Business weaves web success

Dylan O'Donnell of DNA Digital.

Jerad Williams

WHEN Dylan O'Donnell and his wife Anna decided on a sea change to the Northern Rivers a couple of years ago, instead of firing off job applications Mr O'Donnell decided to create his own jobs.

Today the couple run DNA Digital in Byron Bay, one of the largest web hosting and design companies in the region after recently acquiring the Melbourne-based Your Name web hosting company for an undisclosed amount.

“We had grown to a particular point and Your Name had gone in parallel to the same point. I knew the owner years ago so when he decided to get out of the game we came to an arrangement and I bought out his customer base,” Mr O'Donnell said.

“Effectively we have doubled the company's size.”

Mr O'Donnell, 32, founded DNA Digital in Ballina in 2009, before moving to Byron Bay early this year.

The company offers services in web hosting, web design and web marketing, and is believed to be the only Google-certified partner in the region.

“The thing that is good about the company is that we do everything,” said Mr O'Donnell, who spent about a decade as the technical head of DragNet Internet Service, where he helped the network expand from being a small local ISP to a fully national network.

“There are companies that do different aspects, but because we do all of it we have had people come to us with nothing but an idea and walked away with branding, business set-up, Google marketing, website hosting and e-commerce.”

One client, Vavoom, had gone from nothing to turning over $100,000 in a year just on the strength of the website, he said.

As well as acquiring rivals, Mr O'Donnell has found time to run mentoring services through the Northern Rivers Business Enterprise Centre, where he helps small businesses with online strategies.

“The web has always been really important, but now with Google it is becoming more important,” Mr O'Donnell said, adding that while the area was challenged in terms of digital infrastructure the proposed NBN would resolve many of these problems.