BEN'S TRICKY NEW OFFICE OPENS ITS DOORS

A BRISBANE internet marketing company run by a former magician is preparing to open a spectacular new head office in Yeronga.

When Ben Bradshaw (pictured) is not working in the office, he enjoys performing magic tricks.

He honed his skills as a magician doing corporate entertainment acts for Telstra and Commonwealth Bank of Australia staff.

“I love magic, illusion and internet marketing,” he says.

Internet marketing has become his forte and not surprisingly there are plenty of bells and whistles throughout the new office he plans to open at Yeronga in May.

Bradshaw, 29, is a founding director of SponsoredLINX, a Google AdWords management training and reseller.

SponsoredLINX has already invested $250,000 in Google-inspired renovation works that include pool tables, plasma TVs, gym equipment, pinball machines, golf-putting areas and Xbox video game consoles.

“Google has provided us with bean bags and lava lamps. It is very much the kind of decor you would not find in a conventional office,” says Bradshaw.

“Our internal web developer Tania Williams assisted with interior design to bring the worldwide web to the interior space. We will have murals, glass whiteboards and water features.

“Projectors at the front reception will screen client testimonies, case studies and Google News. It is a funky, fresh and energetic investment in retaining staff by keeping them happy.”

SponsoredLINX plans to celebrate the opening of the new office in style. Celebrities, politicians and media personalities are on the invitation list, says Bradshaw.

“We are inviting Channel 9 and Sky Business to attend the launch, with Google cutting the ribbon and saying a few words,” he says.

The lease on the Shottery Street site will secure tenancy for up to nine years with a minimum period of three years.

“The 1100sqm site will cater for about 150 staff and is bigger than our first 300sqm Annerley site that holds up to 40 staff,” says Bradshaw.

“The Annerley office will be home to a business coaching franchise I am setting up called Business Personal Training. I am looking to teach small to medium enterprises the basic business skills they need to succeed.”

Since SponsoredLINX was established in 2006, it has grown to 50 staff with a 2011 financial year turnover exceeding $4 million. The company is targeting a fiscal 2012 revenue of $7-12 million on the back of plans to employ a combined 120 to 150 staff after opening offices in Hong Kong and Singapore during the next 18 months.

“The Hong Kong business hub is in a strong Asian location that is still close to Australia, while Singapore is good for English speakers, making it easier to do business than in other places,” says Bradshaw.

“Google economic data convinces me that more business goes through Singapore and Hong Kong than Shanghai and Beijing. Malaysia, the United States and the United Kingdom are also on our radar.”

The company has established a virtual presence in Auckland.

“We have an 1800 number out of Auckland, but will not be physically based in New Zealand. We will service it from Australia instead,” says Bradshaw.

“We see New Zealand as a way to launch currencies and work from a more favourable time zone. We will have an accountant clock off in Brisbane while another clocks on in another country.”

He vows to continue the corporate focus on client results without lock-in contracts.

“We manage 1300 clients on a weekly basis. If we don’t provide results, we lose the client – Google loves that,” he says.