That’s how the saying goes “you cannot make omelettes without breaking eggs”, equally you cannot expect software developers to produce their most creative work unless you give them the best of equipment. It’s that time of year again here at the Consultancy, the time when we sit down and take an inventory of all our staff hardware to decide who and what we should upgrade to ensure that we give all our staff the very best we can to carry out their work. It always seems to be a strange coincidence that as management produce the inventory the current hardware in use by the staff seems to develop previously unseen minor faults that could best be rectified by a change of computer, a memory upgrade, a tweak here and a boost there.

Somewhere out there someone must have written one of those strange laws that state “the need for new hardware will always be disproportionate to the funds the management want to spend to procure such new hardware.” That’s how it always seems to work in this office.

If it’s bright and shiny and has lots of new gizmos and promises to do everything the competition will not do you can guarantee it will be on the staff shopping list, a list where budgets are rarely considered.

At the Consultancy we are devotees of Apple Macs – so whenever we purchase a new machine we are pretty much certain that with the upgrade we are getting a tool that will do the job we require, providing of course we have ourselves got the machine specification correct.

Over the last week large boxes have started to arrive in the office with the normal questions being asked “Is that my new machine” or alternatively “where’s my new machine?”

This month our inventory requirements have again been expanded with the imminent arrival of a further new member of staff at the end of the month – so that’s another new Mac that will shortly be hitting a desk. Our new recruit Bill Wilson has recently welcomed a new arrival to his family so he has hit the Jackpot twice in a very short space of time, a new son and a role to play in the further development of the Consultancy – a self motivated PHP developer Billy is a further welcome recruit to the Consultancy team.

If you think the Consultancy could be the company where you could achieve your career start or onward progression simply give us a call we are always on the lookout for talent be it experienced and work hardened or fresh out of University and looking for a start, and who knows maybe we could have your name on our annual hardware inventory this time next year.

The Consultancy road show is back on home territory having just returned from our first ever visit to the FIT Show at Telford International Centre and what a pleasant experience it was, three days of hard work, particularly on the feet, but very rewarding.

We met some old friends, we made some new friends, we had some interesting third party introductions, we did a little business (with hopefully more to come) we had some fun and the odd alcoholic headache, what more could be expected from a three day exhibition.

Any casual visitor to this exhibition could not fail to have been impressed with the manner in which the Glazing, Fabrication and Installation industry presented itself. Here, were products and services covering every aspect of the industry, something in fact to the draw the interest and attention of anyone, no matter how limited their involvement and /or knowledge of the industry and its products. Better still someone was on hand on every stand to answer all of those difficult questions which we all love to ask but where there is normally no captive audience at hand to provide the answers.

We can all look at as many press periodicals as we would wish, and try to assess the various merits or possible problems with specific products and services, but there is no substitute for talking to the company’s direct and seeing their products benefits not in a glossy photograph, but there in front of you and available for a live demonstration of the product in action. So many doors, windows, conservatory roofs, glass and accessories manufacturers to compare and contrast the touch and feel and the quality of the product and all presented in such a lavish manner that it is hard to accept that we are in recession when such quality and innovation exists within in the Glazing, Fabrication and Installation market.

There was even room for a couple of companies allied to our business who in various form are involved in the marketing of the industry and we at the Consultancy were pleasantly surprised at the interest our small but homely stand generated, we would like to thank everyone who took the time out of their day to visit with us and as they say in the best gangster movies “we know where you live” and yes, we will be contacting you all over the coming weeks, to grow the relationships that started at the FIT Show.

Congratulations to the organisers of the FIT Show who enabled the whole event to run so smoothly and efficiently, this may have been the Consultancy’s first visit to this event but we do not think it will be our last looking forward to meeting everyone all over again at the next event.

The company has used its digital expertise to develop software and systems for a host of companies within the industry.

And it hopes to chat to many more at Telford International Centre when it joins the big names in the industry at the Fit Show 2013.

Director Richie Thornton said: “We have developed a number of systems, websites and mobile phone aps that have really revolutionised the industry. Making companies more efficient, more visable and ultimately more profitable.

“We are looking forward to meeting everyone at the Fit Show and are more than happy to demonstrate our work and show how it can help other business in the industry.”

The Consultancy can be found at Stand No 3-008 or find them on Twitter @the_consultancy

Moving on, the last time the Consultancy wrote a blog re recruitment we were looking “as a matter of some urgency to add a self motivated clear thinking principally PHP developer to our team”, if we believe what we read in the press there are hundreds of suitable candidates just sitting there waiting for the call, but somehow it doesn’t work like that. A few well chosen advertisements a list of interviewees, they do not like what we do, we do not think they will fit with our team, it’s the wrong skill set or the wrong location, the Press have got it wrong. Just as despair is setting in that we will ever find the match that we need to “move us up” to that next level of capability, fate throws us the match we were looking for.

The correct skill set, the location is not a problem, the hours he’s used to them, and he likes what we do and sees it as a positive step and most of all the personality match feels right from the start.

