Wayne

As the first month of the year draws to a close, it’s a great time to reflect on our achievements and set the tone for the months ahead. January kicked off with a team meeting where we outlined our goals and ambitions for the year. This session set a clear direction and energised everyone to work towards shared success.

A huge congratulations to Andrew on his well-deserved promotion to Senior Developer! Over the past three and a half years, Andrew has demonstrated exceptional growth, taking every opportunity to enhance his skills and contribute to the team. Watching colleagues like Andrew progress is incredibly rewarding, and this achievement is a testament to his hard work and determination.

I’d also like to give a shoutout to Amit and Aleena, who joined us in July 2024 and have now successfully passed their probation. Their progress has been remarkable, and it’s been fantastic to see them settle into their roles so seamlessly. The positive feedback they’ve shared about the company’s support in their development reflects the culture we’ve worked hard to build.

My “why” has always been about proving to myself that I can do it. I’m proud to have a team that shares similar values around personal development and doing their best for the client. I’ve never once felt proud about how much money a project is worth or what the business turns over. Seeing people progress and receiving feedback like this is why I get out of bed every morning…

We’re busy putting plans into place for Twilo’s 10th birthday celebrations! We have loads to share in the coming months and I’m particularly excited about a 10K charity walk the team will be doing, with the aim of raising £10,000 for charity. I’m told this target is too ambitions so naturally I’ll be doing my best to achieve it! Roxanne has also been busy arranging a 10th birthday event for staff and clients which I’m sure will be a great opportunity to let our hair down and celebrate this landmark achievement.

On the social front, January has been a quieter month, as expected after the holidays. With some weekend downtime, Lianne & I have been planning our backpacking trip through Europe. We’ve booked most of our travel and excursions as we look forward to visiting Norway, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Holland and Spain.

With such a strong start to 2025, I’m optimistic about what’s to come. It sounds cliché, but I really think this will be Twilo’s best year to date!

Roxanne

January Reflections: Growth, Gratitude, and Exciting Plans Ahead

What a whirlwind January has been! After taking two wonderful weeks off to recharge, I returned to a buzzing hive of activity, with exciting projects and growth plans in full swing.

One major highlight has been working with our business consultant, Tim, during regular training sessions. Over the past four weeks, I’ve learned so much—from managing my time more effectively to implementing team-wide procedures that streamline our processes. It’s been incredible to see how much progress we’ve already made!

Another exciting milestone is fast approaching—Twilo’s 10-Year Anniversary on April 29th! Celebration planning is well underway, and we have some amazing events in the works. Stay tuned for more updates.

At home, I’ve been channelling my energy into redecorating, and wrapping up the final room this week. While it’s left me both exhausted and out of pocket, I feel a real sense of accomplishment knowing I completed most of the work myself (even if some bits are a bit “rustic”!).

Christmas with my family was magical, giving me a much-needed reset and filling me with gratitude. I feel ready and motivated for the year ahead.

Looking forward, I’m excited to continue integrating our new internal processes, focus on my training and development, and finalise the plans for our 10-year celebration. Keep an eye onour socials for all the updates—we can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with you!

Matt

An exciting 2025 ahead, starting with cold weather and personal wins

This month began with Wayne introducing us to the plan for Twilo for 2025, and it all looks very exciting! Twilo turns 10, and we’ve got a lot to plan to celebrate our huge milestone. We’ve also got a lot of interesting and exciting projects coming up, so make sure you watch this space.

I’ve also begun working with Tim, who is Twilo’s business advisor. He’s been working with me on time management, leadership, and also my goals in the short term, medium term, and long term. These sessions have already begun to be beneficial as I feel like I’ve been able to adapt some of his help into my work, making me more productive.

Snow, football and TV gold

The beginning of the year brought us some snowy weather! Actual proper snow too, not just the little flurry we usually get. Snow is my dog’s favourite weather, he’d spend all day in it if he could, so every walk with him in the snow included him using his head as a shovel, digging for sticks in the snow, catching snowballs I would throw for him, and constant zoomies.

