Optimus PM – First Day In The London Office
This week saw the opening of the London Office for Optimus Performance Marketing, so we thought we’d share our experience of the first day to our readers from our Sales Director Micky Khanna, who is the London contact for Optimus PM.
Given that for the last 18 months I’ve been working from home, the London office opening sort of reminded me of the first day of a new job, and the sense of anticipation as to what the day will bring!
So I get ready for my first day:
1. Wireless Router? Check.
2. Laptop and Power Pack? Check.
3. Delegate bags and all other business paraphernalia accumulated in my flat over the last 18 months? Well sort of…!
That should do for the first trip. Get on the bus, and 25 minutes later arrive at the office. Get to reception and get greeted by our Business Centre Exec, who gives me the tour round the building and goes through the Fire regulations, (I have to remember this for 2 other people, as well as myself!). Go through the inventory check and sign the documentation. Go through all the security procedures, and it’s now 10am and I have the keys!
Next job – set up the internet and get wifi sorted for our office. I can either attempt to do it myself, or pay £75 an hour for tech help. Well… that got me thinking – I haven’t actually had to set up internet for nearly 3 years as once you’ve done it you don’t really have to keep installing it that often. How hard can it be to set up an internet connection? Plug in cable to router, and router to laptop. I worked out at that point I’ve probably setup an internet system around 3 or 4 times before in the last 10 years!
Then I insert CD for installation – Computer says “no”. Call Plymouth and go through the installation with Martin our tech guru, but still not letting me go online. Time is now 10.30am…
I go to reception and say that the internet doesn’t seem to be working, so the tech guy comes along and takes a look claiming everything was setup on Friday and that it’s all working fine, and obviously assumes I ain’t got a clue what I’m doing. He’s not entirely wrong in his assumption…
However, he realised he’s given the wrong Masking number for my IP address and doesn’t look at me again as he corrects it and leaves without asking for £75 even though it’s taken him 20 minutes to figure out why I can’t get online. I thought about asking him to sort out the router but thought he may reply with a “Foxtrot Oscar”. Anyway – I’m online (albeit with a plugged in connection). RESULT!
I decide to give the router another go, and after another 20-30mins still no joy. At this point I assume there’s an issue with the Router and I’m severely tempted to throw it out the window as it’s beginning to twist my melon man. Then another “tech guy” comes in with my phone and so I ask him if it’s possible to set up a wireless connection in the office, and he calls the tech department to see if it can be done, and yes it can, but if I want assistance it’s £75 per hour!
I decide at that point it’s time to go for lunch. So I head out onto the Edgware Road, and there’s a Costa, and a Starbucks, which made me reminisce of the last 18 months I’ve been working from those very 2 establishments but in various locations across London. Oh how they’ll probably miss my trade from now on! I take a wander and go to the Chapel pub. Now this is a quality boozer, and we’ll be having our Office Opening drinks here next week. I get the menu and enquire about availability for a “gathering” and it’s all good.
I take a wander down the other end of Edgware Road and find Maroush. Ah… Maroush… one of my favourite places in London. I go in and order a mixed meat shawarma, wrapped. Takes me back to buy.at days and every Friday someone would go out and collect our Lamb and Chicken Shawarmas from Maroush nr Bond Street station…. Good times!
I bring my Shawarma back to the office, whack on Planet Rock through the Internet Radio for a bit, and then go for the 3rd attempt at sorting out this wireless router. I phone Martin and tell him I’ll give it one last try otherwise Bruce can sort it out tomorrow when he comes in. So I go through the installation. Step 1, fine. Step 2, fine. Step 3, fine. Step 4 (where it kept failing previously)… WE’RE CONNECTED!
I remove the Ethernet connection and try to logon wirelessly and it works. RESULT! Martin laughs and says “I’ll leave you to it – good work!”
So now the London office has telephone, and Internet (wireless Internet at that!) What’s next? Continue with the day job and make some sales, but wait. Need to sort out the next event! So I go through the checklist – need to write a 300 word company overview, need logo, need names and job titles of exhibitors, need Fascia Name, need Public Liability Insurance proof, need Risk Assessment paperwork. Do I require internet access? Well at £120 a day no thanks – I’ll use my dongle thank you very much!
OK – so gone through the checklist – now to make some sales calls. Got an appointment booked with a prospect I’ve been chasing for the past month, and got a meeting booked with one of the Affiliate networks, who will be coming to our new office tomorrow.
It’s now 5.15pm so I thought I’d write a quick summary of my 1st day in the new office for what is the next adventure in the journey that is Optimus Performance Marketing.
Now it’s 6pm, and I’m going home. Maybe via “The Chapel”…
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