Yesterday marked six years since our website debuted as Biznewz.biz – the most suitable URL then available for my second internet publishing startup. It had been so much easier in 1997: securing moneyweb.co.za was a breeze. But patience is a virtue. And within a year we managed to buy the Biznews.com address, and our feisty, undictated brand was born.
These past six years have delivered many lessons – and no shortage of challenges either. We’ve seen off numerous attempts to hack the site – one, famously, coinciding with an angry statement from Zuma’s Presidency. And then there was London law firm Schindlers which threatened fire and brimstone on instruction from Gupta PR agency Bell Pottinger.
My love affair with financial journalism started an astonishing (for me) 40 years ago in January as a trainee at The Citizen. It taught me to roll with the punches; and that things are rarely what they first appear to be. The experience also shaped the core intention of Biznews as an agenda-free bulwark between vested interests and those upon whom they would prey.
Thank you for making our adventure possible by backing us these past six years. Biznews has developed beyond our wildest dreams. And with the continued support of the community we serve, our team promises to keep delivering uniquely independent insights into our seemingly ever-changing, warp-speed world. Enjoy the ride. We are.