After a few games being cancelled due to the snow, my football season was back underway on a Saturday morning after the Christmas break. Typically the first game back was against the unbeaten top of the league, and we did lose 6-4, but played some excellent football, and I was voted Man of the Match by my teammates. I’d have preferred to have won, but it was nice to be recognised by my teammates for my performance.

January also means a return of one of my favourite TV shows, The Traitors! I’ve never been a fan of reality TV, but The Traitors is brilliant, edge-of-your-seat stuff. The twists leave you shocked, and you can’t believe how easily some people fall for lies from others. I’ve been trying to get more people at Twilo to watch it, and Reece finally gave in and watched the first series and loved it! Fingers crossed I can get more of the team to give it a go.

Aleena

Reflecting on a Fulfilling Month: Family, Snow, and Professional Achievements

As the month draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the experiences that have made it truly memorable. From quality family time to exciting career progress, it’s been a month of growth, learning, and moments that have been both fulfilling and inspiring.

Family Fun: Embracing the Snow

The month kicked off with a snow, but rather than letting the cold weather dampen our spirits, it provided the perfect backdrop for some family fun. My son and I spent hours in the snow, building snowmen, having snowball fights, and just enjoying the peacefulness that comes with a fresh blanket of snow. Seeing the joy on his face as he played in the snow reminded me of the simple pleasures in life.

Personal Growth: Don’t Make Me Think – A New Perspective on Web Usability

This month, I also started reading Don’t Make Me Think: A Common-Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug. As a digital designer, this book has been both an eye-opener and a guide to improving my approach to user-friendly design. I would like to thank our director at Twilo who gave me this book as it is worth reading. Krug’s practical advice on web usability has not only deepened my understanding of design but also inspired me to rethink how I create intuitive, accessible websites that enhance the user experience. Till now what I learned is that the core rule of usability is simple: “Don’t make me think!” A webpage should be obvious and self-explanatory, with no guesswork required.

Career Achievement: Passing My Probation at Twilo

On the professional side, I’m thrilled to announce that I successfully passed my probation period at Twilo. Joining Twilo has undoubtedly been one of the best decisions of my career. As a digital designer, I’ve gained invaluable insights and hands-on experience in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. The opportunity to work with such a talented team has been incredible, and I look forward to continuing to grow and contribute to the company’s success.

Looking Ahead: Excited for the Future

This month has been a reminder of the importance of family, continuous learning, and embracing career opportunities that help us grow. As I move forward, I’m excited to apply the lessons learned in both my personal and professional life, and I’m eager to see where the future takes me.

Amit

As the new year began and I crossed another milestone with my birthday, I found myself feeling a deeper sense of responsibility towards work, life, and family. This January has been a meaningful month of growth and transformation. I started the year in complete silence, attending a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat. Every time I take part in this experience, I feel a profound shift in both my personal and professional life. This year was no exception. It offered me clarity and focus to start the year on a positive note.

After the long holiday break, getting back to work brought its own joy. Reuniting with colleagues felt refreshing, and I want to thank Aleena and Wayne for the thoughtful welcome chocolates and snacks – they made the transition back to work so much sweeter. It took a couple of hours to get back into the flow, but once I warmed up, things started falling into place.

Professionally, January has been an especially rewarding month. Clearing my probation at Twilo Creative is a significant achievement for me. I’m really grateful to Wayne for trusting me and supporting me throughout this journey. His encouragement and guidance mean so much, and it’s motivated me to step up my career even further. Looking back to my first week at Twilo and comparing it to where I am today, the progress is undeniable and it fills me with pride and energy for the future.

This month, I set a personal goal of improving my speed and efficiency at work, and I’m thrilled to say I successfully achieved it. It’s amazing what consistent effort and focus can accomplish. I also want to give a special thanks to Andrew, whose guidance this month has been invaluable. His tips on taking better notes and his inspiring presentation have already started shaping the way I approach tasks. I know these lessons will stay with me and continue to benefit me in the future.

