Southwest-based tech company black nova designs is celebrating a decade in business and commemorating the milestone by sharing ten hard-earned lessons from founders Kyle and Danielle Holmes. Launched in 2015 from their home in Wiltshire, the husband-and-wife team has grown the company into a trusted provider of IT support, web design, and hosting services, now working with more than 1,000 clients across the UK. On Saturday, October 18, Black Nova will host a 10th birthday bash at the National Self-Build and Renovation Centre (NSBRC) in Swindon to celebrate its 10th business anniversary. The event will raise money for the local mental…
Author: Greg Robinson
International communication and influence expert and author Jose Ucar has been confirmed as a speaker at Leadership Live 2025. Leadership Live is an annual event that welcomes all, especially aspiring managers and leaders as well as those who are already senior leaders or responsible for developing and driving people. The full-day event in London involves networking, inspiration, and practical insights from industry trailblazers. They offer a range of interactive workshops and keynote speakers. Jose’s talk ‘Speak with Impact and Create Change’ will reveal strategies to help leaders speak with impact through the power of simplicity. The session will teach participants…
With a career spanning more than 25 years, Melissa Robertson has shaped some of the UK’s most recognisable creative work and steered agencies through times of transformation and growth. From her early days at Grey London to helping launch Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy and co-founding the independent agency Now, Melissa’s journey reflects not just staying power but also a drive to challenge convention. As CEO of Dark Horses — the sport, fitness and wellbeing agency with creativity in its DNA — Melissa leads a team united by a passion for performance, both on the pitch and in the work they deliver. A champion…
Digital and AI transformation consultancy Daemon today announced the launch of its pioneering AI-First Squad, a specialist team set to challenge and transform the software development lifecycle. This initiative goes beyond integrating AI tools by introducing an evolution in how technology solutions are conceived, built, and deployed, aiming to deliver efficiencies and significant value for clients. The AI-First Squad addresses the common challenge businesses face: moving beyond incremental gains and navigating AI-related hype. Daemon’s new offering establishes a dedicated expert team combining industry-leading digital engineering practices with generative AI (GenAI) tooling and experimental methodologies. The squad will implement proven “AI-first”…
Meet Tiger Lily Beck and Demi Smith, the founders of Flex and The City, which launched just over a year ago. Both in their mid-twenties and hailing from Hertfordshire, these young entrepreneurs have been lifelong friends who suddenly realised they could create a business together once they understood each other’s professions. Fiona Scott chatted with them about their ‘great idea’ and how it’s going. What is Flex and The City? Tiger Lily: It’s a new digital hub for professionals in the flex industry – so it’s all connected to the flexible workspace sector. We are also a press and media platform…
One rarely meets someone with a remarkable career trajectory—such as starting as a delivery driver and later becoming Managing Director of the same company. Paul Day did just that, beginning his journey at Filestream Ltd as a van driver and, over the course of 25 years, working his way up to become Managing Director. This progression provides Paul with unique insights when engaging with fellow entrepreneurs, business owners, and employees. His experience transitioning from employee to employer has equipped him with valuable knowledge and understanding that resonates with those working in Britain’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Paul’s down-to-earth and…
Rob Boland, Interim-COO, pirkx The world has moved on – employee benefits need to move on too The world of work has fundamentally changed over the past decade. People have more choice in who they work for, how they work and where they work. Most critically, people want to work for a business that looks after them as individuals and shows them they are cared for beyond simply being a ‘cog in the machine’. They want to know that there is support for them as they try to make the best of their lives, in and out of the workplace.…
A team of experts has come together to disrupt the expensive and complex social care. system by launching an ‘app’ to bring care homes/providers and carers together using AI. AgoraStaff, a temporary staffing app for the social care sector, is the brainchild of Richard Williams-Pears, a longtime Cornwall councillor and former mayor of St Austell, who witnessed firsthand the rising costs and inefficiencies in social care. He teamed up with his wife Jolene, AgoraStaff’s Director of Outstanding Compliance, who has an extensive background in operating theatres, and Janet Shreeve, who brings hands-on care sector experience from running Shreeve Care Services,…
Whatever the device you are using a subscription can be activated in seconds with a few clicks. Hence, it’s astonishing that cancelling that same service can sometimes feel like navigating a maze. For UK consumers and businesses alike, a frustrating reality persists: while signing up is seamless and fully digital, cancelling often isn’t — and legally, it doesn’t have to be. Despite the UK’s growing digital economy and consumer expectations for frictionless service, many websites still require customers to pick up the phone and call a customer service line to cancel their subscription. Some even limit these cancellation windows to inconvenient office…
Leadership mentor and entrepreneur Gary Parsons is using Face Equality Week (13-17 May) and Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May) to spotlight a subject close to his heart – the mental health of leaders. For too long, the mental health conversation in business has focused solely on employees. Gary is breaking that silence. As someone who built a multi award-winning, seven-figure business while battling the hidden effects of facial paralysis, he knows first-hand the cost of ignoring your own wellbeing at the top. Gary, 41, from Derbyshire, developed Bell’s Palsy as a teenager and has lived with permanent facial paralysis…