Smart50 rank: 19
Revenue: $13,765,000
Growth: 84.20%
Founders: Grace Chu, 42
Head Office: New South Wales
Employees: 23
Industry: Internet
Website: www.firstclickconsulting.com/
Any entrepreneur will be stressed when starting a new business but Grace Chu doubled her pressure by starting SEO marketing firm FirstClick Consulting when she was pregnant with her son.
While many would question such a dramatic start Chu says the opportunity was too good to pass up and after receiving inquiries from friends and acquaintances who worked in large corporations she branched out and started work.
Now the company turns over $13 million, has 23 staff in two offices and has more than 50 clients, including ANZ, Foxtel and the Weather Channel.
SEO firms are abundant but Chu goes over and above the regular call of duty by focusing on a wide array of search topics including video, mobile, analytics and training, and in the future she’s eyeing new business opportunities.
“While we specialise in search marketing we also work hard to help our clients understand the role of search in the context of the broader marketing mix,” she says, adding that the plan is to start analysing relationships between offline and online operations.
“We are constantly innovating within the search space and exploring and testing emerging opportunities such as mobile search, social media search and performance networks.”
Chu places a lot of emphasis on her employees, saying the company has a transparent culture and that staff are involved with setting the strategy of the business.
The company holds quarterly meetings where staff brainstorm new ideas, along with monthly innovation meetings.
Chu believes in recognition and says it has the biggest effect on maintaining good motivation.
“As well as regularly calling out exceptional performance we have a formal approach to recognition through our awards program, where staff nominate each other for awards based on performance and behaviour which is in line with our core values,” she says.
There is a sense of fun to the business, with Chu saying the company has a chief entertainment officer who organises regular outings where Friday afternoons are dedicated to activities including boot camp and bowling.
And a pub manager organises a Friday afternoon event to present news and trends that are happening in the industry.
“We also have a healthier element to our routine and have a weekly personal trainer come in and run a session for staff, paid for by FirstClick. We have a team training pusher who lost 15kg after eight months with FirstClick,” Chu says.
The company has a staff retention rate of over 90% and it all boils down to Chu’s philosophy to staff and work, saying the entire process doesn’t have to be stressful.
“The key to overcoming the stress of starting a business is to have a positive attitude and faith in the business model, and in your ability to find the right people and the right clients to kick-start the business,” Chu says.
