About me
I'm Mark. I care about craft more than software.
I help people starting new businesses look as professional online as they are in person — and keep looking that way without it becoming a second job.
The story
Why Mark's Workshop exists.
The short version is that most new solo businesses end up stitching together seven or eight tools — one for their online home, one for bookings, one for email, one for signatures, one for newsletters, one for measurement, one for accounts — and none of them talk to each other. Every month you pay a handful of invoices. Every week something wants your attention. Every quarter you look at it and think "this isn't what I wanted to be doing with my time."
Agencies build a pretty homepage and disappear. Software companies sell you a subscription and don't set anything up. IT firms don't go below ten-person businesses — the economics don't work for them.
So new businesses land in a gap. They're too small for the grown-up options and too serious for the weekend-hobby tools. Meanwhile the work they're actually good at — the therapy, the coaching, the photography, the residents' group, the consulting — waits while they fiddle with admin panels.
That gap is what Mark's Workshop is for. I take on the whole online side of your business — set it up properly, run it quietly, and pick up the phone when you need me. One monthly fee. No setup cost. Just mine to worry about, not yours.
The first client
Morven was where this started.
Morven is a working hypnotherapist in Scotland. She needed to be findable, bookable, and look the part — without turning into a part-time IT administrator. We built her online home, set up her email properly, wired up booking and signatures, and got her measuring what was working. I kept it running.
That was the model. A real person, one phone number, a fixed monthly fee, and the whole online side looked after. It's what I want to do for every client.
I'm based in Scotland. I work with clients across the UK and a handful abroad — Australia, the US, one or two in Europe. I'm the face on the call, the name in the signature, and the one who picks up when something needs fixing. That's not going to scale to a thousand clients and I'm fine with that. I'd rather do a hundred properly than ten thousand badly.
How I work
Relationship over software.
- One named person.
- You deal with me, not a helpdesk. I know your business, your clients, and what you're trying to do. When something needs fixing, I know the context.
- You own everything.
- Your domain, your online home, your email, your content — all registered and held in your name. If you ever leave, you take it all with you. I'm the manager, not the landlord.
- Built to last, not just to launch.
- Accessibility (WCAG AA), proper speed, proper security — the basics done the way you'd want if it were your own business. No shortcuts.
- Honest about limits.
- I'm not an FCA-authorised broker, an SRA-registered solicitor, or an HMRC-registered accountant. For those, I introduce you to named people I trust. What I am responsible for, I handle myself.
- Quiet, not flashy.
- No hype, no "game-changer", no "unlock your potential". If I can demonstrate it, I'll say it. If not, I won't.
Working together
Want to talk?
Leave me your email and a line or two about your business. I'll come back within two working days with a tailored recommendation and a clear price. No sales call unless you want one.