ActionCOACH Ilminster presents… The Interview Series!
Over the next few weeks we will be interviewing local South West business owners, so that we can get to know both them and their businesses. In times like these we need to stick together!
This week we sat down with David Lumm from TwinkleBob Solutions.
Whether it’s a coding problem or a business problem, TwinkleBob Solutions like to take a holistic approach: taking in the big picture and working a project through the whole process from initial discussions of the problem with users and stakeholders, planning, doing, testing, reworking (when necessary) and releasing.
In the years that they have been trading they have worked with a variety of stacks and different kinds of teams: Everything from small web design agencies to multinational corporations.
We asked David to answer a few questions about himself and TwinkleBob Solutions. Take a look at what he had to say…
- Tell us about yourself and why you went into this business?
I’ve always been a bit of a geek. I count myself pretty fortunate that I was born into an era in which the home computer has gone from being a dream to being somewhat obsolete, now that everyone has a computer in their pockets. It’s been a fascinating period to live through!
I started my adventures with computers with the BBC Micros in school and was there when the first PCs started to arrive thanks to the Tesco’s Computers for Schools scheme. Despite not having one at home I took to it like a duck to water and was soon put to task teaching others how to use it with the same confidence that I felt.
My earliest attempts at programming were on a second-hand Sinclair Spectrum bought from a car boot fair, but in secondary school I first got the chance to create websites. One of my friends showed me the basics and then I was hooked.
What I learned over the years is that I love working with people and I love solving problems. Going through the process of learning a new business and providing solutions and improvements using technology is great fun for me, even better when I get to work with other developers and both learn from them and share the benefits of my experience.
Primarily these days I work with other software companies, design agencies and in-house development teams to do something they either can’t do, or just don’t have the time/capacity to do, and I find it really rewarding. The value I add isn’t just in the software that I write or fix, but in the improvements to their processes too.
- What has the Lockdown and Covid-19 taught you?
It’s been a hard time for a lot of us, but I think we’ve seen the best in humanity. Neighbours caring for each other, friends and families coming together over Zoom, perhaps more often than they have done in the past. Recognising and supporting the essential workers of our society (and realising just who is essential) has hopefully changed perspectives for a lot of people.
One of the things it has reminded me is that we must always expect the unexpected. I’m thinking a lot more about how I build resilience into my own business, but also I’ve been working with clients to build resilience into their software so that they can respond to change much quicker.
I’ve also gained much more appreciation for the simple things in life. Being able to take a walk on a beach is not such a trivial thing when you’re not allowed to travel so far! The first time we were able to get our feet on the sand again it was glorious!
- What if anything will you do differently post Lockdown?
I’m expecting to do a lot more work remotely, I think we’ll continue to see a big shift in that direction, especially in so-called knowledge industries. I’m expecting my experience in that area to come in handy helping other teams to make that shift more permanently.
In the past I’ve often worked for one client at a time on large projects, but that sort of work has been changing even before lockdown, so I’m investigating changing the way I work to take on multiple clients and multiple projects concurrently. It’s a bit of a shift for me though, moving from being a contractor, a gun-for-hire, to being much more of a business owner. Ultimately it may lead to me taking on staff of my own and taking on larger projects. I’m excited to see what the future holds.
- What is your favourite quote?
Maya Angelou — ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.’
I’m always learning and I love that! I’m always trying to do my best, but often times you look back and you realise your best wasn’t quite good enough. But rather than look back and beat myself up about it, I strive to look forward and to take what I’ve learnt and do better than I ever have before.
To get to know David and TwinkleBob Solutions better, take a look at their website: https://twinklebob.co.uk/about/
Watch the full ActionCOACH Ilminster Interview here: https://youtu.be/UOstF9ic2YI
