Chris Fahy, Kwikweb co founder and CTO with Eduard Marais, co founder and CEO
It is this need that drove Kwikweb owners, Eduard Marais and Chris Fahy, to develop a reseller modelled web design and hosting tool that was easy to setup, and included all the vital plugins required for businesses to future proof their digital assets against Google's ever-changing algorithms.
Building a website involves a number of essential elements, and these can be costly. But Marais and Fahy were determined not to let this be the case with their new website publishing platform.
The company has strategically curbed the production costs of creating a website by developing a template driven system. While this may not be a new concept, their packages include a range of valuable benefits that usually come at an additional cost such as domain name registration, ecommerce plugins, built in SEO support and analytics monitoring, and an easy-to-use content management system. What makes this platform unique is that it is constantly updated by Kwikweb's in-house development team to ensure that all clients website's function optimally and don't become technically outdated.
"We have 120 agents representing 5000 clients, many of whom are not technical so we find that the guidance and support that we are able to offer them is a key differentiator from other companies" says Marais.
At it's core, the company is a website development and hosting company, but where it has redefined the web design business model is through the opportunity to create a sustainable reseller business that is built on the backbone of their system.
One such success story is that of David Gouws, the founder of Sureweb in Port Edward, KZN. Gouws came across the opportunity so start selling the website design and hosting packages five years ago. Today he has a team of 8 people that include web designers, graphic designers and content managers to help service the growing demand for cost-effective websites.
When asked about how he switched from restaurant owner to website development businessman, Gouws responded "I knew the owners of Kwikweb well and thought I'd give it a go on a part-time basis. After a few months into it I thought I had better give my full attention to the opportunity and that's when I really started seeing the growth. I employed an office assistance and we kept growing the business from there. What has been pivotal in our success is our belief in the product. No one can build a website with this type of functionality faster or cheaper".
Gouws is also involved with Kwikweb's leadership programme that trains new resellers. "This is a job opportunity for individuals who are open to developing their sales skills. What's great about reselling this product is that there is no need for any prior design or web developing ability. I certainly didn't start with any. That said, you can and will learn valuable new skills and have the potential to generate an income through a lucrative and recurring revenue share model".