Come on down Mark Handley, Mark has been on board as part of the team for three months now and he has fitted in almost seamlessly. What a steal, Mark was a graduate of Aberdeen University back in 2008 (MA (Hons) Information Systems & Management) and has had five years experience of working in the industry so he comes to us as a mature self assured individual. We wanted someone –

• self motivated – tick
• Clear thinking – tick
• PHP developer – tick – that’s what we wanted but Mark’s language skills far exceed the required brief and he brings with him a skill set that dovetails perfectly with our existing workload.

Welcome on board Mark you have joined the Consultancy evolution which we hope will be long term and mutually beneficial to both parties.

If you are “a self motivated clear thinking web developer” or if you are in your final year at University and looking for junior software developer position and reading this blog makes you fear you have missed an opportunity, cast aside those fears, The Consultancy are always on the lookout for talent be it experienced and work hardened or fresh out of University and looking for a start gives us a call – you could be our next steal who helps us move on and move up.

With faltering steps and an air of trepidation we rounded the brightly lit corner of the Teesside University Library and there before us stood the aptly named, but less than inspiring Olympia, building, the Consultancy had arrived at the North East Business awards Teesside regional final. Having taken the inspiration for our initial entry from the Kevin Costner movie “Field of Dreams” was this to be the Consultancy’s own Field of Dreams or were our hope dreams and aspirations about to be dealt a cruel blow and be dashed upon the rocks of adversity.

A cursory look at the seating plan quickly showed that there were companies there with as many tables as the Consultancy had attendees and some of if not all of the largest companies in Teesside were represented at some level, sponsors , finalists or guests. The true enormity of the very fact that the Consultancy were in there as a finalist hit home and hit home hard, a small company from Hartlepool with big ambitions, was rubbing shoulders with lynch pins of local and national industry whilst taking its first major step into the wide world of commerce. Did we feel overawed, no we did not we knew that we were there on merit.

Greetings over seats were taken, a passable starter and strangely an after dinner speaker between courses all credit to Mr David Bryon ex head of BMI (we would pay to see him again) he was not fazed by this strange timetable. A very forgettable main course and even more forgettable sweet and then the awards, not one or two but twelve and up at number eleven the Consultancy category “Best Small Business Award”, surprising how long it can take to give out ten awards, but then, the moment arrived.

The three nominees were summoned to the stage, Managing Director took his place centre of the three (was this an omen) and we waited, quietly and patiently to hear those words ……………………………………..

“and the winner is” and yes……………. it was somebody else……………. but were we crestfallen not one bit, Paul returned to the table “runners up plaque” clutched in hand and was given a round of applause by the assorted guests who made up the “misfits” table ( those who had not brought a cast of thousands to support them)

For our first visit to the Olympia building we had not made the Gold, but, as we had never really thought we had a chance of being shortlisted, a Silver was a brilliant result and we do not have to wait for four years to try it all again.

As a learning curve it was a superb experience but everything that the Consultancy undertakes as a new company is a learning curve and sometimes a steep one, but to date we have always made the peaks and succeeded in our goals.

We are proud of this achievement and the “runners up “ plaque will be prominently displayed until sometime in the not too distant future it will be replaced by a “winners” plaque as the Consultancy continue to grow from strength to strength

Thanks team

• to deliver our own aspirations’,
• fulfil our current customers solutions ,
• achieve our new customers expectations,
• and for the customers we have not yet met the fulfilment of their marketing dreams.

2013 Bring it on – at the Consultancy we are all looking forward to April and “The FIT Show” our stand is booked and our planning is well under way, we hope to bring something just a little different to our promotion style, visit our stand between 16th – 18th April at the International Centre at Telford to see for yourself. The least we can do is offer you a coffee if you take the time to visit us, but you may just be surprised at how much assistance we can offer in the development of your business with our unique and comprehensive approach to web site development and company promotion.

2013 Bring it on – last year was a very satisfying year for The Consultancy we with the assistance of our excellent customers exceeded many of our objectives, we enhanced our web site development techniques to create more “user friendly. Interactive sites”, we turned them into mobile sites and we also made them into APPs. But that is only what you see at the “front end”, the continuous development of bigger and better management systems (Client and Customer) which run our web sites has produced results that even with our thorough planning we did not foresee.

In order to continue this growth we are actively and continuously on the lookout for dynamic young developers who believe they could further enhance our team.

If you consider your web site a bit static and it’s not taking away the pain of the routine office paperwork that you find so tedious, a five minute call could re shape your New Year and you could also feel the same as we do here at The Consultancy – you could be joining us in saying 2013 Bring it on.

As we reach that time of year when we bid farewell to the past and welcome the future, at The Consultancy, we can truly say “what a difference a year makes”.

