Featured photo credit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6v1mS2MYqwKOKt9Z06kvig
Small businesses tend to be missing three things, according to Devon Godfrey, owner of Play Frey Technologies, LLC and founder of Freydom Sites, who has been working on making websites available to small businesses for the past five years. Godfrey said the common thread small businesses share is lack of time, lack of money and lack of know how.
“Know how comes with use and with experience, but when money and time are problems it becomes impossible to build and develop that experience,” he said.
Godfrey’s goal is to elevate local business owners so the businesses can better serve customers and people, which Godfrey hopes will benefit the community as a whole.
“How I got into writing software is I started developing video games freelance,” Godfrey said. “…I developed my games under Play Frey Games.”
Hence, the name Play Frey was born. Once Godfrey’s started his web development business; Play Frey Technology, LLC., he took the same name he had developed. Freydom Sites; his website building platform, shares the same play on his own last name.
Godfrey has always been a creator.
“I remember about midway when I was first starting programming. I started programming in about 2010. I described myself as a programming that stubbornly tried to be an artist for 10 years.”
Godfrey’s degree is in multimedia from Lansing Community College. He originally went there to study comic book illustration.
“They threw that out the door as soon as I walked in. So, I took multimedia.”
Godfrey describes himself as “very curious.”
“I just kept on taking classes and learning all sorts of neat things.”
Among the skills Godfrey acquired were animation, painting, illustration, sketching and video editing & production. His first exposure to programming was through a flash design course. Godfrey said he was one of four art students who actually passed the class, which started with 30 students, many of whom dropped out.
The experiences Godfrey would later have included seizing the opportunity to be the in-house web developer for a local business for a couple years. Despite an unfortunate tragedy at the business; Zodiac Enterprises, Godfrey continued making websites for local businesses. He eventually formed his own business. He said Business Networking International (BNI) made his business possible, which also made him aware of relationship aspect of building a business.
Godfrey said he has worked hard to make Freydom Sites low cost, as well as low effort. He said he realizes there are several places businesses can go to get websites inexpensively. He said these are “fantastic platforms” but said they are designed to serve marketers, not business owners. He said with other platforms business owners may spend hours they could spend doing other things trying to get the website to do what they want it to do.
“I have distilled the website process down to just you telling your story.”
Those interested in getting websites through Freydom Sites are asked to answer a series of questions in order to tell their stories.
“Through telling your story the website is generated for you.”
According to Godfrey, the website is simple to use, heavily search engine optimized, mobile specialized and “lightning fast.”
“More often than not, it loads in under two seconds.”
Using the phone icon, website users can easily pull up business owners’ phone numbers to call them instantly, as well. Godfrey has set up “fancy internet stuff” for several businesses, but said he feels Freydom Sites is more practical for most area businesses.
“With Freydom Sties they either call, shoot an email or get GPS directions to your place of business.”
Business owner who can’t handle email can also opt to not have their email show up on the website.
Godfrey has worked on 246 websites including jobs for a lawn care business, a local band, restaurants, a home care facility, a photographer, a company that makes technical solutions for deaf individuals, a hairstylist, a construction company and more. He is offering a free two-week trial with no credit card required. Regular subscriptions are $35 per month with bulk rates available.
For testimonials and more information, visit https://freydomsites.com/
