OMNIADIGITAL Quarterly Recap

In this episode I chat with Matt Small about how OMNIADIGITAL has grown internally and externally. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Hello and welcome to the Omnia Digital podcast. My name is Lucy Lynch and I'm Chief of Staff at Omniar Digital. And today's guest is Matt Small, CEO of Omnia Digital. And super excited to do a quick round robbing of um how we've been getting on for the last quarter. And we just thought we'd like to share some updates with you all. So welcome, Matt. So great to uh see you.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Hi, Lucy. Uh thanks for having me on your show. It's uh it's amazing work you've done with the podcast. Uh really, really impressed with all the episodes. Uh I was listening to the last one with Marion Marin Cat uh this morning when I was out with a walk. Uh really good, uh, very insightful. So glad to be on your ever uh popular podcast.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Well, talking of the podcast, I just quite like to bring it to your attention that we have had 156 downloads.

unknown 1:17

Yay!

SPEAKER_01 1:18

That's amazing already. But the better start is that that your the first one that we did with you actually you have cleaned 21% of the downloads, so there were 32, all just for for you. So well done. So you're the best star of the podcast, actually yourself. So well done.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Well, I'm not sure uh whether I'm a bit of a star or whether my family and friends have all downloaded the podcast because it was the first one we did. So we'll have to see how this one does. I think to have a benchmark. I don't think we can say the first one. I was I was very excited when we did our first podcast and we put it onto Spotify. Um, and now you know you can ask for you know, can you play Omni Digital Podcast? Uh you ask ask Alexa or Siri, uh, and it plays. So really, really excited uh by the podcast. And you just started it and it's developed into something that's uh you know really good content. And uh I'm really happy with what you've done there, Lucy.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Yeah, no, it's been a pleasure. It's been a pleasure to do it. So I was a bit nervous in the beginning, um, but yeah, it's kind of taken a life onto its own, and so much so we've now I think for the first one it was more of an introduction to our partners um and associates, which was great. And then I've just started recording for uh season two, like you mentioned. So Marian took the uh star of the show for the first episode, so that's great, and season two will all be about our solve pillar and how different different clients and customers are helping their customers solve problems, which is what we're in the business of.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

It's what we're all about.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Exactly. Um, so maybe we should also talk about our charity uh charter that we've been doing that we wanted to do pretty much from day one, um, which has been which has gained momentum. I think we have now like six charities on board, which is great. And so we're meeting on the last Friday of every month. So, do you want to talk a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Yeah, uh thanks, Lucy. I mean, I basically the idea behind it was I was getting asked to do some charity um advisory sessions, and and whilst I I would love to do every single one, I can't be at every single charity advisory. So I came up with the idea of the digital community um for charities, where essentially any charities can join, we will host topics uh that the charities choose, and we will then hopefully build a community of charity individuals that want to understand more about the digital estate, the technology and data itself, um, and then you know learn from that and work together so they have a community. That was the idea behind it. We started it three months ago. Like you said, we had a few charities join. The first one was really good, and we came up with several topics, and we've done two of those topics so far. We've done the digital marketing, and that was with uh thanks to Melanie Wynn, who took us through most of that, and Carolina uh McKilroy as well, um, who came in off their own free time and talked about how to do digital marketing well, and it was well received. Um, we then moved into doing vibe coding uh with our very good friend Robin uh and uh sorry, Robin Miller, uh, and he did uh a great presentation on what started about is vibe coding, but ended up being more about AI in general, I think, uh, and really about how AI works and how it works or could work for charities, so much so that we've got a second session uh on actual vibe coding and setting up a product from scratch uh for this month, uh the end of this month. So really happy with where they're going. Really would love any charities who want to get involved to come along um and just listen. And yeah, as I said to all the charities that are still there after the first month, you know, if they're not interested or it's not for them, they can feel free to leave and drop out. But you know, if you are interested in the wonderful world of digital and everything, data and AI, uh please come along, please join in and please network with the other charities so we can build a real community that can benefit from uh the knowledge and experience we've got in our network.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Yeah, and I think I'd just quite like to add on to that as well, is that the people that have been hosting the workshops have generously given up their time, which is so commendable and so appreciated. And that I think also with the marketing one as well, that it was an opportunity for the charities to participate in some pro um uh marketing consulting work that would really help them, you know, kind of move their charity forward with maybe tools and tech that they wouldn't have access to normally as well. So we've been able to kind of you know curate those introductions as well. And people have been very generous uh with their time. And of course, Robin Miller was an absolute superstar uh last month, so can't wait to see him in action again. And I guess that's also really um I guess gives testament to what we're doing at Omni Digital and how you know we really thrive on this building of a community and how we want to bring people together and to help each other each other and just you know be a kind of you know a sounding board, if if nothing else, just to answer the question. And I think you know, we were always very clear that that's the kind of direction that we wanted to take. So, yeah, I think the the charity charter is going really well, and I'm super excited about the ones that we've got following on from that.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Yeah, no, definitely, definitely. It started out, it's definitely started out the right way, and you know, we set the charter out to be no selling, no um you know, no sort of hard sell, no sort of buy off of us or buy off of our partners. It was all about giving away our free time and our knowledge uh to help charities uh where they may not be helped in other places. So I'm really happy with the way it's going. Um, love to see some more charities come along. So, you know, my ideal would be for the future is it to be a self-sustaining community uh with large charities helping smaller charities and uh and vice versa, having that build of that community. Um, you know, there was a call out, also there was a call out for mentors uh from charities who you know, if you really want to get involved with the charity, please speak to us, speak to Lucy or myself, and we'll put you in touch with the charity if you can help in any sort of digital or data um area. Um, you know, a lot of charities of the smaller charities wanted a wanted a mentor to help them. So that's cool.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

