Business of the Year – McDonalds Rotorua

McDonald’s Rotorua – winner of the Westpac Business of the Year Award and winner of the Daily Post / Thermal Air Hospitality and Attractions Award

The fantastic and hard-working team from McDonald’s Rotorua were absolutely delighted to be named Supreme Winner at this year’s Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards. They were also named Category Winners in the Daily Post / ThermalAir Hospitality and Attractions Award.

For the last three years, the team has entered the Awards and been nominated finalists in both the Daily Post/ThermalAir Hospitality and Attractions and the Rotorua Trust Social Responsibility Awards.

Last year, they won the Rotorua Trust Social Responsibility Award which was recognition of a very busy year supporting a huge number of local community projects.

Rob and Linley decided to enter the Awards again this year as they felt they had even more great news to share. The list of achievements this year included:

• Opening the new restaurant in Te Ngae which meant that they employed 50 new staff.

• The training and preparations of over 50 of their managers to attend Management Development courses.

• The recycling initiative in Te Ngae Road which will be the first McDonald’s in Australasia to have in-store recycling.

• The fact that McDonald’s Rotorua funds the operating costs of the Ronald McDonald Family Retreat. This is a combination of monthly donations by Rob and Linley and weekly donations from a number of their staff in each of the restaurants.

• The fact that they have contributed over $100,000 to local sports and cultural groups every year for the past six years.

• They were lucky enough to receive the coveted Golden Arch award which is the highest award that any McDonald’s franchisee can receive.

• Rob was the first McDonald’s franchisee in the world to participate in a McDonald’s Strategic Planning meeting. This saw him sit shoulder to shoulder with senior management and strategise the direction for McDonald’s Restaurants throughout the Asia/Pacific/Middle East and Africa area of the world.

They presented a very thorough written submission. Once they were named Finalists they then spent quite a bit of time working on weaknesses from last year’s presentation. Rob said “We are excellent hamburger makers but had lacked the pizzazz to make an impression with our previous finalist presentations”. To improve on this, the team held a brainstorming session with 10 of their more animated, theatrical staff in an effort to come up with a clear way of getting the message across to the judging panel in a fun and thought-provoking way.

The presentation was based on This Is Your Life, McDonald’s Rotorua which saw staff dressing up as a character to demonstrate a certain aspect of what makes the business special.

In fairness, the entire Business Awards process is time consuming but without a doubt it helps your business in a number of ways. It makes you critically assess all of your processes and strategies and why you do what you do. This is especially important if you are in a franchised situation where, if you are not careful, all you do is follow a prescriptive approach to reach the desired outcome. What has worked really well for McDonald’s Rotorua is the ability to work within the framework but add their personality and priorities to the business and make the overall franchise stronger.

The Business Awards and the whole application process were very beneficial, especially this year. The Parrys have had a very successful few years, but often the Awards that they receive are not given out in Rotorua. This made it extra special - having some of the key staff present to be part of the public pat-on-the-back. After all, without their dedication and hard work, the planning and ideas generated by Rob, Linley, Aaron and the Management Teams would not happen.

$10 million in revenue - but it’s not just about the money

Christa George

Director Support Services

Waiariki Institute of Technology

You might know that Export Education is New Zealand’s fourth largest export revenue generator. But did you know that, per capita, Waiariki Institute of Technology is one of the top performing Institutes for international student recruitment?

There are wider economic and social benefits of having international students study at Waiariki. It brings in over $5 million in student tuition fees annually which are then invested back into the Waiariki rohe. I estimate that at least a further $5 million is going into the economy from students paying for home stay, hostel and rental accommodation; purchasing food, buying cars, clothes and so on. They have visitors who come to see them and hey presto, they are into spending more on travel and tourism.

What is often overlooked is that the benefit of having international students in our community is broader than the monetary gains. We need New Zealand students who are equipped to thrive in our inter-connected world. Working alongside international students brings understanding in cultural diversity. It develops global knowledge and exposes them to international experiences. We need more New Zealanders who can work globally and create opportunities for business and social connections for us into the future.

