JASON SELLSTROM / FULL STORY

30 years of technology.
One new business.

PluginPip may be new, but the experience behind it has been built over more than three decades. This is the longer story of how websites, software, hosting, infrastructure and digital systems changed during that time, and why I eventually brought that experience together under PluginPip.

01 / THE STARTING POINT

PluginPip is new.
The experience is not.

I have spent more than 30 years working with technology for other businesses and organisations. PluginPip gives me the opportunity to bring everything I have learned over those years together under one independent UK technology business.

During that time I have seen the web develop from relatively simple websites into the connected platforms, applications and services businesses rely on today.

The technology has changed enormously. The useful part of the job has not. Understand what the business is trying to achieve, understand what is actually going wrong, choose the right solution and take responsibility for making it work properly.

Technology should make running your business easier, not harder.

02 / FROM THE EARLY WEB TO TODAY

I worked through the change, rather than arriving at one point in it.

I started working with the web when it was still relatively young. Building a website meant understanding what was happening behind it. HTML, scripting, graphics, FTP, domains, DNS and web servers were all part of the job.

Connections were slower, browsers frequently behaved differently and many of the tools and services we now take for granted simply did not exist.

01Web 1.0HTML, scripting, FTP, domains and servers.
02Web 2.0Database-driven sites, CMS platforms and richer applications.
03Mobile WebResponsive design and a complete change in how people access services.
04CloudInfrastructure, hosted services and systems moving beyond one physical server.
05Modern WebAPIs, payments, analytics, CRM systems and connected platforms.
06AI + AutomationNew tools that are useful when they solve a real problem, not simply because they are new.
30+ YEARS OF CHANGE

03 / WHAT CHANGED

A website became one part of a much larger digital system.

Static websites developed into database-driven applications. Content management systems became widely used. E-commerce changed the way businesses sell. Broadband replaced dial-up. Smartphones completely changed how websites needed to work. APIs allowed different systems to communicate, while cloud technology changed the way websites, applications and infrastructure are hosted.

Today, a business website is often only one part of a much larger digital setup. It might connect to payment providers, databases, email platforms, CRM systems, analytics, marketing services, automation tools, third-party APIs or software developed specifically for the business.

All of those parts need to work together properly. That wider view influences the way I approach technology today.

04 / MORE THAN WEB DESIGN

The visible problem
is not always the real one.

My background reaches beyond the page a customer can see. That matters because websites increasingly depend on the systems around them.

01Web development

Websites, CMS platforms, e-commerce and web applications.

02Software + data

Bespoke software, databases, APIs and connected systems.

03Infrastructure

Hosting, servers, domains, DNS, migrations and technical operations.

04Reliability

Backups, recovery, security, troubleshooting and performance.

05Business systems

Email, integrations, analytics, tracking and suitable automation.

06Quality

Accessibility, maintainability, legacy systems and ongoing management.

SLOW WEBSITE

The cause may be hosting, database behaviour, third-party scripts or configuration rather than the page itself.

BROKEN FORM

The form may be fine while DNS, mail delivery or an external integration is actually failing.

REPETITIVE ADMIN

The answer may be to connect existing systems properly rather than buying another disconnected product.

The aim is to find the right solution for the business, not to sell technology simply because it is available.

05 / PERSPECTIVE

New does not automatically mean better.

Technology does not stand still. I have seen technologies become popular, mature and eventually be replaced. I have worked through changes in browsers, operating systems, development tools, hosting platforms, programming languages, security requirements and the way businesses use technology.

Knowing how to use modern technology matters. Knowing when to use it, when not to use it, how it fits with what a business already has and what problems it could create later matters just as much.

Good technology decisions are not always about choosing the newest option. They are about choosing the right one.

52AGE WHEN I STARTED PLUGINPIP

06 / WHY I CREATED PLUGINPIP

After decades working for other organisations, I decided to build something of my own.

I wanted to create a business where smaller companies could access experienced technical help without needing their own full-time development or IT team.

For one customer, that might mean designing and building a new website. For another, it might mean taking over an existing site that needs attention, migrating it, fixing a technical problem, improving performance or helping different services work together properly.

Sometimes it is simply useful to have somebody who understands the technology, can explain what is happening clearly and can take responsibility for getting it sorted.

PluginPip is a new business. I am not new to the work.

Confidential work stays confidential.

A lot of the professional work I have carried out over the years was covered by confidentiality agreements and non-disclosure agreements.

That means I cannot simply take decades of previous client work and publish it online as a portfolio. Nor would I want to.

I believe that matters more than filling a website with old project names and logos. PluginPip will demonstrate what it can do through the work being produced today, its own products and projects, technical demonstrations and case studies where publication is appropriate.

08 / HOW THAT EXPERIENCE HELPS TODAY

Broad experience.
A deliberately focused service.

My background includes websites, software, integrations, automation, servers and infrastructure. PluginPip's public launch services stay deliberately focused on the work I can fulfil and support properly now.

Where a project genuinely needs deeper software, integration or automation work, it can be scoped individually rather than sold as a generic package.

See current PluginPip services
01Websites

New sites, redesigns, WordPress and WooCommerce work.

 02Hosting + infrastructure

Managed hosting, migrations, domains, DNS and technical setup.

 03Repairs + ongoing support

Troubleshooting, maintenance, performance, security and practical support.

 04Search + quality

SEO foundations, Google Business Profile, performance and accessibility.

 05Technical consultancy

Planning, architecture, reviews and independent technical judgement.
NEXTBUILT ON EXPERIENCE

09 / BUILT ON 30 YEARS. FOCUSED ON WHAT IS NEXT.

The technology comes after understanding the problem.

Technology has changed enormously since I started working with it. It will continue to change. That is why PluginPip is not built around one platform, one programming language or one particular way of doing things.

WordPress may be the right solution for one business. A more bespoke approach may be right for another. Sometimes an existing system simply needs repairing, improving or connecting properly.

Understand the problem. Choose the right technology. Build it properly. Keep it working.

That is what three decades of working with technology has taught me. And that is the experience I am bringing to PluginPip.

PLUGINPIP / TODMORDEN

A new business.
Decades behind it.

If you have a website, hosting or technical problem that needs a clear pair of eyes on it, start with a normal message.

Talk to Jason ↗