Can you believe it? Soto is about to turn thirteen years old. It seems like only yesterday that we opened our doors in Bristol with not much more than a few desks and chairs, a crazy-talented team, and a dream to take websites to the next level. But while we’re gearing up for the celebration, we’ve also been reflecting on how far we’ve come. It’s amazing really. And it turns out that growing as a business can be a lot like growing as a person!
In the beginning …
Remember when you went out for your first job? You wore your smartest outfit, made sure your hair was perfect (or at least combed), and you were eager to say and do all the right things. Sure, you were a little ‘green’, but you were motivated, ready to learn, and prepared to do your absolute best. Well, thirteen years ago, that was us.
Back then, our name was Skills on Toast and we were riding the wave of this relatively new thing called the ‘World Wide Web’. We absolutely knew it was going to change the world. What we didn’t know was what we needed to offer people that would help them ride the wave along with us. Our answer to that? Offer everything! You need blogs? We got ’em. Want to focus on e-commerce? Boom … done! Web maintenance? E-mail marketing? Yes and yes! Our company steadily grew and we did some great work, but sure enough, we started to have some growing pains.
Hitting our stride, finding our focus
We knew we were good at lots of things, but ultimately, we wanted more. We wanted to be the first company people called when they were looking for specialists – when they were looking for experts. Unfortunately, this meant we could no longer be a one-stop shop. We needed to find our focus, our passion and our identity, and we knew it would all revolve around WordPress website hosting and development. That’s when Skills on Toast became Soto (or, Skills on toast, obviously!). The company got rebranded, the operation found a new, better base in Bristol, and all the pieces started to fall into place.
Once managed web hosting and development became our focus, we set our sights on becoming the best of the best by producing consistent and exceptional results for our clients. And today, our team does more than just turn complex coding techniques and advanced programming languages into the basis of outstanding websites. We proudly partner with business owners, marketing managers, agencies, and graphic designers all over the UK and beyond to make their dreams into digital reality. We take great pride in working collaboratively with clients, offering training and expert support, and building their vision together.
It might have seemed risky, but limiting our specialisation didn’t actually limit us. On the contrary, finding that focus has allowed Soto to excel beyond our wildest dreams. To date, we’ve become a cutting-edge leader in managed website hosting and development with over 200 clients in Bristol and across the UK. What a difference a decade (and a bit of focus) makes, eh?
Officially a teenager … and just getting started!
So, as we get ready to celebrate turning the big 1-3, we at Soto wanted to thank you for being such an important part of our company’s journey so far. We really couldn’t have done it without you. Birthdays can be a time of reflection, but they are also a time to look forward. And you know what? We’re only just getting started!
