19. Reload Media

Founders: Llew Jury

Revenue: $1.1 million

Started: 2006

Employees: 16

Industry: Consulting

Website: https://www.reloadmedia.com.au

Reload Media is a Brisbane-based consulting company specialising in search engine optimisation, internet marketing, online strategy, IT management and usability.

Founded in 2006 by digital entrepreneur Llew Jury, the business very quickly grew into a leading digital strategy firm thanks to Jury’s knowledge and experience.

With 16 staff on board, including general manager Craig Somerville at the helm, the company now services more than 300 clients in London, Australia and New Zealand.

In the last financial year, Reload Media raked in $1.1 million in revenue – not bad for a former home-based business that started up with “loose change” of less than $10,000.

According to Jury, there was a real opportunity in the market for someone to offer SEO, SEM and online marketing services in a professional and corporate way.

Like so many home-based businesses before him, Jury says moving offices proved to the greatest challenge in the start-up phase.

“We started in a small office a few years back with a handful of staff. Because we continued to grow so quickly, we were forced to keep upsizing our office, and this presented a challenge each year,” Jury says.

“We’ve now got much larger premises coming online in early 2011 that will allow us much more room for growth.”

Jury says the best part of starting the business has been witnessing the development of such a great team and business culture.

“As we are a business that sells an online service, we’ve leveraged off all forms of online promotion to not only generate great sales for ourselves, but also get great results for our clients,” he says.

“We’ve got a group of talented staff that are part of the long-term growth plan, and [we enjoy] seeing the results they are able to achieve for our clients.”

Jury says there’s no doubt the online realm is not only growing but dominating the business landscape.

“SMEs in Australia have never before had so many tools, resources and digital firms available to help them grow quickly. It’s only going to get bigger,” he says.