Gary Matthew Payne, a California transplant, decided early on what he wanted to do. Gary took his enthusiasm for video games and music further than most children. He would develop music, listen to audio and visual recordings, and design online and offline. He’s worked as a Senior Web Developer for many top companies, including Motorsport Games, which brought NASCAR online. He’s a Senior Web Developer with an enormous portfolio whose objective is to close the technology gap for his business clients.
Gary works with small businesses, medium-sized firms, start-ups, and privately held corporations. The race towards WEB3.0 has given him the authority and flexibility to hand-select his clients, ensuring they are properly cared for in the fast-paced California tech business.
Education and Early Life ~
Gary was a young techie. He’s always enjoyed video games and computers. While many stop there, he grew fascinated by the visual and audio design; and couldn’t help but study what made a decent game work and how it was made to be addictive to those that play it.
Gary spent years repairing, buying, and selling used computers as a youngster while working for his father’s modest business. This hands-on approach proved beneficial in high-level management across industries.
He self-taught in technology and design via videos and books. Like most with a tech interest, he didn’t find many resources at school to grow his passion, pastime, and job. As an adolescent, he used C# to construct a successful version of “Pong.” This showed him he was on the proper route in life, and he understood he needed to attend top colleges to improve his knowledge.
Gary studied Graphic Design at the University of Boulder and at Harvard and is proudest of completing Harvard’s CS50 program. It certifies him as a web, game, and mobile development professional.
Career and Accomplishments ~
As a teenager, he repaired computers before becoming a Graphic Designer and WordPress Developer. Gary didn’t have national notoriety yet, but he knew he’d work with industry heavyweights. His career began in a local agency with Senior Designers, Developers, and Project Managers. His responsibility was to supply themes, plug-ins, and websites to agency clients. This is one of the most outsourced occupations since most organizations choose to contract agencies or freelancers to handle their “website,” which includes visual and content components.
Gary Matthew Payne used his on-the-job and Harvard computer science and web programming experience to work for start-ups and industry giants. He’s worked for Intel, Honda, Artesian Builds, Motorsport Games, NASCAR, and more companies he can’t name. Bringing NASCAR, Motorsport Games, and 704 Games online taught him the most. NASCAR Heat 5, rFactor 2, and NASCAR: Ignition are among his titles.
He delivered everything on time in his initiatives and proactively reduced development-launch friction. The games were developed in one week, down from six, while retaining performance, sustainability, and user experience. Every endeavor he’s touched or led has benefited him.
Gary Matthew Payne offers his services to organizations, agencies, and clients who need his distinctive skills. Responsive web design, full-stack programming, and project management are included.
Charity, volunteerism, and hobbies ~
Gary believes in giving back to his hometown. As a child, he relied on his love of the outdoors and the national parks to recharge and reflect on his life. When Gary got wealthy, he contributed to different organizations to help the less fortunate, such as the Trust for Public Land to preserve and improve our park systems and Code.org to expand computer science instruction in public schools.
Gary, who has years of experience in Construction Project Management, wanted to share his skills with the world. Gary volunteered for YesLiberia in 2012 and 2013 because of its humanitarian approach. The group required help researching and designing solar lights for Liberian villages. Studies indicated that villages with reliable lighting reduce nocturnal crime.
How did you get started in this business?
It all started as a teenager when I began repairing computers for friends and family. Where I grew up, very few places offered computer repair, and it often would cost you the price of a new computer to fix. At the time, my father ran his own small business, buying, selling, and repairing cars. I followed in his footsteps in my own way, buying and selling computers, offering repair services, and teaching people how to operate Microsoft office and the internet.
How do you make money?
I help solve complex problems for a variety of clients. I have found the one key difference in what I do is that I bridge the technology gap where others have failed before. Being open-minded to the possibilities and taking the shareholder’s interests into account will help you find solutions that work for everyone. For me, I make money providing top-quality strategic services they simply cannot find anywhere else.
