Behind the scenes in the Robot Factory, I’ve been quietly continuing work on my modest, little project; my creative outlet that is otherwise known as Robot Panties (I still can’t say that with a serious face). Initially I had pencilled in a launch for Summer, but with the Winter months fast approaching yet no sign of my rusty, tin headed friend making his debut, it’s safe to say I have indeed underestimated the complications of launching a business.

I could have pushed Robot Panties live by now, but there’s a reason I didn’t. And the reason is simple. It’s the importance of being affiliated with something you’re proud of.

It would have been easy for me to charge through the entire process only to get what I’m doing out the door, yet having something I’m not 100% satisfied with. And however my little venture pans out, it will forever be associated with my name, so I better do it right. I guess it’s about taking pride in your work.

On that note, what the heck is going on?

Well, I am close to launching. I ran into major issues, and I had to have things reiterated several times. Not just that, but it was a little like chinese whispers with several different groups of people involved. Information was being passed back and forth, and at times it felt needless and I was playing ‘the middle man’ role. It was frustrating, and for a few months I definitely wasn’t happy with how things were panning out. Not to mention I have invested a lot of money into this, and since I’ve yet to launch, I’ve obviously not seen any return. That’s stressful.

Now I’m glad I persevered, but there’s still loose ends to be tied up before I can unveil. I’m nervous as it’s definitely not something that will appeal to everyone, but because I’ve been tight lipped about it, a lot of people who’s interests fall outside of the circle that Robot Panties relates to have taken an interest in it.

In regards to deadlines, while I think it’s worth setting them, it’s also worth bearing in mind that complications can arise that throw you off your intended track (and consequently why I think 5 year plans suck). I beat myself up about this, but when I actually think of the reason I started this, it was to learn and gain experience. And that’s exactly what is happening.

The way I work is likely different to a lot of other people. I design in the browser, and not because 37Signals say it’s cool, but because that’s simply how I feel comfortable doing it. I’m the first to admit my ’skills’ in Photoshop leave much to be desired, and I really only know the basics. I keep meaning to blast through a number of tutorials, but it feels I never really have the time.

The format for the site has essentially stayed the same; a one page site (unless you count the link to display the older version), with a strong emphasis on personal branding and links to my various other hangouts around the web. Seemples!

I Am Ashley Version 2

It all started innocently enough, with me simply wanting to mix things up with the typeface I use for my ‘logo’. The font is Blackout, and it’s available for free from the very talented Tyler Finck’s web site. Knowing this, I figured there was a good chance it would be popping up all over the web, and so I wanted to slightly customise it. My poor knowledge of Photoshop limited what I could do, so I simply added some texture, grunged it up with various Photoshop brushes, and took several chunks out of it. Sorted.

I Am Ashley Logo

I’m a sucker for sites with strong imagery. Especially of people. In fact, the first page I head to on any site is the ‘about’ page, simply because I like to get a feel for the person behind the design. So I knew I wanted to use a better shot of me, as the one taken on Version 1 was before I knew how to use my camera. Fortunately for me, my very kind - and talented - friend gave me permission to use one of his shots taken of me laying on broken glass (ahem), and so I began building what I thought would be the final version.

I Am Ashley - One of the edits

The feedback on Flickr wasn’t hugely positive - people seemed to dig Version 1. I was surprised, but by this point I had grown sick of looking at Version 1 anyway, and so had decided to go ahead with the build. I even integrated a fancy slider footer.

As you can see, that never made the cut. The final version includes elements of the original as well as elements from what I intended to be Version 2. I knew I wanted to ‘hide’ the bulk of the content to keep things simple and uncluttered (a decision which has been questioned on Twitter, hence why I’m explaining). With it being a one page site and plenty of room to expand as I add more projects, I knew I had to make better use of space, and this seemed to be a decent solution.