Yeah, I've already had a call to action from uh one of my old colleagues actually who's offered to help on that, uh which is which is fantastic. So yeah, really happy to be making those introductions later on this week. Um, so talking about building our own community, I guess, within Omni Digital, we've been busy, hard at work bringing in new business partners um to coexist along alongside our uh the original ones that you bought into uh Omni Digital. So now we've welcomed um officially Rebel Hive, Patient Mind, and Classification Guru, which we're super excited about. Um, and then obviously we've got our new associates with um Dr. Heatherway, Tina Salvage, Katie Goobler, and Emma Corbett as well. So we're just like flying, really, just um adding people and also finding um opportunities for some of those associates to be working on client projects as well, which has also been really exciting.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Yeah, I I mean it's uh you know if someone had told me we would be where we are sort of five months ago, uh six months ago, I wouldn't have believed it. Uh yeah, and it's a lot of credit to yourself in driving change and pushing me to do better. Um, you know, I've been working alone uh and with some business partners for the last five years, and we have been working and doing some great stuff, but it you know creating Omniodigital a few months ago uh has really changed how we approach that business and how we build uh you know that trust and that uh relationship with partners and also customers. Um, you know, as you said, three out of the four uh associates are working with us uh on certain things or have worked with us on certain things over those last three months, and we've got more in the pipeline. Um I talked, uh I listened to the last podcast uh this morning as well that I did uh a few months ago about what we wanted to achieve, and we really have moved to achieve that uh in the three pillars the optimize, the transform, and the solve. Um, in optimize, we've done health checks, we've done reviews, we're doing a massive amount of training that you and and Tina have helped bring on uh with a good partner. Um transform, we're doing data and AI advisory. Tina's doing data governance advisory, we're looking at AI enablement and uh AI frameworks uh with customers, and on the solve, we even got into uh the area of apps uh for a health and wellness uh customer. So we've taken on a lot of new things. It's been a massive learning uh for me and for the company, um, and but I'm really excited of where we are and where we're potentially heading towards. Our trajectory is is really building out you know what I said in my first uh call, which was trust. Uh, we're really building out trust with our customers. One customer I was on the phone with last night, uh about 8 p.m. And he said he couldn't thank me enough for what I've done, and also for what our uh our network brings. Um, because it's really important, as you said, to bring in people that have the same mindset, really want to do the best for the customer, but also have a ton of knowledge in their area of expertise. That you know, they've done the work, they've seen it, they've done it, they can basically handle anything that's yeah, can handle anything that's thrown at them. And we've really seen that with um Heather, Tina, and Katie. In you know, the things they've just taken on, they've just ran with. I haven't had to get involved, which is fantastic. They've just ran with them and led their areas with uh you know real style, grace, and expertise. So hugely excited with what they've brought, um and you know, seeing how we can add that to all the other exciting other partners we've got already within um Omni Digital.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Yeah, and talking of you know, kind of like um new ideas and everything like that, we've also brought in on a permanent basis Luke, uh, who's joined us as a software um developer who's been absolutely amazing working with one of our clients in the wellness space, building out the app. And I think um, yeah, it's been really great to see him flourish and thrive. Um, and so yeah, we obviously you know did a did an article to introduce him. I think he's a bit too shy to do a podcast just yet, but that's something I'm hopefully going to work on for next year. Um, but also he's gonna be coming to Data Decoded uh in next week. Um so we'll be able to um be able to introduce him to our friends and colleagues uh in the data and digital space as well. So he's he he's a great one to to find and to have and to bring into the community.

