Unfinished Business 142: The perfect request for proposal

This episode is sponsored by Eleventy in a Box. It’s a premium Eleventy starter kit for designers and developers who want to spend less time setting up the same project structure and more time designing distinctive websites. Eleventy in a Box is the starter kit we built, including the pages, templates, styles, configuration, and optional feature packs we need to get almost every project started. It’s built for Eleventy 3.x and ready to deploy to Netlify. Eleventy in a Box isn’t a finished theme. That’s the point. It gives you the structure, patterns, and configuration you need, then gets out of your way. You can change the design, rewrite the content, add your own components, remove sections you don’t need, and shape the codebase around your project. Find out more about Eleventy in a Box

In this episode of Unfinished Business, Rich and I talk about the best type of RFP (request for proposal) and how Rich got excited when he recently one which stood out from the rest.

One Footer in the Grave Troika Unfinished Business Listen to all tracks from this episode on Apple Music:https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/one-footer-in-the-unfinished-troika/pl.u-V5ojdSKNkPA

Sho!io Join Sho!io Web Day Out in Brighton, March 12th 2026 Get 10% off your ticket using the discount code CLEARLEFT10.

This episode is brought to you by:ClearLeft: https://clearleft.comStuff & Nonsense: https://stuffandnonsense.co.uk

In this episode of Unfinished Business, Andy and Rich talk about retainers and maintenance contracts, and Andy asks Richard’s advice on how to sell them to new clients. As he’s prone to do, Andy also talks about Wrexham football club.

In this episode of Unfinished Business, Andy and Rich talk about contracts, how they use them, and some of the pitfalls they’ve both experienced.

In this episode of Unfinished Business, Andy talks about what he learned from running an online layout workshop and Rich describes his new, up-coming conference, Web Day Out.

This episode is brought to you by:ClearLeftStuff & Nonsense Episode NotesPiccalilli: https://piccalil.li--Sponsored by:Practical layout workshop for designers and creative teamshttps://stuffandnonsense.co.uk/blog/practical-layout-workshop-for-designers-and-creative-teamsThis workshop is for designers who want to break free from the gridlock and create layouts that feel bold, expressive, and uniquely theirs, without losing clarity or usability.Design systems, frameworks, and templates are everywhere. And sometimes, even great ideas look like everything else. Over the past year, Andy has been exploring how classic layout principles from comics, posters, and magazines can bring energy and storytelling to digital design. This session is where he shares what he’s learned, with examples, demos, and practical takeaways you can actually use.Date: Thursday, 25th SeptemberTime: 3pm UK timeDuration: 2 hours live (with demos and Q&A)Format: Online (join from anywhere)Recording includedOnly £69

This episode is brought to you by:ClearLeftStuff & Nonsense Episode NotesLéonie Watson: https://tink.ukTetra Logical: https://tetralogical.comThere Is No Spoon @ beyond tellerrand Düseldorf 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyRxd072JrA--Sponsored by:Practical layout workshop for designers and creative teamshttps://stuffandnonsense.co.uk/blog/practical-layout-workshop-for-designers-and-creative-teamsThis workshop is for designers who want to break free from the gridlock and create layouts that feel bold, expressive, and uniquely theirs, without losing clarity or usability.Design systems, frameworks, and templates are everywhere. And sometimes, even great ideas look like everything else. Over the past year, Andy has been exploring how classic layout principles from comics, posters, and magazines can bring energy and storytelling to digital design. This session is where he shares what he’s learned, with examples, demos, and practical takeaways you can actually use.Date: Thursday, 25th SeptemberTime: 3pm UK timeDuration: 2 hours live (with demos and Q&A)Format: Online (join from anywhere)Recording includedOnly £69