Meet the lockdown hustlers
On day one of the March lockdown, Olivia Peterson got an email telling her she had lost her job. Now she has her own marketing business, one of many new ventures launched by workers who lost jobs or changed career this year, Steven Walton and Joanne Carro
New Zealand’s economy has entered a recession, more than 55,000 people have claimed the Jobseeker benefit since March, and nearly 40 per cent of respondents to a recent financial survey said their income had fallen since lockdown.
Despite the grim nature of those figures, success stories are still being written in postlockdown New Zealand.
New companies have been springing up in past months at a stronger rate than previous years. ANZ’s Business Confidence Index, a measure of business conditions, is projected to return to pre-Covid levels this month.
Data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showed there were 22,984 new companies registered between June and September in 2020 – the highest for those four months in any of the past five years.
In Christchurch, the city’s economic development agency recently invested $400,000 in two organisations supporting startups.
And in the Manawatu¯, entries to an entrepreneur challenge were stronger than ever, according to Dave Craig, chief executive of the organisation running the event. He believed the strength was because many entrants have never had the opportunity to develop their ideas while working full-time.
Dr Gavin Clark, Dean of Enterprise at Massey University, said with jobs scarce, it was more appealing for students to create their own. He thought Covid-19 had pushed more towards that goal.
Olivia Peterson, 23, said she needed a push to get her own business started.
‘‘I needed to almost lose something in order to be like ‘oh okay, now’s my time’,’’ she said.
She lost her marketing job at a footwear and fashion company in March, but has since begun her own web design and photography business, OP Creative.
‘‘ I didn’t even think about applying for other jobs, I just decided to back myself, I guess and try this out and follow my passion.’’
She said the business came to life after a trip to a florist on Mother’s Day.
‘‘[The florist] was like ‘oh my gosh, I am desperate for a website’,’’ Peterson said, adding that most of her existing customers – including a law firm and local cafes – have come through word of mouth opportunities.
Peterson said she felt more confident after starting her business.
‘‘ I feel like I’m in a positive place at the moment, and I’m finally doing what I like, every day I wake up and I’m excited . . . I look back and also I’m grateful I was made redundant because I guess this would never have happened.
‘‘Everything reason.’’
At the start of the year, Mark Harris, 43, was an essential worker at Countdown and The Warehouse on the West Coast.
Now he’s running his own car detailing business.
It took a health scare – having two minor strokes – for him to take the leap of faith.
Born in Christchurch, Harris previously lived in Australia for happens for a 20 years, where he ran a successful car detailing business. He had to walk away from it when he moved to the West Coast 18 months ago.
During the lockdown and after the strokes, his spark for car detailing reignited.
‘‘Everybody told me that it’s not going to work. I had so much negativity to fight against, apart from Lisa and my three girls. ‘You can do it Dad. It’ll work’.’’
Reflections Auto Detailing opened at the end of July and has been ‘‘flat out’’ ever since, Harris said.
Business is doing so well he intends to employ two new staff.
‘‘It’s hard work and some cars come in and they are just disgusting but I think of the end picture. I look forward to seeing the customer’s face when they get it back. That’s what keeps me going,’’ he said.
Andy Robilliard, 45, wants to provide cost-efficient, accessible marketing for small businesses – and being made redundant because of Covid-19 has given him a ‘‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’’ to do it.
Robilliard was a producer and project manager in an advertising agency when the pandemic struck. He said that as lockdown took hold, it became more likely his role would be disestablished.
A couple of days before he was made redundant, Robilliard remembers a ‘‘strange moment’’, waking at 4am in the morning and jotting down notes on his new business model.
He said he suddenly felt completely motivated to take control of the situation. ‘‘Even though it’s a very tricky time for businesses, the opportunities are out there,’’ he said.
‘‘Having this business has allowed me to keep focused on the future and give some hope, rather than sitting around, you know, just wallowing in uncertainty.’’
Robilliard brings 20 years of industry experience to the business, named Jungle. As a creative project manager and producer, he helps assemble a team of experts to deliver on clients’ marketing needs.
Running Jungle has made him feel more determined and motivated.
‘‘ The transition I’m going through now is the realisation that you’re the only person. You have to succeed,’’ he said.
While the new business gains traction, Robilliard is working casual jobs to help ends meets, including mowing lawns, courier driving, and painting.
‘‘There’s no Plan B, you have to keep going, and you’ve got to make it work.’’
‘‘I’m finally doing what I like, every day I wake up and I’m excited.’’ Olivia Peterson, new entrepreneur