Member Blogs -

What exactly is ‘an eye’ for an image? Why does it matter, and how does it benefit you?

People say I have an eye with my photography, that I see things in a certain way. I believe it’s how I feel about what I’m seeing through my lens.

“Your professionalism, expertise and attention to detail is unquestionable - and is evident in every single image.”

I am also told that I shoot from the heart, which is probably true as I have a connection with my subject whether this is a person, object or scene; I care about what’s in front of me. My images often evoke an emotional response and with my love of storytelling, they tell a story. Why does that matter to you? Because your business needs visual storytelling - strong images which quickly capture interest - for both your on and offline marketing.

Who Needs Business Coaching?

I wonder where you are in your business and whether you would benefit from business coaching. Have you already become self-employed or is your business idea still something that’s floating around your brain, showing up every now and then as an “If only…” or a “Wouldn’t it be great if…?”

A good business coach will start with what you’ve got and go from there!

We help people who are at all stages in their businesses: from freelancers and trades-people to contractors and consultants. Some are sole traders and others have business partnerships or Limited Companies. Even the executive directors on the boards of multi-national companies can and do benefit from the support that business coaching provides.

Read more here.

How your website’s design can help create a phenomenal user experience that’s good for SEO

When you create a new website, one of the big dilemmas is whether to prioritise the design, the content or the SEO.

Beautiful web design gets visitors to read your content. In turn, great content supports your SEO efforts but, without SEO, no-one is going to see the beautiful design or read what you have to say.

It’s the ultimate ‘chicken and egg’ situation.

Ultimately, a truly phenomenal user experience – which is what every website should offer – is a perfect trio of design, content and SEO, all developed in partnership.

In this blog, it’s your web design that I want to concentrate on. It’s a crucial part of your on-page SEO.

Read more here.

How To Have an Eco-Friendly Halloween

At Sophie’s Barn we absolutely adore Halloween. It’s a great excuse to get dressed up in crazy outfits and get out and about in the community for trick and treating.

Our resident black cat, Spook is also looking forward to his favourite time of year!

The Dordogne valley is the ideal place to hold a freaky gathering. The old medieval quarters of towns and villages and ancient châteaus whisk you back in time to when an encounter with a ghost seemed like a very real possibility.

Read more here.

WordPress – What is the Difference between.com and .org

Mention a website building platform and guarantee WordPress will be one of the names mentioned, if not the first. First released in 2003, WordPress now has around 58% of the CMS market share depending which survey you look at (CMS is Content Management System), and around 75% of live websites are either built on WordPress .com or using the .org installation.

But what is the difference between .com and .org? And what is the difference between normal hosting for WordPress and WordPress managed hosting?

Read more here.

The Lady and the Tears

A chance meeting and the world for three changed.

I'm often referred to as the 'Lady that makes people cry'. You might think, how sad and terrible but these tears are salty drops of relief, understanding and acceptance.

I have no problem with talking with people, I'm comfortable introducing myself and business and that's often how the conversation starts. As I share what I offer the conversation grows and so very often something amazing takes place. There's a look in an eye and tears are formed. As those salty drops begin to form, a trust is created and a deep-seated pain is given a voice.

Read more here.

Don’t give up on your social media marketing

As a small business owner, social media is your friend. It’s a cost-effective, accessible tool for promoting your business.

Yet it can also be your enemy.

You spend hours agonising over what to say, trying to post regularly and looking for that perfect image that will grab your ideal client’s attention.

And often your efforts seem wasted. You eagerly check your stats but no one seems to be out there; maybe a handful of likes and a couple of comments if you’re having a good day. But apart from that, nothing.

Read more here.

Website Terminology and Jargon

As I am getting ready for my first Website building workshop quite a few people have been asking about the different terminology used when it comes to websites. There are quite a few terms that website developers and designers throw around that might as well be another language to those who don’t spend their days buried in code, so here are some of the most commonly used terms you may here when considering a website for your business.

Read more here.