Moving on to stinky Internet Explorer, the browser definitely doesn’t do the site any justice (if anyone can forward me a screenshot of what my site looks like in IE8 - oh, and Chrome - that would be fab!), but I’m not responsible for IE’s sucky text rendering or inability to understand simple CSS. Also, my site makes use of some CSS3 techniques, which will naturally be absent from Internet Explorer.

I Am Ashley - Internet Explorer

I’m still not 100% satisfied with I Am Ashley, but then again I don’t really expect to be. I’ll add to it and tweak it as time passes and as my understanding of web design progresses. It made a welcome change from building insurance sites, that’s for sure, and I can’t wait to get stuck into the other sites bubbling in my head. On that note, I’d love some feedback, whether in the form of compliments or (constructive!) criticism. I’m constantly learning, and the best way to do so is from others.

The past few weeks I’ve found it difficult to concentrate on much else other than traveling. I’ve scoured Flickr looking for inspiration, I’ve started reading travel blogs, I’ve drooled over travel photography; the sense of adventure I’m currently seeking is enough to make me think this could be a real possibility. This was further provoked by a childhood friend announcing she’s traveling around the world for 7 months. She signed off with “If you fancy living like a hippy for a while, you know where I am“. She’s in India.

Of course, being a small business owner makes it considerably difficult to take any extended time off. I haven’t had a holiday since Christmas, and I won’t get my next holiday until Christmas. This means that in a 12 month period I’ll have had 2 weeks off. Okay, so I take a day off here and there, but I haven’t left Scotland since taking on this job.

This doesn’t address the fact I’m scared shitless of getting on a plane. As a result, I’ve been thinking about easing myself into traveling. For example, a road trip in my Mini, driving around various parts of Britain. I have friends all over England I would love to visit, and whilst I’ve yet to drive further than Edinburgh, I can’t think of much better than being on the road with good music, the window down, and nothing but your thoughts and a camera to capture your experiences.

My current desktop image that aids my inspiration to travel.

I would love to pick up a Flip Mino, charge my camera, throw a bunch of clothes into the boot of my car, disappear for a few weeks without any strict itinerary, and record my travels. While it definitely won’t be this year I do it, January - April are very quiet months for the industry I work in. This is something that’s appealing to me hugely right now. I’ve got to step outside my office (and Inverkip for that matter) and actually live.

Have you been on a road trip, or even better, have you traveled around the world? Is it something you recommend everyone do at some point in their lives? I’m interested to hear stories that will hopefully encourage me to do this.

In other words, I’ve never put much effort into maintaining or driving traffic towards it. With that said, I decided to sit back and take a good look at my stats. If there were enough eyes casting over my blog, wouldn’t it be logical to take advantage of that? Especially as I’ve ranted on recent occasions about my lack of expendable moolah. If it meant I could make enough to cover the cost of one new game a month, which I could then review, then everyone (both myself and readers) would be a winner.

However, advertising isn’t easy, and so I plan on experimenting with it a bit as I find what works for Rockers Delight and what doesn’t. First of all I’ve went down the BuySellAds route, offering two 125×125 ads on the sidebar of my blog for $15 (£9). There’s no reason I’m charging $15 other than I figured it was a reasonable starting point. I can reevaluate this a couple of months down the line, but I figured 15 bucks for an average of 5,000 visitors a month wasn’t out of line (if you’re some BSA guru and disagree, please let me know).

If, after a few months, this fails to return any results, I’ll consider other avenues and blog about their progress here. There’s Google Adsense (which I’m not overly keen on), Text Link Ads, affiliate links to, say, Amazon, or I can privately source advertisers. It’s all a learning curve.

On that note, I would love some input from those who have similar sized sites and have chosen to advertise. What did or didn’t work for you? And, obligatory shameless plug ahead, if you want to take out one of the ads for 30 days, you can do so here.

At the beginning of the year, whilst not subscribing to any New Year resolutions, I promised myself I’d get back into drumming. I also wanted to start a project of my own outside of my insurance business, and I wanted to dedicate a lot of time to learning Rails.

