SmartCompany50 rank: 46
Revenue: $1.02 million
Growth: 25%
Founders: Charlie Gunningham, 43
Based: Western Australia
Employees: 7
Industry: Information technology
Website: www.aussiehome.com
When aussiehome.com launched in 1999, it almost went under twice in the first 12 months. “We just breathed in and got on with it,” says founder Charlie Gunningham. “People give you money when you don’t need it, and not when you do.”
He started the business after moving to Perth and becoming annoyed at having to buy a house through the newspaper. Instead he produced a map-based property website for Perth. Now there are 189 agencies and 6300 properties, it is profitable and taking on huge print media duopolies.
“We are the last remaining independently owned property site of any significant size,” he says. The most exciting new market is Singapore as Australia is ahead in its internet use and saturation is occurring in Australia. “We have also had some new investors provide our initial shareholders with an exit and now we are embarking on an IPO.”
