About us

Business Catalyst is a team of business wizards, code ninjas and web designers with skills straight out of a Marvel comic. And we're on a mission.

Our mission is to give designers the tools and skills to create powerful online businesses for their clients. Whether your client has an idea and wants to start a business online, or they've got an offline business they want to expand, we're constantly creating and evolving the best system to make that happen.

Our Vision

We love technology - it's exciting and fun. But the real goal - our Vision, you could say - is to create great technology that enriches peoples lives. So far so good - we're making difficult things easy and expensive things cheap for loads of people everywhere, and we've got no plans of stopping.

Our History

The Business Catalyst story goes back to 1997, when Bardia Housman (our CEO) co-founded Start, a small business which quickly grew to become the most trafficked website and largest online community (> 1 million customers) in Australia (Hitwise). The business quickly set out to expand internationally serving millions of customers in various countries. By 1999, Start, a thriving business was generating millions of dollars in revenue and was subsequently acquired by a large NASDAQ listed company.

By 2001 Bardia had decided it was time for something new. Generally dissatisfied with the state of online business solutions and a lack of serious tools for businesses, he officially launched Business Catalyst with business partner Adam Broadway. Today Business Catalyst is a leading online business application helping a legion of designers build and maintain online businesses for 1000s of small business owners, everywhere.

Our Agenda

This isn't really an agenda - it's really a statement of our values, our raison díêtre, our vision and our mission. We hope it gives you a little insight into the standards we hold ourselves to and why we do what we do.

1. Helping designers

   We're here to help people, specifically those that build websites and online businesses. We do that by sharing the technology we run our business on with designers like you. We also like sharing what we know about creating successful businesses on the web. That's why our support team sometimes gives advice on things like email marketing, search engine optimization and web usability, that you can pass on to your clients. We're passionate about two things: Web Designers, and Small Businesses, and we're proud to let it show.

2. Keep it simple (as possible)

   The web is pretty complex, and not many people understand it. But making things too easy makes it less powerful. We want to give your client all the power of the web, as simply as is possible. That doesn't necessarily mean your Grandma can use Business Catalyst - but we think that together, we can teach her to, given a few days. We're about streamlining the complex stuff so that anyone can understand it- even your most technically challenged clients.

3. Honesty over pride

   If you find a bug, we'll tell you its a bug, and thank you for finding it! We don't hide behind bogus excuses to make ourselves look good. We're proud of our work, but our clever customers that help us squash bugs and generally improve the system (that's you!) are the real heroes. (you know who you are... Martin, Kathryn, Mark, Paul, Jim, Jill, Russell... so many others thank you!)

4. You are more important than the rules

   Rules are great - they help us get organized, control our environment, and make promises to our partners and customers. But they are not number one. If we need to bend the rules to help you, we will.

5. Every business is different

   Your clients don't want an expensive, highly advanced system for their 4-man business. We're dedicated to giving you everything you need now, and making it easy to get what you need next year, when you need it. That's why our products were designed so your clients can start small and grow with it as their business does.

6. Success shouldn't cost the earth

   Many top-tier business solutions like ours cost the earth and don't deliver. Or they are just so complex you need a team of consultants to help you get it going - at $200 per hour each, that's an expensive proposition. We believe in providing you great technology, built to help you and your clients succeed, at an affordable price.

7. “No, we can't" never helped anyone

   Designers and clients alike sometimes wonder if it is possible to achieve a certain effect, or do this or that. We believe that you don't need "No" or "Sorry we can't do that". You need a solution. So our support team stays up late to think of solutions for you, so they can come back with something you can work with. If we really can't do that, we'll add it to our wish-list as a potential enhancement, and notify you if we do decide to implement it.

8. Listening is more valuable than talking

   We love it when you tell us what you think - be it positive or not. Our partners and customers are always helping us make our product better for them, and we wouldn't have it any other way. After all, you know what your clients need best, right? So we like to talk less about "roadmap" and listen more to what you need.

9. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”- Chinese Proverb

   We're about building relationships, not just making a sale. That's why we invest our time into educating our customers and partners - to teach you how to make the internet and Business Catalyst a successful part of your business. We do that with our weekly webinars, training videos, forums and training manuals - all dedicated to helping you succeed. We're geared up and excited to educate anyone who needs to know or wants to listen.

10. Love the work, make your mark, change the world

    We love our work because what we do creates meaning. We make our mark in the smile of an empowered designer and your successful clients.We are about changing the world, one business at a time.