Monday 18th & 20th May · 10am–2pm
The Lighthouse Project, Middleton
The Internet Belongs to Everyone. Including You.
Before we touch a keyboard, we tell a story.It's the story of the internet — where it came from, what it was supposed to be, and what it became. It starts in university labs and government research projects, with people who genuinely believed they were building something that would democratise knowledge. That anyone, anywhere, could publish their ideas, share their work, and reach the world. No gatekeepers. No printing press required.
Then we get to HTML — the language that makes web pages. It's not complicated. It's not secret. Tim Berners-Lee invented it, gave it away for free, and the entire web is built on it. You'll write some. Not because you need to be a coder, but because understanding what's underneath makes you the person who owns the tool — not the other way around.
CSS comes next — the bit that makes things look good. And then the point where most people's eyes light up: Content Management Systems. WordPress. Drupal. Shopify. The moment when "I'd need to be a developer to do this" stopped being true.
And we'll talk about AI — honestly, critically, and usefully. What it can do for you right now. What it can't. Why the human with the idea is still the irreplaceable part.
This isn't a lecture. You'll push back. You'll have questions. That's the point.
You Already Know Something. Let's Start There.
The first thing we do is a card sort.
You'll get a set of cards with words and ideas on them — skills, interests, problems, things that frustrate you, things you're good at that nobody's ever paid you for. You'll arrange them. Talk about them. Connect them.
This is an ideation session, and it's the most important part of the whole programme — because it starts with you, not with a blank business plan template. Ideas don't come from nowhere. They come from paying attention to what you already know, what your community already needs, and what you can offer that nobody else quite can.
By the end of this session, most people are surprised by what they've got.
MVPs, Imposter Syndrome
& Why You're More Ready Than You ThinkWe'll talk about Minimum Viable Products — the lean startup principle that says: don't wait until it's perfect. Get something real into the world, see what happens, and improve from there.
This is harder than it sounds, because most of us carry a voice in our heads that says not yet. Not until you know more. Not until you're qualified. Not until someone gives you permission.
Seth Godin calls this the Lizard Brain. In his book Linchpin, he makes the case that the most valuable thing you can do — in work, in life, in business — is to ship your art. To put something genuine into the world before you feel ready, because that feeling of readiness is a trap.
We'll talk about imposter syndrome — what it is, why it's almost universal, and why the fact that you feel it probably means you're exactly the right person for this.
The MVP isn't a compromise. It's a strategy.
Pick Your Platform. Build Your Thing.
Once you know your idea, you choose your platform.
We'll look at the main options — WordPress, Drupal, Shopify — and help you work out which one fits what you're building. A service business, a shop, a portfolio, a community resource — they all have a natural home, and we'll help you find yours.
Then you build. Not a mockup. Not a wireframe. The actual thing. By the end of Session Two, you will have a live website, on the real internet, with your domain, hosted for a full year.
Your Website Is the Fount. Everything Else Flows From It.
We'll also spend time on multi-platform marketing — Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, wherever your audience actually lives.
But here's the principle we keep coming back to: your website is home. Social media platforms change their algorithms, their ownership, their rules. They can de-platform you overnight. Your website is the one place online that's genuinely yours — where you control the message, own the content, and build something that lasts.
Every social post, every email, every word of mouth — it points back there. Your website is the fount of all information about your venture. We build it first for that reason.
WHAT YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH:
✅ A real, live website — built and launched by you
✅ A business or project idea you've pressure-tested and believe in
✅ Practical skills in web platforms, digital marketing, and content strategy
✅ An understanding of how the web actually works — and why that matters
✅ The confidence to keep going after Wednesday
This is part of Trailblazers at The Lighthouse Project
a free programme for people in the Rochdale borough who are looking for work.Please be sure t attend if you register, because spaces are limited.