Under the Hood: Going digital for a life
After a trip to South Africa, Dave and Michelle King were inspired by slow-cooked barbecue and they decided to create Under the Hood BBQ back home in Aotearoa.
What started out as a simple barbecue appreciation Instagram page quickly became a side hustle when Dave’s friend asked if he would put on a barbecue for their housewarming.
‘‘I nodded with my head but in my heart, I’m thinking ‘I can’t cook for other people’,’’ says Dave.
Their initial hesitation was unnecessary because the food was a hit. Shortly after, they had a list of friends asking them to cater events.
Two years on, Under the Hood has expanded to become a fully immersive barbecue experience, offering event catering, workshops and masterclasses and, most recently, barbecue sauce products available for purchase nationwide.
A recent survey conducted by Xero found 97 per cent of small business owners and sole traders are passionate about the work they do. However, more than a quarter say the Covid-19 era makes them wish they didn’t own a business.
When the pandemic hit, Dave and Michelle had to adapt their offering to keep operations afloat.
They started off by selling meat packs in alert level 3, but this only emphasised how important it was to digitise their offering, including building a fully functioning website.
‘‘When we went into lockdown, our business went from hero to zero overnight. We had to reinvent ourselves,’’ says Dave.
Since then they have expanded their services to include a downloadable ‘‘BBQ cheat sheet’’, and the soon-to-bereleased ‘‘Under the Hood BBQ Club’’ – a subscription service offering informative Zoom sessions for those eager to learn about barbecuing.
These digital offerings proved themselves invaluable when the Delta outbreak hit and Aotearoa went back into lockdown.
Dave and Michelle both hold other jobs and have four kids, alongside running Under the Hood, so they have little free time. Like many small business owners, Dave found himself working long hours, often
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Xero is on a mission to help Kiwi small business owners and sole traders remember why they do what they do by providing tools to help them digitise their business and focus on their wellbeing through the ‘Why We’re In It’ hub. xero.com/whywereinit/.
18-hour days seven days a week - and losing sleep as a result.
According to the Xero survey, three in five Kiwi small business owners find admin negatively affects their wellbeing and enjoyment of work, and contributes to them working unsustainably long hours.
Dave says the time he puts into the business would be unsustainable without digital tools.
‘‘When the Under the Hood BBQ started to turn from a hobby to a business, it seemed a very big step to bring in business hubs like Xero to organise everything in the back end. But this and the other tools we introduced helped put some order in the processes and has saved us time and energy.
‘‘I’m big on systems; they just take the thought process out of it. I know it’s systemised and structured ready for me to go and pick up again tomorrow.’’
This article is published in association with Xero as part of a commercial arrangement between Stuff and Xero.