Leaving home

In the passed eight years since founding RedBalloon , we’ve created several businesses along the way and they all have led to other greater things.

One of the businesses that we invented was to solve a particular ‘problem’ that we had at RedBalloon – some 30% of our customers are self-purchasers, in other words they really like the activities we offer and want to do them themselves. Friday afternoons were frantic as people called our customer experience team wanting to know if they could book an activity for the weekend.

At the same time we were approached by two separate but large travel agency groups – saying that the wanted to include RedBalloon activities in their ground content offering – however a voucher system would not work for them – they wanted real time booking ability.

We saw this as a business opportunity to grow another business. So we invented GoDo.com.au a real time booking engine for activities in Australia and New Zealand. We already had the relationship with the best activity suppliers in the country, and because of that relationship we built an intranet which enabled suppliers to publish their availability in real time. This had never been done before anywhere on the planet. The technology won awards for its innovation. It is an amazing aggregator and resource for Australian tourism.

We then took this technology and imbedded it into the major tourism sites in Australia: Lastminute, Virgin Blue, Stayz to name just a few.

GoDo gives activity suppliers an online voice way beyond what they could do individually. We did not try to build a brand for GoDo – it was about the cleverness of the technology to aggregate supply and demand.

There is a brilliant opportunity for this technology to operate in markets other than Australia and New Zealand. It is amazingly flexible and exciting platform. But I knew, as did my business partner, that we were just not the right people to take this business to the next level. Again I am so committed and excited by RedBalloon and what it is doing – GoDo has much bigger potential. It should have the opportunity to capitalise on its full potential. And new ownership will allow it to realise this opportunity. I wanted to do it all, but alas I was not the best person to continue to grow GoDo at the pace it could. There is a fabulous, committed team that have made GoDo amazing, they too are looking for career and growth opportunities.

But when you build something, work with the team, believe in what you’re doing, to find the best next place for a business and it’s technology can be a challenge. I needed to find someone who had the vision and resources to truly capitalise on what has already been created.

So today Wotif.com announced to its stakeholders the acquisition of GoDo. It is such an obvious fit. Both businesses are focused on tourism and travel, both businesses are entrepreneurial and innovative – there is a wonderful cultural fit. And I know that the business is going to a place where it will truly thrive, beyond what I could ever do for it.

I’m sure as an entrepreneur I still have many more businesses that I will start… the ones that I have started in the last eight years since founding RedBalloon have all come from listening to customers, seeing an opportunity and going for it.

One thing that I know has put us on this amazing trajectory of growth has been the single-minded purpose we have – supported by an amazing team. We are all aligned to the business of giving amazing gifts.

Naomi Simson is the 2008 National Telstra Women’s Business Award winner for Innovation. Naomi was also a finalist for the Australian HR Awards and a finalist for the BRW Most Admired Business Owner Award in 2008. Also in 2008 RedBalloon achieved a 97% Hewitt employee engagement score. One of Australia’s outstanding female entrepreneurs, Naomi regularly entertains as a professional speaker inspiring middle to high-level leaders on employer branding, engagement and reward and recognition. Naomi writes a blog and has written a book sharing the lessons from her first five years.