Flat broke to flat whites
He lost two jobs and almost his house amid the Covid-19 lockdown. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.
Living the high life in 2019, travelling salesman Quaid Robinson had it all.
Raking in a six-figure salary for an Australian-based trade tools business, he purchased his first home with his partner in Palmerston North and was staring down a bright future in the industry.
But as Covid-19 began sweeping the globe in early 2020, he lost his job. He was able to pick up another sales role swiftly but it evaporated just as quick.
‘‘I tried at Newworld and The Warehouse, and I just could not get any work. I just wanted minimum wage work to at least pay some of my mortgage.
‘‘I was starting to get into a really dark place because I did not know if I was going to get another job.’’
On the brink of losing his house, an old employer threw him a lifeline to man the About Thyme coffee cart in Main St in Palmerston North. The stars aligned. The owner was looking for an ‘‘out’’ from the business, and there was an opportunity for Robinson to take over, but financially it seemed out of reach.
‘‘I thought bugger this. I am not going out to get another sales rep job to get made redundant in another six months.
‘‘I am happy to put all my eggs in the basket as a business, I amnot leaving my fate to someone else.
‘‘If it is all on my own back, I have got no choice but to succeed.’’
With the help of his parents, his partner Christy Baker and her family, Robinson was able to scrape together enough money and buy the business in May 2020.
The worst year of his life had become a blessing.
‘‘We were really lucky. I loved my job [in sales] but I was in different hotels every night, it was lonely. I never got time to hang out with my partner.’’
Robinson relied heavily on Baker to support him through About Thyme’s reopening. With business now booming, he is set to hire support staff to give him a break from working seven-day weeks and to spend time with her. ‘‘If someone knocked on my door and said: [here’s] $120,000 now, do you want to be a sales rep again? It sounds stupid but you couldn’t offer me enough money.
‘‘I have got more worth here. I am home every night and I havemet some amazing people. The customers that I know really personally, I call them friends. It has become a really good destination.’’
‘‘I was starting to get into a really dark place because I did not know if I was going to get another job.’’