fortunegreen
Set-and-forget domain management
How fortunegreen uses OpenSRS Storefront to automate domains and reduce day-to-day admin.
About fortunegreen
fortunegreen is a boutique web design and digital services business based in the Perth Hills of Australia. Founder Penny Elbery has been building websites and supporting small businesses for more than 12 years. Today, she manages approximately 50 client sites across a range of industries, including wineries, local markets, service providers, and e-commerce businesses.
Penny runs the business primarily on her own, with support from her husband, a small business consultant with strong SEO expertise. Together, they provide website design, WordPress development, SEO, social media support, email, domains, and ongoing maintenance.
fortunegreen handles everything digital for most clients. Penny says, “My clients expect me to be able to do everything.” That includes two essential services: domains and email.
A 12-year foundation with OpenSRS
Penny’s relationship with OpenSRS dates back to the early days of her business. She originally built websites on Adobe Business Catalyst, which used OpenSRS for email services. When Adobe closed the platform, she migrated clients to WordPress—but kept their email services with OpenSRS.
“It just seemed the logical thing to do,” she explains.
Over time, she consolidated her clients’ domains and email inboxes into her own OpenSRS reseller account. Email, in particular, has been a consistent and reliable part of her service offering for more than a decade.
She manages inboxes for clients who don’t want to handle technical setup themselves and charges per mailbox.
“Email inboxes are a good revenue stream for me,” she says.
The service has proven stable and dependable. When a client recently deleted inboxes and then changed their mind, Penny was able to restore them easily.
“I’ve had no problems at all with it. It just ticks along.”
For her clients, email works. For Penny, it’s one less thing to worry about.
The challenge: manual domain renewals
While email ran smoothly in the background, domain renewals required more hands-on attention.
Before Storefront, Penny monitored renewal dates, contacted clients to confirm they wanted to renew, issued invoices, waited for payment, and then manually completed each renewal.
“It was a lot of work for me to do,” she says. “I had to make sure I didn’t let domains expire.”
For a small agency managing dozens of domains, that responsibility adds pressure. A missed renewal can mean downtime, disruption, and uncomfortable client conversations.
Penny wanted to simplify the process, without losing visibility or control.
The turning point: Storefront for .au domains
For a period of time, Storefront wasn’t available for .au domains. As soon as .au support launched, Penny transitioned her clients.
“As soon as I was able to, I just moved everyone over,” she says.
The shift replaced manual renewals with a structured, self-service experience. Clients now receive renewal notifications directly. They can enable auto-renew, add a payment method, and complete transactions themselves. Payments process through Stripe and are deposited directly into Penny’s account.
“It just automates my business and takes a lot of pressure off me,” she explains.
“[Payments] went through to Stripe, and [were] in my bank account. It’s wonderful.”
Instead of chasing invoices and tracking dates, she can rely on a system that handles renewals consistently in the background.
Supporting different types of clients
fortunegreen’s clients vary in technical confidence.
Some prefer a completely hands-off experience. They rely on Penny to manage everything and rarely log into backend systems.
“As long as they’re getting their emails and their website’s running, that’s all they care about,” she says.
Others want access and the ability to manage their own renewals or domain settings.
Storefront supports both approaches. Clients who want independence can log in and manage their domains directly. Penny retains visibility and can step in if needed.
That flexibility matters, especially compared to domains registered elsewhere. When clients use third-party providers, Penny often has to request login credentials, coordinate two-factor authentication, and wait for access just to update DNS records.
“It’s much easier if it’s all with me and I’ve got control,” she says.
Keeping domains under her management reduces friction and keeps the client relationship straightforward.
A branded, professional experience
With Storefront, the domain experience sits under the fortunegreen brand. Penny informed clients about the transition and created a knowledge-base article explaining the new process.
While many of her clients don’t regularly interact with domain settings, the branded interface reinforces that this is part of fortunegreen’s service—not a hand-off to an unfamiliar third party.
Multi-currency support also plays an important role. All of Penny’s clients operate in Australia, so transactions are handled in Australian dollars, aligning with her business operations and simplifying accounting.
Looking ahead
Now that Storefront is live, Penny plans to promote domain registrations more actively.
“I’m going to start doing posts, ‘You can buy your domain through fortunegreen now,’” she says.
Because renewals are automated, domains have become easier to manage and less time-consuming to oversee.
“It’s really quite an easy income stream—especially if I don’t have to manage it too closely.”
The takeaway: less pressure, more simplicity
For fortunegreen, domains and email aren’t headline services; they’re essentials her clients expect her to handle.
OpenSRS has supported her email offering reliably for more than 12 years. With Storefront automating domain renewals, she’s reduced administrative overhead while maintaining control and flexibility.
Domain renewals no longer require manual follow-up
Domain payments process automatically through Stripe
Clients can self-serve or rely on her as needed
Domains stay centralized under her management
For a small, hands-on agency, that operational simplicity makes a real difference.
Simplify domain management—
without complicating your business
OpenSRS Storefront helps agencies automate renewals, support client self-service, and keep domains under their own brand—so they can focus on the work that matters most.