I'm Gabriel, the creator of BuyDinghy and YouSail.
From Search Marketing to Sailing Research
My background is marketing. I've spent more than a decade in SEO and app store optimisation, and I was one of the first people to treat ASO as its own discipline. In 2013 I launched the first ASO course on Udemy, then wrote one of the first books on the subject, ASO Bible, followed by ASO Ninja. More than 10,000 students have been through my courses.
Along the way I ran a marketing agency and worked with companies including Red Bull, Disney, EA Games, FreshBooks, PBS and Xerox. I've helped more than 500 developers and app companies get found, and spoken at conferences in London, Singapore, China and Thailand.
I also bought an ASO company, Appmind, which was later acquired by Mobile Action, where I stayed on as a consultant and ambassador.
Books Beyond Marketing
Not everything I write is about marketing. Zero Excuses is my book on how to live a beautiful life. The Lazy Bastard is a productivity guide for procrastinators.
Why I Built BuyDinghy
I have a habit: I build websites around the life I want to live. When I worked as a diving instructor, I built diving websites. Now it's sailing.
My partner Kristy and I are working towards buying a yacht, moving aboard and sailing Australia and the Pacific. Plan a life aboard and one question turns up fast: how will we get safely and reliably from the yacht to shore?
The answers were scattered across hundreds of manufacturer, distributor, dealer and sailing-club websites, plus forums and Facebook groups. So I did what I know how to do. I collected the information, organised it and put it online.
That became BuyDinghy. It sits alongside YouSail and the rest of our sailing network: Top Marinas, Sailing Schools, Sailing Courses, Sailing Clubs, Top Charters and Buy Sails.
Research Without Pretending
I'm not an expert sailor, and I haven't owned or tested every dinghy in Australia. What I'm good at is finding information and making it easier to use. The product knowledge on BuyDinghy begins with manufacturers, Australian distributors and dealers. Fleet knowledge is checked against club and class sources. Where evidence is missing or availability is unclear, the honest answer is to say so.
Moving onto a yacht is me running out of excuses.
Say Hello
I'm based in Merimbula on the NSW South Coast. If you represent a marine brand, run a sailing programme, have a correction or just want to talk boats, email me at gabriel@yousail.com.au.
You can follow the full story at YouSail.com.au.