After a year and a half of living in a pandemic, the two weeks spent cheering on our Australian athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was a welcome diversion. At its close, our Aussie Olympians landed 17 gold, 7 silver, and 22 bronze medals, for a total of 46 medals!
However, the Olympics amid a global pandemic were a little different.
The ban on spectators meant athletes competed in near-empty stadiums. And where homecoming Olympians would normally be welcomed with ticker tape parades and jubilant crowds, Australia’s Olympians returning from Tokyo 2020 spent their first two weeks back home in hotel quarantine.
To support our athletes through those two weeks, GoDaddy stepped in to help them make the most of the downtime. As the Official Website Builder Partner of the Australian Olympic Team, and in partnership with the Australian Olympic Committee, GoDaddy developed a tailored program to help athletes upskill, prepare for ‘what’s next’ and support their mental health during their time in quarantine.
Related: A chat with Melissa Wu, Olympic Medalist
Supporting big dreams and Olympic entrepreneurs
Alongside their sporting achievements, many Australian athletes also run small businesses to help support their sporting dreams.
It's a winning combination, as dedication, resilience and a strong work ethic are just as useful in starting a business as they are in athletic competition. An ability to set goals, be motivated and stay organised also come in handy for both.
The GoDaddy Dream it. Build it. program was specifically designed with our Olympic athletes in mind.
The goal was to offer products, training and expert help to any athlete with a venture or side hustle they’ve been hankering to put online.
As part of the self-paced program, GoDaddy taught athletes how to create websites and online businesses through a variety of education tools and resources. Topics ran the gamut, from how to pick an unforgettable business name to building a brand and helping customers find them online.
Because if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that having an online home for a business venture is critical to its success.
Related: Don’t let imposter syndrome keep you from following your dream
Post-Games challenge: build a website
Meet some of the athletes participating in our Dream it. Build it. program. These inspiring Olympians hail from all over Australia and represent a wide variety of sports.
Keesja Gofers, Water polo
While most Australians know about Keesja’s water polo career, many don’t know that she also loves floristry.
Keesja came up with the idea of offering bouquet-making workshops for corporate teams. She delivered her first workshop to a finance team in 2020.
“I helped them with their strategic planning, presented my story based on themes they specified and ran them through how to make a bouquet,” says Keesja.
Cheered on by how much fun she had, Keesja decided it was time to get serious and build a website for her new venture with GoDaddy.
From the looks of it, Keesja’s time in quarantine was well-spent. Here’s what she has to say about the business website she built during the Post-Games quarantine:
"I'm so excited to launch KGro: corporate team building utilising the lessons learnt from elite sport. Big thanks to Go Daddy for the Dream It. Build It. program.
“One of the main things that stopped me doing this earlier was how daunting it seemed to create a website from scratch.
“The program was the push I needed and when I got started, I realised how simple it could be. The interface is very user-friendly and I can’t speak highly enough of the customer service team.'
Keesja isn’t the only Olympian with entrepreneurial dreams. These Aussie athletes also took part in the Dream it. Build it. program:
- Lisa Weightman, Marathon
- Jo Brigden-Jones, Canoe Sprint
- Dina Aspandiyarova, Pistol Shooting
- Kaia Parnaby, Softball
- Melissa Wu, 10m Platform Diving
Watch this space for more on how these extraordinary entrepreneurs are using GoDaddy tools and services to launch their new ventures online.
Time to bring that business idea to life
The determination, resilience and work ethic of Australia’s elite athletes continues to inspire us. With so many Australians across the country right now finding themselves with time on their hands due to ongoing lockdowns, now might be the perfect time to go that extra mile and put your big idea online.
