2024 Wrap Up
I’ve been putting off writing my yearly wrap-up since before Christmas. I’m not sure why, but I just haven’t had it in me. I mean, no one is forcing me to write one, but having started this tradition back in 2020, I feel like I can’t stop now, can I?
Maybe it’s because I’m not feeling great right now. I just don’t feel like I’ve achieved much this year, especially on the business side. I have learnt that; how well I think I am doing on the business side is one of the biggest drivers of my mental health. It just feels like it has been yet another year of breaking even and not exactly setting the world alight (maybe that is ok). I don’t think I’m the only one in this industry or even the country, finding things difficult right now. It’s a lonely life when you’re the only one who can turn things around.
The "day job" web development
On the website front, we launched a handful of new sites. I was thrilled to win an industry award (under NDA) for one of my sites, which was voted “Best Website” by users. This particular site has been a seven-year project (and still evolving) and is one of my biggest achievements, so it’s nice to see it get the recognition it deserves. Most people just see a website, they don’t see the hard work behind the scenes: keeping it updated, ensuring it works, fighting bots, adding features, fixing bugs etc etc.I recently wrote a cool integration between WordPress and Dragon2000 (a car dealer management system). I’d love to do more of this kind of work, so I’m planning a blog post and maybe a talk at our local WordPress meetup in February. Should we discuss the WordPress drama? Maybe another day!
It’s not that I can’t do the job... I’m just terrible at selling my skills (or underselling myself, thanks to Mr. Zero Confidence/Imposter Syndrome!). Oh, and then there’s Canva and AI tools… 🤖👺
Side Projects (trying something different)
They say that doing the same thing over and over isn't going to help you move forward, so 2024 became a year of experimenting with some “side projects.”In June I added a vinyl cutter (something I’ve always wanted) to my “kit list”, alongside the T-shirt press I bought in 2023. You might ask, why? Doesn’t everyone have a Cricut machine gathering dust in their spare room? For me, it was about trying something different and combining it with my solid technical and design skills. I spent countless hours in 2024 building a custom vinyl designer called Kiss Press. It’s live and ready to go but still waiting for its first customers. Maybe it’s a bad idea, too expensive, unnecessary, or simply unknown (hello, marketing struggles!). But I think it’s pretty neat— it is built with Vue, Laravel, and SVG.js. 💪⏳
Later in the year, I added an A3 printer (Epson ET-8550) to the kit list, which allows us to print and kiss/contour cut stickers, paper, card, etc. It’s the first printer I’ve owned that actually prints colours close to what I see on screen—super exciting! I now feel confident about producing small runs, so if you need anything, let me know (watch me make some below or be nice and give us a follow on Instagram 😉)
I’m still convinced there’s something out there I can create or improve—I just haven’t found it yet - though isn't everyone looking for the same thing? Another reason why I’m ending/starting the year feeling frustrated.
To support the new venture I've started a little Etsy shop selling designs and products mostly drag racing-themed at this stage. P.s. I make a tiny bit more if you buy direct via the KissPress shop, Etsy helps for visibility on Google 😉
Office
We also moved offices this year, returning to a shared space with another company we worked with before COVID. This has been fantastic for my mental health—it’s great to have people to talk to again and to have what feels like a proper professional setup again as opposed to to the shared offices at Dodo Works. 💪
I built a custom desk with bits from Metalstore. It’s a small win but a satisfying one and I think it looks cool (like big kids Meccano)—it’s perfect for my cutting mat from the previous office and doubles as a standing desk (watch us build it below).
Drag Racing
On the drag racing front, I had the incredible opportunity to tour Scandinavia in July with Billy Gane, who runs 7.60 Pro Street (a change from my usual team). The tour took us through Holland, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. It was a lot of miles, plenty of laughs, and an amazing life experience. I did feel a bit guilty for taking nearly four weeks out of the business, though. 😬
Diabetes
On the health side, my foot pain has resolved, but managing diabetes seems to get harder as time goes on. My blood sugar control has plummeted—36% time in range compared to the 70s last year, probably not helped by a two-stone weight gain. My big goal for 2025 is to shed that weight and regain control. Cutting carbs is tough, but I’m hopeful. It feels like my energy levels will never match what they were pre-diabetes, though. 😴
As for 2025? Who knows... I’d love to make more sales on Etsy and Kiss Press, take on more production and design work, and dive deeper into bespoke development—especially syncing data between platforms and systems. And, of course, losing weight and being more active to improve my health. Maybe it will help my brain along the way too 🧠