Creating the Best Work Culture in NZ (Ryan O'Hara)

In this episode, Ryan O'Hara shares insights from his decade-long journey building Voyage, a digital studio in Christchurch. He discusses the evolution from solo freelancer to managing a team across multiple locations, highlighting the challenges of maintaining culture across remote offices.

The conversation explores Voyage's success as a certified great place to work, with Ryan emphasising the importance of creating an environment where people genuinely want to come to work. Their nine-day fortnight policy has been particularly successful, receiving positive feedback from both staff and clients.

Ryan outlines his plans to gradually step back from day-to-day operations, having brought in a general manager to help transition the business. He's exploring opportunities to develop B2B products, drawing on lessons learned from previous startup ventures where marketplace models proved challenging.

The discussion touches on emerging technologies, particularly AI's impact on business. Ryan sees significant potential in AI tools for productivity and automation, though he believes adoption should be measured and practical.

Throughout the episode, Ryan reinforces the importance of maintaining work-life balance, both for himself and his team. His approach to business growth has been intentionally gradual, focusing on building sustainable practices rather than rapid scaling.