As the Consultancy finally closed their office door on 2011 there was no great rejoicing and optimism was in short supply it had been a long hard eighteen months since Echo Digital Management had taken over- the company had been trimmed back to its basic core product roots and the introduction of new practices and procedures had been difficult for all concerned. The question as the door closed was simple “what would 2012 bring- could we rise up Phoenix like from the ashes or would we crash and burn”

The Christmas break rejuvenated everyone and we returned full of the vigour and enthusiasm that was sufficient to see us through the dark days of January and February and then somewhere between the end of Q1 and Q2 something changed –

A couple of individual happy events lifted the overall spirit of all staff members –

The negative legacy phone calls that had so depressed everyone for so long seemed to peter out and they were replaced by a trickle of positive enquiries

Most importantly the staff that had been struggling to come to terms with the new regime suddenly seemed to be galvanised into a united team with a common goal – to succeed.

This new found enthusiasm has continued throughout the year and slowly and systematically progress has continued to be made, our range of software products is growing, we are re discovering old clients (or possibly they are re discovering ourselves) and we are making acquaintances with a number of new companies.

This year we have reached some major new milestones in our continued development –

We have launched our first interactive App

We have created our first “Mobile” web site

We have launched our own new Consultancy web site which has generated interest not just in the UK but has reached out to the global network and brought enquiries from places that previously were just names on a map.

We have booked our stand at our first exhibition “The FIT Show” in April of 2013

We have at last the confidence to start recruiting new staff, our first during Q3 and at least one more scheduled for the start of the New Year.

2012 has been a “springboard” for the Consultancy but it could not have been achieved without the assistance and support of a number of companies, customers, clients and friends who have stood with us through these difficult times, it is not necessary to name them, if they are reading this they know who they are.

To all who have supported the Consultancy through the last 30 months and to all our new friends and acquaintances we thank you and wish you all the very best for the season and the future

As we close the door on 2012 – there will be some rejoicing and there will defiantly be optimism – this Phoenix may have found its wings but they are far from flapping, this bird still has its feet firmly planted on the ground.

From The Management Team

The Consultancy

December 2012

Six months and rolling the evolution of the Consultancy continues. It is now some six months since the new management regime took that first step into the unknown and recruited a new member to their tight knit team.

Jackson Armstrong with his degree in Web Development from Teesside University fresh faced and eager joined the ranks of The Consultancy as a Junior developer. It was never going to be easy for either party, Jackson making the massive leap from academia to the totally different requirements of the commercial world and the existing staff having to spend time guiding him in the very precise ways of the workings of the company. As was expected we have had a few stumbles and the occasional mishap along the way, but with every day the understanding of what a mega step this transition is was developed further, until now we can say that Jackson is a fully integrated team member. There is still a way to go to help Jackson develop the unique skills and product awareness that are required to fully service our major clients but we are firmly on that road, to the extent that, come the end of the next educational year we will look forward to recruiting a further fresh faced and eager new recruit.

Thirty months on since the new management regime took over and the evolution of the Consultancy continues unabated the work just keeps rolling in, even with Jackson integrated into the team we still need more assistance.

The Consultancy need as a matter of some urgency to add a self motivated clear thinking principally PHP developer to our team, if you are reading this blog as opposed to the more “techie stuff” on this web site you are probably in the business, so if you or any one you know would be interested in this unique opportunity give us a call our door is always open and at the very least we will provide the coffee and biscuits.

“The system is even sophisticated enough to ensure that only valid sizes and combinations are entered into the online window designer. Our customers can now place an order 24hrs of the day, cost up projects at their leisure and manage their orders and accounts from one secure environment”

The words of Adrian Barraclough,

Chairman of Quickslide

-as he described the latest innovative success from the Consultancy

Quickslide have been a market leader in the production of UPVC sliding sash windows since their inception in 2004 using the Renaissance profile system they have achieved both steady growth in the sliding sash market and have now diversified into associated markets.

So what was Mr Barraclough describing in such glowing terms; a revolution in the way the products of Quickslide could be offered to their customers as “online sales“, through, the use of a fully interactive sliding slash window designer recently loaded on to the Quickslide web site.

Quickslide originally approached the Consultancy because they were aware that the Consultancy had over 10 years’ experience developing websites and design software for window and doors manufacturers and as Quickslide were a company committed to the future of the internet as a sales medium for their product they wanted to create a working relationship with a company that already “knew the rules of the industry”.

The developing relationship between The Consultancy and Quickslide has allowed for an open and frank exchange of views to ensure that the ongoing development of the company web site and it’s bespoke features will provide Quickslide customers with a clear and intuitive easy to use web site (designed for both retail and trade customers) which will allow them to purchase the window of their choice without having to leave their home or office.

Quickslide prospective customers can now, using the web site:

• design, the window of their choice
• price and order the windows online
• save their quotes for further review
• review and manage their existing orders

and over the coming months even more interactive customer benefits are planned for the site to make the purchasing experience both more enjoyable and more customer friendly.

The Consultancy is pleased to accept Mr Barraclough’s comments and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship for both companies in their future dealings with Quickslide.