Giant Peach Blog

Role: PHP Web Developer (position filled 18 Jan 2011)
Salary: negotiable based on experience

At Giant Peach it’s our people that make us, and thanks to our passionate team we’re continuing to grow – developing and improving every day. It’s an ongoing journey, and we’re always looking to invite bright new talent on board.

We are currently seeking an experienced PHP developer to join our dynamic and friendly team. You will have the opportunity to further your skills and work on some exciting and challenging projects.

Previous hands-on development experience is essential, with an in-depth knowledge of PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. An understanding of the OOP paradigm as well as MVC architecture is expected, as is a proven ability to build bespoke applications from start to finish.

You will be writing well structured, re-usable, modular, annotated code. Projects will be carried out to a high specification with consideration given to security and performance. Experience in developing mobile applications would be beneficial.

You will be responsible for managing your own workload and supporting clients alongside your main development projects. You will be able to work within a team as well as individually, and be an excellent communicator who can explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical clients alike.

You will be based at Peach HQ in Wylye (here) in our beautiful converted barn with inspirational views, a top-of-the-range PC or Mac, pool table, and a talented team to work alongside.

Essential experience:
OO PHP, (H)MVC frameworks, MySQL, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, building bespoke web applications

Beneficial experience:
jQuery, HTML5, Kohana or Code Igniter frameworks, mobile application development, LAMP server management, SVN

To apply send your CV, including links to your portfolio, blog or twitter account along with a covering letter that answers the question, “who would win in a fight, a polar bear or a gorilla?” to join@giantpeachdesign.com

How you respond to people by email affects how others perceive you and your company. By following a few simple points you can ensure that your emails provide the information needed and portray you in the way that you want to be seen.

Answer quickly

Always reply to an email within 24 hours (better still, do it on the same day). Even if you only say when you will get back to them about their query, some sort of quick response is needed.

This shows that you are taking the person seriously and, in the case of a more in-depth answer being needed, that you are taking the time to answer correctly.

Outcome: people are normally a lot more patient.

Use the Reply facility – don’t start a fresh subject

If somebody has emailed you about a specific issue, having their email beneath yours ensures that you can both reference where the conversation has got to.

Outcome: no hunting around the mail box for the previous email, allowing simple follow-up. read more…

We are pleased to announce that Ian has joined the team to work in business development. He will be growing our client base and exploring new markets – oh, and brushing up on his pool skills if he wants to take on James!

The Peaches are very happy with their new home. Why wouldn’t you be when you get views like this? These sheep were photographed yesterday morning. The sun breaking through the mist made us all appreciate our lovely rural setting.

I was watching Dragons’ Den on Monday night, and as ever I was enjoying the Dragons interrogating the ‘budding’ entrepreneurs.

However, it was a particular quote by Theo Paphitis that grabbed my attention.

“When people ask me if you had limited cash and had to start a business what would you do? I always say I would do ecommerce – that’s how I’d grow my business.”

- Theo Paphitis

Surprisingly the multimillionaire is right. Go figure.

Without a doubt, ecommerce is the most cost effective way to start and grow a business. Your overheads are low, you’re not restricted to the footfall of a geographical area and you’re always collecting your customer details which you can use for upselling at a later date (as we all know, it’s cheaper to sell to an existing customer than to acquire a new one).

Businesses exist to make money, and your online shop should be built with this at the forefront of your mind. If you harness it correctly, ecommerce can open up a stream of income that can generate revenue for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

This is our most recent ecommerce website. Our client Car Skin, who sell a range of quality car care products, approached us to create… well, everything really!

Car Skin Logo

This is the logo we designed.

A screenshot of the homepage.

We also designed the bottle labels and produced the product photography for the site.

You can check out their website here car care products

Giant Peach’s online shop system Peach-E-commerce is simple, fully featured, and it will change the way you sell online. Its flexibility allows us to create you a website that not only fulfils your needs and creative vision today, but will grow and scale as your business expands and your requirements change.

For more information on how our ecommerce websites drive traffic, drive sales and drive growth call James on 0844 880 0370.

You can listen to  Theo’s quote on Dragons Den here – It was recorded on my iPhone from my TV, so the quality could be better!