Timely Network’s Success Story During the Pandemic

We talked to Gerson Vanzin of Timely Network about the event management software, and he had the following to say :

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?

Gerson Vanzin: During this abnormal time, we are doing okay and trying to be safe and healthy. Managing the little ones, home school, work, and physical activity can be challenging in a remote work environment. After one year, we realized how difficult the pandemic has been for everyone. At the same time, we need to be calm and centered on managing the company and maintaining the employees motivated, healthy, and focused on the business. 

Tell us about you, your career, how you joined Timely Network. 

Gerson Vanzin: I am an entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience. I joined Timely 7 years ago as an investor and Board Member and have been the company’s CEO for the past 3 years. My goal is to make Timely the best event management software in the market and reach new clients worldwide. 

How does Timely Network innovate?

Gerson Vanzin: Timely is part of the event technology industry. We started in 2012 as a WordPress plugin and moved to SaaS in 2015. We are on the 2nd generation of our application and are constantly innovating our software. Timely allows customers to create, promote, manage and monetize events through our technology. We serve clients in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. 

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?

Gerson Vanzin: Certainly, the pandemic has affected our business as most physical events have been cancelled worldwide. At the same time, people had a bigger need for our software solution to plan virtual events and improve workplace productivity by automating the creation and the management of events. Therefore, Timely increased in revenue by 40% in 2020.

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

Gerson Vanzin: As a start-up, we always have challenges, and the pandemic has just emphasized how quickly we need to make decisions. We understand the importance of investing our marketing and sales efforts in areas that are rapidly recovering from the pandemic. We have learnt to believe in our mission, continue to invest, and work hard to reach the goals set for the company.

What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to navigate this crisis?

Gerson Vanzin: In terms of management skills, we have adopted a risk management perspective in order to mitigate risk and losses. To elaborate and amplify our business decision-making, we rely on tools such as Analytics, Trello, Slack, etc.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

Gerson Vanzin: From large corporations to start-ups, Timely’s competitors are plenty. However, I always say to my team – “To succeed we should not look to our sides; we need to look forward, meet customer needs, and improve customer satisfaction.” 

Your final thoughts?

Gerson Vanzin: I hope this pandemic is over soon. With our largest market in the USA, I see significant improvements with vaccination. In Australia and New Zealand, daily life seems fairly normal. Other markets are not doing so well yet. Events are important for our mental and physical health; I hope people everywhere can return to normal life soon.

Your website?

https://time.ly/