Llew Jury is the founder and Managing Director of Reload Consulting a leading Brisbane business planning, web strategy, search engine optimisation (SEO), Internet marketing, usability consulting and business coaching company.

Prior to forming Reload Consulting, Llew co-founded one of Australia’s fastest growing IT companies and the number one Queensland IT web design, usability and online survey company, Alfresco Design (AUST) Pty Ltd.

Over the past decade, Llew has become an experienced digital media entrepreneur, web strategist, business coach and business innovator. His expertised is now helping to expand Reload Consulting as it services clients in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and around Australia.

You have had extensive experience in your career – how did you get started? Did you know the direction you wanted to head in?

I actually didn’t study IT or web design at university, but when I graduated in the mid 1990’s, it seemed like a growing industry to be part of. I started in IT product development and marketing, working for a small ISP that needed to build up their video conferencing software and dial up subscribers.

This was a great way to cut my teeth in the industry and then in the late nineties, my brother Al and I set up Alfresco Design, as we thought the Queensland and Australian markets needed more business focused and customer driven web solutions.

Were your experiences at Alfresco Design beneficial to where you are now?

Definitely. I believe in the 7 years of running Alfresco Design, and growing from nothing into Queensland’s leading web design company, I did the equivalent of a MBA but with more practical real world problem solving.

You tend to quickly learn on the job in the web game as you need to be reviewing and changing the business both operationally and strategically on a daily basis.

My time at Alfresco Design definitely helped with this.

You survived the dotcom bust of 2000/2001 – how did this affect you and what did it teach you?

We were fairly lucky to be small enough to ride it out when it hit, although we did see many larger competitors fall over during this time.

We figured that if we had patience, we could move into the vacuum left over and then grow quickly post 2001. This is what happened in all areas of the business.

From the dot com burst we also learnt that in any business macro forces can really impact on cash flow and sales generation. So we diversified the services offered and leveraged new markets that then assisted the original business model of web design.

One of these was our online survey tool called eSurveys.com.au that went really well Australia wide and opened up contacts at the CEO level.

What mistakes do you commonly see being made by beginners in the industry?

As a business strategist assisting many web company’s, I often see many business owners not realising how much time and effort it takes to build a successful web or IT business. Most people don’t realise that many web design business owners don’t earn the same as their own senior staff might earn, as IT salaries are so high and retention rates so important.

Many also get caught out with GST payments too and the process of managing cash flow. They often forget that at the end of the day they are running a business first and foremost. The creative work is really the output, rather than the first priority.

Where do you go for ideas and creative inspiration?

Normally the Internet trough blogs, newsletters and industry groups like AIMIA. Also through my networks of creative industry people and BRW magazine for business related news.

Overseas travelling helps too, especially seeing what the UK and US markets are doing within the industry.

Do you see Reload Consulting undergoing many big changes in the next five years?

Definitely. We are a track to become one of Australia’s leading search engine optimisation, internet marketing and web strategy companies through our Reload Media brand.

We also have some exciting opportunities for the business strategy and business coaching side of the business under the Reload Consulting brand too.

Reload Consulting is focused on complete customer service by producing the very best and innovative business planning and digital marketing solutions for their clients.

See: www.reloadconsulting.com and www.reloadmedia.com.au for more.

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Posted on October 29th, 2008 by Nicholas