What is your company called and what do you do?
I’m the owner and lead designer at Limewheel Creative. We do our best to produce the highest quality work when we create websites, web applications and brand identities. We offer these services to clients and build our own products. Our main product is LemonStand, an eCommerce platform & CMS that we work very hard to make as flexible and easy to use as possible.

What was the “big bang” that lead you to start your company?
I’ve always been very independent, and rebelled against anything or anyone who told me what I wasn’t capable of. I have a need to originate ideas and experiment, and this is hard to do while working at most companies. So I decided to transition out onto my own and found it fit perfectly with my personality. I’m sure glad I took the plunge.

What makes your product or service stand out in the crowd?
We always try to make our current project our best project. Constant improvement in our execution and results are expected. I feel that this leads to us providing a lot of value to our customers. In regards to LemonStand, eCommerce platforms are traditionally difficult to work with in almost all aspects; administration, design integration, development and maintenance. We took a different approach and created a platform that is truly flexible and easy to work with. Our competitors sometimes claim to be these things, but I tend to not agree.

What did you do before this came along?
I started out by managing a small corporate network and doing user support. After a while, I started dabbling with web design at home and moonlighting casually. This lasted for several years, as I gradually learned more. I eventually left, and took a technology consulting contract, while I freelanced on the side. Once the contract position was over, I used that opportunity to go out on my own.

The whole process was very gradual and seamless. I had no definite plan. I just kept designing and coding websites because I loved it.

What was the single biggest hurtle to getting your company launched?
I don’t think there was any single big hurdle. It’s an ongoing battle that I tackle day to day. Keeping motivated, working on the business and not just in it (got that from E- myth), keeping organized and focusing my often chaotic mind are some things I have to work hard on.

What has been the best method or tactic for advertising your company?
I haven’t really done much to advertise Limewheel, to be honest.

Most customers come to us after seeing one of our client projects. Or from a referral. So in a way, the work we do each day is our marketing. While I want to do more, doing your best on the projects you have can go a long way.

With LemonStand, we have simply tried to engage our audience through Twitter, Facebook and our website. Actively developing relationships and helping people through these channels. Being genuine and working hard to produce something of value.

What’s your prediction for the “future of the web”, what’s the next big thing?
I think the web is starting to mature into it’s own unique medium, and not just an off- shoot of print. It’s no longer a giant index of brochures.

Interaction is very important and I think many people understand this now. I don’t know what the next trend is, but I don’t think that’s important either.

Something I do believe is that content is not only king, but the supreme ruler of the online universe and interaction is it’s kingdom.

What are the long-term effects of all the “social networking” products going to be?
A lot of overweight and socially awkward people that don’t have any real friends? I don’t know!

What advice can you give for new entrepreneurs who are gearing up to produce their big idea?
Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. By all means do research and planning, but if you know you can provide something valuable to a group of people, just start doing it. Get started. Create something. Test it. Tweak it.

What should they watch out for?
Negative people. Some people will think of all the reasons they can’t do something. Avoid them. Associate with people that tend to find all the reasons they can do something.

What should they embrace?
That it should mostly be about loving what you do. If you don’t have that, you won’t get anywhere.

What is your favorite book?
Hmm… so many great ones. I mostly read non-fiction. Some books that stand out in my mind are BrandSimple, The Brand Gap, Don’t Make Me Think, The Purple Cow and Designing the Obvious

What is your favorite movie?
Admittedly, I watch so many movies I often forget many of them. But I recently enjoyed Inception and Toy Story 3. Some good oldies are Glengarry Glen Ross, 12 Angry Men, The Matrix and Castaway. I also have a place in my heart for the old Ninja Turtles… cowabunga dude!

Who is your favorite musical artist (or What musical artist are you listening to the most right now?)
Recently I have been listening to a lot of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Rural Alberta Advantage and some Devotchka. Last.fm rocks.