GO KIWI INTERNET (www.gokiwi.net).I started in web design in 1997, with Netscape Navigator Gold and MS Photodraw. In 1999, I approached Jack Rosen from Gilrose Finance and suggested that he could finance websites and cutting a long story short, GKI commenced business offering a package $99.00 + GST per month on a 36 month contract.
I deliberately kept the business small for years, a one-man-and-a-dog type operation, because I had had enough of the hassles of employing multiple staff - doing all the work and watching others take the money. From 1999 to 2006 when I established WDANZ, I developed over 500 commercial and charity websites, making me New Zealand's most prolific developer by a long shot!
GKI provides good websites at the lower end of the market and has always focussed on good systems to cope with high volume. A very successful little company currently in growth mode, as we franchise it, appointing web development Agencies throughout New Zealand.
Web Developers Association of New Zealand - WDANZ (www.wdanz.co.nz).In May of 2006 I established WDANZ and launched it on 4 July 2006 after my initial market research showed that there was strong interest in an organisation that provided practical user-pays support services and a professional brand. Although there was initial resistance to the commercial model from some sectors, a fair degree of apathy from others and a wait-and-see attitude from yet others, an enthusiastic membership has received great value and is highly supportive of our vision and what we have achieved.
Rather than a voting "navel-gazing" type of organisation, destined to fail through committee decision-making (like the first one did), WDANZ is a very effective commercial organisation that provides a good clear brand for web developers to associate with and present themselves as professionals in the industry. Membership growth has been steady with currently several hundred members.
I established and built the business to the point that we could appoint a General Manager - John Jones, in the 3rd quarter 2007 and I moved out of day-to-day matters December 2008 to move my focus back to Go Kiwi Internet. I find it quite humourous that after having the guts to:
- walk out of my own web development company the month after its most successful month ever
- invest very heavily of my own money into an organisation that is designed to help the industry
- cope with a range of responses from total enthusiasm, to apathy, to outright immature antagonism
For WDANZ the strategic shift towards catering to the needs of the SME and NFP markets (Small Medium Enterprises and Not-For-Profits) is occuring in 2008, with the launch of Internet UNMASKED!! educational and networking events nationwide.
Gold Tick Services (www.goldtick.co.nz)GTS was established to provide commercial services to WDANZ members and others. While John Jones is GM of both GTS and WDANZ, each entity deliberately remains a distinct business. GTS is the partner with all our Joint Ventures and partnerships under the *Masters brands, manages the events and provides commercial training.
Internet UNMASKED!! (www.unmasked.co.nz)In November/December 2008 I developed the concept (and wrote the core content for) the book "Internet UNMASKED!! - A comprehensive Internet handbook for New Zealand Business & Not-For-Profits". We will continue to make our training resources and personnel available to groups, businesses and those interested nationwide.
Current titles are designed to help the small New Zealand businessman and NFPs, particularly in the IT disciplines.
Domain Appraisers (www.domainappraisers.co.nz)A .nz Domain Name Appraisal service. Domaining is a tricky business that takes years to get into, understand and make profitable. Appraising requires a massive amount of experience and contacts in the industry to do well. My co-director and friend Bruce Clement and I have a wealth of experience and also the necessary contacts in the industry.
QuoteMasters (www.quotemasters.co.nz)Providing a managed Sales Lead distribution service to WDANZ members.
DomainMasters (www.domainmasters.co.nz)A .nz Domain Name brokerage and portal.
SEOMasters (www.seomasters.co.nz)Search Engine Optimisation and training services. I have co-authored the book Search Engine Optimisation - Getting your website higher on Google (& other Search Engines) with John Jones
LawMasters (www.lawmasters.co.nz)
Legal documentation for the Web Developers industry - standard Quotation Forms, Terms of Trade, Non-Disclosure Agreements, EULAs etc.
NON-COMMERCIAL
Light Party (www.lightparty.org)A positive alternative to Halloween established by Wendy Reid, which I helped on its way and took offshore. We initially experienced strong growth within New Zealand's churches, but it is now spreading in the UK, Canada, and the USA and out to non-church locations such as schools and YMCA. Initially funded by membership fees, Light Party is now fully donation-based.
Many parents (both within the church and otherwise) are concerned about the proliferation of "hocus-pocus" on the 31st October each year. Light Party assists with a strong alternative brand, sharing ideas, experience, networking, and so on. Light Party is an idea whose time had definitely come. Hats off to Wendy for a great idea and energy to make it happen. A bit of kudos to me too for recognising the value in the concept, and the opportunity. A real labour of love, this one!
Life Information Charitable Trust (www.life.org.nz)A large portal website covering the subjects Suicide, Abortion & Euthanasia. Contentious issues presented in a factual and very thorough manner. A massive project with multiple staff over several years has resulted in 600+ pages, and over half a million words! Very eye opening - to say the least.
Veritas Scripta Charitable Trust
My wife Debbie and I established VSCT in 2005 to assist education in the IT disciplines. VSCT was a recipient of a $45,000.00 Community Grant from the NZ Government's Digital Strategy to advance understanding of SEO in the New Zealand Not-For-Profit sector.
