I started working with Benjamin Kay as his logo and website designer in 2009. At that time he was running a company called AutoEase helping people find and buy used cars. By the time we were finished with the project(s) Ben had racked up around $600 in bills with my company and I was considering taking it to small claims court - to me, back then, $600 was a LOT of money and as a new freelancer it was frustrating to have someone refusing to pay for services that I completed. In the end I decided it wasn't worth the time or effort to pursue collection and write it off as a loss.
A year or two later Benjamin Kay and I reconnected. He was starting a web design company and asking my advice on content, a logo design, getting business cards done, etc. In the beginning, most of his work was coming from sites like Freelancer.com where he was using the company name "Weblaunch".
It felt like every day or two there were questions about templates, and code, and fixing errors, and Ben needing something from me to help his business be successful. As my company grew, my website portfolio grew - and Ben relied upon my graphic designs to help sell his services to other companies. He would place my work inside of his own portfolio and say, "Well, it means more work for you if I land jobs."
During that time he used a few different company names. WebLaunch, CNYWebsite, WNYWebsite, Upstate Design Group ... there may have been others.
In 2015 Ben used me a reference when he applied to 5-6 website design jobs across the state, as well as a reference when he needed to provide some for his landlord. In August he was also trying to borrow money from me (around $800) to cover expenses while he sorted out finances with his bank.
I worked on a number of company websites and projects for Ben - not all of which were paid jobs.
Upstate Design Group Reviews
I started working with Benjamin Kay as his logo and website designer in 2009. At that time he was running a company called AutoEase helping people find and buy used cars. By the time we were finished with the project(s) Ben had racked up around $600 in bills with my company and I was considering taking it to small claims court - to me, back then, $600 was a LOT of money and as a new freelancer it was frustrating to have someone refusing to pay for services that I completed. In the end I decided it wasn't worth the time or effort to pursue collection and write it off as a loss.
A year or two later Benjamin Kay and I reconnected. He was starting a web design company and asking my advice on content, a logo design, getting business cards done, etc. In the beginning, most of his work was coming from sites like Freelancer.com where he was using the company name "Weblaunch".
It felt like every day or two there were questions about templates, and code, and fixing errors, and Ben needing something from me to help his business be successful. As my company grew, my website portfolio grew - and Ben relied upon my graphic designs to help sell his services to other companies. He would place my work inside of his own portfolio and say, "Well, it means more work for you if I land jobs."
During that time he used a few different company names. WebLaunch, CNYWebsite, WNYWebsite, Upstate Design Group ... there may have been others.
In 2015 Ben used me a reference when he applied to 5-6 website design jobs across the state, as well as a reference when he needed to provide some for his landlord. In August he was also trying to borrow money from me (around $800) to cover expenses while he sorted out finances with his bank.
I worked on a number of company websites and projects for Ben - not all of which were paid jobs.