightmare into a proper system.
My clients often describe me as someone who can see the solution before everyone else has finished explaining the problem.
That's probably because after spending decades in technology, hospitality, media, networking, design, and business, I've learned that most problems are just puzzles waiting to be solved.
And solving puzzles is what ninjas do.
Strong delivery comes from clear expectations, honest communication, and a reliable process.
You get clear milestones, progress updates, and honest advice.
Complex issues are broken down into practical steps that unlock momentum.
Secure coding practices are baked in, not bolted on later.
Get in touch. I promise not to throw any actual ninja stars at your server. Most of the time.
