Black Nova Designs celebrate working together as a couple during the month of love!

It’s February, spring bulbs are starting to poke through the soil as a little hint of the spring to come and love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so for this Q&A we’ve been talking to a business that has a love story at its core. Kyle and Danielle Holmes are a husband-and-wife duo who own the Calne-based web design and IT company Black Nova Designs. Black Nova helps people all over the UK with website design and hosting, software and antivirus solutions, hardware, Wi-Fi, and CCTV, demystifying tech and unlocking the possibilities.

Tell us how you ended up running a business together?
Kyle: I’ve been passionate about IT since I was a child, and in 2012 I incorporated Black Nova Designs with the aim of providing an affordable solution to IT issues for businesses in Wiltshire. I’d been working a part-time job in the evenings helping friends and family become more confident with their websites and IT, and I wanted to expand it. The vision was there, but while I’m the self-confessed font of all knowledge when it comes to IT, it turned out I wasn’t too sure how to take the first steps as a business owner. Black Nova lay dormant until 2015, when my now wife Danielle became involved…

Danielle: Kyle shared his idea for Black Nova Designs with me in 2015 and while I had next to no knowledge of IT or web design, I had plenty of other skills which made me the perfect business partner to get the brand off the ground. I’ve worked in accounts and customer service and have a real passion for sales and marketing, so we set our minds to growing Black Nova!  I’d say that my lack of IT knowledge was an asset to begin with, as I could translate ‘tech speak’ and see how confusing it could all be for clients. 

Were there any extra challenges you faced because you are a couple? 
Kyle: In 2017 we had grown Black Nova to the point where we could both quit our corporate ‘day jobs’ to focus on our business… but for both earners in a family to work in the same business was a huge risk. If the business failed, we have children to support, so we had to think long and hard about it. Plus, we adore each other and are soulmates, but there are times when you can get frustrated with your partner! When that happens, we remember to be professional and treat each other as colleagues rather than husband and wife when it comes to work issues. We mostly work brilliantly together and have huge respect for the skills the other brings to the table! The business has only strengthened our love for each other and we’re lucky to love what we do for a living too. 

What is the thing you are most proud of about the business you’ve created together? 
Danielle: We’re immensely proud of Black Nova as a whole - it’s a successful business that supports our family, provides flexible, family-friendly jobs for other people and we're proud to pay the living wage. And in another vein, I’m so proud of our team for helping customers grow businesses, launch products, share their events and news and connect with people, all thanks to IT! 

Learn more about how Black Nova Designs can support you by visiting https://blacknovadesigns.co.uk