A quick refresher about O’Brien Media

Chris Grant July 04, 2020 0 Comments

We’re an award-winning website design company with offices in Swindon, Wiltshire, and Shoreditch, London. We provide a range of website and web application design and development solutions to businesses and organisations across the UK. Our professional web design team has over 15 years of experience developing websites and digital marketing solutions for small businesses and...

Back to business – What does post-lockdown business look like?

Alex Swabey June 01, 2020 0 Comments

It has been over two months since the government asked us all to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With restrictions beginning to ease, businesses up and down the country are trying to figure out how to start welcoming customers again while minimising risk to themselves or their patrons. According to the latest government statement, retailers who operate outdoors will now be...

Why you need a separate business account as a sole trader or startup

Kerstin Reichert May 06, 2020 0 Comments

For many new entrepreneurs, keeping things as simple as possible in the early days is key. Which is why using the same bank account for personal and business purposes is so common. While this reduces some friction in the early days, the time will come where you’ll need to separate them - especially as you acquire your first customers. In this article, we’ll explore why having a separate...

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Let customers know your special hours for May on Google My Business

Andy Smart April 28, 2020 0 Comments

When your business has an irregular schedule, like holidays or special events, you can enter special hours in advance to let customers know when you’re open via the special opening hours option on Google My Business (and Google Maps). If you haven't updated your hours, we recommend that you do. Google may call you to make sure they’re accurate. Visit Google My Business Help to learn more...

Coronavirus Business Support Page on GOV.UK Website

Andy Smart April 20, 2020 0 Comments

GOV.UK have updated their website to include a section specifically aimed at supporting businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic: Find out what financial support you can get for your business Find out how you can claim your employees' wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Find out how to apply for a grant if you're self-employed All information relating to Business Support can now be...

Government advice for trades: Work carried out in people’s homes is acceptable during UK lockdown

Andy Smart April 10, 2020 0 Comments

Current Government advice for trades, such as electricians, plumbers, maintenance workers, cleaners and other tradespeople carrying out work in people's homes is that this is currently acceptable even during the lockdown, the advice, as of 10th April 2020 is as follows: Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance, can continue, provided...

Posting parcels? Avoid Post Office queues with Royal Mail’s Parcel Postboxes in Swindon

Andy Smart April 07, 2020 0 Comments

Did you know that you can avoid Post Office queues, and parcel collection costs, by using Parcel Postboxes, provided by Royal Mail, in various locations around Swindon - and across the UK. Royal Mail's Parcel Postboxes are ideally suited for a fast and easy local drop off, and when a Certificate of Posting is not required - so for bulky envelopes that won't fit into a normal Postbox, for items...

“Online retail is still open and encouraged” Gov Advice 23/03/2020

Chris O'Brien March 24, 2020 0 Comments

On 23rd March the British Government stepped up measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus and save lives, announcing that non-essential premises must now close. In the documents released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government following the Prime Ministers televised address to the nation, we would like to highlight the following, which will be of interest to some of our...

How to use Zoom for video conferencing & video meetings

Andy Smart March 21, 2020 0 Comments

Zoom has earned itself a reputation as a reliable, easy-to-use tool that can handle meetings involving up to 100 people. And that's just the free version. If you need to host particularly large online meetings, there are paid-for business packages available that dramatically increases this limit, and also adds new features Add a webcam to your desktop PC, or turn to your webcam-enabled laptop,...

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