My New Website Business: VIP Days Australia. The Story Behind the Idea

Posted: 30 August 2024 by: Lara
Earlier this year, I attended a web developer summit, and the speaker raved about the one week VIP Intensive service…
VIP Days Australia Website Directory Launching Soon

Earlier this year, I attended a web developer summit, and the speaker raved about the one week VIP Intensive service their agency offered. 

I was intrigued by the idea of a week of focused sprints to transform a client’s business idea into reality. As a VIP Day Service Provider, the concept really resonated with me

So, naturally, I jumped on Google to see if anyone in Australia offered VIP Intensives in the hope that I could find others to collaborate with and we could provide collaborative sprints.

To my surprise, finding what I was looking for was like finding a needle in a haystack! I even asked ChatGPT for help, but the results weren’t exactly what I was after.

The Birth of an Idea

The frustration of not finding what I needed sparked an idea: a platform for VIP day providers in Australia. A place where we could all showcase our services, connect with potential clients, and even find other awesome professionals to collaborate with.

After chatting with a few industry friends and researching, I realised my idea had legs. And so, VIP Days Australia was born!

Building the Dream

With decades of experience in the digital space, I’ve seen countless projects go from a spark of an idea to a thriving business, and some have ideas that weren’t planned well enough and have failed.

I don’t want my idea to be nothing more than an idea, so I decided to use my knowledge with help from my AI mate, Gemini (much better than ChatGPT, if you ask me! ).

These are the steps I followed to start my new business:

I refined the idea, did some competitor analysis (it turns out there’s nothing quite like this), and delved into market research. 

While VIP days are gaining popularity, finding providers is still a wild goose chase. Provider information is scattered across search engines and social media but with no central hub.

If I pour my heart and soul into this, it must be a business, not just a hobby.   Gardening is way more relaxing than hunching over a computer, after all! 

I also considered whether I had enough time for everything I wanted to do and still had enough time for client work to pay my bills.  

I created a project plan with some milestones I would like to meet, but it’s more important to me that I get my tech right than rush.

I made an appointment with my accountant (one of the most important people in my business world). Then, I got my business registration sorted (VIP Days Australia) and purchased the domain VIPDays.com.au. I was mind-blown that it was available!

Then, it was time for my business plan and brand bible.

I enjoyed this phase.  

I am interested in all areas of the online world, including branding. 

Even though I don’t offer branding services to clients, I enjoy learning about it and have done business branding for my own business for years.

Over the many years I have worked with small businesses, I have found that many do not consider the foundations of their brand but rather do things to their taste.  

Sometimes, personal preferences work perfectly, but in some cases, they don’t, so the messaging doesn’t resonate with the target market.

In my brand bible, I defined my brand identity, personality, mission, vision, target audience, USP, key messaging, and other important aspects. 

Visual identity is crucial, so I worked on that next.

The VIP Days Australia colour palette is vibrant and energetic! Orange and purple are so different from my personal taste, which is feminine, and I never want to move away from pink LOL.

I did a mood board, designed the logo and favicon, and sourced icons and stock images.

This is the brand board I created.

Next, I worked on the Marketing Strategy, with SEO being Number one, of course.

With my branding in place, it was time to hit the digital space! 

I set up a landing page, got my Instagram and Facebook accounts rolling, and then got on with the SEO, including keyword research, content pillars, etc. 

I posted my first blog post in early August, ‘What is a VIP Day?’ It has been crawled, indexed, and moved along nicely. Thank you, Google!

This phase? Let’s just say it was a doozy! It was way more intense than I’d anticipated!

My years of experience with complex site builds turned out to be a double-edged sword. Too many options, too many possibilities and I went down a serious rabbit hole testing different tech stacks.

Initially, my plan was to take the easy route and just grab a plugin for a quick MVP. I tested GeoDirectory (which is fab, by the way) and Directorist (also pretty fab). But then reality hit: future me would probably be kicking myself for limiting my options when it came time to implement all my grand plans for future phases.

A lot goes into the planning of a directory build

This is a list of the basics

  • Functionality
  • Site Structure & Data Architecture
  • Tech Stack
  • Content Creation
  • UX Design
  • Page Design
  • Optimisation

I decided to go custom. I’ve built countless websites over the years, so working with dynamic data and custom builds is second nature to me, right? Well, not exactly…

This being my project, there were no budget constraints or looming deadlines. I have the freedom to create anything I want.

That freedom can be overwhelming! I went down a rabbit hole of data structures, CPTs, taxonomies… you name it. Taxonomies, in particular, turned out to be the unexpected headache of this project.

Just Get it Done, Lara!

Being a bit of a perfectionist, I knew I had to get it right. The site needed to be fast, functional, and future-proof. So, I tested and validated everything repeatedly and procrastinated like crazy!

I tested five different tech stacks thoroughly!

This is where I am now. I have my branding, my build stack, my site plan so I can crack on with building the website.

This is the fun bit. Step 5 was where I spent the most time but its worth it as I am building something that I am happy to share with the world

Phase 1: Finally, I am going to Launch!

I’m thrilled to announce that Phase 1 of VIP Days Australia will launch on September 18, 2024

It’ll be a free directory for VIP Day service providers to showcase their expertise and connect with clients.

But this is just the beginning. I have big plans for the future, including more features, resources, and ways to foster a thriving community of VIP Intensive Providers and clients who love the VIP Day Workflow.

Stay tuned for updates, and get ready to join the VIP Day revolution!

Check it out VIPDays.com.au

Until next time,

Image for Lara Pritchard's Signature

Here is a recap of my steps:

01

Clarity & Research

Every journey begins with a clear path. I started with market research and competitor analysis

02

Hobby or Business

Turning passion into profit requires action. I spoke to my accountant then onto my business foundations.

03

Branding

A strong brand identity was essential. I created my brand identity guidelines then onto the brand visuals.

04

Digital Presence

I created a landing page, social media accounts, SEO strategy and posted my first blog.

05

Design & Development

Building a successful website directory requires careful planning, testing, validation and execution

Phase 1 Launch

I’m thrilled to announce that Phase 1 of VIP Days Australia will launch on Tuesday, September 10, 2024.

Follow me:

Hi, I am Lara

I started working in web in the 90s, essentially at the start of the internet, when nobody used it. It’s changed a lot! WordPress has been my work and hobby for the last ten or so years.

When I am not working with Wordpress, I am probably tinkering with Wordpress haha.

I love learning and am constantly revising things to make my builds exceptional. I am rather obsessed with site speed and love a tidy dashboard and database.

I specialise in providing fast, focused WordPress solutions with VIP Intensives, helping businesses and entrepreneurs troubleshoot issues, implement complex builds, and optimise their sites for success. I also offer personalised 1:1 training to empower you to manage your WordPress site confidently.

I love blogging and sharing my knowledge. I write about a lot of different topics, mostly because of questions I am asked when teaching clients or when I am testing something and I can’t find any blogs that already exist on the topic.

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