My birthday: a day for reflection
Today is my 29th birthday. Yep, I am about to start rocking into my 30th year on this earth.. it seems like quite a milestone. Man, the time has flown!
As I take a moment to gather my thoughts before my birthday party tonight, I thought it would be nice to reflect on life over the past few years and some of the things I have done - and people I have met.
Those who have read my posts before will know that I can get a little carried away (oh you wanted 400 words? I thought you said 4000!) so I will keep this brief. Apart from not wanting to bore you with a long story, I also have catering, music, a boat cruise, and event management for a 150 person party tonight to organise!
The short story is that I was born whilst living in Featherstone (North East of Wellington), then grew up in the Hutt Valley of the Wellington region - namely Upper Hutt then Silverstream. I did normal kid stuff, like riding bikes and fixing old cars and playing cricket etc. I should have / could have been really good at a sport if I had stuck with it.. cricket and hockey and mountain biking in particular, but it was not meant to be. Newer friends of mine (ie anyone after school years) won't know this but I actually play the drums and trumpet, and used to be in bands for both instruments! I attended the National Youth Orchestra when I was in 6th form and played with a huge band in front of hundreds of people.. how about that. Mind you, 3rd trumpet is hardly the most important piece in the band ;)
I was deputy head boy of Heretaunga College which was fun. It meant I got to wear the cool badge, attend events, meet politicians, but didn't have to lead the haka or prayers before sports games like the head boy did! Phew. I hate that stuff. The way I lead is a little different (and it has evolved over the years). I am more a 'roll up my sleeves and lead from within' kind of leader, and I try to make strong relationships with people based on being firm but fair. I also give people a lot of responsibility: I believe in letting people be their best and use initiative.
I worked in the Hotel Intercontinental during my first year of university at Victoria in Wellington, studying Tourism Management. This gave me a first hand look at the lifestyle I wanted to have in my future, and also planted in me a passion for event management and customer service. The thing that inspired me the most at the hotel (I can see this exact moment in my head as I write this, as an 18year old) was some businessmen walking through the marbelled lobby of the hotel carrying satchels, and looking impeccably groomed. Nice suits, relaxed walk, air of confidence. I decided at that moment I wanted to be a guest of these hotels, not just the waiter. I wanted money, power, and to be important.
I worked some huge hours (have no idea what I spent it all on?) and also managed to get reasonable marks at uni. But truth be told I was not loving the subject of Tourism Management and wanted something else. Co-incidentally I was entered into the Cleo Bachelor Contest by a friend around this time, and was called up to enter the competition in Auckland. It was my first time to Auckland, and the event was held in the crammed Pog (Bog? I can't remember) bar on Parnell Rise. Some friends and I had driven for hours to get there, and we walked in JUST in time. One of the mistakes I made that night was to have waxxed my chest for the first time ever (home job, of course) which had turned into a nasty rash. Thankfully they didn't ask me to take my top of as I heard other auditions did around the country!
The Cleo Bachelor comp was a pretty big deal for me back then and I guess not many of you would know about it as it was so long ago... I was in magazines, interviewed by local newspapers, and was flown to Auckland and put up in a hotel for the big event. It was pretty crazy.. I had to go on stage and do these absurd tasks to try and win over the crowd (in the big event). From memory it involved giving a massage to someone from the audience, and then I had to do a model walk in my Bonds undies! I was so nervous backstage that I spilt a whole glass of water down my front (read: crutch) so they swapped out my boxer shorts for y-fronts instead... gulp.Â
Needless to say, at 110kg as I write this, you won't be seeing my in my gruts on stage anytime soon!
I completed my AUT degree in business whilst doing promotions and some commercial modelling with Clyne Management. Truthfully the experience was not amazing.. there was not a whole lot of work for me following the Cleo comp, and I got a little disheartened. But it was fun going to castings, attending agency parties, and doing the occasional shoot. I was the face of Dick Smith one month, and my claim to fame was having a speaking role in a Warehouse commercial! haha.. ah. Crazy.
