Aaron Pero
Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication: Aaron Pero’s Journey
Born in Christchurch but spent part of his schooling in Wellington, Aaron’s life has always followed its own rules. His cheeky sense of humour, disdain for bureaucracy, and passion for simplicity were evident from an early age, as he quickly grew frustrated with an educational system, he found overly rigid and bureaucratic. Although he admits he was sometimes lax with deadlines (even failing one assignment, though his teacher noted that had it been on time it would have earned him an ‘A’), this rebellion against bureaucracy has always been part of his charm.
Aaron’s journey began at his mother’s accounting job at a tech firm, where he would often tag along. The friendly staff allowed him to play on the office computer, sparking his early fascination with tinkering and even attempting to hack the system.
He recalls his first “job” at age nine, delivering advertising brochures collected from the local library, even though no one paid him. This early experience hinted at his future passion for marketing. His first paid job came when he delivered newspapers for the Wellington Evening Post, earning $20 per week. Realising that more rounds meant more money, he took on three rounds for $60 a week. However, when visiting his dad in Christchurch, his mom had to step in and do the deliveries. What a mum! By the time he reached 11 years old he had amassed around $1000 so he bought his own computer, and the computer decoding experimentation continued, often causing technical issues that saw his mother having to call in the company’s tech team, until, eventually, he learned to resolve these self-inflicted technical problems himself.
He next merged his passion for marketing with his love of computers and started developing websites. At age 13, he built his first business website for his dad’s company, Mike Pero Mortgages, followed by a website for property magnate Dolf de Roos when he was 14. After creating dozens of websites and wanting to build his own brand, he launched his first creative agency, Kiss Digital in 2009. Although he said some thought the name sounded a bit risqué but it was around Aaron’s mantra “Keep it Smart & Simple.”
His office was in Bonington House on High Street in 2009 and his now-wife, Sophie, joined the agency and contributed her talents to the business as a creative writer. They started dating in 2010 and now have two young children together.
Sometime later, while catching up with his friend Andrew Bell, a law graduate who was helping friends navigate a bureaucratic divorce process, the two decided to combine their expertise. Aaron’s creative digital skills and drive for simplicity, paired with Andrew’s legal know-how, led to the pair launching an online company called DivorceMe. The cheeky name reflected the idea that people were often deterred from separation by lengthy legal procedures and high costs. As a publicity stunt, they launched the website on Valentine’s Day, generating a viral response with 150,000 hits within hours, though it also attracted scrutiny from a conservative Christian lobby group.
While at Kiss Digital, Aaron played a key role in launching his father’s business, Mike Pero Real Estate, including building its website. As the company expanded nationwide over four years, it became Aaron’s biggest client. Eventually, he joined full-time as a Marketing & IT Manager. During that time, he built their real estate website, later rated the most user-friendly according to AC Nielsen’s statistics, outperforming all major real estate brands. He also developed tools and systems for agents, adopted social media marketing early on, and even built a system to trace advertising effectiveness. His data showed that every $11 spent returned $1,000 in commission income, making it clear how to scale spending effectively. However, a difference in marketing opinions eventually led him to resign and bring Kiss Digital out of hibernation in 2016.
In the following years, Aaron supported various developers and real estate agencies in both the commercial and residential sectors with their marketing efforts. To deepen his understanding of the industry, he even completed his Real Estate License. On New Year’s Eve 2017, he met his friend Hamish McLeod, principal of the Halswell branch of Harcourts, and was convinced to enter real estate sales by joining the Halswell team. Aaron credits Hamish for mentoring him, and it was here that he had the opportunity to market and sell the Spire apartments on Kilmore Street. However, he found himself spread too thin, selling from Selwyn to Sumner and decided to return to his core philosophy of keeping things simple.
This realisation led him to start his own real estate company. With a growing family, Aaron didn’t want to overextend himself. He founded Vivacity, located at 79 Gloucester Street, a name that reflects his desire for a vibrant identity. Explaining the choice, he said, “It had to have ‘City’ in the name, and I didn’t want to call it Central City Real Estate. Viva’ conveys energy and celebration—long life’—while ‘Vivacity’ captures the state of being lively, vibrant, and vivacious. Since opening the agency, Vivacity has earned the 2024 RateMyAgent Award for both Christchurch Central City Agent and Agency. Aaron attributes this success to his focus on one area and a deep understanding of it. He noted that the award is based on performance rather than turnover, likening it to McDonald’s Big Mac winning on turnover, while a niche player like Shaka Brothers’ ‘Andy’s Mum Burger’ wins over the palate of the people.
Aaron’s journey is a testament to the power of simplicity and focus, inspiring us all to innovate while staying true to our core values.
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