Twenty years, two cities
The professional half is systems. The other half is travel and music. Here's the honest ordering.
Paul Singleton
I'm 42, based in North London, with a second base in Hong Kong — where I partly grew up. Splitting a childhood between British and Asian business culture shaped everything since: how I trade, how I build relationships, and why two cities still share this site's masthead. Twenty years in code, web development, search and business management — long enough to have watched several waves of technology arrive as the answer to everything and then settle into being a tool.
That experience is the professional half of what PIKOTW does. Strategy, operations, automation, websites, search. It's unglamorous work and it's what I'm actually best at. Most of my value to a client is knowing which problem to solve rather than knowing a particular piece of software.
The other half is travel, which is the genuine passion, and music, which is the side project. I'm clear about that ordering because pretending otherwise would be the fastest way to lose the trust of anyone hiring me for either.
The Hong Kong connection isn't decoration. It's why the travel work doesn't look like the usual UK feed, why some of the music is in Cantonese, and why I can talk to a brand about a market most London operators have never worked in.
Where a brief needs lifestyle or couples content, I work with my fiancée @fhyint, who is a creator in her own right.
I'm also a father of twin daughters — which is why so much of the travel content is reviewed through a parent's eyes as well as a luxury lens: what genuinely works for families, not just what photographs well.
Six ventures, one line through them
No traditional career path — each venture built on the experience of the one before it, and the consultancy is what they add up to. Some of this work is covered by client confidentiality, so projects are described by sector and scale rather than name; the focus here is what the experience delivers, not who it was for.
International trade
Early career building businesses on international trade: manufacturer relationships across Hong Kong and Mainland China, supplying products to businesses in the UK and internationally.
Import & export
Established a sourcing business operating between Hong Kong, Shenzhen and overseas markets across a wide range of industries. Founded 2009 — and still trading today.
Business operations
Expanded into operational leadership: helping businesses improve efficiency, customer experience and commercial performance through better systems and processes.
Property management
Took on a substantial residential development — applying commercial experience to governance, compliance, contractor management and stakeholder engagement.
Hospitality & travel
Combined a passion for travel with the consulting: independent reviews, customer experience assessments and commercial media for hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses across the UK, Europe and beyond.
Creative media & music
Launched the PIKOTW brand: photography, videography, drone cinematography, social storytelling and original music — the thread that ties the rest together.
Four things worth knowing before you brief me
Direct contact
No account manager and no junior team. The person you brief is the person doing the work.
You own the output
Code, documentation and assets are handed over in full. Nothing is held hostage.
Honest scoping
If a project isn't worth doing, or I'm not the right person, I'd rather say so early.
Fixed or retained
Fixed-scope projects with agreed dates, or a monthly retainer. Your choice.
Want to talk something through?
Projects, partnerships or a second opinion. No obligation either way.
[email protected]