Smart50 rank: 11
Revenue: $3,000,000
Growth: 126.70%
Founders: Michael Doyle, 47
Head Office: New South Wales
Employees: 12
Industry: Information technology
Website: www.twmg.com.au
For Michael Doyle, managing director and founder of The Website Marketing Group, starting his business was very much a lifestyle choice.
He originally set up the business because he wanted to be closer to his family. Starting a business in the Sydney suburb of Baulkham Hills, where he could dodge the daily drive into the city, was one way to do that.
Doyle says The Hills is booming and so is his business, which designs, builds, maintains and promotes business websites.
Revenue growth over the past three years has averaged 126.7%, with revenue in 2010-11 hitting $3 million.
Doyle now has 12 staff members and a blue-chip client list that includes Mercedes Benz, Deloitte and Star Track Express.
But he admits his lifestyle choice hasn’t turned out exactly as he expected and the sacrifices required to run a business are big.
“I don’t see my family and friends anywhere near as much as I’d like to but work needs to come first sometimes and it's getting that balance right,” he says.
His biggest lesson has been the need to cope with pressure.
“The pressure can be considerable when things aren’t going well. One minute you are pitching for new business with a smile on your face, the next chasing accounts payable on a Thursday when you have staff to pay on a Friday.”
Doyle’s plan to grow the business – and buy back some time with the family – is to build the company to a point where it could be franchised, listed on the ASX or merged with a larger business.
“We have developed a system that works both operationally and financially, with unique development systems robust enough to handle both rapid growth and multiple offices.
“So I'm waiting for the ideal opportunity.”
