An Iowa pastor’s $3.99 video tool could help Main Street firms cut meeting costs in half.
In Des Moines, Iowa, pastor‑turned‑ virtual conferencing producer Dwight Reed hit a breaking point. “We were just having so many issues with video conferencing tools — the customers didn’t like it, features they wanted weren’t there,” he said. With live events stuck online during the pandemic, Reed needed a cleaner way to host large virtual conferences. Instead of waiting for a patch, he hired a local developer, moved servers into a renovated family building, and launched AON Meetings. The goal? A browser‑only platform built for speed, stability, and affordability.
Simple Pricing For Less than a Latte
Big video brands pile on features most owners never touch, then pass the extra cost to customers. AON flips that script. Every license includes video calls, webinars, breakout rooms, captions, and cloud storage — no add‑on fees, no surprise bills. The starter plan costs $3.99 a month, about the price of one latte. Reed calls it the “Coffee Challenge.”
“For the price of a cup of coffee, a company can buy a license and have 25 people on a call,” he said. The offer undercuts heavyweights by 40–50%, freeing cash for marketing, hiring, or new gear, whatever a small team needs most.
Feature Set Without the Bloat
AON keeps its interface tight on purpose. Click a link, grant camera access, and you’re live. No downloads, no updates, no waiting for hosts. Need a webinar? It’s built in. Switching from a meeting to a webinar takes two clicks, not a new subscription tier. Closed captions, virtual breakout rooms, and unlimited recordings all ride on the same $3.99 plan. That focus on must‑have tools matches how real small businesses work: quick calls, clear audio, and easy sharing when the meeting ends.
Security and Trust Up Front
Software costs less when corners get cut on safety, but Reed refused that trade‑off. AON Meetings runs end‑to‑end encryption, posts a daily‑updated HIPAA badge, and pledges never to feed customer data to train AI models. “We are not allowing AI to train its models from any of our meetings like Zoom is doing,” Reed told us. Doctors, lawyers, and schools can meet without worrying that private files will leak or show up in someone else’s dataset.
Faith‑Driven, Service‑Focused
The name AON stands for Apostolic Oneness Network a christian satellite broadcasting network Reed’s father Bishop Jeremiah Reed founded, a nod to Reed’s church roots. Yet the company markets to every sector. “Any business trying to save money in an inflationary environment, those are my ideal customers,” he said. Reed’s eight‑person team, all members of his congregation, share a service mindset that shapes product decisions. If a feature doesn’t save customers time or money, it doesn’t ship.
Real‑World Results Around the Globe
Word‑of‑mouth carried AON farther than paid ads ever could. Today about 1,200 users run meetings through the platform in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Africa. The largest client, an online K‑12 school, connects roughly 800 students a day without wrestling with downloads. Another user streamed an Aboriginal tribal gathering to viewers on three continents. The event proved that the meeting service can handle rich cultural events as easily as staff stand‑ups.
How Small Firms Save
Consider a five‑person design agency paying $15 per seat on a mainstream video plan. Moving to AON drops monthly spend from $75 to $19.95, an annual saving of more than $650. Add built‑in storage and webinars, and the gap widens. Those gains can fund a new contractor, upgraded microphones, or ad space that brings in fresh leads. When every dollar matters, the math speaks louder than any demo.
Market Trends Favor Lean Tools
Industry analysts say small businesses will spend over $2 billion on video software in 2026. Yet more than half complain about unused features and rising fees. As budgets tighten, owners are swapping “all‑you‑can‑eat” suites for laser‑focused tools that do one job well. Browser‑based apps, in particular, are climbing because they dodge IT headaches and work on old hardware, a huge win for cash‑strapped teams. AON sits squarely in that sweet spot: lean code, low cost, strong safety.
Take the Coffee Challenge
If your company is searching for the best webinar platforms for small business, AON Meetings deserves a test drive. Trade one latte, sign up for a month, and see if the simpler setup meets your needs. With a 99.9% uptime record and no hidden fees, the risk is small, and the savings could be immediate.
Greg Grzesiak is an Entrepreneur-In-Residence and Columnist at Grit Daily. As CEO of Grzesiak Growth LLC, Greg dedicates his time to helping CEOs influencers and entrepreneurs make the appearances that will grow their following in their reach globally. Over the years he has built strong partnerships with high profile educators and influencers in Youtube and traditional finance space. Greg is a University of Florida graduate with years of experience in marketing and journalism.