It’s a two way exchange, of course. We want international students to enjoy their time here and succeed at all levels. It’s our aim, therefore, to make them feel part of our community. New Zealand employers can benefit from their talents during and after their study, especially where there are long-term skills shortages. Most importantly, we want our international students to become ongoing advocates for New Zealand, so that whether they stay here or return to their native countries, we can all benefit from strong, ongoing relationships.

One of the many ways Waiariki is creating opportunities for this exchange of culture is through “buddying”, one-on-one, each international student with a domestic student. Students meet at times convenient to themselves and the agenda can be anything that they choose. Increasingly we find that international students want to know about the Kiwi way of doing things so that they feel more integrated into our way of life. Their priority is to succeed in their study and they want to practice their language skills with an English speaker or get some help with assignments. In return, New Zealand students learn about the family lives of international students and the cities and countries they come from, together with the knowledge and technologies that they can share. They learn from each other’s differences. Our hope is that some great friendships will develop so that in years to come, business or social interaction continues through these early contacts made at Waiariki.

Waiariki’s Council set policy that the Institute is capped at 15% international students. Currently 10% of Waiariki’s students are international. Students mainly come from China and India but Waiariki is actively working in other markets such as Japan, Korea and South America. At the end of the day, this investment can only ensure that New Zealand’s international relationships are further strengthened.

Lockwood Manufacturing and
Trade Business Award

Kop-Coat NZ

Kop-Coat New Zealand Ltd
– winner of the Lockwood Manufacturing and Trade Award

Since being named as one of Rotorua’s top businesses at this year’s Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards, Kop-Coat New Zealand General Manager, Cameron Scott, has hardly had a chance to pause and bask in the accolade.

He has been kept busy with a string of activities that support the forestry industry, for which Kop-Coat NZ is a leading provider of a range of innovative wood protection products.

Cameron has been in Wellington engaging with the sector and playing an active part in activities that promote wood and aim to bring unity and growth to the industry. Forestry is already New Zealand’s third biggest export industry, generating almost $4 billion in revenues during the year to June.

October has been an important month for the industry. Cameron was one of the key industry players who gathered in Wellington for a string of events during the month. Mr Scott attended the NZ Wood Timber Design Awards announced at a function at Te Papa in Wellington on October 11. Kop-Coat NZ was one of the awards’ sponsors.

The following day Mr Scott took part in the 2010 ForestWood conference, the first joint conference of the almost $4 billion industry, The industry’s players - growers, processors, manufacturers and contractors – joined forces to host the conference together for the first time. The conference was opened by Prime Minister John Key.

Kop-Coat NZ’s roots, however, lie firmly in Rotorua, where it began in 1998. Cameron, a trained engineer, has been with the company from the start. Before that he was with building timber treatment plants in both New Zealand and Australia.

The company began humbly, with no customers and no capital. Kop-Coat NZ’s parent company is United States-based, Kop Coat Inc, a subsidiary of Fortune 500 company, RPM Inc with revenues of $9 billion last year.

Realising that the fledgling New Zealand company would need to do something different to build the company for long-term growth; Cameron decided to incorporate innovation as a core part of its operations. He developed the company’s highly successful i2v (innovation to value) programme.

This philosophy has led to the Kiwi company developing its own products rather than just acting as a distributor for its international parent company. Today Kop-Coat NZ is New Zealand’s leading timber preservative suppler. The company has three global patents, two international treatment programmes and one of the best capital adjusted net earnings ratios within the RPM family of companies.

Kop-Coat NZ’s innovations have revolutionised the process of preserving timber worldwide. In particular, the company’s breakthrough eco-friendly treatment technology, Tru-Core, has made it possible for manufacturers of timber weatherboards and framing to eliminate harmful VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) from the timber treatment process.

With the launch of Tru-Core four years ago, the company introduced the first water-based solution into the timber treatment industry that offered the same level of protection as traditional solvent-based products. The new Tru-Core treatment machines have also slashed timber-treatment costs for timber manufacturers that are passed on to home-owners.

