I’m no workaholic, says non-stop Buttabean
WHILE you might consider Dave Letele work-addicted, with his one free afternoon a week, he vows he is not – before then admitting it is possible he’s addicted to lending a helping hand to those in need.
‘‘My business model is not a model I would recommend. I’ve got three gyms, a community kitchen, a food bank, a social supermarket and not one paying customer, so you need to do a lot of work to keep that going. I wouldn’t call it addiction. I’ve got a massive weight on my shoulders where I think, jeez, if I stopped there’ll be a lot of people that will go hungry. I’m addicted to helping people. Our mission and our purpose is to help as many people as possible.’’
Letele, 43, aka the Brown
Buttabean, is a retired boxer, motivational speaker, creator of a fitness gym with no equipment, provider of free meals for the homeless and foodbank owner.
BBM Motivation was set up in 2014 in Auckland to chase health, fitness and motivational goals. It runs programs to help people lose weight in a healthy sustainable way. Once
210kg, Letele now weighs less than half of that.
BBM Social Supermarket focuses on dignity in choice, allowing people experiencing food insecurity to select what they need, rather than pre-filled food parcels.
When we first speak, Letele is driving to Tokoroa from Auckland. When we speak a second time, the destination is Rotorua. It’s taking a toll on him, and his family. He has a plan to escape his
present life, which allows him free time from 2pm Sunday each week. It will take three years before he’s there.
‘‘Where does this end? It never f…... ends, unfortunately. I feel exhausted most of the time – now I’ve got to go to Tokoroa, I’ve got to train someone down there. This guy weighs close to 400 kilos, and he’s going to die if I don’t. I guess that’s an addiction. Like I just decided I’ve got to go. My wife wasn’t too happy. The people who miss out are your family, you try to strike that balance.’’
His ‘‘balance’’ is to ensure he does paid work on top of his charity work.
His radio show is switched from
Sunday to Friday, so that will help free up the weekend.
Letele is all too well aware of the stereotype that those with brown faces, lack a work ethic. He doesn’t bristle, he simply totally rejects that view, painting it as part of why he is who he is.
‘‘Polynesians are the best workers, some of the best workers. You go and look at a lot of these jobs that require hard work, labour-intensive jobs, it’ll be a Pasifika workforce.
‘‘My father [and] my grandfather have always been very, very hard workers. It’s something that I’m proud of, to be a hard worker.
‘‘People will always judge, especially when you’re brown. When I talk to youth about choice, in this world it’s not an even starting point, right? So even if it’s me against someone else, say European … they take three steps, we have to take six to get to that same position.
‘‘But who cares? That’s the world, so you have to make sure that you’re willing to put in those six steps.
‘‘On every one of our courses, all of our classes, I say it’s all about mindset … ‘There will always be people who are stronger and faster than you, but don’t let anyone outwork you’.
‘‘Go into any situation and know that you’ll work harder than anyone else, that’s a mindset’’
To earn money and put food on the table Letele makes speeches, and has an online fitness programme aimed at helping his family. Of course that means more work, he accepts.
‘‘If you want to be successful, a lot of times you can’t be home at 5pm, it’s not nine-to-five,’’ Letele says. ‘‘I’m trying to do stuff to help others, as well as build a legacy for my family, and provide for my family. So my family is my why, that’s my why, and I don’t hardly see them. I’m trying to reprioritise what I’m up to.’’
On a typical day, he rises at 6.30am. He tries to help with the kids, fit in a training session, then it’s meetings and work until dusk, or later. Married to ‘‘his anchor’’ Koreen, he has a 21-year-old at university, and children aged 16, 13 and 4.
‘‘I feel like I’m trying to make time for my family. People say to me ‘Oh, you shouldn’t have to try to make time for your family’, you say ‘well, unfortunately people like me do’.’’
Letele says he is getting better at delegating. Warehouse founder Sir Stephen Tindall funded him to employ a customer liaison officer, out of concern Letele was overstretched.
When Letele spoke to the Hynds conference, John and Leonie Hynds indicated they wanted to support his cause. Hynds Pipe Systems has more than 700 employees, and operations across New Zealand and Australia.
One problem psychologists outline around work addiction, is that work becomes too much of what individuals feel they are. If their job goes, there is a risk their self-esteem, their reason for being, is carried away too.
Asked if it would destroy him should his work fall over, Letele is adamant.
‘‘I don’t look at what I do as a job.
I’m helping people. I’m just trying to get to a point where we can be sustainable, where I can step back more, where it can run without me, that’s the ultimate goal. Then my family can be there, it’s constantly on my mind.’’