Wayne
Showcasing Twilo and our amazing projects.Valuable Lessons in Business
After giving notice over a year ago to leave our current office space, I recently learned that email apparently doesn’t count as ‘written notice.’ Our landlord informed me it should’ve been sent by post to their head office. The email notice was acknowledged at the time, but that detail was conveniently left out until now – after the notice period had expired. We’ve enjoyed being at Crossgates House but the landlord’s actions have been questionable at best; from immediately hiking fees by 48% to not doing any of the things they’d agreed prior to moving in.
Legally, they’ve done nothing wrong. Morally? Corrupt. This one I will take on the chin.
It was a timely reminder: just because you approach business with integrity doesn’t mean others will. Our previous landlord, Andy at Astorbush, was the opposite. He was supportive and appreciated the relationship, he can’t do enough for his tenants. Another lesson I learned is that it’s naive to expect consistency from one supplier to the next, even when the service is the same.
Going forward, I’ll be leaving sentiment at the door when reviewing contracts, and focusing solely on what protects Twilo’s interests.
Showing Off
This month I gave the feature presentation at our BNI group. Liam put together an eye-catching deck that showcased our team, our values, and standout case studies. The feedback was positive, which was nice, but more than that, it was a good reminder that it’s OK to shout about the work we’re proud of every once in a while.
We don’t usually spend time looking in the rear-view mirror, but this was a great opportunity to show off some of the amazing projects we’ve delivered for our clients.
A Static Move
Last month I mentioned we’d made the spontaneous decision to buy a static caravan while camping in north west Norfolk. Well, the keys are in hand, and it’s already paying off.
Since picking up the keys we’ve been busy buying things for it and making it homely, and driving down on the Friday after work for a couple of nights of fresh air has been a great thing to do. Hunstanton – or ‘Sunny Hunny’ as the locals call it – is the hottest part of the UK. Our weekends are now made up of good weather, fresh food, sea air, and repeat.
Andrew
Projects running smoothly.Progress & Organisation
In July, we’ve been working on some very exciting projects. We completed some finishing touches to our own e-commerce system for WordPress. The team has also been working on a file library system built in the Laravel, Inertia and React stack to store content like promotional banners for an international restaurant chain. In this project, we have also been implementing multi-site functionality which has been a great experience to work with.
I am very pleased with the progress we have been making in recent months, and July has felt very organised. Much more than I have done previously and recent projects have felt smoother than ever. I look forward to everything we are going to achieve by the end of the year!
Birthday Celebrations
Compared to normal, it’s been a very busy month at home. It was my birthday at the start of July. For this, we went down into Nuneaton for a few drinks to celebrate in the hot weather. As a winter/autumn kind of person, thirty degrees was a bit unbearable, but we had a good time, nonetheless. Towards the end of July, it was then my friend’s birthday. We went for a meal and a few drinks on the Saturday afternoon followed by the cinema in the evening. This was the same weekend that a couple of films got released so we decided to go watch The Bad Guys 2. We enjoyed the film as a lightweight watch and then finished the day with a bit of bowling.
In the house, we have had a fair few jobs to get through. We have now gotten the ball rolling with getting our boiler replaced. Our current boiler leaks water and will heat up very slowly. We are also starting to look into a heat pump as a potential improvement. I’ve never had anything like this before so assuming we decide it’s financially worthwhile, it will be cool to get one set up.
Matt
Launching campaigns and summer fun!New Campaigns & Stronger Relationships
This month has been another great month at Twilo. This month we’ve launched new ads and had a visit from a client and improved how we feedback to clients.
As well as a new website for one of our clients, we’ve also launched some Google Ads for them. It’s always exciting to launch ads for a new client and start on the journey to success with their digital marketing strategy that we’ve created. This client is very specific in their sector and their location, so it’s been interesting to refine the ads to focus on a specific sector and place. We’ve instantly started to see enquiries come through too, so we’re starting on the right foot.
We’ve also had the pleasure of a visit from one of our clients who provides vehicle leasing and they treated us by bringing one of their vehicles for us to have a look around and learn more about all the features. It helped develop the teams understanding of the client and was a nice change from the usual formal meeting in person or over zoom.
At Twilo, we’re always looking at ways to improve how we feedback to clients and the service that we offer. This month we kicked off with some additional meetings in the middle of the month to run through monthly reports with clients and what enquiries we’ve provided for them and if they’ve been of good quality. In addition, we’ve been providing weekly updates to clients to confirm everything we did the previous week and what we’re working on the upcoming week. Both have received great feedback and will help strengthen our client relationships as they carry on.
This month I also wrote a blog about Quality Score and how important it is for your Google Ads campaigns – make sure you check it out!
Sunshine, hidden talent, charity work and history!
Summer came to visit in July with the heatwave that hit the UK. Like I imagine everyone else did with the warm weather I had a BBQ, which was delicious. My dog, Enzo was very envious of the BBQ food but didn’t complain too much so for his good behaviour he was rewarded with a hot dog.
