Danielle Holmes and the team at Black Nova Designs have a busy month ahead!

It’s July which is the second summer month and one which has a real sporty feel – including the Wimbledon, British Open Golf and the Tour de France!

Today we're talking to Danielle Holmes who is Sales and Marketing Director at Black Nova Designs, a web design and hosting company based in Calne, Wiltshire.

What are your plans for July in your business?
We have a stand at the Great British Expo in Swindon on the 17th  of July, which I’m looking forward to, and we’re heading to the Game Fair at the end of the month. This is the first time we will have exhibited at The Game Fair - known as a celebration of the great British countryside - and I can’t wait! It’s at Blenheim Palace and there’s plenty of crossover from our equestrian and rural clientele, so there will be lots of familiar faces to catch up with.

What are your personal plans for this month?
I have nothing significant planned, only that my dog walking and daycare business that I run alongside Black Nova is busy, so there will be some hill and beach walks to plan in. Here’s hoping the sun makes an appearance! This hasn’t been a vintage spring and summer as anyone who walks dogs everyday will attest to, so I think we’re due some more sunshine.

Does July hold any particular significance for you or your business?
It’s not a business milestone but we are very busy getting ready for the kids’ summer holidays. I’m very open that Kyle and I juggle our businesses with taking care of the family and allowing our staff to spend time with their kids as much as possible too. That means I’m spending a lot of time planning clubs, activities, days out and making sure we get plenty of time in the office as well. Thankfully we have a wonderful team that we can trust when we do need to step away from work!

Do you like sport – and if so, do any sporting tournaments or events stand out for you this month or coming up? Do you engage in any sports you’d like to mention? Are you a member of a local team at all
Personally, the only sports I follow are equestrian sports - eventing, showjumping etc – and I’m looking forward to watching those at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer (via the TV, I must add). I do appreciate that sport gives people lots of pleasure this time of year! We all get a boost from the party atmosphere if British tennis players do well at Wimbledon or, just maybe, the men’s football team stay in the Euros…

On a much lighter note – July 17 is World Emoji Day and this often trends on social media. What do you think of emojis? Do you use them?
From a social media point of view, I love a good emoji! I spend a lot of time creating content for social media and emojis are great to deliver some extra expression to a message. My favourite ones change all the time, but I recently bought a brand new purple car, so the purple heart emoji is currently my most-used!

Can you name one business you’d like to give a summer shout out too? Who has gone the extra mile for you recently?
As Kyle pointed out last month, this is often tricky as it really takes a team effort for everything to work – there is never just one business, there are lots that could be named as we are so lucky to have a great network around us. I think as we get closer to the summer holidays, I’d like to give the staff a ‘shout out’! They are amazing and knowing they will do a good job for us, regardless of whether we’re in the office or not.

As a consumer have you visited a local business, bought their products or services and thought ‘I must recommend them’! If so here’s your chance – what business would you recommend this summer?
One of my indulgences is to escape for a pub lunch with a fellow business owner every now and then, so here’s one of my favourite places to go. The Old Bell in Malmesbury does excellent food and boasts a cosy interior for winter months and a sunny terrace/beer garden for the warmer days of spring and summer. It’s well worth a visit!

Have you got any events planned for the coming months which you’d like to mention?
I certainly think we’ll be the only IT and website design firm at The Game Fair! But virtually every business needs a website now so I think it’s a genius move - we can chat to visitors and other exhibitors all about how we can help them get their business visible online.

Are you raising money for charity or volunteering this month in any way
We are continuing to raise money for Wiltshire Mind with our racing simulator at our outdoor events this year, and we’re proud to be doing our bit to help. You’ll find the simulator at The Game Fair from the 26th to the 28th of July and then Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials from the 19th to the 22nd of September. It’s just £2.50 a go, so make sure you come and see how fast you can go!

If relevant, would you like to say anything about the General Election and how it might/might not impact on the world of business?
It’s not relevant, but only to say that hopefully by the time you read this it’ll be done, and we can focus on the future. It always feels so negative and very divisive, when it could be positive. Imagine if political parties campaigned on being stewards for our wonderful country?!

Have you got any services or special offers you’d like to mention?
No but we have plenty of space for new website design clients. We can hop on a free call to answer all your questions - just get in touch!

Anything else you’d like to say?  
For anyone looking for extra top tips or IT help make sure you follow us on social media www.instagram.com/blacknovadesigns. You never know what you might learn!

For more information visit https://blacknovadesigns.co.uk