In March last year, the business world was turned upside down. We didn’t know whether we would be facing a national lockdown like other countries in Europe. If a lockdown was on the cards, what did that mean for Digital Storm? Could we run a fully-remote agency? Having spoken to a lot of people, we know you felt the same.
That’s the thing with a global pandemic – nobody knows what the future holds. Some businesses decided to make use of the furlough scheme, reducing to a skeleton team to ride out the virus. Others went full steam ahead, using the downtime to boost their efforts. With no end in sight, some companies made the difficult decision to close their doors.
There was no correct response, nobody knew what the right thing to do was. And almost a year later we are still finding ourselves in the same position. However, this time around we can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
We were in the same position as a lot of you were. We had no idea what the best thing to do was. As a web design, development and marketing agency, we had to be there for our clients. With that being said, we also had to do the best thing for our business and our team.
That’s why we wanted to say thank you. It’s people just like you that have helped us get through 2020. We are a small, independent team and your support has been invaluable.
Thank You for Sharing Your Insights
We ploughed through, still unsure if we were doing the right thing. It wasn’t long before the office was empty and the team were working from home. To tell you that that took a lot of getting used to is an understatement, but almost a year in we’re proud to say we’ve got the hang of it.
Getting used to remote working meant getting used to virtual meetings. Nobody’s best friend is their webcam, but we’re making the most of the available technology and finding solutions to bring back an element of office life.
Virtual meetings didn’t stop in-house, and they weren’t even limited to client calls. Organisations like the Dorset Chamber also made the bold switch to digital and began hosting online networking events.
These events helped a lot.
We met a lot of people in the same position as us and were able to talk to them about what they were planning to do moving forward. The organisations gave advice and information regarding the business support available from the government and our local council.
Without you, we might not have heard of the grants and loans available to small businesses. These have become a lifeline, as I’m sure many of you would agree. So thank you to everyone who participated in the virtual networking sessions organised by Dorset Chamber, Silicon South and BCP Council.
Support Local
One of the key takeaways from the last year is how much support is out there for anyone who needs it. We were really pleased to see our community coming together at a time of need.
The relationships formed were invaluable. Despite having never met some of you in a face-to-face setting, we are proud to call you part of our network. The support available in Dorset alone was outstanding, we’re sure you would agree.
So again, thank you for being there. Thank you for participating, sharing your knowledge and listening to the rants. It meant a lot to us and it means a lot to Dorset’s business community.
We’re Here for You
Finally, we’d like to return the favour and let you know that we’re here for you. Whether you need work done on your website, a killer social media strategy, or a large glass of red while you let out your frustrations over a Zoom call. We’re here for that.
We won’t sugar coat it, the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic have been horrible. There is nothing I want more than a cold pint with a dash of lime and to book my next holiday. However, seeing the community come together like this has been amazing. I think we all deserve that pint as soon as it is safe to do so.
We’ve LOVED Working With You!
Despite everything happening in the world around us, we’ve had great fun working with you over the last year. We’ve kept busy, launching new sites for Pub Tokens, Up In BCP and Maintain Drains. Many of you also had to adapt to the digital switch, and we were proud to work alongside people like The Colour Works and The Mayfield Group to make this transition easier.
We’re getting into 2021 now and we can’t wait to roll out the new strategies, websites and design work we’ve got under our sleeves. And last but not least, it was great to welcome some new clients… Hello John Pipe International!
So for one last time, we are going to say thank you. Thank you for making 2020 a lot more bearable. We don’t know where we’d be without you.
