August 2024 – What We’ve Been Up To

Wayne

2024 is moving along like a steam train, so much so that I didn’t even get the chance to write my monthly blog in July. As the business very much runs me these days, any chance of five minutes to sit down and write something is a rarity.

My time has been filled with onboarding new clients, writing briefs and specs, integrating new employees, and exploring what the next couple of years looks like for me and Twilo.

We’re currently busy working on a range of exciting websites for our clients. One of our most long-standing clients, British Made Interiors, is currently having a brand refresh, which means we’ve been updating the appearance of their website. To fit with their fabric suppliers, we’ve been tasked with delivering a more muted design while maintaining the structure and functionality of the existing website. This project has been quite different from other website designs, as we’re not only designing for the target audience; we’re designing to keep suppliers happy too.

Another of our super clients is currently going through an acquisition, and we’ve been supporting them with website updates and messaging across their digital marketing channels. This has been another interesting project that has not only been to provide a smooth transition for existing customers but also to deliver on requirements for new stakeholders.

The pupdates have been less frequent from me, but Fred recently turned 1! He still has some four-letter nicknames, but not as many as he had at the start. He’s becoming the loyal and playful companion that Labradors do best.

Jen

As the height of summer draws to a close, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the projects I’ve been immersed in this month and the exciting moments I’ve had both in and out of the office. It’s been a few weeks of innovation, strategy, and a dash of adventure. 

This month has been particularly exciting, with several standout projects that have kept me on my toes. First and foremost, we’ve finalised the brand strategy for Beyond, which has been a significant milestone. But the real excitement comes from moving past the strategy and starting to build out the commercial plan. There’s nothing quite like seeing a start-up business take shape and begin its journey towards growth.

Another major focus has been the five-year growth strategy for Geek Retreat. This has involved a series of strategic workshops where we’ve been meticulously mapping out the workstreams, projects, investments, and resources needed to propel the business forward. It’s been a challenging but rewarding experience, particularly as I prepare to speak at a conference in Vienna at the end of September. I’m thrilled to share how Geek Retreat has leveraged VOW crypto to dominate its market.

On the campaign front, I’ve been busy with Twilo, driving growth around Consent Mode and Digital Projects Yorkshire Grants Scheme. We’ve been pushing forward with coaching and training workshops, which are always a highlight for me. There’s something fulfilling about seeing a team grow and thrive through targeted training and development.

Looking ahead, there are a few clients I’m particularly excited to work with. The strategies we’ve developed are set to deliver real impact, and I’m eager to see how they unfold in the coming months.

Outside of work, it’s been a busy but enjoyable summer with the children. We recently returned from a camping festival, which was a refreshing change of pace. I’ve always loved the festival atmosphere—there’s something about the energy, the people, and the creativity that is really exciting. In addition to the festival, we also went on a short, four-day Disney cruise to La Coruña in Spain. While the cruise was a fun experience, I must admit that I prefer the simplicity of tent life to sea life! 

This month has been a blend of professional growth and personal enjoyment. The projects I’ve been involved in have been both challenging and exciting, and I’m looking forward to seeing them come to life. Balancing work with family life has always been important to me, and this month has been a perfect example of how fulfilling that balance can be. As we move into autumn, I’m eager to continue this momentum and see where the next few months will take us.

Isabelle

Rebrands, Tranquil Walks and General Knowledge Quizzes!

Twilo has been working on some super exciting projects this month, including several rebrands and a company acquisition campaign. One of our clients is undergoing a huge company merger, and Twilo has been on hand to help with supporting messaging, social media content creation, website development, and most importantly, a great consultancy to advise where appropriate.

On 10 August, Team Twilo took a trip to sunny Manchester for our annual summer social. We took part in The Crystal Maze Live Experience, which consisted of frantic, silly team fun (with the aim to secure crystals and gain as much time in The Crystal Dome as possible!) just like the original TV show. After smashing the Dome with an amazing score of 177 points, we visited Dishoom for some delicious modern Indian cuisine.

Outside of work, my friends and I took a camping trip to The Lakes, where we stayed for three nights. We spent the days exploring different areas of the Lake District, including Ambleside, Coniston, and Ulverston, and spent the evenings eating BBQ food and playing general knowledge quizzes around the fire.

After I returned home from The Lakes, I visited Goit Stock Waterfall in Wilsden. This hidden gem is an easy and tranquil walk—it’s absolutely beautiful!

Matt

A Nonstop Month

August’s been an exciting month for me at Twilo. I’ve started to work with a mentor to expand and grow my Google Ads skills, and it’s been a useful experience. This new knowledge has meant that I’m able to bring new skills and ideas to Twilo’s clients and provide even better results for them.

Outside of work, August has been a very busy and exciting month! At the start of the month, Team Twilo had our summer social in Manchester. We smashed The Crystal Maze Experience and then went for some delicious food at Dishoom. It was great to interact with the team outside of work.

