15 Years Later, I Still Love Working With Local Businesses in Bedford.

My job has taken me all around the world, digitally at least, with projects based everywhere from Canada to Indonesia. A lot of my work is spread across the UK too.

A few years ago, I changed the way I marketed the business and, as a result, my focus moved away from local work a little.

But the truth is, I miss working with businesses and organisations close to home, getting to know the people behind them, and feeling a bit more connected to the work I am doing.

So I am making a conscious effort to change that and support more local businesses, charities and organisations here in Bedford again.

In this post, I want to explain why working locally is still such an important part of what I want Reborn Media to be.

Visiting local businesses

The COVID pandemic took a huge amount from all of us. Those couple of years were pretty awful.

But, as with most difficult periods, some things changed for the better too, and one of the biggest shifts in business was the rise of video calling.

The Zoom call is probably one of the biggest lasting changes I have felt in my business since the pandemic.

Video calls became essential when we could not meet face to face, and when restrictions started lifting, the business world seemed to realise they were simply too efficient to give up.

Suddenly, every meeting was online.

And to be fair, there are obvious benefits. They save time. They save travel. They make it much easier to speak to clients anywhere in the country, or the world.

But I think something got lost as well, and I probably did not realise how much until later.

I miss meeting clients. I miss visiting offices, factories and warehouses. I miss seeing how a business actually works. I miss the conversations that happen naturally when you are sitting in the same room, rather than joining a call for 30 minutes and then disappearing again.

And, dare I say it, I miss the social side too.

That is one of the big advantages of working locally. You can meet people, visit their business, see what they do first hand and build a much more personal relationship.

It is easy to forget, when so much of your working life happens online, that the physical world still exists.

And actually, it matters a lot.

Local does not mean limited

Bedford is a fairly small town. It is not exactly London or New York, and it is probably not the first place people think of when they talk about huge innovation or rapid growth. Although, with Universal Studios on the way, that may well be about to change.

But there is already plenty happening here.

Like any town in the UK, there are new businesses starting, organisations growing, people trying things, charities doing important work and projects getting off the ground all the time. Those are the opportunities I want to be part of.

There is a huge amount happening right on my doorstep, and after 15 years of doing this, I know I have the experience to help some of those ideas grow. I do not always need to look further afield. Sometimes the most interesting opportunities are already here.

In little old Bedford.

Support feels much more personal

Being local also means I can offer a different kind of support. I have always believed that being a small business can actually be an advantage when it comes to looking after clients.

Support can be quicker, more direct and more personal. When you add the local element to that, it becomes even more useful.

A recent example summed this up perfectly.

One of my clients was having problems getting a web form to route correctly to their email. I had sent them all the right information and explained what needed to be changed, but they were still stuck. They called me and said they just could not get it working.

“Not a problem,” I said. “I will come out and sort it for you.”

“Can you really?”

“Of course. I will see you this afternoon.”

After a quick cup of tea and a catch up, I had the problem sorted in about ten minutes. That is the kind of support I want to give. Sometimes an email or video call is all that is needed. Sometimes it is much easier to just turn up, sit down together and get the problem fixed.

That is one of the things I really value about working with local clients.

There is more to the work than the website

The older I get, and the longer I do this, the more I realise that the best projects are rarely just about the website itself. They are about the people behind it. Understanding what they are trying to do. Helping them make good decisions. Being there when something goes wrong. Watching their organisation grow over time.

Some of my longest client relationships started with a relatively simple website project and turned into years of support, development, advice and new ideas.

That is the kind of work I enjoy most.

And when those businesses and organisations are local, there is something especially rewarding about seeing the work continue beyond the screen.

Why I want to work locally again

I am still very happy working with clients across the UK and further afield. I have no intention of changing that. But I do want to make more space for Bedford again.

There are businesses, charities, schools, clubs and organisations doing brilliant things here, and I would genuinely like Reborn Media to play a bigger part in supporting them.

Fifteen years ago, local businesses gave me the opportunity to get Reborn Media off the ground.

It feels good to come back to that a little.

Conclusion

I suppose after 15 years, I have realised that bigger does not always mean better, and further away does not always mean more exciting. There is a lot to be said for knowing the people you work with, being able to pop in when they need help, and feeling connected to the businesses and organisations around you. I am really looking forward to doing more of that again, and seeing where it takes me.