How do you explain TidyHQ?
If you’ve ever been a part of or volunteered for a community organisation you would have seen administrators pulling out their hair with the amount of time they spend and frustrations involved with administration.
TidyHQ is a software platform we built that solves all of the admin headaches that burden those that are trying to run and facilitate community-minded organisations. It handles everything from events and finances to memberships and meeting minutes.
It started as a hobby project just for myself and now gets used by thousands of organisations in over 30 countries. What we are trying to achieve is making it easier to run an organisation, and reducing the amount of time it takes to run them so they can focus on facilitating a better experience for their supporters and stakeholders.
Founders usually have an interesting backstory as to why they started their business, what’s yours?
I’ve always been in a position of running or managing companies while also finding myself putting my hand up and volunteering for various committees and roles. In my work life I would install enterprise level IT systems to manage and run every part of my organisation but when I went down to my local football club they had no systems. It was a combination of spreadsheets, bits of paper and relying on older committee members to remember what happened in previous years.
Even though the football club turns over enough financially to be a small business, it isn’t run like one. I also found that there were potential criminal liabilities for poor governance for things like not understanding the financial position of the club.
After asking others for advice and not being able to find a solution, I started building something for myself and my football club.
TidyHQ is used in 30 different countries, what makes your service something that so many different kinds of community groups and organisations can use?
I think it’s more fundamental than that. It’s more about human behaviour. Humans naturally get together in tribes, organising themselves in groups around similar ideas, interests and hobbies. At the top of that group there is usually a smaller group of administrators trying to organise and facilitate that larger group – and they have headaches.
It doesn’t matter if we are talking to a group in Finland, South Africa, Fiji or in the Kimberleys of Western Australia. They are all effectively wanting the same solution and that’s what we provide. A way to get all of their memberships, finances, events and much more in one place.
What is a country you never thought the platform would reach?
All of the above! It makes sense now that I know, but when I started I was just building this for myself and my football club.
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Why is the work of TidyHQ so important?
It’s quite personal for me. When I came to my football club I’d never played the game before, I wasn’t from the area, and I didn’t have many friends. What that club gave me was instant mates, an instant social life and I instantly felt a part of that community. Something beyond a social media community, and experiences and people that will stay with me forever.
If TidyHQ helps to build better community organisations then we are, in effect, building a better community for everyone.
What is the long-term vision for TidyHQ?
As we look to the end of 2017 and beyond we see a compelling growth model emerging with economics that are well within the company’s reach. Tidy needs to be a profitable and sustainable business to support its mission for growing the community.
We are already seeing some great evidence that we’re on the right track, with customers giving us genuine love and even volunteering to run our support! We are also looking beyond Australia and will be looking to further our engagement with overseas organisations.
How long have you called Hub your home? Where can people find you?
We found a home in Hub Southern Cross when it moved from the old location to the new. We were chomping at the bit to get in. It’s turned into a fantastic place to grow our business and engage with other like-minded people. It’s a place that we are proud to bring our customers and stakeholders to.
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