My local pub had its first ever ‘Hoedown’ where the whole pub was transformed into a Western-style saloon, with country singers, staff dressed as cowboys, and BBQ food. It was a great day and something different from the usually small village pub.

Additionally, I’m training to complete a 10k in Leeds in October, and in August I ran a 10k in 48 minutes; this has me well on my way to my target time for the race of 45 minutes. In September, I’m also taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge with my sister for her work, so over the Bank Holiday, we took my dog and walked up one of the peaks to prep. We smashed it, walking Pen-y-ghent in just over two hours, despite being battered by the wind and rain in the horrendous weather conditions!

Ryan

August!

I had a great end to the month living in a van as I attended a festival with my family.

As my daughter joined us at the festival, I got to watch her experience everything for the first time, which was truly amazing. With her in company, it also meant I got to attend my first parent rave, which was one of the highlights of the festival. I spent four days pulling her around in a cart, so the feeling in my legs is yet to come back!

We’re gearing up for an exciting month ahead with Beyond, a company that focusses on health treatments and creating longevity. We’ve lined up some really innovative work that I’m excited to get stuck into with the team.

Andrew

Laravel, An Escape Room and Alien: Romulus

I’ve had a new learning opportunity in August as we have begun developing code with Laravel and React. This is not a stack we have used previously but have seen it become increasingly popular. Though the learning curve is difficult, it is a great opportunity for us to evolve how we develop applications and is a great opportunity to expand my knowledge. I am impressed by the performance of this stack and look forward to seeing what we can do with it in the future.

To prepare for the eventual house move (still not knowing when the sale will go through), I’ve spent some time clearing out my current belongings and dedusting the house. I then spent the weekend with friends in Leeds. We went to an escape room that was themed like a space station. That was good fun and was a very challenging room. We only managed to make it out because someone brute forced the final puzzle with five minutes remaining. We then finished the trip watching the new Alien: Romulus film. I found this to be an enjoyable addition to the Alien franchise, keeping true to the original films but also adding some new flavour.

Sayem

My Busy Month and Exciting Summer Social in Manchester

This month has been incredibly busy and productive for me. I’ve had the opportunity to work on several interesting projects for different clients. One of the tasks involved creating a new pattern filter and then managing lead times. I also removed the blackout lining and generated conditional invoices based on the date. Additionally, I created a new report within the report section for British Made Interiors, an OpenCart modification, which included two columns to sort the number of sample orders grouped by date.

Working with Benihana was another highlight. I developed a WordPress plugin to save and export contact form enquiries from their restaurant customers around the globe. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience. I also worked on a modification for the Kings Croft Hotel’s CRM to calculate the entire balance for all bookings on an event, as well as the outstanding balance across all bookings, and display it in the Availability column.

Amidst all this work, we had a fantastic summer outing from the office in Manchester.

Activity
The first part of our social was at The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience at 4:30pm. It was a nice experience, though I could not win any crystals!

Meal
After The Crystal Maze, we took a quick 10-minute walk to Dishoom. It’s a trendy restaurant serving modern Indian cuisine. I really enjoyed the delicious food and spending time with my colleagues in a relaxed setting. This month has been a whirlwind of work and fun, and I can’t wait to see what the next month brings!

Aleena

Lots of Creativity and Celebrations!

August has been an exciting month filled with creativity and celebration. I had the pleasure of starting work on a new design project for British Made Interiors’ website, which has been incredibly fulfilling.

I also celebrated my birthday with friends and family, which was a highlight, along with a weekend getaway to Windermere, which offered the perfect blend of relaxation and fun. As the month wraps up, I’m grateful for these experiences and eager for what’s next.August has been an exciting month filled with creativity and celebration.

Amit

Significant Learnings and Personal Growth

As this month comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on a period filled with both professional and personal growth. It’s been an incredibly interesting time, particularly because of my involvement in Twilio’s dynamic environment. Working within their culture has been a refreshing experience—one that has truly fuelled my enthusiasm for what I do.

A significant highlight of this month was my contribution to the development of Twilio’s Consent Mode. This feature acts like a plugin, integrating seamlessly with a script while ensuring that backend authentication determines whether a site has permission to load a script or not. This was a fascinating project, offering me the chance to dive deeper into backend processes.

In addition to my work on Consent Mode, I also spent time developing WordPress and OpenCart websites. Wayne, a mentor in the truest sense, guided me through the nuances of front-end development. His insights into SCSS and WordPress were particularly enlightening, and I feel much more confident in these areas thanks to his patient instructions.

Beyond work, August also offered some fantastic opportunities for relaxation and team bonding. I was thrilled to be a part of Twilo’s Summer Social, where we spent a delightful day in Manchester. The live experience of The Crystal Maze was exhilarating, and the evening at Dishoom was the perfect way to unwind with colleagues. It’s these moments that remind me how fortunate I am to be part of such a great team.

Overall, this past month has been one of significant learnings and personal growth. I’m looking forward to the challenges and experiences that September will bring.