SPEAKER_00 13:51

Yeah, it's been a it's been a first uh in so many different areas for this these first three months of Omniodigital. Like you said, we brought in Luke and yeah, he's great. Uh we really get on well. We have great laughs between the three of us when we're talking and updating. Um, and he's really hardworking and diligent as well, which is you know what you want uh out of someone coming on, knowing it's a small company, knowing we need to grow. Uh he's he's you know really shown that attitude of you know pushing and wanting to do stuff for Omnia Digital for us. Um you know, he's coming to Data Decoded with us uh as well. Uh gonna meet all of our business partners. Um really happy to have him here. But he's he's not the only news of new employee Lucy, as you know. So, you know, for those of you that don't know, Lucy uh joined me on a um a contractual basis uh for a few months as we started out. We didn't know where this is going. Uh it like I said, it's only been three or four months uh that we've been running the company. Um, but I'm very, very happy to say Lucy has accepted a role uh of the role she's doing already on a permanent basis. Uh so I'm really happy Lucy's uh joined us, and I'm really happy she believed in myself and the what we could bring and joined the company as a as a contractor uh when we didn't know what the future meant. Uh and you know, we've really grown and uh it's really been sort of the best sort of three months we've had uh as a business. We've really enjoyed working with you, Lucy. You know, you make me laugh, uh, which is great. You get things done and you just keep pushing uh to get things working, fantastic network, fantastic networking ability, and you just show up every day sort of bright and uh as a breath of fresh air. So, you know, really happy to also announce you into role. Uh so we now are a company of three.

unknown 16:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

Which which is fantastic. And we'll we're looking at how we build out the rest of the team um to cover other areas. Um, but it's you know, it's it's been a great three months uh for us. I cannot lie, it really has. Uh very lucky to have the customers we have, both existing um for the last six years. Got an amazing customer. Uh uh, and those new customers that have come along in the last uh few months uh are all you know of the right mind and want to work with us and want to support us, which is you know amazing. It really has been amazing. So very happy. Uh and very happy you and Luke are on board as well.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

Yeah, absolutely. So, yes, I um thoroughly accept the offer of employment. Thank you. Um kept you waiting there. Um so yeah, no, it's been great, and I think also it's uh it it it just shows like I think we're very like-minded with that whole thing of being able to roll with the resilience part of it as well, you know, and just it's that thing of the unknown, being able to step into it, but go, okay, let's just let's just get on with it, see what happens, and you know, good things have come, right? As well. So we've been very fortunate, we're in a really good place and um really excited about the future. Um, yes, so that probably sums it up as a very quick recap of our of our quarter uh for our audience. So thank you so much for your time, Matt. Um, always a pleasure to have you. Yes, we'll we'll do a we'll do a celebration when it gets to 200.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

Oh yeah, that'd be great if we could get to 200. But um yeah, it's it's yeah, it's been fantastic the last three months. And yeah, we're off to data decoded next week. Uh we're turning up in full with all of our partners. Um Lucy, myself, and Luke will be there. So if you're there, please come and say hello, you know, and uh introduce yourself. Happy to talk. Uh, and also excited for um November, which we won't talk about in this one. Um but we've got some big plans in November, um, which very, very excited to see. Uh, and can't wait for that to come. And another thing is we're also working on a product as well, um, with another company. Don't know where it will go, um, but it's really exciting stuff, really exciting times. So thanks to yourself.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

Thanks to me.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

And uh look forward to speaking to people um at Data Decoding.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Absolutely. So we will see you then. Thanks for listening.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

Bye.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

Thank you.