I have known Nina Young since 2007. I have hired her for website design and development for my own business, or projects I was working on multiple times. Why? She is very competent technically and has a true eye for beauty in her design. I just LOVE how responsive she is when a technical issue arises and how patient she is with her clients who are not into tech. She created short instructional videos which have helped me be more independent maintaining my website. Whether you need a site with to showcase your services or sell products through a web shop, Nina can help you.

Nina Young created her first website over 20 years ago while working for IBM. She later became an IBM certified advanced developer working on web applications. She is from England and has lived in the Netherlands for 20 years. She is fluent in English and Dutch. Her company, Elan Creative, has an office in the Netherlands and one in England.

Elan Creative

 

What services do you offer and to whom?

I offer website design and development services to small and medium sized businesses.

How did you pick your business name?

My business name is Elan Creative. Elan means ‘energy, style, and enthusiasm’ which I thought was a good description as I have always been full of energy and enthusiasm for my work. So much so, that it doesn’t feel like work as I enjoy what I do so much.

What makes you different from others in your industry? How large is your team?

I established, grew and sold a successful e-commerce business during the last 10 years which means I really understand how to run an online retail business as well as a service-based business. Most website designers and developers do not have this unique set of experience and my clients appreciate that I can provide advice about their projects from a commercial point of view. There are 10 members in our team.

What charitable cause have you once supported with your time and knowledge? How did it impact your life?

I used to donate my services to the Tulip Foundation, a charity helping orphans in Poland. For the last 2 years, I have regularly donated my web design, development and hosting services to the Heart Walk Foundation which is a poverty alleviation charity helping indigenous people living in remote areas of the Andes in Peru. I wouldn’t say that it makes my services more valuable, but it gives me an amazing feeling to know that because of my work more of the donations that the charity receives can be spent on projects to support people who really need it e.g. funding greenhouses so that very poor communities have fresh vegetables.

What do you like about the geographical area that you work in?

I live and work in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Aside from enjoying the aesthetic beauty of the region it’s really convenient to live just 15 minutes away from the capital Amsterdam, and its thriving business community.

Any exciting news about your services?

During these COVID-19 times I’m just really happy that my business hasn’t been negatively affected like so many businesses around the world. My clients have taken this opportunity to review their businesses and have taken time to review new ideas that they previously didn’t have time for. Projects have been taken off the back burner and realised, so it’s actually been busier than ever. I think that’s exciting enough news during these uncertain times.

How can people reach you?

The main point of contact is my website www.elancreative.studio

This interview was conducted by Lucie Cunningham from Tell Them Well Communications in June 2020. Lucie is a freelance editor, copywriter and translator with many years of community project management. She has lived in France, England, The USA, the Netherlands and is currently based in Scotland.