Phil Castle, The Business Times

John Nelson was looking for a Web site platform that could meet the varied needs of the varied companies he operates — not only in building and hosting Web sites, but also handling commerce, e-mail marketing and social media sharing. What’s more, he wanted something that was affordable.

In other words, Nelson wanted a lot of features for not a lot of money.

Unable to find what he needed, the Grand Junction entrepreneur joined with two developers in launching Mozaic Technology, a firm that offers Web sites that are easy to build and maintain while also providing a range of features.

“I was my best customer,” Nelson said.

Now Mozaic Technology is up and running, offering its services to other customers for a monthly fee of $16. While the firm initially will focus on Western Colorado, Nelson hopes to take the service national, starting with a crowdfunding campaign to help gauge demand.

“I think we’ve done it,” Nelson said. “We’re at bat. We just need to hit the ball out of the park.”

Nelson has great expectations for the venture as well as what the venture can do for other businesses, especially those that haven’t yet asserted themselves on the Internet. “If you’re in business and you’re not on the Web, then you’re not in business,” he said.

Dorsey Coe and Todd Simon, the other founders of Mozaic Technology, said their Web site platform is based on WordPress, software used on more than 20 percent of Web sites. While their platform takes advantage of the strengths of WordPress, it does so without the complexities.

That makes it possible for customers to build and maintain their Web sites through what’s basically a click-and-drag process. A series of short video tutorials are available to guide them.

If customers would rather use a designer to build their Web sites, designers will find the process easy and enjoyable, Coe said.

At the same time, though, the platform also can handle a range of features, including appointment and events management, e-mail marketing, e-commerce that enables the sale of goods and services, forms, forums, fund-raising, Google maps, social-media sharing and video conferencing.

Web sites are optimized to accommodate smartphones and tablets and also include security and search engine optimization tools, Coe and Simon said.

Mozaic Technology hosts Web sites and also monitors, maintains and backs up sites as well as offers ongoing customer support, Coe and Simon said.

Coe said Mozaic Technology as well as the other companies Nelson operates all use the platform. “We use all the tools we give our clients.”

While other companies charge extra for various features and services, Mozaic offers everything for a single monthly fee. In fact, the company offers on its Web site at comparison with three competing firms with monthly fees of $25 and evens includes links to select those firms if someone chooses.

Mozaic provides other fee-based services beyond the basic plan, though, for customers who request them, including Web site design, photography, copy writing and editing, marketing and brand strategies and consulting.

Coe said the customers to whom Mozaic has pitched its services have signed up. Now it’s a matter of expanding that customer base first in Western Colorado and then nationally.

The staff at Mozaic remains comparatively small for now, but Nelson expects to hire more designers and sales representatives as the business grows. He intends to keep the operation in the Grand Valley. “We want to do it here in Grand Junction.”

Nelson said he’s launched a variety of businesses over the years when he identifies a void a new venture can fill while offering good value to customers.

That was certainly the case with Mozaic Technology, he said.’

“We created a better mousetrap out of necessity. Now I want to sell it to the world.”

For more information about Mozaic Technology and its services, visit www.mozaictech.com.