1,564,895 is just the beginning

As I sit at my desk under the RedBalloon scoreboard I can see that more than 1.5m people have now had a RedBalloon experience. I have written about our purpose and Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) on many occasions. I have declared on so many times ‘RedBalloon is changing gifting in Australia forever’. In reality that speaks about what we are doing – rather than ‘why’ we do what we do.

It is now more than ten years since I sat in the front room of my house waiting for a customer to arrive at my brand new business…I was excited and nervous, full of vision and possibility.

That day, I wasn’t aware that RedBalloon was starting a happiness revolution, one amazing experience at a time. On our journey I have been fortunate to see inside other businesses, but more importantly, inside other people’s lives… particularly around very personal occasions such as births, marriages, anniversaries and celebrations. I have witnessed the rawness of emotion, pure joy and the simplicity of happiness.

On my road of discovery I was surprised to learn that Australia does not rank highly on the Happy Planet Index. I imagine what it could be like if I was able to improve Australia’s HPI.

One by one; gift by gift; thanks by thanks; we can all make a difference to relationships and the way people feel. Happiness is important to all of us, and we are all responsible for how we feel.

I’m excited today! Kristie Buchanan Acting CEO pulled together a ‘show reel’ of what RedBalloon stands for – and where we are heading…. now we have a 2020 vision that aligns all RedBallooners – and keeps me truly excited. Thanks, KB for putting words and pictures to those thoughts in my head.

We believe:

Everyone deserves to have fun, feel good and be happy

Happiness is a choice. It starts with a drop, becomes a ripple and creates a wave

Happiness is amplified when it is shared

What’s our purpose?

We are passionate about giving people more good times. We have started a happiness revolution, one amazing experience at a time.

Eight things that have disappeared at work »

« We don't do it for the thanks

Tags: BHAGBusiness VisionEntrepreneurial JourneyEntrepreneurshipHappinessThank you

Naomi Simson :

View Comments (4)

Kerryn Powell says:

7 Nov, 12 at 8:00 am

As they say, 'givers gain' making someone's day easier, brighter and happier anyway we can improves our lives.
My business also is based on providing solutions and a helping hand so people can concentrate on their core priorities, which are important to that individual.
I like you, Naomi and Redballoon, love to make a difference!
Vivienne says:

15 Nov, 12 at 12:53 pm

It is a shame that not all experiences are positive and are you basing your numbers on those who used the vouchers successfully or only those that have been purchased. it would be interesting how many people lost money or wasted money buy purchasing a voucher for someone or themselves and it expired and as a result was not honored. The reason it was missed purely because it was lost or forgotten. How many people tried to have the voucher honored and turned away. Why is there a such an icredible marketing engine to get sell but not for customer service, once registered why is there not the mechanism for a reminder to be sent out to the person who lodged a voucher but not selected a day - something to help safe guard the experience. Why is everything only based on a sales number. Is it really a good system - people should be aware and perhaps go direct to suppliers who will honour. Do the companies who the voucher has been selected get the money or does it go into a slush fund for more marketing to sell more. Think before you buy a voucher

Naomi says:

23 Nov, 12 at 2:32 pm

Hi Vivienne. Thanks for your comment. It is a real shame that all experiences are not positive - as much as we try we can’t, and don’t, always get it right. And unfortunately expired vouchers do happen in our line of business – as is the case with any business offering gift vouchers or stored value cards. I too have gone to use a gift card in the past only to find it has expired – and yes, I feel annoyed when this happens. But I also believe that as consumers we must take a level of personal responsibility in these matters. All RedBalloon vouchers carry the terms and conditions of use, and these are made very clear at the time of purchase, and we also communicate the expiry date boldly on the front of all vouchers. After all, we want people to get out and have a good time and enjoy our experiences – it’s not in anyone’s interests to have a voucher sit idle and expire. We represent thousands of third party experience providers - many of them small businesses - and a 12 month expiry provides them with peace of mind. Price changes within our experience provider community are inevitable – take a whale watching supplier for instance: the cost of fuel, insurances and maintenance increases every year, so if a customer tries to use a voucher two, three or four years on, that’s not covering the supplier’s costs and it soon becomes unsustainable for them.

Mark Fenech says:

27 Nov, 12 at 9:18 am

Clarity is power Naomi and you guys certainly have this in spades.