Chobble's Principles
This business works to a set of straightforward principles:
- Transparency: No secrets are kept from customers. The tools they rely on are theirs to keep.
- Honesty: If you don't need my services or another provider would suit you better, I'll tell you.
- Own, not rent: My income should come from doing work, not from charging rent.
- Fair prices: My prices are flat for all jobs and are set at the market rate for an experienced freelance programmer with a 50% discount for charities, cooperatives, and artists.
- Freedom: Customers have full control of their data and can move it to any provider.
- No harmful industries: I will not participate in the exploitation of humans or animals.
The goal of these principles is to encourage customers to choose Chobble based on the quality of its work. This might sound like a strange thing to have to spell out, but it's actually quite different from what many tech companies do:
- Locking you in with contracts
- Hiding the inner workings from you
- Making it hard to move which holds your data hostage
- Ratcheting up the ongoing costs
- Taking a cut of your profits
- Providing the minimal level of service to not lose your custom
Chobble was founded to try and create a sustainable tech business that doesn't fall into any of these bad habits. And by writing these principles out in public, I make it easier for customers and potential customers to hold me to them.
For a deep dive into the -isms behind Chobble, you might want to read the Wikipedia pages for Utilitarianism and Anarchism.
Who is Chobble?
Chobble is me, Stef, from Prestwich, Manchester (here's my CV) - a freelance software developer with over 20 years of experience working on websites of all sizes - from local charities like Blue Pits and social groups like Vegan Prestwich to busy web applications like Bouncy Castle Network and huge international storefronts like Bandcamp.com.
After years of working in other companies I decided to fully commit to freelancing, and started Chobble to:
- Build websites and tools for local organisations and individuals
- Provide honest advice and guidance
- Contribute to the wider open source community
Transparent & flexible
I charge a flat per-hour rate for all web development services and tell you exactly what's included for each hour.
I prefer solutions which empower their users and so prioritise open source tools and flexibility over proprietary or locked-in solutions. You should be able to import and export data easily.
I do not force you to host on my server, and I provide instructions for hosting elsewhere or moving away - although you might like to host with me anyway.
I am happy to explain as much about how your website works as you like, and will share all source code by default - here's my source repository.
I know many other tech-adjacent people (eg designers, copywriters, marketers) and am happy to connect you with them if you need their services.
What does "Chobble" mean?
Either "to chew food", "to talk loudly" or "to calm down" - but really I just chose it because it's a fun word to say.
How do I hire you?
Just fill in the form below to get in touch and we can get things moving ASAP!