From a kitchen table to digital pioneers: Celebrating 10 Years of Voyage

How our web design agency grew from humble beginnings to navigating AI, global teams and everything in between.

A decade ago, if you’d told me Voyage would take me from my kitchen table in a drafty Christchurch flat, to leading a global team through lockdowns, to successfully shipping massive government projects and navigating the dawn of artificial intelligence, I would have laughed. All I had back then was bad coffee, big dreams and an unshakeable belief that great digital experiences can be a powerful business asset.

The humble beginning

It all started when I moved to Christchurch and was contracting as a web developer. Teaching a design course on the side is where I met Andrew, and something just clicked. I was already stretched thin and desperately needed an extra pair of hands. Andrew turned out to be the perfect fit, and he's still with us today, along with Shannon (our GM) and others who've undeniably made Voyage what it is.

Those early days were equal parts chaotic and magical. Picture this: laptops spread across my kitchen table, heated debates about CSS frameworks while making lunch, and victory celebrations that would make you think we'd just won the lottery (when really, we'd just solved a particularly stubborn bug).

Growing pains and gains

There was something beautifully innocent about Voyage in those early days. We approached every project with fearless experimentation, nothing was too ambitious, no technology too unfamiliar. We built projects on Ruby on Rails, helped startups find their footing while we were finding ours, dove into Shopify and eCommerce, and eventually became a Silverstripe Partner as we gained momentum in the public sector.

As our client base grew, so did we. First, we outgrew my flat (much to my flatmates' relief). Then came our first real office, followed by many moves as the team expanded. At our peak, we had offices in both Christchurch and Wellington, with team members working remotely across New Zealand and around the world, from London to the Philippines.

But growth isn't always linear, and I've learned that the hard way. We've had periods where we needed to scale back, return to our core strengths, and make the difficult decision to reduce our team size. These moments are probably the hardest part of my job, but they're also what keeps Voyage resilient through industry changes, economic shifts and quieter periods.

Our North Star: Values that never change

While technology, team sizes and office locations have evolved, our core values remain constant. To elaborate on what you’ll find on our ‘about’ page, we champion:

• Business objectives over tech choices: The technology must serve the goals, not the other way around.
• Experimentation over taking the easy route: We're always up for trying new solutions (hello, AI!) and pushing boundaries to get the best result.
• Relationships over quick wins: We prioritise long-term partnerships with our team and clients over short-term gains.
• Talent that knows no borders: Great people can be found anywhere, and company culture is only as strong as the people that support it.
• A culture of trust and humour: The best work happens when you give talented people the freedom to do what they do best, and can share a laugh even during difficult times.

These principles still guide us every day, from client relationships to team management to technology choices.

A decade of hard-won wisdom

To continue on with these guiding principles, here are the top lessons of the last decade that have shaped who we are today (I couldn't help myself, it's a classic):

1. Great work comes from great relationships, not just great code
2. Every client teaches you something new, even if it's just patience
3. Remote work works when you prioritise communication and trust
4. Technology changes but good problem-solving is timeless
5. Music quality directly correlates with code quality (leave James Blunt at home, but bring the DNB)
6. Growing a business is less about having all the answers and more about being willing to figure them out together
7. The best projects happen when clients trust you enough to challenge their assumptions
8. Sometimes the simplest solution is the hardest one to find (and the most elegant)
9. When times are tough that’s when you need each other most
10. A team that laughs together and champions each other is the one that will stick together

We're nothing without our people

I’ve also learnt gratitude is a fundamental part of a life well lived, and we definitely wouldn’t be where we are without our incredible community.

To our clients: From those early startup days to today's complex enterprise projects - thank you for trusting us with your digital dreams and visions.

To our team members, past and present: Whether you've been with us for months or years - thank you for making this journey extraordinary. Your creativity, dedication and friendship have made Voyage what it is today.

To our families and friends: Thank you for supporting us through the late nights, the pre-launch stress, and the occasional existential crisis about whether that button should be blue or slightly more blue. You've kept us grounded and reminded us what really matters.

Here's to the future

As we embark on our second decade, we're more excited than ever about what's ahead. We're exploring new technologies, deepening our expertise in AI and B2C solutions, and constantly seeking new ways to create value for our clients.

We raise our coffee cups to the next decade of building digital experiences that matter, solving problems that count, creating technology that makes people's lives better, and having fun along the way. The kitchen table days are behind us, but we remain committed to what brought us here: relentless exploration, uncompromising craftsmanship, and genuine care for the people we work with.

Ready to be part of the next chapter of our story? Get in touch and let's build something amazing together.