Unison Service Provider
Business Award

Salon St Bruno

Salon St Bruno
– winner of the Unison The Powerlines People Service Provider
Business Award

We would like to acknowledge our clients that talked us into going into the Westpac Business Awards this year. Some of those clients had been successful with their own businesses in previous years’ Awards and said that we must give it a go. So in true Kiwi spirit we said: “You need to be in to win” - and we did!

The entry form made me scrutinise the business from both inside and out. Knowing that the judges would be looking over everything with a fine tooth comb was quite daunting. But like any business owner we don’t want our business to be just average; we want it to be the best. Entering the Awards certainly helped me realise we are on the right track.

It was an interesting exercise to see how well we ran our Salon. I felt we definitely had the right mixture of good team spirit, professionalism and most importantly excellent customer service. The questions really made us look in depth at all aspects of how we operated. I did seek a little friendly help to answers the questions as I felt my passion and hands-on approach would not be conveyed into words clearly enough for the judges to get a good feel for my business.

The team at St Bruno enjoyed the entire process, from completing the initial entry form to then being told we were in the finals. I found out first that we had made the finals so decided to announce it the next day at an all-staff meeting. They nearly brought the roof down with cheers and yahoos. It was great to see how excited they all were.

We rode cloud nine as a team for many, many days. Before the judges came to visit the salon, I was very nervous. I thought they might criticise some of my business process, but quite the contrary. They helped me so much and were very good at prompting me to tell them more. They also gave me some helpful tips.

We had the most fun with the next stage: preparing a 30 minute presentation. This became a true team building exercise - a winner in our eyes. We had so much laughter and genuine pleasure, working with one another to tell the story of our business success. The presentation was nerve-racking: none of us had spoken to a group of people before. Once again, the team of judges left us very relaxed within the first few minutes. I must say the 30 minutes went fast!

Then we had the big wait till the Awards evening. It was lovely to get dressed up for a Gala night; many of my girls had never attended an event like this before. They were all very quiet that evening - not their usual selves - in awe of the whole night! We all sat at our table wondering how we would react when the decision was released; we were so nervous and apprehensive. But hey it was worth every stressful moment once we heard the name of Salon St Bruno as the winner of the Service Provider Award.

The feedback from the judges has been appreciated and valued. All their suggestions and ideas have been implemented or are a work in progress. Thank you for your support!

It has been fantastic to be part of this event. The ongoing feedback and excitement from our clients have been amazing. It is as if they have taken the journey of the event with us. We are extremely proud as hairstylists to be noticed for our achievements. We all hope we can ride on this cloud for a very, very long time.

Newstalk ZB Community Organisation
Business Award

Keswick Christian Camp

Keswick Christian Camp
- winner of the Newstalk ZB Community Organisation Business Award

Keswick Christian Camp entered the Business Awards mainly as a vehicle for us to have a fresh look at our business: how we did things and why. If it wasn’t for the Award process, we would never have been so thorough in analysing all the aspects of our business as we did.

To have someone else look at our business policies, procedures and practises gave us feedback was invaluable. As a non-profit organisation we could never have afforded to pay for such professionalism. Through completing the process and applying the advice from the judges last year we have had a substantial increase in sales growth. Our occupancy rate has increased and our staff are firing at a level never seen before. More importantly, our staff feel part of the business success and are more aware of the finer details that make the business tick. We learnt so much about ourselves that we would recommend everyone to do it.

The finals night at the Energy Events Centre is always special. The atmosphere, the room always themed amazingly and the hubbub of people provides its own energy. The anticipation when the MC announces you as a finalist, then to hear your name called out as a winner of your category is amazing. For us it was surreal. We were all quite numb, really, and I personally had to be prodded by my wife to stand up - such was the shock.

I have to salute every finalist because we know what it took for you to be there. As was said on the night, you are all winners.

Finally we would like to honour and thank both the Chamber of Commerce and the sponsors for providing such a valuable event for Rotorua. Without doubt this event benefits every business that enters. In turn it benefits Rotorua through better business, increased opportunities, and a positivity that permeates throughout the business community. Thank you Chamber, thank you sponsors and thank you judges.

