ROBERT CLARK LAIDLAW Business Designer I have the mindset of a corporate strategist and an exceptional aptitude for translating complexity into simplicity. I bring decades of Silicon Valley design innovation and insights to the needs of developing early-stage business ventures. IÕm equally adept at managing creative teams and working independently. I do my best work when faced with a fresh, open challenge and the latitude to develop an innovative response. Relevant work experience: ¥ Business coach for early-stage ventures ¥ Self-taught web designer for the Squarespace and Shopify platforms ¥ Sales training & tools designer for leading Silicon Valley firms ¥ Global sales training manager for Palm Computing ¥ Sales training designer for Apple Computer ¥ Founder of bespoke computer skills training company for executive clients. ********** WORK EXPERIENCE Robert Laidlaw & Associates Philadelphia, PA ¥ San Diego, CA ¥ Barcelona, Spain ¥ Durham, NC Business Coach for new ventures (2018 Ð present) Prepares early-stage startups for investors with a blend of advice, coaching, design, and strategy plus introductions to potential clients, partners and investors. *** Web Designer (2012 Ð present) Customized website design on the Squarespace and Shopify platforms from concept to launch including user experience, user interface, workflow, and content. Key accomplishments: ¥ Pala International Ñ Redesign primary websites Top-to-bottom redesign of Palagems.com and Palaminerals.com using an innovative dual-hosted solution: Squarespace for the landing pages, newsletters, and library articles plus an update of traditional HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL code for the ecommerce functionality. Final design incorporated extensive CSS customization on both hosts. Recently ported ecommerce functions to Shopify using extensive LIQUID editing. ¥ Marc Chabot Fine Arts Ñ Redesign website Top-to-bottom redesign of print dealer's website hosted by Shopify. ¥ Final Farewell Ñ Redesign website Top-to-bottom redesign of funeral charity's website hosted by Squarespace. *** Senior Instructional Designer (2001 Ð 2012) Independent contractor for a variety of Silicon Valley clients developing sales training and sales collateral across a wide variety of media. Key accomplishments: ¥ Cisco Ñ umi Telepresence Sales Training Designed all launch materials for the ??mi telepresence HD video conferencing system including a critical sales training event for BestBuyÕs Magnolia store managers. ¥ Hewlett-Packard Ñ webOS B2B Sales & Technical Training Designed all enterprise sales presentations, training, and tools for webOS, including a comprehensive technical implementation guide for IT managers. ¥ Palm Ñ Treo 800 On-Device Tutorial Redesigned the Treo 800 smartphone on-device tutorial for clarity and simplicity. The design won an international award from the Society for Technical Communication. ¥ Palm Ñ QuickTrain Sales Slicks Created an innovative sales training sheet that taught how to present and demo Palm smartphones. This design became standard product collateral for all devices. ***** Palm Computing Sunnyvale, California Global mobile technology innovation leader for handhelds and smartphones. Global Sales Training Manager (1997 Ð 2001) Formed and managed a design team that supported sales, sales engineering, and business development teams within Palm, OEM partners, enterprise solution partners, and channel partners in the USA, EMEA, and Asia/Pacific markets. Key accomplishments: ¥ TCP/IP ÒTentÓ Diagram Created a conceptual diagram that communicated at a glance how Palm OS devices fit into enterprise computing environments via their built-in TCP/IP connectivity. ¥ Under The Hood In-depth conceptual presentation legitimized Palm OS with IT professionals and the press. Enterprise and OEM partners incorporated key ideas into their marketing and sales efforts. ¥ Tungsten W On-Device, Point-of-Sale Animation On-device point-of-sale animation, designed with a cinematic development process, that communicated the enterprise advantages of the Tungsten W smartphone to retail buyers. ¥ Palm OS End-User Training Wrote first-ever Palm OS end-user training that supported enterprise sales, opened new markets for OEM partners, and established the global market for