I’m Ian Pullen. I’m a graphic designer, web developer and writer who always believes there’s a better solution waiting to be unearthed.
I’m Ian Pullen. I’m a graphic designer and web developer who always believes there’s a better solution waiting to be unearthed.
In 2000, I met my now wife, Kate, and stole her away from the circus.
Ok, she was actually running a multi-million dollar company with offices in three continents, but what can I say? The tash and goatee really suits her.
The day after Christmas 2005, we got in a van and drove across France and most of Spain to our new home, about an hour north of Seville. It’s the kind of house known as a traditional palacio.
I had dreams of wearing a crown and ermine and the peasants would address me as the prince formerly known as Ian.
Instead we somehow turned it into a quasi animal sanctuary full of cats and dogs, most of them a bit wonky. The best laid plans and all that.
That’s just under half of the current household.
In between working as a full time dog and cat butler (voted Best in House, 2009 and 2011), I launched into my freelance career. I worked on print and web jobs for solo entrepreneurs and on projects for huge multinationals like Unilever, Lenovo and HSBC.
I also branched into copywriting, creating copy for billion dollar companies, had a year contracted by The New York Times company and also wrote for smaller websites on photography.
Throughout this time, I held a dream of building my own business.
So first came Luxury Dog Sofas. Great creative, dreadful product concept. It turns out that in this part of rural Spain, dogs sleep outside.
I almost bankrupted us developing the weatherproof version, only to discover that in this part of rural Spain, dogs that sleep outside don’t sleep on sofas.
A big lesson in doing your product research nailed right there!
So first came Luxury Dog Sofas. Great creative, dreadful product concept. It turns out that in this part of rural Spain, dogs sleep outside.
I almost bankrupted us developing the weatherproof version, only to discover that in this part of rural Spain, dogs that sleep outside don’t sleep on sofas.
A big lesson in product research nailed right there!
Next up was the Wopp-Off™ Picture Hanging System. Not a lot to say about that other than it took 6 months of intensive therapy to get over that humiliating Shark Tank experience.
Next up was the Wopp-Off™ Picture Hanging System. Not a lot to say about that other than it took 6 months of intensive therapy to get over that humiliating Shark Tank experience.
Climbing back into the entrepreneurial saddle, it felt like the right time to look for a partner to help spread the weight of responsibility.
We all had high hopes for SpaceEx – the out of this world alternative to divorce, but it all collapsed in the midst of that very public falling out with my controversial business partner.
Guess we just weren’t a good fit.
I really don’t want to tell you about the other failures and the truth is I was just about ready to give up on my dream.
That was when “Bad Ass” Bobbins, my indispensable mentor, got me back on track. Incidentally, the “Bad Ass” name isn’t anything to do with her being some kind of hard ball business dog. It’s more in a “uuuurrgghhh, her bottom needs wiping!” kind of a way.
It was her who made me realize that down the years, from working with owner-operators and being involved in projects for global corporations, I’d gained a broad skills base that was going to waste stuck in my head.
Sadly “Bad Ass” is no longer with us, but her virtual presence is still playing a part in driving me forward.
Now, along with “Bad Ass” Bobbins’ spiritual successor, Percy Chuckles, I’m focusing on Uncle Chuckles, a site where I can share many of the pearls of wisdom I’ve learned down the years, plus some unique tools and WordPress plugins for recreating some powerful marketing techniques.
If you’d like to get in touch, please visit the contact page.
Do you need someone to help your business?
I’ve got decades of experience in graphic design, web development and writing, with a particular fascination in the art of the sales page.
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© Ian Pullen 2022