Also, in July me and a friend headed to Boom Battle Bar in Leeds for some crazy golf and axe throwing. It was my first time going to this bar and I’d definitely go again; it had so much to do and had a great vibe! It was also my first time axe throwing, and it turns out that I have a hidden talent – I was brilliant at it and won in an absolute landslide victory. I also won crazy golf, so a big night for me all round.
As a keen runner, I’ve been wanting to up my distance from 10k’s and I was offered a place to run in the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 2026 on behalf of Prostate Cancer UK, I have the goal to raise £350 for this wonderful charity and I can’t wait to get started.
The month ended on a massive high with England’s Lionesses making history by winning back-to-back Euros! It was such a tense final and if there’s one thing that England team does is fight till the end. They’ve done the country proud, and it only helps the game and inspire hopefully more success!
Reece
Suited and booted.Smooth New Website Builds
July’s been all about building a new portal and website. Visually it’s coming together well, and technically it’s been interesting, first time using WordPress Multisite, which took a bit of getting used to but makes a lot of sense now. It’s been a good challenge figuring out how to structure everything cleanly across different sites, especially with shared styling and logic.
I’ve also been working with the updated Grilla framework and making use of the new features, which has made things feel a lot smoother and more modular.
On top of that, I’ve been building an interactive map where users can zoom into different continents and countries, with pins placed dynamically via ACF, clicking a country opens up modal content. It’s been a fun one to piece together and brings a nice bit of movement and engagement to the site.
A Trip & Prepping For A Big August
Most of the month outside of work has been spent getting ready to move house, sorting contracts, packing, the usual chaos. It’s been a bit stressful but exciting at the same time.
I also went to Wales and walked up a really nice mountain, the views were amazing, and it was a great break from all the moving stress.
I also went to Kirkstall Festival, which was a decent day out, good atmosphere, busy but chilled, and nice to see it back on properly this year.
On top of that, I’ve been getting stuff sorted for my mate’s wedding in September. Managed to get a suit fitted, and the wizard in the shop just looked at us and went “there you go”, and it fit perfectly. Still need to write the best man speech though… and we’ve got the stag coming up too.
Vadym
Code, conversions and cinematic escapes.Project Spotlight: Tracking Offline Conversions with Google Sheets
One of the most exciting things we implemented this month was a new way to track offline conversions – taking user actions from the website and connecting them to in-store activity using Google Sheets. This means clients can now easily track what happens after someone fills out a form, calls a number, or visits a location from the website.
We’ve put together a full walkthrough on how it works here.
If your business relies on offline sales, we’d be happy to build a tailored setup that works for your team. It’s a great way to finally connect the dots between online intent and offline results.
Custom Checkout for OpenCart 4
On the development side, we spent a good chunk of July working on a custom OpenCart 4 checkout. The goal was to simplify the process and make it as user-friendly as possible, especially for mobile users.
We introduced custom step logic, persistent parameters, and cleaner error handling – all wrapped in a streamlined interface. It’s always satisfying seeing a checkout flow that works seamlessly for both the business and the customer.
Weekend Breaks: Jurassic World and Waterpark Adventures
Outside of work, it was a good month for getting out and having fun. One weekend we went to see Jurassic World: Rebirth in 4DX, which definitely delivered on the full sensory experience. The motion seats, environmental effects, and the film itself made it a brilliant watch, especially for families.
We also made a trip to Barnsley Metrodome Waterpark, which was a great way to cool off and switch off for a bit. Slides, wave pool, and just enough chaos to keep it interesting.
Liam Kearns
Settling in and loving the work!
It’s hard to believe I’m already wrapping up my second month at Twilo. I’m really starting to feel settled in and the variety of projects I’ve been working on has made every day exciting and unique.
A Range Of Exciting Projects
The work I’ve been doing has been really varied so far. From brand repositories to portfolio websites and redesigning Mailchimp email campaigns, it’s been a great mix. One of my favourite tasks this month has been working on the weekly email campaigns for British Made Interiors. I teamed up with our social media manager to create new content and a fresh layout that guides customers toward making a purchase. The brand’s photography is amazing which always makes design work more enjoyable.
I’ve also continued working on the brand repository and custom WordPress template site for a large international restaurant chain. The project’s now with the development team so keep an eye out for that going live soon!
A Smooth Workflow At Twilo
One of the best things about working at Twilo is how smooth the workflow feels. Regular catch-ups and meetings ensure everyone’s on the same page throughout each project. We all discuss our workload each morning so we’re all aware of what’s going on at all times. The detailed spec meetings and thorough documents really help keep everything organised and on track. There’s a level of attention to detail here that I haven’t experienced at other agencies, and it’s been really refreshing.
Personal Highlights From July
July has been full of adventure. My friends and I took on Snowdon as the 2nd stage of our 3 Peaks Challenge, having completed Scafell back in May before I started at Twilo. We camped at the base of Snowdon and made the ascent early Saturday morning, followed by many pints in the pub.
I also spent a weekend camping with my wife and friends in Coniston in the Lake District. It happened to be the week we saw 30 degrees for five days straight, safe to say we spent most of that weekend in the water.
Looking Ahead
It’s been a great couple of months, and I’m excited to keep the momentum going. There are some great projects in the pipeline, and I can’t wait to see where the next few months take me.