Let there be drums

Drumming used to be my identity. I was 14 when my dad spontaneously brought home a 5-piece acoustic kit. I parked my backside on the leathery stool, curiously latched onto a pair of 7As, and I let myself fall madly in love. From that moment onwards, music was all I could think about. I gave up playing after my dad died, only because the business required most of my time and energy. Now I’ve got to a decent stage with work where I can let my mind wander onto other things.

Only recently have I been presented with the perfect opportunity to get back into drumming. I’ve scored unused office space which I have access to 7 days a week. It’s a 20 minute drive from my house and everything is safe and secure. Now my kit, which hasn’t seen the light of day in roughly 4 years, is getting a good thrashing on a regular basis. I can’t begin to put into words how happy this has made me.

Ruby on Rails

I’m still chugging away with Rails, and yes, I am getting more comfortable with it, but it’s going to take time for me to get to the stage I hope to be at. A big inspiration has been Hellamega, or more specifically Andrew Cornett. He’s the guy behind Live for Fame, which you may have seen me Tweeting about once or twice.

Upon asking him how he got to the stage where he was coding (fabulous) sites in Rails, he answered “Just reading most of the books you’ve got, and looking around at tutorials online”. This has encouraged me to keep chipping away at it, because now I know that how I am learning is capable of taking me to the level Andrew is at.

Other than that…

Have you noticed a change in the pictures I’ve been taking? Since getting my camera last year, I told myself I’d learn how to properly use it. Man, I’m such a procrastinator! Fortunately Rick has shared his knowledge on the subject, and it’s been invaluable in helping me improve. Not that I want to take photography any further than a hobby, but I definitely want to make the most of what I can do with my camera. I think Santa is going to bring me a Speedlite.

On the rusty, tin covered side of things, a lot of people have asked whether I’ve turned my back on Robot Panties, perhaps spurred by the ever increasing silence from my robot friend? The answer is NO, of course not. Problems were inevitably encountered, but I’ve been working hard at solving them behind the scenes. I’m still not sure what to expect when it comes to launching. Ideally I want to use this as a platform for experimentation; trying different techniques with marketing, stamping my personality on it, generally adding to my experience in business.

I’m also finding I have to take an in-depth look at my time management skills (or lack there of). In terms of work, I’m not being as efficient as I know I can be. I have to figure out how to effectively make the most of my working hours considering I have a seemingly insurmountable list of things to do. This is the problem with working within a small company - delegating isn’t always a viable option, so you often find yourself taking on board most of the work. If anyone has links to insightful articles on time management, please fire them over here!

What have you been up to?

Despite the unforgiving geographical distance (he’s from Lincoln), we met up over the weekend for a fun few days of photography, blowing shit up, and Eddie Izzard sketches. On par with how I feel about playing video games on the hardest difficulty, Rick (rightly so) believes you should shoot manually. Fortunately for me, I’ve had all my lenses permanently switched to Manual focus since I bought my 40D. However, I’ve flipped between the Creative modes on the camera itself, which is a no-no if you really want to have full control over the camera. Which I do.

So, I’ve been shooting manually the past few weeks, learning loads in the process, and topping it off nicely by being shown the art of post-processing (which I find really tricky). I don’t think photography comes easy to me, but having spent the weekend with Rick, I find myself looking more so at the mundane and turning it into a potentially great photo.

I also noticed I have a bit of a signature shot, which is candid shots of boys looking into the distance. Heh.

Anyway, I’m running on empty now. Rick doesn’t sleep (he’s a super hero), and I didn’t want to be a farce of a host, so I stayed up late with him, then got up early in the morning for our shoots. We walked a ton, too. So I’m hoping my Chartroom burger and excessive coffee consumption doesn’t have an impact on my arse.

