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

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 a few different AI models 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:

Step 1: Clarity and Research

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.

Step 2: Hobby or Business?

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.

Step 3: Branding

I really enjoyed this phase.   I am interested in all areas of the online world, including branding. Over the years I have worked with lots of very knowledgeable people with incredible expertise and some of it rubbed off LOL

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.

Step 4: Online Presence

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!

Step 5: Platform Data Architecture and Testing Tech Stacks

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, I planned 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

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!

Step 6. Website Design and Development – A never-ending cycle

This is where I am now. I have my branding, my build stack, and 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 it was 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,

Here is a recap of my steps: