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Profiles

Joan handles back end (mostly) and Kate handles front end (sure, there's some cross-over- but you get the gist). We've worked together for five years on a variety of different projects and businesses. We currently live right down the street from each other in Gulf Shores, Alabama- where we both are actively (okay- obsessively) involved with the local sea turtle program- Share the Beach.

 

Kate Curl

Behavior patterns fascinate me. To be more exact, the psychology behind behavior patterns fascinates me. I will happily spend countless hours discussing in minute detail why someone did something.

 

That's why I love marketing. I'm not so much into trying to push something on to someone. My goal is to find out what people really want- not a car, but security, youth, freedom, prestige. Once you know what drives your target market- then you don't have to "sell" them anything. You simply show them how your product/service fulfills that personal need.

 

Whether I am working with websites, brochures, print ads or emails- my focus is on the end consumer and how they tick. How we can help them get what they really want- or at least what they think that they want right now.

Skill set:

  • Marketing MBA, with a BA in Liberal Arts
  • Over 10 years of Web experience
  • Usability, Accessibility, and Web Standards
  • XHTML, CSS, Basic Flash, and JavaScript
 

Joan Durand

I have 15 years of business management experience.  My specialty is supporting entrepreneurs by creating back end operations for their business.

 

My philosophy is Profit, Efficiency, Growth.  A business needs to have a handle on the profit with a strong accounting system and easy to use reports to succeed.  Next comes efficiency.  Does the business have the systems in place to effectually manage the information needed to run a business well?  This is where databases, project management systems, inventory or timekeeping  software helps.  Finally, growth.  How to plan, manage and maintain growth. 

 

Every entrepreneur thinks and works differently, so I tailor systems to their style – making them are usable – with a sound business practice foundation. 

Skill set:

  • Over 15 years of real world, in the trenches, experience managing businesses
  • Certified Filemaker Developer
  • Peachtree, Quickbooks, Base Camp, Access, Filemaker, Excel, Word, and most other business software.