Selected freelance projects
I do freelance.
TL;DR: I help companies with customer development.
I help companies build products users will actually use and/or pay for.
These are examples of what I can do.
Where do I fit in an organisation?
There are a few scenario, depending on the type of clients.
For startups: I usually work in customer development. That means that I work across teams of developers, designers, QA testers, customer reps, marketers and technical product managers to make sure companies build products people will use and/or pay for.
I help development teams make sure they build a product people will use.
In SMEs & agencies: I can take care of all things digital that enable the company to run, from operation to marketing.
For Fortune 500: I do advisory on venture building projects and startup scouting. I also worked for a nation state on the matter, so I am consulted on this sometimes.
For artists and writers: I help them escape “big tech” which I call glebes (digital tools that undermine people’s ability to create; or in other words, tools that undermine agency user have on their milieu.)
Lately: low-data computing:
I’ve been running workshops to teach people how to do:
- low-data computing
- build, launch and maintain low-data websites
Examples of low-data computing projects I ran.
Selected projects
For startups
Redefine product positioning to reach Product Market Fit
Startup founder thought his product was in the security space - and wanted to get acquired by a security company; he needed help with marketing - that’s where I joined.
Through a few iterations, we found that users didn’t identify the product as a security product but as an insurance product. We revamped product positioning.
Later, the startup was acquired by an insurance company.
For corporations
Launch a startup for a Fortune 500 company
A corporation wanted to launch a startup.
I lead the project from inception until the first round of funding as a consultant, then I handed the startup to people willing to work for equity.
Find candidates for a Request For Proposal (RFP) in the field of new technologies
Fortune 500 companies or governments look for technology providers to address specific issues.
I have managed a dozen scouting projects; from the very start, where I have to figure how we’ll find candidates, to the very end, where I assist the CEOs of candidate companies to submit proposals for the RFPs.
For SMEs
Note: I also applied concepts of low-data computing to all the projects below.
Avoid restrictions on number of users & uncontrollable price increase
Client, an SME in the agricultural field, wanted to discard file sharing systems with restrictions on number of users, unreasonable and unexpected price increase and insecure usages.
They also needed a system to build internal documentation seamlessly (i.e. no additional tasks required for people to put together documentation), track projects, version-control selected documents, and share passwords across working groups.
Solution: Forgejo hosted on the server of Codeberg e.V.; password management: KeepassXC databases synchronised through Forgejo; internal file-synchronisation: Syncthing; external file-sharing: Lufi; VoIP conference calls: Jitsi.
Quit using laptops with vendor lock-in
Clients wanted laptops with no vendor lock-in1 and no proprietary2 technologies.
Solution: Fleet of Thinkpads with a free booting system and GNU/Linux.
Secure email communications after financial fraud
Client, a brokerage firm, wanted to secure email communication after financial fraud (and loss) due to negligence.
Solution: Advised on usage of GnuPG (GPG) with email clients so all emails are authenticated (signed).
Quit using accounting software which lock up data within the software
Client, an SME, wanted an accounting software that does not lock up his accounting data within the software. In other words, he still wanted to be able to use his accounting data if the software is discontinued, for example.
Solution: hledger, an accounting software using plain-text files; versioned with Git and backed up on a private remote repository.
Quit using messaging apps that lack interoperability
Client, a digital agency, wanted to discard Signal Messenger due to lack of interoperability, which made it insecure for their business. They wanted to discard applications that are walled-gardens.3
Solution: mobile and desktop clients for Tox protocol, a peer-to-peer encrypted communication system supporting chat, calls and file sharing.
Stop using digital tools with a bad reputation to build trust with clients
Client, a digital agency, wanted to stop using tools with a bad reputation to foster its credibility as an organisation that is digitally wise.
Solution: Etherpad instead of Google Doc, Jitsi under its own domain name, e.g. https://talk.yctct.com instead of Zoom, and other substitutions.
Set up and run own mail server for educational purpose
Client, a digital agency, wanted to run its own mail server for educational purpose.
Solution: repurposed PC running GNU/Linux Trisquel with Postfix, Dovecot, Wireguard, UFW, Fail2ban, LetsEncrypt and Certbot - and a Virtual Machine running Trisquel and Wireguard to forward traffic through a static IP since client was served with a dynamic IP by his ISP.
For artists & writers
Avoid digital tools that will undermine business
Client, and education business, wanted to avoid tools, such as Substack, that can undermine business, as well as reduce costs.
Solution: Ghost, a subscription-based newsletter system with a blog; and a cooperative to host mailboxes and act as registrar.
Avoid high maintenance cost for a website
Client, a political organisation, wanted to avoid setting up a website that requires high maintenance.
Solution: a Static Site Generator deployed with Codeberg Page (low maintenance, low cost).
Avoid platforms to share audio tracks & videos
Client, a musician, wanted to avoid streaming platforms e.g. Youtube, Bandcamp, Spotify.
Solution: a Static Site Generator, faircamp.
Client, an artisan, wanted to avoid streaming platforms e.g. Youtube.
Solution: an instance of Peertube which align with the client’s values.
See footnote 5.↩︎
Definition from The Hacker’s Dictionary: “1. In marketroid-speak, superior; implies a product imbued with exclusive magic by the unmatched brilliance of the company’s own hardware or software designers. 2. In the language of hackers and users, inferior; implies a product not conforming to open-systems standards, and thus one that puts the customer at the mercy of a vendor able to gouge freely on service and upgrade charges after the initial sale has locked the customer in.” We should not conflate proprietary with commercial - quote still from The Hacker’s Dictionary: “It is possible for software to be commercial (that is, intended to make a profit for the producers) without being proprietary.” For more information about the risk of conflating commercial and proprietary or free and gratis see phttps://yctct.com/free↩︎
From Wikipedia: “A closed platform, walled garden, or closed ecosystem is a software system wherein the carrier or service provider has control over applications, content, and/or media, and restricts convenient access to non-approved applicants or content.“↩︎
