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What is 30under30?
30under30 is an Anthill initiative launched in early 2008 to encourage and promote entrepreneurship among young Australians. Each year, we invite our readers to nominate young Australian entrepreneurs deserving of recognition for their outstanding entrepreneurial endeavours. More.
James Greig, QLD (b. 1983)
Name: James Greig
Age: 29 (Born: May 1983)
Gender: Male
State: QLD
Known for: iVvy, Bloomtools
“I know it’s going to sound corny,” James Greig admits, “but the highlight of my day is when I hear success stories from businesses that are using my products.”
The 29-year-old Queenslander’s products are about helping businesses help themselves — knowing their market, sprucing up their brand, hooking their customers — and doing it through consolidated software-as-a-service platforms.
Greig is the co-founder of two such platforms. His most recent is iVvy, which handles event management online and gives companies the power tools for organising and promoting their events. Think agenda scheduling, speaker management, email marketing, and online registration all rolled neatly into one.
Then there’s Bloomtools, which Greig launched for SMEs as a single-log-in service that covers multiple aspects of customer relations management, website building and SEO, and database marketing.
In both cases, he’s taken a web of diverse features and made them simple. And the gratitude from his one thousand-plus clients — Westpac, Rio Tinto, Harvey Norman and the QLD Government among them — always triggers euphoria.
“They may have just launched their first website, or come out of a hellish arrangement with another company,” he says, “and when I hear them tell me about the difference it’s made to their business, I realise I’m in this industry for the right reasons.”
For Greig, name recognition begins with education — that is, reaching out with edifying seminars, workshops, ebooks, and many more resources that make online presence more tenable to entrepreneurs.
“Gimmicks are fun, but business owners are genuinely interested in learning about the Internet,” he says, “and because we’re always out there providing it for free, that’s how we get most of our leads.”
As far back as uni, he has sought out the right colleagues to join his team. “I think my confidence in my products is the secret to my persuasion,” says Greig. “I research, read, listen and ask questions and because of that I know what I am doing and am confident I can deliver a quality product and persuade others to get behind my products too.”
Enough persuading has finally landed Greig — who received honourable mention here in 2008 and 2011 — a seat at the winner’s circle. We know it’s cheesy, but: James Greig, kudos.
Anthill asks: James Greig, have you ever been lucky, punk?
I tend to think that everyone gets given opportunities; the difference in what makes someone successful is whether they are prepared to do something with the opportunity, and of course whether the timing is right. I have had many opportunities, and I believe one of my strengths is never letting a good opportunity pass by.
iVvy Event Management
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To check out the full list of Anthill’s 30under30 winners, click here.