Make sure you check my photos out from over the weekend (if you haven’t already), and head over to Rick’s Flickr, too. That’s where the good shit is at.

About an hour ago, after long last, I scribbled my signature across the paper that cements my work status as Director. For the past 4 years I’ve been labelled as Internet Marketing Manager, even though my workload has been that of a much wider scope.

Other than a change in title, not to mention officially owning half the business (major gasp!), not much will change. My workload will be the same, as will my responsibility… but it feels different. It feels like the business is (partly) mine, and I think I needed this to happen to distinguish that.

Something worth noting is that this was never my intended career path, but then again, how often do people end up doing what they had initially intended? Regardless, I’ve grown to love my job, seeing my attitude drastically flip from “it’s a curse” to “it’s a blessing”. No one forced me down this path, but I felt a strong responsibility to take it on. The day after my dad passed away, I found myself in his office sifting through notes that were strewn across his desk, going through his business e-mails, desperately trying to get a feel for what it was my dad’s job entailed. Looking back, I was perhaps doing this at the time to hopelessly cling onto something I had lost.

One thing that became clear to me from the start was how passionate my dad was about his job, and I’m ashamed to say it’s taken me 4 years to muster the same amount of enthusiasm. I think, and it’s the same for most people, when you start something and your skills aren’t strong, it can deter your enjoyment towards doing it. But once you get to a good enough stage, you begin to enjoy whatever it is you’re pursuing. I’m truly glad I stuck out the bad times, and I think going through hell with the business will ultimately have been worth it.

Now we’re entering a very exciting period of business. We’re completely stripping our main site of its current look and content, and going for a major (and much needed) refresh. I’ve been in talks with our agent’s in-house programmer as I plan on building a new quote system for our web sites; something he’s backed and has even offered his expertise on. Maybe this is what I need to finally identify the business as mine.

I doubt I’ll ever stop running every decision past my dad, even though he can’t actually answer. That ‘what will dad think?’ mentality shall always remain, but what else would I expect from taking over a business from someone worth looking up to? Every day for the past 4 years I have learned something new, and even looking back to a year ago I can see how much I’ve come along. I can’t wait to see how else I will have changed in another year.

Dad, thanks for giving me this opportunity. I told you I wouldn’t balls it up. I wouldn’t walk away from it until I had done something great with it. And I meant that.

I’ve noticed I subconsciously skip past people’s Tweets when they have a boring Avatar. I don’t consciously mean to do it, it’s just a natural reaction as I’m scrolling through my stream. I feel so shallow, but I hope you have an interesting face.

I’m getting really fed up with the #squarespace #moonfruit #iwantfreestuff bandwagon that seemingly (nearly) everyone I follow is jumping on. I follow you because I find some value in doing so. When you Tweet that garbage on a daily basis it clogs my stream with worthless shite.

Twitter has made me smarter. Seriously, I’ve come across many great resources I wouldn’t have done so otherwise, many in relation to what I do for a living. It satisfies my brain’s hunger to be fed. I love Twitter for that.

I don’t follow any celebrities on Twitter, unless you consider Major Nelson a celeb. I was following Mr Eddie Izzard, but, and as much as I hate to say it, I unfollowed him because all he Tweeted about was the weather. The weather!

I’ve made some good friends through Twitter. It’s connected me with some inspirational people, or to those I can shoot some zombies with. It’s probably for this reason I get defensive when anyone pokes fun at Twitter, because a lot of value can be had from it. You just have to know how to use it.

Small is the new big.

Yes, you’re dealing with a company managed by a 22-year-old girl who loves to blow shit up, all from the comfort of her 2-bed house in the West Coast of Scotland, which, by the way, is shared alongside a 3-year-old mongrel named after a George Lucas character. And while I’m proud of the fact our company is small, therefore manageable, I want to draw your attention to the fact we also have an office in the prestigious Regent Street of London. Big sure is beautiful, but small means we can get personal, and we do with in style.