February Talk with Danielle Holmes

It's February and Valentine’s Day approaches, this is known as the month of love – or historically a month of ‘new beginnings’. Today we're talking to Danielle Holmes who is a co-director at Black Nova which offers professional, affordable, I.T. solutions for business and domestic requirements. The company was founded in 2015 by husband-and-wife duo, Danielle and Kyle Holmes, with the aim of providing an affordable, high level of service to clients. Since the company’s inception, Black Nova Designs has realised rapid growth due to the quality of its services and products and is now a fully insured, Cyber Essentials accredited company.

What do you love about running your own business? 
Running your own business comes with some incredible perks, first being that I can be flexible now that we have a full team. 

Being able to be with my children whenever they need from the school runs to clubs and parties, I can be there for everything. I am still available for the team to contact me if they need to send an urgent message but that rarely happens. 

When in the workplace I absolutely love being around my staff. It gives me great joy to see each person grow in confidence and perfect their skills within their field. 

When we employ at Black Nova it is important for us to not only find someone who can fit the role, but also fit in with the team. 

Our staff in the office have the loveliest connection, it is a proud moment when you can sit back and appreciate your team and see them enjoy each other’s company – work is much more pleasant! 

An additional perk is being able to help so many in our community. 

The industry is constantly changing and with technology consuming the majority of the population's lives in some way, there is always a need for our services. Whether that be a laptop repair, upgrading a website or creating a business profile online we always have someone to help. That is the real key to success, always having a goal to achieve and most importantly, wanting to achieve it.

What do you love about your business community? 
The support we have on social media from our clients and other businesses in the industry is unmatched. Last year we had the most successful statistics yet and our pages have grown incredibly. 

The sharing and recommendations we receive is brilliant and all thanks to those who believe in us and trust our expertise. 

Loyalty is not something you can gain immediately from your clients, but time and time again we grow, and it is all because of our dedication to helping others, having a passion for technology and most importantly having a support network around us continuously. 

So thank you to every one of our customers and followers. 

What do you love about your business which has changed over the last year? 
The biggest change we have seen over this past year has been within the office. Our team has grown two more staff members who have fit seamlessly with the rest of us. 

Despite the lockdown last year, we continued to grow which is something we are continuously proud of. 

Since the pandemic started in 2020 we have also helped two of our team members after they had faced redundancy. Yet another moment we are so proud to share with you all. Now we are ready more than ever to push the business further and achieve more goals. 

What have been the main challenges you’ve had to overcome in the last year? 
Managing consistency and positivity have been two challenges I’ve faced so far this year. There is so much negativity in the world, especially on the news. 

So, I have taken the steps to shift my focus by deleting news apps from my phone and enjoying my life and the moments in it. After the winter break the office team felt the stress of getting back to work. 

I have heard other people mention similar experiences so there must have been something in the air at the beginning of January! 

Mental health is such an important part of life, especially work. Keeping the team motivated and upbeat was a completely different type of challenge to face and work through for Kyle and I, it was difficult but together we got through it.  

Is Valentine’s Day a ‘thing’ for you in your business? 
Technology isn’t really relevant to Valentines Day, there are virtually no crossovers for love and our business. So, it doesn’t have much of a business impact for us. We are going to dedicate a social media post to the day but purely out of tradition and for our followers to interact with if they feel necessary.  

Is Valentine’s Day a ‘thing’ for you in your life? 
Separate from the business, as a family and in the office we celebrate Kyle’s birthday! Being the owner of the business it is basically the only day he can have completely off; we will make sure to prepare for the day accordingly in his absence, so he isn’t disturbed. We will likely bring cake in for the day before and decorate his desk in typical office humour. As for myself, Valentines will be spent organising Kyles’s birthday and working, not your typical Valentine’s day itinerary! 

Is it your birthday this month? 
Both myself and Kyle have our birthdays in February. With it being the big 3 0 for Kyle and with borders having opened in France last month, we thought it would only be right to go away to celebrate. 

We’ll be skiing in the French alps over the February half term as a family. 

It will be the first time our children will be skiing together, my daughter Zoe has skied previously, so we are very excited to see them on the slopes together. 

Not to worry though, whilst we are gone the team will still be running the office. This will be a first as Kyle and I have not been away for this length of time together in three years. 

February 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day – has anyone shown you, or your business, a random act of kindness over the last year? 
I love this day. Kindness is such an important part of life; I live for spreading kindness! In fact, it was a deciding factor when starting Black Nova because we wanted to help as many people with their tech as possible. 

One of our favourite businesses, Bloco choc before (Bloc-o-choc (blocochoc.co.uk)), are the perfect company to mention. Rosie and her team are incredible, their personalised chocolate ‘blocs’ are the perfect way to put a smile on someone’s face. They’ve kept the office and our clients happy with endless supplies of chocolate over the past year. Their kindness and generosity definitely deserve a mention.  

In the yearly cycle of your business – what do you expect during February? 
February is the month before our accounting year ends, so it is a very busy month for us.

We have many new clients needing new or upgraded websites ready for the summer months. We always see an influx in hosting renewals during the month, so it is a great time to get in contact if you need to renew or move your hosting - don’t forget you can come to us anytime as we have plenty of availability.

Are there any key moments or events within your business that you’d like to share during February? 
There aren’t any huge events happening in February. However, there are plenty of preparations going on for events throughout the year. 

We have secured our stand at the Badminton Horse trials in May which we are delighted about. 

So many of our clients visit the event so we are excited to see them all and hopefully meet some new clients too. 

As well, Kyle is completing the 3 peaks challenge in June in memory of his late friend who passed away. He will be raising money for the RNLI and has already begun training. Every weekend of January he has completed a walk or hike, including a trial run of Snowdonia. He will be accompanied by his close friend Danny who is also a lover of walking. 

Have you got any special offers you’d like to mention?
Our Website Hosting is a real hit with most clients during the start of the year. It is WordPress ready so anyone with a WordPress website can use us instantly, whether we built your site or not. 

There will, however, be a spring giveaway on our Instagram page (@blacknovadesigns) so do look out! This giveaway will likely include the chance to win a laptop or gaming PC and tickets to a special event. Plans haven’t been finalised just yet, but it is definitely something to be excited for. 

And finally: 
We have plenty of availability for Wi-Fi installations! Our qualified team of experts have expanded and have more time to help new clients. 

If you are suffering with poor or unreliable Wi-Fi across your home, business, warehouse etc do contact us and we can help. 

Our previous work has included installing Wi-Fi outdoors across manor gardens and lakes. We have also helped a huge number of people with their Wi-Fi connectivity in their homes. We have a personable team of experts who can improve your connectivity. 

All we need before we begin work is a site survey, where we identify the issue and then we can book in to complete the necessary work. Quick, simple and reliable.

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