Chasing the sun

The company brings in 85 percent of its total revenue from offshore and, with the support of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s Beachheads Programme, is looking to grow the export side of the business even further.

TimeZoneOne general manager Nigel Foley says the time difference between New Zealand and the company’s predominantly US-based clients makes for an efficient business model.

With clients that include Crocs footwear (a contract that extends to the brand worldwide), the American Medical Association and the US Army, TimeZoneOne has grown to 18 staff in Christchurch and eight sales staff in Denver and Chicago in the US.

“With an office in Chicago the time shift means that we can achieve more in a day because effectively there is a six-hour difference, depending on daylight saving, so our morning is Chicago’s afternoon.”

Foley says in effect a client can be checking work while the New Zealand team sleeps and then the creative team pick that up with them at the start of their day.

“Although we don’t work 24-hours every day there have been days when we achieved that but we’re certainly stretching the day to around 16 or 17 hours easily of productive time and what it means is when we are working on creative projects with US-based clients the efficiency really kicks in when the work is being implemented.” 

New Zealand mobile marketing company Run the Red, which does business in Australia, Brazil and the US, is another making use of the longer days afforded by a head office in New Zealand and offshore offices.

Run the Red’s VP Products Sean Roy says the company is following the lead set by other internationally accomplished New Zealand companies like Xero and Icebreaker, using sales, marketing and support that is local to the client all while maintaining the development of core IP “at home”.

“Frequently, tight deadlines and emergencies are managed more efficiently by our ability to chase the sun. 

“We can have the development team produce a product before they leave for an evening and then return in the morning to a full set of test results that were conducted by a co-worker on the other side of the globe. 

“Not only is this a time-saver, but having someone local testing a release ensures that release is both functional and relevant to the market for which it is intended.” 

Freelance writer and editor Deirdre Coleman has also discovered the inherent efficiency of working with clients in the US.

“My website is attracting clients from offshore, including Singapore and the US. One US client was looking to turn a job around very quickly, he found my site, got in touch, we agreed on the price and I carried out the job and had it back to him ‘overnight’.”

Stretching the working day isn’t the only advantage of offshore clients.

Foley says typical returns on TimeZoneOne’s work are around 30 percent, compared to the industry average for advertising and design agencies of around 10 to 12 percent.