Getting away from it all

Posted on by March 4, 2014

I’ve just received a newsletter that contains the dismal phrase “When running a business, you can’t afford to be away from your work for a moment.” I couldn’t disagree more.

At OpenSure, we’ve always tried to make sure that real life gets a good look in, and work, though important, doesn’t dominate life to the detriment of all else. We’re all parents at OpenSure, and family life is a big deal for all of us. I don’t want to be glued to a Blackberry for five years then suddenly realise my son’s about to start school. I won’t lie on my death-bed wishing I’d allowed work to wreck any semblance of a personal life.

We want to run a successful business with happy, well-served customers, but we also want to be able to say ‘that’s enough for today’ and lock the office door behind us. Having the freedom to do that is one of our guiding principles.

Right, I’m off to sit outside with my lunch, and I doubt the world will fall apart while I do it.

Press Go

Posted on by March 4, 2014

We went to a networking event last night that was focusing on media. Naively we assumed this would be, or at least include, social media, but it wasn’t even mentioned. I spent the first five minutes thinking “this has nothing to do with us” – after all, we’re an edgy, Web 2.0 type company that doesn’t worry about newspapers. The speaker said “you’re probably sitting there thinking ‘this has nothing to do with me’ but you’re wrong” and he was right.

It looks like broadcast media and the press are areas we’ve neglected. I still struggle to see how radio would do us many favours, but I can see scope for a relationship with the press. So, this morning I’ve written a press release (currently sitting with the Tech Director for the equivalent of the red pen) and will be sending it to a few carefully targeted publications. I’m in clover as my heart is in writing, but communications has to be the net best thing.

Oatmeal is good for you

Posted on by March 4, 2014

I’ve just read this brilliant article on The Oatmeal, all about the chasm of understanding between the brilliant web designer so full of elegant designs, and the rather different perspective of the site’s owner. Anyone involved with web design will at some point have been reduced to open-jawed silence by a customer’s ‘bright ideas’.

One of the many things to love about a Drupal website is that this doesn’t happen. If you’re a company owner and you want a website to look just so, you can have exactly what you’d like with no need to go near a web designer. Drupal gives you infinite  freedom to include the elements, or indeed elephants, you want in your website without having to convince a too-cool-for-school young web turk that they deserve to be there. Take control of your website through a simple web interface (so simple even *I* can use it, and everyone knows I don’t do anything fiddly) and waste no time or money.

We can provide you with the webspace, set you up with Drupal and give you advice on using it, all for £99 a month. HOW much did your website cost??