- YEARS OF REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE.....
My name is Anthony Jones and I have been working in the I.T. industry since the late 1990s. During this time I have had various roles involved in Software Development, Web Design and Management. My wife and I have also owned Millbrook Guest House in Swanage since 2013, giving us real-world business experience. We believe that every business should be in control of their own decisions, be able to use technology to boost profits not spend them, by using BlueToadStool we can help you do that, no matter what industry you are part of.
- B&B'S, GUEST HOUSES AND INDEPENDENT HOTELS
Along with my wife, I have owned Millbrook Guest House in Swanage since July 2013, in fact, it has been in our family since 1996, making the hospitality industry part of who we are.
We understand the pride and effort that it takes to run a successful B&B / independent hotel and have gained years of experience in dealing with all aspects of the online presence and reputation management that are required. We believe you can keep control, you can keep your guests booking directly without the need for OTA’s (online travel agents such as booking.com and expedia) and their expensive commission (typically 15% to 20%) or other corporates that are only interested in their own share price and reputation.
- HAIR & BEAUTY SALONS
The majority of my time in the I.T. sector was spent working for one of the worlds largest salon brands, providing complete software solutions for their franchises and also to independent salons.
From Point of Sale, Bookings, Stock Control, Commissions / Incentives & Reporting, I had to understand all aspects of the business and produce solutions for many franchise and independent salons in the U.K. and around the globe.
This knowledge and experience mean we understand the requirements, the industry, the client journey of a busy salon/spa, allowing us to produce cost-effective websites and solutions for you.
- MAKE TECHNOLOGY WORK FOR YOU
There are so many terms and abbreviations related to the internet and computing in general that you cannot hope to know or understand them all. Most companies use this as an excuse to try and baffle their clients.
We can provide fully developed and hosted solutions, update your existing website, or anything in between. Our hosting options include email, backups and support, all provided by one of the best web hosting providers, SiteGround, including free SSL (sorry, there’s one of those abbreviations!) certificates to ensure your site is safe and trusted. We believe you should always keep full ownership and control of your own website, especially your ‘domain name’, and not be tied into expensive and long term contracts.
Getting your business noticed is one of the most important factors, you can have a great looking website but if no one can find it then it is not going to benefit you. SEO (another abbreviation!… Search Engine Optimisation) is a big part of this and needn’t be yet another acronym that you push to one side, or believe you must pay excessively for, in fact, much of this work can be carried out by you.
- PHOTOGRAPHY
I love photography and although cannot say I am professional, I do love to get out with my camera, photographing the local area, family and anything in between. This has allowed me to take all my own photos for my website and for other projects. If a budget for professional photography shoots doesn’t exist then BlueToadStool can help to provide quality imagery for your project.