On the personal front, January brought a few exciting changes too. I shifted to a bigger room, and one of the highlights is having a large TV screen. It’s already making my weekends feel more special. I can’t wait to watch the pending episodes of Breaking Bad on it! Small things like this bring joy and balance to life, reminding me to celebrate both big and little wins.

As January wraps up, I feel a sense of accomplishment and optimism. The month has been a perfect mix of growth, gratitude, and personal joy. I’m stepping into February with renewed energy and focus, ready to embrace whatever comes my way.

Andrew

To kickstart the year, I have spent January coming up with plans to push the dev team forward and exploring the Laravel, Inertia and React stack. This month was also when I finally got round to building a new cupboard for the living room, visited a friend for his birthday and pre-ordered a new game which is set to release in February.

I have started January in a new role of Senior Developer. This is an exciting time as I am eager to help deliver projects smoothly and to Twilo’s high standards. We have been putting together a plan of what will be implemented and when. There are lots of great ideas and changes which will ultimately help drive us forward. Such changes include the project planning process and testing processes.

Our first project using Laravel, Inertia and React is now in full swing. This has been a great opportunity to use the most modern programming architecture which will ensure speed, security and quality. We have spent some time setting our standards for this framework which will be followed for each future project to keep consistency. It will also help us keep maintainable and efficient code.

Back at the house, we had a flat pack cupboard in a cardboard box by the door for a few weeks. We finally got round to building it and that has allowed us to clear all the random junk in the spare bedroom. That bedroom has been a storage dump for some time and so it has been satisfying to finally get that cleared out. There was still a box of stuff that has not been emptied since moving in. The cupboard has also made the living room feel a little less empty.

One of my friends who lives in Nuneaton had their birthday and so we came round. We had a great night of tabletop games, drinking and eating pizzas. A memorable moment has to be playing Werewolves. This is a social deduction game where you have werewolves eliminating villagers in the night. The villagers are trying to work out who the werewolves are during the day before all villagers are eliminated. The game master accidentally put four werewolves into a game of six people. That was chaotic and ended extremely quickly with no one knowing what was going on. It was a good laugh.

Finally, I’ve had some highlighted video games which I have been playing this month. The one I’ve been enjoying a lot is Delta Force. This has all the vibes of the old Battlefield games and plays really well. The best part is that this is free. I was concerned at first that it was a free to play as that normally means pay to win or some kind of catch. Surprisingly it does not feel pay to win at all. Every battle is fun to play, and they have even added a nice touch of story to make you feel like there is a reason for the player vs player combat. I’ve also pre-ordered Sid Meir’s Civilisation 7 which will be released in February. I am greatly looking forward to this after having well over a thousand hours in this franchise. It’s a game about starting your civilisation and journeying through the history of mankind from swinging clubs, to sending rockets to space. I think Civilisation 7 is going to be a great addition to the series.

Reece

A Fresh Start to 2025

The new year kicked off with a trip to Newcastle, where I welcomed 2025 with a bang. The city’s fireworks display was an incredible sight, and to top it off, I took a plunge into the icy waters of the Newcastle sea on New Year’s Day. It was freezing, but it felt like the perfect way to refresh and start the year with a sense of accomplishment.

Returning to work after the holiday break, I’ve taken some time to reflect and set clear goals for the year ahead. Personally, I’m focusing on running more consistently and experimenting with healthier, nutrient-packed meals to stay active and energised. These small but important changes help me feel more balanced and ready to tackle whatever comes my way. Professionally, I’m eager to expand my knowledge in new areas of development and improve how I plan and execute projects, ensuring I make a stronger impact with my work.

Throughout January, I’ve also started a new React project, which has been a fantastic opportunity to broaden my knowledge and challenge myself with something fresh and exciting. Working on this project has given me a chance to dive deeper into React, refine my skills, and learn new approaches to problem-solving. It’s been a rewarding experience that’s motivated me to keep exploring new technologies and pushing my boundaries as a developer.

With January off to such a great start, I’m feeling optimistic about the year ahead. 2025 is shaping up to be a year of meaningful progress and achievements, and I’m excited to see what’s next. Here’s to making it happen!