Logging on to success

For Taranaki’s Tonya Callebaut that old saying about necessity being the mother of invention couldn’t be more appropriate. When her home renovation project seemed to be going nowhere due to difficulties getting quotes and meeting completion dates, she set about creating a regional website offering tradies an online presence on which to quote.

 

Having recognised a gap in the market, Callebaut never had any doubts about the site’s success. 

“I launched Logajob knowing it was going to work.” Today, the ‘Naki business is offering the same opportunities in Auckland and Sydney, expanding along the way to include an extended range of services. 

 

Callebaut would appear to fit the findings of a US study which concluded that, among other traits, entrepreneurs are typically overconfident about the prospects for their business. 

 

“It’s hard to push to the end unless you have that overconfident streak,” she admits. “Through Logajob, I now know that only passionate entrepreneurs who really believe in themselves and their project persevere past breaking point. As an entrepreneur you have to truly get a buzz out of the highs and lows that starting and running a business throws at you. If you don’t get a kick out of that roller-coaster ride you’re not going to have a smile on your face at the end of the ride.”

Being an entrepreneur is in the blood, she says. “My dad was an entrepreneur and I grew up thinking it was a very normal way to carry out day-to-day business.” 

She started young, running a tuck shop during her years at boarding school, buying chocolates and chips at cost from her parents who owned a hotel, then on-selling them for ‘a fabulous profit’. 

 

Callebaut grew up in South Africa, discovered New Zealand during her early OE days and eventually landed in the UK where she established a career as a stockbroker. 

“The buzzword was stockbroking and the great hourly wage was appealing. It was a booming industry employing people with no previous experience. I was drawn to the buzz!”

 

Back in South Africa she continued working as a ‘broker and it was around this time she also discovered her inner renovator. “Again trying to take advantage of a gap in the market; I’m not sure if it’s the prolific renovator in me or the prolific entrepreneur that found the renovating gap, but I enjoy renovation. 

“I was determined to own one of the beautiful houses on the hillside overlooking the ocean in Cape Town and I needed money over and above my salary to make this possible.” 

 

With makeovers selling for double the original purchase price, it was an opportunity that was too good to miss she says. “My husband and I have since done about 15 properties and we’re not only keen renovators but keen DIYers. However, we’re becoming less DIY and more DIFM, do-it-for-me, as we realise how much of your leisure time is taken up with DIY.” With two demanding kids in the mix, and a realisation that New Zealand tradespeople are so professional a DIY finish doesn’t always measure up, the idea for Logajob was born.    

 

“Stockbroking was exciting and nerve-wracking but it got to the point where I found it all a bit soulless. In addition, no-one’s ever really happy with the deal – the buyer always wants a lower price and the seller always wants a higher price.” It was also a very male-dominated industry and, she realised when she became pregnant, one in which she would have to battle to remain if she wanted to be an involved mother.

 

Seven years ago, concerns around safety in South Africa saw Callebaut and her husband, “an eco-friendly civil engineer attracted by New Zealand’s clean, green image – he literally fell in love with a picture of New Zealand,” relocate to Taranaki. 

“Taranaki found us rather than us finding Taranaki. My husband had been involved in petrochem oil and gas projects and when I was Googling opportunities this little place called Taranaki kept popping up.” 

 

It’s been good to them, she says. “We like to call it ‘Taradise’; an easy place to live, very family oriented and very kind to me as a place to start up a business. The people are community oriented and supportive.”

 

The web business development evolved from identifying a gap and a conscious decision to create something that was part of the future – such as the world wide web. It’s not her first web-related enterprise. Back in 1997 she and her brother set up an online recruitment site promoting part-time work for students. They envisaged an Internet-based business but were slightly ahead of their time, she says. “It became a labour-intensive, hands-on, business. We sold it but learnt a lot about having visionary ideas before the market is ready for them.” 

 

Logajob is a different story. It’s succeeded because it truly does assist when you’re looking for a quote, says Callebaut. “People are pressed for time and the development of digital convenience has created a platform to do things more efficiently.”

 

Growth has been organic. “I’ve had a very limited marketing budget and social media has been a huge help. Then winning a business plan competition in 2013 gave us some good exposure.” Tracking indicates word of mouth is extremely powerful. “Many users are repeat users and happy customers create new customers.”

But as an online business margins are low and this is driving Logajob’s expansion into larger centres. “It becomes a numbers game,” explains Callebaut. 

Managing a growing business is a challenge and Callebaut admits she has difficulty delegating. “But I’m also not foolish enough to think I can expand the business on my own. The key is getting the correct people working with you.” 

 

There comes a time when you realise you’re the bottleneck in your own business, she says. “It’s been challenging expanding not only the business, but the workforce required to cope with the expansion. Yes, I’ve had sleepless nights, but at the end of the day if they lead to results it’s worth it. The sleep can wait.” 

The ride isn’t over yet – but Callebaut’s smiling as she puts strategies in place for Logajob to become a household name in New Zealand

 

Patricia Moore is a freelance business writer. Email [email protected]