 |  |  |
The web portal was designed in 2001 and has been hosting a number of ski clubs since.
Background:
- This website was designed originally as a private initiative, as I belong to a ski club and saw an opportunity to help my club.
- This website, in its present form, doesn't need any programming. The IT support is currently provided by an IT graduate who works on request on an hourly basis, when the need arises. This person will continue to work with the new owner.
- The website needs - as they all do - enhancements which can be done either by the programmer or the purchaser of the system. These enhancements have been documented and can be implemented as & when you become familiar with the system.
- Because the technology moves so fast and because we have been operating with the same design for the last 6-8 years, the website needs to be better looking and would suit a web designer who wants to dabble in web design.
- There are no needs to buy any hardware. the system is hosted on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud – http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/. This provides excellent expandability & reliability and removes any requirements for ongoing maintenance and support. It virtually works "by itself".
- Through my contacts & solid marketing in the early days, I have a database of 230 ski clubs in Australia complete with contact names, details and file notes. Marketing activity has been nonexistent since 2005 and it would suit someone who is prepared to market it.
- At its peak 2-3 years ago, we had 12 ski clubs (18 lodges) in our books. Lack of sustained marketing and lack of interest have been the reasons behind the gradual erosion of clients.
- My reason for selling this website, complete with hosted clubs and the comprehensive database of potential clients, is because I need to focus on my core profession (which is not programming & marketing!). My involvement to date has been 0-2 hours per week, and it needs someone who wants to put in 4-15 hours per week, time that I don't have.
Profile of the buyer:
It will suit the following person:
- someone who is IT savvy & likes dabbling in that industry. The current programmer will continue to work with the new owner of the website.
- someone who likes to design web pages. Each ski lodge wants to look and present well to their members and the public. This is a chargeable function.
- someone who wants to grow a business from home. By the way, there is no need to be a skier .... The business is established so you have a track record, and the purchase will come with a comprehensive database of "market intelligence". Hours spent on the system are very flexible and would suit a home-based person.
There are 5 revenue streams:
- (1) - Yearly hosting on the portal. Time required: Minimal (say 10-20 per annum.)
- (2) - Administration of the Credit Card payment facility. Weekly reconciliation of the receipts. Time required: Say 1-2 hours weekly before and during the snow season
- (3) - Booking secretary for clubs who do not have a booking officer: Time required: Say 5-10 hours weekly/club before and during the snow season. Typical fees: $4,000 - $12,000 / club / annum
- (4) - Buy & sell portal: commission on the transactions.
- (5) - Referral portal to snow related links (through Google AdWords).
The clubs that you will inherit are:
- Club 1: 25 members. $1800 p.a. hosting + CC transactions
- Club 2: 700 members. $4,510 p.a. hosting
- Club 3: 50 members. $1,650 p.a. hosting
Currently, payments of the CC are made through our ISP who reconcile
the payments and remits each club weekly. They charge 3% handling fee
on top of the merchant fee. I have notified the clubs that we are going
to use Paypal next year, so that we can collect the handling fees
(estimated at 3% x $100,000 (conservative) = $3,000). The programmer
has written the script and is ready to go live (planned after this
winter 2009).
In summary:
- our receipts next year will be $10,000-12,000 per annum, with little (if any) costs.
- For your information, our receipts 3 years ago were $25,000 per annum , plus a further $30,000 per annum collected by our ISP for processing credit cards transactions.
General comments:
- Marketing of this website has been non-existent for the last 4 years,
- Members of ski clubs are generally time-poor and generally belong to the more affluent demographics (typically professionals & wealthy retirees). It becomes more and more difficult for ski clubs to find volunteers to work as booking officers.
- Ski clubs are gradually accepting that online booking is a necessity rather than a luxury.
- Many revenue streams can be implemented if so inclined (which I didn't have time to do).:
- The above indicate revenue streams (1) and (2) with current clubs only.
- The growth of this system will be in:
- signing up new clubs (revenue streams (1) and (2)) and
- offering Booking officer's services (revenue stream (3)).
- The remaining 2 streams ((4) and (5)) will depend on how keen and enthusiastic the buyer will be.
Proposal:
Upon acceptance of the purchase, I propose the following:
- To hand-over the website, the code and the domain name www.probooking.com.au
- To hand over the database (in pst format) of all contacts & file notes relevant to ski clubs & associated entities. There are approx 233 entries.
- To hand over the existing clubs who are using our system.
I will also undertake the following:
- I will write and notify all the contacts of these clubs that you have taken over Probooking. This email will be written in conjunction with you.
- I will give you the contact of the programmer who is familiar with the system
- I will notify the appropriate person that you now own the probooking domain name
- The server is hosted on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud – http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/ . I will organize to have the account transferred to your name or closed, whichever suits you. You will need to instruct the programmer about your intentions. All the programmer’s fees and charges will be yours.
- I will give you a pst (outlook file) of all the 233 contacts.
- I will provide ongoing assistance about the functionality & use of the current Probooking website. However as I am not a programmer, I will not be able to assist with fixes & bugs, etc … You will need to liaise with the programmer.
Marketing material:
You will find below extract of the marketing material sent to prospective ski clubs:
Members, Officials and Employees of Ski Clubs need access to information:
- to run the club,
- to manage the membership,
- for accepting accommodation bookings online,
- etc ...
Officials come and go, time is precious and it is harder to find volunteers to help, Members are more demanding and expect accountability, Lodge Managers want to be kept informed, Members want to book 24/7 .....
ProBooking addresses all these needs, at an affordable price.
Club revenues can be increased by:
- Allowing booking agents to sell beds in your lodge,
- Selling ski hire packages when making a booking online,
- Offering reciprocal bookings with other ProBooking clubs.
The Advantages of ProBooking:
- As the web has become a more ubiquitous part of our business lives, ProBooking answers the needs of the entire club community:
- Management of club memberships: Each member can update their information and keep it current – No more wrong addresses and phone numbers
- Management of member subscriptions & joining fees: Each member has a complete history of his transactions with the club (similar to a bank statement), going as far back as when he joined the club. Payment by credit card online is available.
- Online booking and reservation: Complete payment by credit card, booking slips, cancellation and refunds …
- Financial management: Your Committee and Treasurer has also access to the bigger picture, including statements, aged debtors, lodge occupancy, transaction listings etc …
- Comprehensive “community” website: Where your club webmaster posts all manner of information and tidbits to make it more friendly and more welcoming. All this by the way, entered directly from his computer, without outside assistance.
- Real-time Lodge occupancy reports
- Secure access to information: A "members" access only website, not accessible to the public.
  |
|
| |
|
Back to home page
U5BhPcg~~_35.JPG)
U5BhPcg~~_3.JPG)
) 
Print
Report item