Waiariki Institute of Technology Apprentice of the Year Award

Sam Baylosis

Patchell Stainless Ltd

Sam Baylosis of
Patchell Stainless Limited
– winner of the Waiariki Institute of Technology Apprentice of the Year Award

Patchell Stainless Limited are very proud of their apprentice Sam Baylosis and were not surprised that he won the Apprentice of the Year Award 2010. Sam is well-deserving of the accolades and prestige that he earned by attaining this Award. Recognition for his excellent work ethic and commitment to his apprenticeship is a commendable tribute and proud achievement for Sam that is also shared with his wife and children who are very supportive in his goal of becoming a fully qualified tradesman.

Sam came to Patchell Stainless after completion of a trade course at Waiariki Institute of Technology. His work with Patchell Stainless comprises of small jobs to large projects such as manufacturing truck and trailer dairy tankers. He brings a great attitude to the workforce. His foreman, Parris Jensen, says he gives any job one hundred percent. Like all the team at Patchell Stainless, Sam makes every effort to maintain a very high calibre of quality in all he undertakes and is also a willing mentor to his fellow apprentices and new employees. Workmates would describe Sam as a very humble and go-getter type of guy. Once he has decided on a goal he will go all-out to achieve it. Parris says Sam is a rare find these days and demonstrating an extraordinary attitude to his work. “He is the exception to the rule. Sam is always asking questions about why and how things are done.” He has a genuine thirst and appreciation for knowledge. Patchell Stainless believes that Sam will become an excellent leader within the company as he has vision, integrity and great communication skills.

Patchell Stainless employs a team of 18 who strive to maintain a very high standard of quality in stainless steel fabrication. The business is based in large, functional, well laid out facilities in Riri Street where skilled technicians manufacture stainless steel and aluminium bulk fluid tankers, stainless steel benches, general stainless, alloy and black steel jobbing work.

The locally owned and operated Patchell Stainless has a well-established name throughout the country. Company director, Colin Patchell attributes this to quality of workmanship and the building of long-term relationships with clients. “We build better gear and we build what our clients want.”

Sam’s first profession was being doctor in the Philippines. Motivated by a desire to provide a better lifestyle for his family, Sam moved to New Zealand with his wife and children. Sam decided it would be easier to retrain in a new career, a decision he can take great pride in.

NZCU Rotorua

Employee of the

Year Award

Jo Edmonds

Career Network

Jo Edmonds of Career NetWork
– winner of the NZCU Employee of the Year Award

Career NetWork, a private tertiary educational provider, has been celebrating a very successful past 12 months, with the most recent success being one of our tutors, Jo Edmonds, winning the NZCU Employee of the Year Award. Late last year, we won an Industry Training Award for Excellence in Training, while just recently we received the highest possible commendation from NZQA for the quality of our educational performance as a tertiary training establishment.

Every year, our staff - like Jo Edmonds - demonstrate a commitment to training both young and not so young that is a reflection of the overall ethos of the business. That ethos is well articulated in the name – Career NetWork. We focus on career development as opposed to just training or education, while the second word in our name reflects the strong linkages that we forge in the community to deliver relevant and meaningful training. Not only do we focus on the career development of our students, but also on our staff.

Career NetWork provides a range of training options that reflect the needs of the local tourism and hospitality industry. These include food safety training, Licence Controller Qualification (LCQ), workplace literacy and numeracy programmes, OSH training, barista and customer service. A distinguishing feature of these programmes is that they can be scheduled to meet the needs of the company. We are also offering a general liquor service course aimed at general staff who serve liquor and would benefit from knowledge of related laws.

Rotorua as a district needs more tertiary level training opportunities that could lead to higher levels of employment, and subsequent incomes for our citizens. Private sector tertiary organisations deliver impressive results and provide a strong option to the public sector polytechnics. Unlike the public sector, if we don’t deliver strong outcomes, we don’t attract funding.

Career NetWork also provides a programme for youth that guides them through the transition from school to employment. Although youth unemployment is currently at decade-high levels, high numbers of youth who have completed a programme at Career NetWork are gaining success towards completion of NCEA and industry qualifications leading to employment. This is not an alternative educational programme - we view it as educational basics – providing clear direction and expectations, delivering quality training in real world situations in an environment that is conducive to learning. We pick up many young people who have not experienced success at school, and re-ignite their interest in learning.

