Why I started a local London business guide
Lara Quilley
Londons Local Guide
I have lived in London all of my life and my husband and I had been living in the same area for a number of years. We decided to move a couple of years ago into a completely different part of London and for the first time I had no real idea of where to find reliable local services. Previously when we needed the services of a local plumber, electrician or any other tradesman my husband would generally know of a recommended one to call upon and of course when it came to shopping I considered myself an expert but having moved I was left feeling like a tourist in my own city..
I found myself looking at Local directories and online directories, but there was no way of knowing who was recommended and who was not and not knowing where to eat or where to shop.
I also noticed being a mum other mums constantly at the school gates saying “does anyone know a good plumber” or sharing their horror stories of builders starting jobs and going off for days leaving them with no hot water etc…
It dawned upon me that if we had some way of all sharing our knowledge of businesses and services within the local area we would all benefit. The local businesses would also benefit from this knowledge as this would also drive up local business for them.
I did some research and we looked at several ideas, we looked at the possibility of producing a local directory, a local flyer and a magazine. None of these ideas were viable as firstly they were not cost effective. You had the paper, print, design and delivery to pay for and my research suggested that these items would have ended up in the bin in over 70% of cases anyway. Most people surveyed used the internet to find what they were looking for so it seemed logical to do something online.
We now needed to find a website designer who could understand our vision which is when we got together with Brightbox Marketing. What started as a good idea now moved to another level as the guys at Brightbox Marketing had so many great ideas of how we could put our site together and after a couple of very fruitful meetings work began on Londons Local Guide.
It is a specialised site with all the best services, local shops and little hidden treasures in your area. What I feel is really great about this site is that there is a rating system where you can rate peoples work and services and you can also read their most recent reviews.
Each site also has their own mini website within their listing so the shop or tradesperson can show pictures of their work and/or list their goods and products.
We do not let just anyone advertise on our site, every listing has been used and recommended by a local person. Advertisers have a choice on how they can be listed, they may choose to have a premium listing which entitles them to more features but they can also opt for a free listing.
So the secrets out, you cant keep your favourite places to yourself anymore. spread the word, Londons local guide for the best in London.
Lara Quilley has been a hairdresser for many years and has three children.