Economy Drive April 4th, 2011

I was quoted in the press this week commenting on the budget and the recent changes the chancellor has made. Whatever my politics and whatever my beliefs, what is plain to see from where I am sitting, there is a brighter horizon approaching. I am ever the optimist and I have been wrong more times than I have been right on most subjects, however it does feel as if the mood in the board rooms of businesses is continuing to lift. It is difficult to ignore the politics in other parts of the world, there are so many countries and people fighting for a myriad of causes. It certainly is a reminder to us all how fortunate we are in the UK. Yet back here… Read the Rest »

Posted in Business advice, Business motivation, Google & Search Marketing, Manchester, People development, UKFast | 2 Comments »

Lighting The Fibres Of The Future March 13th, 2011

When we set up UKFast in 1999, no one really knew what to expect. There was huge excitement at the birth of a new industry which was reflected on the stock exchange and the first internet millionaires were created without really producing any viable products. A massive downturn ensued and people thought, that was that. Back in 2001 after the bubble burst, no one could have predicted how technology would evolve at such a pace. In a decade everyone’s lives have changed. The internet is bigger than TV, Radio and Press put together and it’s just the beginning. Google came out of nowhere, (or rather a garage in San Francisco) to challenge Microsoft with alternative ways to search the net providing innovative ways to advertise… Read the Rest »

Posted in Business motivation, Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Spirit, Google & Search Marketing, Lawrence Jones, UKFast | 4 Comments »

Dedicated to Hosting? April 24th, 2010

What is hosting? It is a good question. I often wonder how and why I ended up in a career so similarly named to one I had been involved with in a previous life. As an event organiser, I essentially hosted parties for businesses. It involved the ultimate in commitment and service, a degree of attention to detail you seldom see and passion to keep you striving when the going gets tough. First up, last to bed….. it is a thankless task behind the scenes of a busy event. The business I had that specialised in this field I sold to Granada at the end of the 90′s. they did me a massive favour. I stayed and learnt so much about bigger business, “how to… Read the Rest »

Posted in Business advice, Lawrence Jones, Manchester, People development, UKFast | No Comments »

A fast server is instrinsic to your marketing campaign July 4th, 2008

Did you know the speed and reliability of your website is a massive factor in the stickiness of your site, for both human visitors and search engines? For the ever demanding customer, website response rates have to be immediate. How long do you spend on a slow page which doesn’t load properly? My guess is not long at all. And neither do your potential customers. For slow websites the click-away rate is often incredibly high – and what do web users do when they’ve clicked away? They go to the next search engine listing, which just happens to be your fiercest competitor. Speaking of search engines, many of the top ones use website response rate and server speed as part of the ranking process. When… Read the Rest »

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Are accolades important? May 29th, 2008

I congratulate the winner of this year’s EN Entrepreneur award, Bruntwood’s Chris Oglesby. In a tough environment I thought this was a very fair result. He is a worthy winner and the rapturous response he received when his name was announced reaffirms that he is a great entrepreneur and has the popular vote amongst the business community. UKFast was a sponsor of the awards this year and I have to say I was pleased with the result. It is difficult to find another organisation that has done as much for Manchester as Bruntwood. There are many awards nowadays and some people think that the sentiment behind the ceremony has been diluted. But personally I like to view them very positively. I am honoured to have… Read the Rest »

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Don’t neglect your online presence May 20th, 2008

In the past week the British government has been criticised over its websites. A report states the websites have barely improved over the last seven years. In this period of time, the internet has grown and changed considerably. There is much more offered by way of interactive and dynamic content now, making internet usage undeniably better than it was back in 2001. When I look back over the years at how the UKFast website has grown, it is barely recognisable as the site of 2001. It wasn’t that it was a poor site back then, just that the internet has moved on so much. The speed and reliability of new internet technology – broadband, quadcore web servers, innovative applications, etc, etc – offers the ability… Read the Rest »

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