What happens when a FIFO miner decides to quit his high-paying job and dive headfirst into the world of digital marketing? For Perth couple Greg and Paris, it meant transforming their lives completely and building a thriving digital agency that’s already generating serious income in their first year.
Greg spent three and a half years driving trucks in the mines, living the demanding fly-in-fly-out lifestyle that many Australians know all too well. Meanwhile, Paris worked as a data manager for a large company, running a food blog on the side. But when they decided to get married and start a family, they knew something had to change. Their solution? Jump into the Champions program and build a digital agency from scratch – even though Greg quit his job before the course even started. Watch their incredible journey unfold in this inspiring interview.
The Bold Decision to Leave Mining Behind
Greg’s story begins with a leap of faith that would make most people’s stomachs turn. Like many who leave demanding careers behind for a better lifestyle, he landed a lucrative FIFO mining job after moving to Perth in 2020, but it came at a personal cost. The fly-in-fly-out lifestyle meant long periods away from home, making it challenging to build the life he and Paris envisioned together.
“We were gonna get married, looked to raise a family and thought, you know, we’ll crack on with Champions,” Greg explains. But here’s where it gets interesting – Greg quit his job before Champions even started. While this isn’t typically recommended, Greg had a unique safety net: his former boss assured him he could return anytime if needed.
This decision wasn’t made lightly. Perth’s mining boom offers some of the highest-paid jobs in Australia, and walking away from that security requires serious conviction. But Greg and Paris had a plan that leveraged both of their strengths in a way that would prove incredibly effective.
The Perfect Partnership Strategy
What makes Greg and Paris’s story particularly compelling is how they structured their approach, a common success factor for families who build digital businesses together. Paris, with her data management background and existing food blog experience, already understood website fundamentals. Rather than quit her job, she decided to support Greg’s full-time efforts while continuing her career and preparing for maternity leave.
“Greg spent most of his day networking and marketing our business, and I can just build the websites,” Paris explains. This division of labour proved crucial to their rapid success. While Greg focused on business development and client relationships, Paris handled the technical side, teaching Greg as they went.
Initially, they planned to pursue the portfolio strategy – building websites and monetising them with ads. However, after attending the Digital Investor Summit, Paris was inspired by the digital agency success stories she heard. “I said to Greg, let’s do this course, you don’t go back to work, I’ll still work and we can run our own agency.”
From Zero Network to 10+ Website Builds
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of their journey is how quickly they built a client base from absolutely nothing. Greg had zero business network in Perth – his contacts were all from the mining industry, hardly the target market for website services.
Their first project came through a personal connection. They’d recently married and noticed their wedding celebrant had a poor-quality Google Sites website. “We told her that we were doing this course and that we would love to redo her website for her,” Paris recalls. What started as a potential freebie became a $200 project, and more importantly, led to ongoing maintenance income and referrals.
But here’s where their strategy really paid off. Rather than staying at low prices, they quickly moved up market. Their next project was $800, followed by a $2,500 website build. Within six months, they’d completed 10-11 website builds, with their standard three-page websites now priced at $3,000-$3,500.
The Power of Strategic Networking
One of the key accelerators in their success was joining BNI (Business Network International) on the Champions program’s recommendation. This networking group became a goldmine for high-quality leads. “BNI itself has led to four or five clients in the four months or so that we’ve been there,” Greg reports.
But networking wasn’t Greg’s only lead generation strategy. He also completed the challenging “100 call challenge” – cold calling 100 businesses to offer website services. While intimidating for someone without a business background, this exercise proved transformational for Greg’s confidence and positioning.
“It made me believe that I was a web designer,” Greg explains. “So it helped me in my BNI as well… it sounded like I understood what I was saying.” This confidence boost translated directly into better results at networking events and more successful client conversations.
Building Recurring Revenue Streams
Like many successful digital agency owners, Greg and Paris quickly recognised the importance of recurring revenue. They offer ongoing maintenance packages at around $100 per month and have secured their first ongoing SEO client at $750 monthly.
“We really enjoy the SEO side of it and I like to spend more of my time doing that, getting involved in the data and the research,” Paris notes, leveraging her analytical background. This recurring revenue model is crucial for building a valuable, sellable business asset – something they’re already thinking about for their long-term strategy.
The Unexpected Opportunity
Perhaps the most exciting development in their journey is an acquisition opportunity they discovered through networking. While working on a referral project, they encountered a web developer who was planning to shut down his agency with 70 ongoing clients.
“He built one of Greg’s referrals websites. She hadn’t heard from him, so we had to get in touch with them to get all of his logins to fix her website and that’s how we came across him,” Paris explains. This chance encounter has led to negotiations to acquire those 70 clients for approximately $10,000 – a deal that would instantly transform their recurring revenue base.
Key Success Factors and Lessons Learned
Several critical factors contributed to Greg and Paris’s remarkable first-year success:
Complementary skill sets: Greg’s networking and relationship-building abilities combined perfectly with Paris’s technical and analytical skills. This allowed them to deliver high-quality websites while building strong client relationships.
Smart risk management: While Greg’s decision to quit immediately was bold, having a fallback option in the mining industry provided essential security. Paris continuing her job ensured stable income during the building phase.
Strategic networking: Joining BNI and committing to the 100 call challenge created multiple lead generation channels. The key was consistency and genuine relationship building rather than just selling.
Value-based pricing: They quickly moved away from cheap pricing to focus on delivering real value. Their websites generate leads for clients, justifying the $3,000+ price points.
Long-term thinking: From the start, they focused on recurring revenue streams and building a sellable asset, not just trading time for money.
The Transformation Journey
The personal transformation aspect of Greg’s journey is perhaps as impressive as the financial success. Moving from a technical, isolated role in mining to becoming a confident business owner who can network effectively and close deals represents a complete career reinvention, similar to the journeys of veterans who transition from military service to digital entrepreneurship.
“It’s been liberating really. It’s made me… it’s really helped me as a person as well. Like I’m a lot more confident in myself,” Greg reflects. This confidence boost extends far beyond business – it’s preparing him to be a better partner and father as they start their family.
For Paris, the journey has been about leveraging existing skills in new ways while preparing for motherhood. Her technical background in data management translated perfectly to SEO and website analytics, while her project management experience helped systematise their agency operations.
Looking Forward
With a baby on the way and their agency gaining momentum, Greg and Paris are building exactly the lifestyle they envisioned. The flexibility of running a digital agency means Greg can be present for family life while Paris can transition smoothly between her corporate role and their business.
Their immediate focus is building their recurring revenue base through more SEO clients and potentially acquiring the 70-client agency. Longer-term, they’re interested in exploring the portfolio strategy as well, using their digital skills to build and monetise content websites.
“If it doesn’t work, you know, we have to make it work. There’s not an option for it not to work,” Greg says with determination. Ten months later, it’s clear their commitment has paid off spectacularly.
Greg and Paris’s story demonstrates that with the right strategy, complementary skills, and unwavering commitment, it’s possible to completely reinvent your career and build a thriving digital business in under a year. Their journey from FIFO mining to digital agency success proves that sometimes the biggest risks lead to the most rewarding transformations.
