Finalist reception - Wiltshire Business of the Year

For 2023 - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))

Last night, we attended a cocktail party thrown for the finalists in the "Wiltshire Business of the Year" competition because ... well, because we're finalists. I understand that there was a record entry this year - the first year we have entered - and that our category which is "Small Business of the year" was the biggest. That figures ... there's a lot of small businesses from Highworth in the North of the county to Mere in the South. So it's quite a feather in our cap to have got this far.

Mark Suddamore, the Managing Director of the newspaper organising the event, made a presentation, and plaques were awarded to all the finalists. As far as I'm personally concerned, entering the competition was an excellent tool through which we could look at the business and say to ourselves "Have we thought of all aspects" and "how do we stand up as others in business see us". So in some ways, the taking place was more important that the achievement of a place in the final, or the certificate. Having said that, it's certainly something that will help with our "street cred".

The event was held at the deVere Hotel in West Swindon (note to organisers - a bit of rush for those of us working up to 5 p.m. from out of town!) and well attended. And the networking opportunity was most welcome. Not necessarily to sell hotel rooms or places on courses (from a marketing viewpoint, such an event doesn't bring potential Open Source trainees together in great numbers!) but rather to look, to listen to others, stories, views, and to learn from them. I came away with the view, re-inforced, to remember both the large AND the small customer. This week, I'm training a medium sided organisation and two very large ones and I'm delighted to be doing so. Next week, I have a minnow. And they're equally important. I confess to being grateful to one of our fellow finalists who were busy assuring me that repeat business is the key in [[names trade]] ... and that means that you provide good service to 'chain' stores and only lip service to the independents. I'm glad we're not in their line - that's not an approach I would wish to take. And, come to think of it I suspect they were up for small business of the year too!
(written 2006-12-13, updated 2009-01-04)

Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles

Z403 - Organisations
  [58] Call Centres, selling, and a pause for thought - (2004-09-22)
  [307] Farming yesterday - (2005-05-10)
  [472] Are you free on 29th October - Charity ball - (2005-10-21)
  [1258] A day looking ahead for Well House Consultants - (2007-07-05)
  [1278] West Wilts Show - (2007-07-26)
  [1280] West Wilts - no longer Wet Wilts - show - (2007-07-28)
  [2012] The Wiltshire Police - (2009-01-29)
  [2015] Service Excellence Awards - (2009-01-30)
  [2026] Melksham Climate Friendly Group - (2009-02-05)
  [2128] Wiltshire - where everybody matters - (2009-04-13)
  [2236] Alumni - revisiting and supporting the old University - (2009-06-13)
  [2271] Dogs Trust, Dog Show, Newbury - (2009-07-06)
  [2574] Summary of Wiltshire Core Strategy responses - (2010-01-13)
  [2585] Consultation in Melksham, on Melkshams future - (2010-01-17)
  [2807] Canal through Melksham - the options and issues - (2010-06-13)
  [2869] Contact Information for Melksham Oak Community School - (2010-07-13)
  [2902] Community consultation - a true open input - (2010-08-04)
  [3317] Self Portrait (in words) - (2011-06-04)
  [3484] A Melksham Timeline - Domesday to present day - (2011-10-17)
  [3511] Melksham has a heart - have your picture taken and support the defibrillator appeal - (2011-11-06)
  [3604] Melksham Campus - a blog you can read, and a place you can comment - (2012-02-08)
  [3677] Some advise for guest speakers at meetings - (2012-03-31)
  [3704] The Bowerhill Villager - a newsletter for Bowerhill, Melksham - (2012-04-22)
  [3712] Some unpublished and historic pictures - Museum of Melksham - (2012-04-28)
  [3774] Melksham - a new dawn - (2012-06-23)
  [4020] Melksham Community - Annual Report / MCAP - (2013-02-26)
  [4039] Seed Swap at Well House Manor - (2013-03-10)
  [4548] Melksham - two small townships, or one big one? - (2015-10-22)

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Some other Articles

Equality in Ruby - == eql? and equal?
Cardinal numbers and magic numbers
Blessing in Perl / Member variable in Ruby
Notes from the white board
Finalist reception - Wiltshire Business of the Year
Street Scene
Empty seats, Nodding Donkeys and buses
Wellhouse Manor, Hotel, Melksham
Melksham and Norwich
Santa at the station

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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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