Hi, I'm Fred. I build websites for real people trying to make real things work.

How I got here.

I've been around computers for as long as I can remember. My dad was a programmer for a large company, so scripting, troubleshooting, and arguing with machines until they finally behaved were part of the household atmosphere.

I didn't originally set out to become a web guy. I was a singer and guitarist in a band, and we needed a website. So I took a crack at it.

Turns out, I had a knack for it.

That one band website turned into other people needing websites, which turned into more projects, more problem solving, more late nights, and eventually Code Fred: a place where I can use what I know to help small businesses, creative people, and ambitious humans make something useful on the internet.

Practical websites, not digital decoration.

I like websites that do something. A good site should look clean, feel trustworthy, and make life easier for the people using it. It should also help the person or organization behind it.

Sometimes that means bringing in customers and selling the thing. Sometimes it means explaining the offer, answering the question, collecting the lead, making the phone ring, booking the appointment, presenting the work, or helping someone say, “Okay, these people seem legit.”

My favorite projects are the ones where there's a real problem to solve.

The project that changed how I think about websites.

Years ago, while working for PizzaMan Dan’s, the company needed online ordering. The point-of-sale company wanted to charge what felt like a small ransom, so I said, “I think I can build that.”

So I did.

I built their first online ordering site as a single developer, complete with PayPal and credit card payments, a focus on upselling, and a better understanding of the customer experience. It became the highest average-ticket earner in the company for its time.

That project taught me something important: a website isn't just a website. Done right, it can become a tool that meaningfully improves a business.

That's the kind of work I like.

I'm flexible, persistent, and mildly impossible to distract from a good problem.

I enjoy working with smaller businesses that want to grow, especially owners who know they need a better online presence but don't necessarily know what that should look like yet.

That's okay. You don't need to speak developer.

• “This page feels weird.”
• “I want people to understand what we do faster.”
• “Can we add something cool here?”
• “I've got an idea, but I'm not sure if it's crazy.”

I'll help turn that into something concrete. I'm flexible, easy to work with, and I care a lot about getting things right. If something doesn't feel right to you, I'll keep working on it until it does. After launch, I'm still around. Need a change? Have a new idea? Want to try something unusual just to see if it works?

I'm game.

A little more Fred.

Outside of web work, I've been a musician, a private pilot, a Forex trader, a loyal PizzaMan Dan’s employee for 20 years, and now a husband and father to my son.

I was born in California, spent ages 7 to 14 in Louisiana where all of my family lives, and have been mostly back in California since 1999.

I also once received a cease and desist letter from Zynga after finding ways to help players make progress in one of their games without staring at a screen waiting to click a button again.

Personally, I thought a job offer would have been more flattering. Their lawyers apparently had a different vision.

The point is: I like figuring things out. I like systems. I like making things work better than they did before. And I like helping people who are trying to build something, improve something, or finally fix the thing that has been annoying them for way too long.

Why Code Fred exists.

Code Fred exists because I enjoy web design, especially development, and because I've realized my time is better spent helping other people bring their ideas to life than endlessly tinkering with my own projects.

I'm not a giant agency. I'm not trying to bury you in jargon, sell you things you don't need, or disappear after launch.

I'm a real person who knows how to build useful websites, solve messy problems, and make the process feel a little less painful.

Mostly, I'm just a human trying to figure out life like everyone else, be useful to the people around me, and earn a living for my family while doing work I actually care about.

If that sounds like the kind of person you'd like to work with, I'd be happy to hear what you're trying to build.