SPARK start-up Ruby Skills looks to push web development envelope

Lance Carlson doesn’t just want to think outside of the box. He wants to stay completely away from the box. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t want anything to do with the box.It is why he started Ruby Skills six months ago. The Ann Arbor SPARK-based business specializes in developing web applications that push the envelope, creating edgier web-based designs that Carlson felt he couldn’t do within the confines of someone else’s company.”I enjoy starting businesses,” Carlson says. “I don’t enjoy following other people’s dreams because often I don’t agree with a particular approach. I want to try it my way.”To him that means working with freedom-loving entrepreneurs and start-up companies. That’s good because its where most web-development firms start at first. So far Ruby Skills is doing just that by creating the likes of eipon.com, which is now in its Beta version.Doing this sort of work has allowed Ruby Skills to grow to three full-time employees and another 3-4 contractors. These people are focused on consolidating gains from the company’s first clients and building its reputation.While Ruby Skills wants and intends to add more people, it’s No. 1 focus is on building its reputation right now. Carlson spends a lot of his time marketing and networking his start-up in order to land new and future clients.”Once it’s finished, sky is the limit after that,” Carlson says.Source: Lance Carlson, president of Ruby SkillsWriter: Jon Zemke