Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael and Ben Patterson.
Please kick things off, we’d love to hear the story.
Outlyrs started as an idea during our Junior year but we never thought it would grow to what it is now so quickly. It was started before our senior year of college at Southwestern University. We decided that our senior year of college would be the perfect time to start trying to build a brand and establish a few clients before we graduate. Michael was doing freelancing work for a little bit of money but we decided this was something a lot of businesses needed and we could create a business doing this work for people. Michael was very good at web development, having taught himself everything he knows with the help of his good friend Ryan Maler. Ben, being a business major, focused more on the business side at the beginning handling the tax, legal, and paperwork needs. As we have grown Ben has become the designer and handles all the SEO work for Outlyrs.
After not wanting to wait anymore we made Outlyrs an official business, registered with the state and everything and even got our first client from Facebook for only $50. A year later we have grown more than we thought we ever would in such a short amount of time and have evolved into a small web design agency. We now offer services such as custom web design & development, custom software, and SEO services.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has been incredible but not smooth. While you learn a lot in school, how to start and effectively run your own business is not one of them. Early on we didn’t have the correct processes and structure that would’ve made working with clients easier. Time management, creating a structured schedule to effectively work on each part of the business and client without letting task fall through the cracks and becoming forgotten or late was the biggest struggle for us starting out. Trying to balance school, football, and building a business is a big task, made greater by it being our first business endeavor. Trying to network, build the brand, and handle the current client work tested us many times.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Outlyrs Web Design story. Tell us more about the business.
Outlyrs Web Design is a two man web design agency who create custom websites that provide results for businesses. We pride ourselves on partnering with small businesses to help them maximize their space online. We specialize in building custom websites that increase sales, generate leads and solve problems that businesses commonly face today online. We are known for sitting down and giving each business we work with their individual time to express their goals, needs and wants from their project. This allows us to ensure their custom website effectively helps them reach their goals, working for them even when they aren’t working. What sets us apart is our custom oriented approach. We do not use pre-built or bought themes but code each project from the ground up. This helps us create unique projects designed and built to meet the client’s goals and needs. While any business is able to have a website, we take joy in creating custom websites that work for the business and provide them results.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We believe the industry is headed for a trend and shift into VR (virtual reality). While we’re not certain exactly all the ways it will be utilized, we do know it will be a factor. Whether it is virtual shopping or interactive web pages, VR will add another aspect to web design for the web. Another shift is towards automation. Websites are becoming increasingly automated, with the current trend being chat bots. As AI advances, so will its use on the web; being utilized to help businesses attract more leads, saving them time while generating more revenue.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://outlyrs.com
- Phone: 817-965-2275
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/outlyrs
- Twitter: twitter.com/outlyrs
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/outlyrs-web-design-arlington-7
Image Credit:
Ariana Romero
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