| Christchurch Company the SI Leader
Win for Hairy Lemon Web Solutions
Christchurch firm Hairy Lemon Web Solutions is the South Island's
fastest growing business after increasing turnover 346% over
three years.
The website development and applications company was the top
placed South Island company in 12th position on the Deloitte/Unlimited
Fast 50 - the country's only index of high-growth businesses.
The company was founded three years ago by directors Sue Wilkinson
and Graham Dockrill in their back bedroom when they were both
still students at Canterbury University.
Hairy Lemon grew fast and soon moved down the hall to become
a main bedroom business.
Now both 29, they are veteran directors for their own profitable
company with 200 clients, 11 employees, turnover of $500,000
and expectations of topping $1m this year.
Fundamental to their success was recognising that their clients
did not want to talk to computer "geeks" but needed
someone to translate the technical layman's English for them,
they say.
The pair have high hopes of expanding their business in Japan
and employing 200 people.
"
We have grown so quickly that we had to stop and revise how we
are going to do things" Ms Wilkinson said. The future of
the business was never in doubt, being profitable from its first
year.
"
We never struck that (doubt) and we constantly re-evaluated things".
Taking first place nationally was Prolificx, and Auckland electronics
firm, which measured revenue growth of 2280.84% over three years
creating 15 jobs in the process.
Companies entering the competition had to have been in business
for a minimum of three years and have operating revenues of at
least $100,000 in the first year and $250,000 last year.
Brett Chambers of Deloitte said this year's Fast 50 had added
$475 million to the economy in the three year period.
"
Their average revenue growth was 61% per annum - a far cry from
the 4% or so of the economy as whole".
Christchurch's Datacol New Zealand took third place last year
but slipped back to 18th this year. |