Palm OS device training. ***** Apple Computer Cupertino, California Global technology leader for leading-edge personal computing solutions and services. Instructional Designer (1994 Ð 1997) Designed multimedia sales training and print-based sales tools while managing outside vendors producing multimedia, video, and web-based sales training for retail and enterprise audiences. Success required initiating and maintaining working relationships with technical, sales, and marketing teams across the company. Key accomplishments: ¥ Color LaserWriter Technical Sales Training Under extreme time pressure and limited resources, developed technical sales training on the first Color LaserWriter that helped close the yearÕs largest enterprise sale. ¥ Apple Product Multimedia CD Led development of the acclaimed, multimedia Apple Products CD that taught how to sell products in a style and format that channel retail sale people could use with customers. ¥ Product Launch Sales Training Videos Wrote, directed and edited well-received sales training videos to support the launches of Mac OS 7.6, Mac OS 8, QuickTime 2.5, and other core Apple technologies. ¥ Learn & Earn Design team member for Learn & Earn, an innovative program that enabled channel sales reps to earn free Apple products in exchange for acquiring sales training and sales tools. ***** Cadre San Francisco, California Custom computer skills training design and delivery to executives and key individuals. Co-founder & President (1993 Ð 1994) Identified and pursued a niche in the computer skills market by designing a blend of innovative courseware, templates, macros, and teaching style that achieved results in hours rather than days. Key accomplishments: ¥ Apple Computer Ñ Mac OS 7.5 Hands-On Seminar Designed and delivered hands-on seminar that supported the successful acceptance of Mac OS 7.5 within Apple, the heart of the global user community. ¥ Kaiser Foundation Health Ñ Executive Computer Skills Training Delivered one-on-one, on-site computer skills training to executives, physicians and other key people at CaliforniaÕs largest healthcare provider. ***** Productivity Point San Francisco, California Global computer skills training design and delivery for organizations and individuals. Senior Software Trainer (1989 Ð 1993) Taught beginning through advanced classes in the major business software titles for Mac OS and Windows. Key accomplishments: ¥ Tandem Computers Ñ Mobility Training Designed and delivered custom mobility training to the firmÕs enterprise sales teams that established the company as TandemÕs sole training vendor. ¥ Lead trainer for key clients including the Defense Language Institute, American Express Security, and Tandem Computers. Work Experience prior to 1989 ¥ Macintosh Software Specialist [1986 - 1988] ¥ Market Planning Manager for Pacific Telesis International [1985 - 1986] ¥ Product Development Specialist for Odyssey Management Decision System [1984 - 1985] ¥ Project Leader for Warner Communications [1982 - 1983] ¥ Director of Marketing Communications for Software House [1981 - 1982] ¥ Research Assistant for A Better Chance [1980 - 1981] ¥ Special Projects Executive for Trust House Forte [1978 - 1979] ************** EDUCATION Duke University Durham, North Carolina Private liberal arts education plus leading professional graduate schools. BachelorÕs Degree (1975 Ð 1979) Philosophy & Mathematics double major plus minor in computer science. **** Berklee College of Music Boston, Massachusetts Jazz and contemporary music school for performance and studio musicians. Music studies (1979 Ð 1980) Classical & jazz guitar, arranging, ear training, theory, and composition. ************** SKILLS Interpersonal Skills ¥ Communications ¥ Leadership ¥ Management ¥ Strategy ¥ Training Tools & Technologies ¥ CSS ¥ HTML ¥ LIQUID ¥ Mac OS ¥ Microsoft Excel ¥ Microsoft PowerPoint ¥ Microsoft Word Industry Knowledge ¥ Content Management ¥ E-Learning ¥ Information Design ¥ Instructional Design ¥ Marketing ¥ Mobile Devices ¥ Sales Training ¥ Selling Skills ¥ Stales Tools Design ¥ Start-ups ¥ Strategy ¥ Technical Writing ¥ User Experience design (UX) ¥ User Interface design (UI) ¥ Web Design Portfolio: www.robertlaidlaw.com/portfolio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertlaidlaw/