Spotlight
Highlighting Local Businesses. Many of our local success stories pass under the radar. Here we intend to put this right with a section interviewing local businesses and highlighting their highs and lows.
Tim Wood | Timfy Designs
A Long Way From Home
Tim Wood, the owner of Timfy Designs, moved to Culliagh Beg on the outskirts of Leenane in 2009. We asked his reasons...
"Well, I had been working in the communications sector at Vodafone UK headquarters within Problem Management. We dealt with 'mopping up' large scale incidents such as major systems outages and infrastructure failures. It was interesting work, but pretty stressful. After a minor health scare I realised that it was time for a change. Both myself and my wife Siobhan had visited Leenane many times in the past and decided that it was the ideal place to put down some roots"
"My intention was to semi-retire however it wasn't long until I started doing a few odds and ends. As my workload started increasing, it became more and more obvious that there was a need for the kind of skills that I could offer and so Timfy Designs was reborn... I say reborn as Timfy Designs has existed as a company since 2000"
Services
Timfy Designs now holds an impressive portfolio of websites, mostly for local companies. However surviving on just one skill alone is difficult in an area where businesses are far thinner on the ground than in the cities. How do you keep the work book full?
"Well, website design would be the core of our business however we also offer print design services, computer repairs, systems supplies, network installations and training services. A lot of our clients prefer to have all their IT requirements covered by one point of contact and so there is a lot of repeat business. Another bonus is dealing face to face with a local company rather than farming the work out to the big players in Galway and Dublin."
Looking Forwards...
So where is Timfy Designs heading?
"Good question! At the moment we are concentrating on doing what we do best. However, technology in the West is catching up and a lot of retailers have recognised the advantages of doing business online. E-tailing, as it's known, makes sense, especially for seasonal shops who close out of season. They can now continue selling all year round. We offer a range of online shopping systems that can be tailored to individual needs and scaled as business grows. this is definitely a growth area for us"