I worked pretty hard at AUT and won a scholarship for excellence in advertising. On the back of this, as well as the experience I had gained interning at DDB Advertising agency in Auckland (often up to 20 hours a week, basically every minute I was not at uni) I was invited to the DDB graduate recruitment intake in Sydney. That was pretty cool, because I was one of only two grads invited from our little island. It was like the apprentice.. an extremely polished/organised process (impressive to this day actually) where we had a series of group and individual tasks and tests to see if we were smart of not. Turns out I wasn't suited to this type of role. I think the error I made was being too set on what I wanted to do. I think the university system has a little to answer for truthfully.. it sets you up  to think your first job should be as creative director or something senior in an ad agency, coming up with global initiatives and re-branding strategies from day 1, but it is not like that at all! They should teach you to just 'get your foot in the door' and take any job you can get! Make coffees and do the photocopying for a year if you have to. Anyway.. I didn't get selected, but it was clearly for a reason!
Sydney was amazing, I ended up working for a leading promotions agency and fell into this incredible job managing promotions all around NSW and Australia for brands like Nokia and Smirnoff. Pretty awesome for a 21 year old, and I had so much fun- whilst working like a slave. I was also sharing a room (read: room, not flat..) with one of my mates from NZ! Poor Phil, I don't think he ever wanted to see me again after a year of my snoring..
I learnt so much in Oz that I was able to come home and start SublimeNZ, alone, at my parents house in Kapiti. I owe them a lot, because they put up with my crazy hours, constant use of their office and computer and car, and probably constant requests for cash. I basically started the office working from their car (a 1990 Nissan Bluebird!) and worked on brands like StudentCard and Coyote Bar in Wellington to kick start the company. The timing was good in 2006; clients wanted a fresh approach to marketing and I had really great staff - hand picked and trained. In fact, it was often me doing the promotions back then too!
Fast forward 8 years (because you may have already read the story of me starting Sublime) and I have just sold the business to a global advertising agency. This has been an emotional roller coaster. On the one hand, I feel vindicated that the business I have started was attractive enough (in offering and clients and revenue) to be purchased by a global advertising agency - proving that what I have been doing all these years was worth while. On the other hand, there is a small gnawing feeling that I have sold my baby.. and there is no going back. I presume this must be a feeling that other business owners have when they sell up? You suddenly go from being in complete control, to having to do things someone elses way..
I think the good outweighs the bad, significantly.
My new role as GM-Experiential for PPR is incredible and I am working with some great people: I get to do what I have been doing the past 7 years, but for am much larger company with huge global resources, and I get to realise my dream of taking Sublime into Australia. Even though I don't own it all any more, I have access to staff and clients and knowledge that I would never previously have had. I am encouraged to be entrepreneurial and to shake things up, so really my job hasn't changed (I am just getting paid properly for it!!)
Not being responsible for bills, taxes, and wages is pretty awesome too.. Just like hakas, these are my least favourite things.
The future is bright. I am really enjoying my new job and co-workers, and can't wait for phase-two of Sublime, which is taking it around Australia. First and foremost though I am excited about tonights party I am throwing which includes cruising around the harbour (in a weather bomb I am told, awesome) then partying with 150 friends at Orams Marine convention centre, an awesome space directly next to my new office (the reason I chose it).
The people who matter most in my life are of course family and friends. I am lucky to have a supportive family (Mum and Dad are together which is rare these days!) and my brother and sister have been there from the start. Both Howard and Linda have done promotions for me (sometimes against their will) and helped with things like housing staff I have flown to Wellington from Auckland, storing pallet-loads of gear, and dealing with me missing family events or generally being distracted and stressed the last few years. They are the best family anyone could ask for.
My friends are awesome. I have a really strong network of friends, all of whom know who they are and what they mean to be (I hope) so I won't list them here.. but they are special. My legal and accounting team have really helped me grow and shape the business, then sell it. Of course my staff (both full timers, and the hundreds of promotional staff I have) are also my second family, and are the ones who have helped realise my dreams. I really owe them the most, as without someone 'doing the doing' I would not have much of a business!
Thanks for reading my little reflection on life today. I guess next year (30) is the big one.. maybe I should write my memoirs then?! Would anyone read them? I don't know..
Have an awesome November 3rd. I know I will be! Thanks for being interested enough to read this far down.