How long did it take for you to become profitable?
Like many entrepreneurs, I went through cycles of varying profitability. The more I invested in my education and aggressive analysis of the competition, the more I could focus my learning and skills on what was most needed in the field. After several years of working in various fields with complex problems, I started to see the similarities and better understand my worth out in the world. The combination of project management, strong design skills, and programming education from Harvard really took my skills and profitability to the next level.
When you were starting out, was there ever a time you doubted it would work? If so, how did you handle that?
There were times here and there, which I think is pretty normal to experience. The number one way I handled doubt was by having a robust skill set. Understanding your level of education and what is needed out in the field helps you to put doubt in an appropriate place because if you have the skill to solve a certain set of problems consistently, then there is not much room left for doubt.
How did you get your first customer?
I acquired my first customer through my circle of friends and acquaintances. My friend had a computer that stopped working and brought it to me to diagnose. Working through all the components as I had tested with my own computers many times before seemed natural and enjoyable to me. My friend was confident in my understanding and resolution of the issue and it just multiplied from there.
What is one marketing strategy (other than referrals) that you’re using that works really well to generate new business?
While most companies are engaged in a race to the bottom, cutting quality and cost as fast as possible, I focus on delivering the highest quality work that follows best practices. Customers will find an endless amount of people offering something faster and cheaper. I think most people can relate to getting poor service and being happy to pay more if they can find a premium option. I focus on being that premium option that is always in high demand.
What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make in the last few months?
I had to let go of a developer that had consistently failed to deliver quality code even after specific instructions and numerous attempts to educate them on the right way. After three projects together with the same results and no improvement, it was clear they just did not understand current coding standards. The problem was during code reviews, they would say they understood the problem, and it would not happen again, but had they been more open to guidance, we could have likely continued to work together.
What do you think it is that makes you successful?
Quality, consistency, and vision. Quality is critical in the tech space because of new software and ever-changing code standards. If you do not deliver a quality product, then some of your customers will eventually go elsewhere. Consistency in what you say, plan, and deliver is critical in any business, even more so in the tech world where most people do not fully understand the technology they work with on a daily basis. Being able to give consistent quality results according to plan will make you invaluable. Perhaps most important is the vision to understand the needs and goals of a project and connect those needs across the technology gap. When I started work at a recent company, they had a million-dollar project that was over deadline, over budget, and not functional. They lacked someone with the vision to understand the most basic needs and standards of a large pharmaceutical project, and I had to develop the entire project from scratch in order to save it.
What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Working with great teammates to solve complex problems is very gratifying for me. Sometimes you are the only person in the room with an understanding of development, and having to translate issues into real-world solutions is challenging yet enjoyable. Working with other developers on a specific problem is very rewarding as well because you get to see multiple perspectives to resolve the issue and refine down what are the most effective practices.
What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?
A lot of full-stack website and web app development utilizing the latest standards and technologies such as React with WordPress and PHP. I am really most excited about working to evaluate and understand a client’s needs and then giving them an array of options to bridge that technology gap in their project.
What business books have inspired you?
There are many books on a variety of topics I would recommend to anyone looking to be successful. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie was one of the first books I read as a teenager that influenced my business. Building Web Apps with WordPress by Brian Messnlehner and Jason Coleman is another excellent breakdown of just how much WordPress is capable of. A mind for numbers helps understand the learning process better and achieve greater results and depth of understanding.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
To start taking a greater variety of classes earlier on. Education has been the biggest factor that has separated my portfolio and ability to resolve problems from the crowd. The more you know about the various technology you work with, the greater ability you have to cross that technology gap out in the field. Being a lifelong learner is really essential in the tech field to stay on the cutting edge.
Are you willing to be a mentor? If so, how should someone contact you?
Yes, I have helped several other developers make a career transition, and I am happy to offer my advice wherever possible. Linkedin is the best way to contact me in general.