A very big Happy New Year to all my readers new and old!

2014 was certainly a frantic year both inside and outside the industry. It was a year when most businesses saw a fully fledged recovery, with sales records being broken and profit margins being restored. The acquisition market was kept rather busy in 2014 too. All eyes will be on the new Solidor Group as it looks set to announce which companies it will be looking to buy to form it’s new super-group. I have my own bets, I am sure you lot have too!

After a well deserved fortnight off, I am back at the gym and full of energy ready to plough it into my various vocations in 2015. For the day job at the family installations business we have our targets set and plans ready to be executed to make sure that we make 2015 even better than in 2014. Specifically, I’m on the look out for new products to help increase order values and profit margins. We’re also going to be looking at ways to streamline everything we do there. If we are to get busier, we have to spend less time doing the things which should be done far quicker, but are not right now.

On the DGB front, I already have a great list forming of new posts and content to tackle. I’m also working on a new slicker, fancier home page to get it ready for new design trends in 2015. I’m also working on new little features that will work quietly in the background to help promote content better and to help navigate the site better. These will start to become apparent in the New Year. I’m also wanting to try out new ideas throughout 2015. If some stick I’ll keep at it, if they don’t get a good response then I’ll drop them. At least I can say I’ve tried. Also, as you may have read in the previous post, I’m going to give other social networks like Google+ a proper bash. I’ll be outlining my plans for DGB in 2015 in a specific post very soon.

On the National Fenestration Awards side of things, myself and the team will be looking to improve the awards in all areas. That means making the website easier to navigate, aesthetically look better and run smoother. We’ll be adding new categories for 2015, and making both nominating and the Cool Wall even easier to use and more engaging. Hopefully we’ll continue to have support from the industry press and of course we have an event to hand over the trophies to the 2014 winners to get organised. All being well 2015 will be another year of growth.

Looks like a lot of late nights and exciting times in 2015. Lets face it, I wouldn’t bother doing all of this if I didn’t enjoy it!

A massive thanks to everyone who supported DGB in 2014 in every capacity. Your support and engagement made 2014 it’s best ever year and I’m looking to build further on that in 2015. I hope you all have a very happy and prosperous New Year!