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Very good point. You get it in banks as well, being asked personal information whilst having a queue of strangers behind you.

There you go, there's your cats eyes moment, make it happen 

Well done John 

To survive year one in business puts you ahead of the game. Running a business is a lot more complicated and challenging than most realise, working longer hours than most employees and normally earning a lot less! 

But you are playing the long game, and it is incredibly rewarding and satisfying, combined with stressful, frustrating with moments of what am I doing 

Thanks for the mention, but I think we have played a very minor part, but here's looking forward to your next 12 months, maybe another coach and more happy punters  Shows customer service really still is key.

Genuinely great to hear a good news story in this world of doom and gloom we live in.

ps - I've changed the email on your business listing so it's the same as your forum profile, that way your details show in your forum signature. You can log into either with your forum mail and password.

Well just signed up to Home Halo, so now waiting for the router to turn up, and shall see how it goes...

Hi Rob, welcome aboard and congratulations on the new business.

I'm afraid marketing is a lot of trial and error as you find what works for you and your industry. But the key thing is to have a plan rather than a random scatter gun approach.

Have a plan, follow it, test your results, tweak, tune, change as required then rinse and repeat.

Everything serves different purposes. If you're expecting bucket loads of leads and sales because you have listed with lots of free directories, then I'm afraid you will be disappointed. But as long as you are consistent with your business name and details, then you are spreading a citation foot print across the web which Google will reference, as it shows you are a genuine business (ie you haven't been booted off the directories). 

Also starting to generate reviews on different platforms will also send out strong signals as well as reassure potential customers who may be researching you to find out what others think.

Paying for ads is a different matter. It depends on your budget, your perceived value, and the platform in question. No sales pitch from me, do the rounds and make your own mind up.

But there is a form of instant marketing, and it sounds like you have tried it, Google PPC. But it's not the sort of thing you can throw a hundred quid at it and run it for a week. It's a complex beast to get started, but it's all about analysing data.

It's incredibly powerful, you can try things and see results straight away. You can tune it to death until you are happy with your conversion rate. Allocate a couple of grand, plenty of time and really try it out over a few months.

Other ideas from a biz to biz perspective, talk to people like BAR, get in with them and their members and maybe do a deal supplying crates. 

Exciting times ahead and so many opportunities! 

Had yet another of the multitude of letters from the BBC licensing police, that they have sent over the years.

This time, I thought I'd read it before filing, and noticed there is an opt out. No part of me thinks if you fill it in, then you are guaranteed a visit, but as we genuinely don't watch any TV (or iplayer!) in the office, we don't need a license.

What a faff trying to fill the form in! 20 minutes later, finally cracked it 

I think they need to spend some of the licensing money on a new a web developer and some more bandwidth...

Apparently my landline isn't a valid  UK telephone number?? Thought it didn't ring very often 

Finally start to make progress... booooom

Start all over again

So I wonder how much it costs the BBC to send everyone a licensing letter? Cost the government £6 million to send all households a referendum propaganda leaflet. Maybe a couple of £mn? 

So can you watch a video news item on the BBC website? Or is that classed as iplayer? 

Welcome to the forums John, glad you joined us.

You've got a very simple site, but you've got some content and all you need really is a straight forward wordpress site. It's something that wouldn't set you back very much, a few hundred quid which would give a much more professional image. Or you could do it yourself if you are technically minded and have the time.

There is no golden bullet to SEO, but your website is the obvious starting place. Understanding the basics and fundamentals helps. This may be of use if you are new to SEO: SEO 101 for laymen and newbies

Even if outsourcing, it's good to have a good high level idea, so you can tell if someone is spinning you a yarn or not.

You say you have just started some SEO with Scoot. Is that a paid service? No idea what they are like, but make sure you understand what they are doing for you and get a good idea of expectations. Personally I would concentrate on getting your website how you want it, before embarking on any paid SEO.

I would imagine they will start off with a report and tell you all the things you need to do with your site, as well as showing you where any of your chosen marketing keywords are with the Google god. So they and you will have an agreed starting point, so you can measure or gauge success.

Do you get many customers from your online marketing? Are there parts of your site that do work well for you, or is not performing at all? Have a look at your analytics, if you don't have any, then install them. Google analytics are free, and a treasure trove of useful information that will tell you what is happening with your website.

I'm guessing after 30 years, you have plenty of word of mouth custom. Are you utilising online reviews? This is a powerful way to showcase your business. Start generating reviews on your MLS listing, Google listing, TrustPilot, Yell or anywhere you can. If you google your business name and reviews, the only ones that show are from Yelp. 

Invite your customers to leave feedback, maybe add links on invoices, emails etc. It's not only great positive marketing, it's also good SEO (and free!) 

Just go into Staples or PC World, you can pick one up for a fiver 

Got to make the most of some the funnies doing the rounds 

And still number 2 in the medal tables! Come on Team GB 

A lot of people seem to be mumbling the same thing. Certainly a lot of uncertainty at the moment, with interest rates down again, no one knowing which the housing market will go, and people worried about jobs.

Anyone else got any opinions?

There is, it was done by the French (Normans)

The correct list you refer to is the postal counties which has been abolished and is no longer in official use, although everyone still uses them. But there are still "official" counties depending on their use and purpose, historical, ceremonial etc.

Best bet if you do want to stick with Counties, is to go with:

England - the Ceremonial Counties

Scotland -  Lieutenancy areas of Scotland

Wales - Preserved counties of Wales

Northern Ireland - choice between the former counties, or the current 11 districts.

Like I say though, whatever you choose people will moan and we have had consistent moans for over 10 years, including people in the same area arguing over different county names

But as of September, we are finally scrapping our County Field requirement, leaving it as a free form text box, so the business owner can call it what ever they like  We just won't reference it in the database.