Many young people, in particular, need to understand the end goal before engaging successfully in learning. Upon enrolment in our courses, we conduct a full professional career assessment that provides direction and focus for the subsequent training. We are acutely aware of the wastage of both taxpayer and personal funds by students that fail to compete a course or qualification - among the world’s highest failure rates! By contrast, every year Career NetWork succeeds in placing between 85 and 90% of its students into employment following their training, or onto higher levels of learning.

Red Stag Business

Person of the Year

Warren Harford

Agrodome

Warren Harford
- Winner of the
Red Stag Business Person
of the Year Award

This year’s winner of the Red Stag Business Person of the Year Award is Agrodome’s Managing Director Warren Harford.

Warren is the son of George Harford who, with partner Godfrey Bowen, started the Agrodome Sheep Show in 1971. Now a second generation business, Warren, along with business partner Paul Bowen, has continued the growth of the Agrodome adding adventure tourism to the farm experience.

Since 1983, the Agrodome business has grown an international reputation. From 1986 to 1991 it was contracted by the NZ Tourism Board and the NZ Trade Commission, in conjunction with the NZ Meat Board, the NZ Wool Board and the NZ Kiwifruit Marketing Board, to perform an abbreviated version of the Agrodome Sheep Show at the Edmonton Klondike Day Festival, the Great Yorkshire Show Royal Welsh Show, and the Los Angeles County Fair. In 1996 the Agrodome opened the Tokyo Agrodome.

With his clear vision of tourism for Rotorua and New Zealand coupled with his strong sense of community, Warren has spent the past 18 years serving the Inbound Tourism Operators Council, 14 of those years as Vice-President. Earlier this year he was recognised for his outstanding services and contributions to ITOC and New Zealand tourism.

Warren was part of the team that introduced the Approved Destination Status System for Inbound Operators that opened up opportunities in China, This programme has and will continue to create considerable opportunities for New Zealand Tourism.

Warren serves as Chair of the Rotorua Tourism Board.

Key elements of Warren’s recognition as Business Person of the Year, in addition to his business success, were Warren’s strong vision and passion for Rotorua and his continued support of the Rotorua business community in his role as mentor and support for local tourism businesses and his support of community projects.

TrustPower Customer Service

Business Award

TheWeddingGuy

The Wedding Guy – winner of the TrustPower Customer Choice Award

Our reason for re-entering the Customer Service category in 2010 was not because we believed that we knew all there is to know about customer service and therefore saw this as an easy win. On the contrary, our winning this Award last year was a great learning curve for our business.

Taking home such a prized accolade in customer service was both a blessing and a curse at the same time. The elation of winning was soon overtaken by the insidious notion that we had to maintain and, where possible, exceed our own benchmark of customer experience excellence.

After winning in 2009 we wanted to maintain our level of service. We wanted to deliver consistently with each client interaction in a way that would ensure that we remained in the forefront of our their minds. We wanted their experience with us to be memorable, during their journey with us and when our business with them had been concluded. We wanted to ensure our clients would confidently recommend us to anyone following their own experience with us.

We believed that if we were successful in our bid to win the Award in the Customer Service category in 2010, we would have won it on the premise that we have clearly communicated through all aspects of our business our passion, professionalism, and continued commitment to delivering a client experience that is, professional, personal and, above all, exceptional.

We realised when deciding to re-enter the Business Awards in this category that we’d need to demonstrate that our business had grown significantly since last year. That would require complete buy-in from our small but hugely talented team.

The Awards gala evening was a mix of excitement and trepidation, given we shared our category with two similar businesses. We understood at least one of our peers to be a well-established with a strong brand in Rotorua. Both Valeta and I were stunned at the winning announcement. It took what seemed the longest time in hindsight to even register that we’d won!

Needless to say, we hadn’t even prepared a speech. As is sometimes the case, we missed thanking a number of people who have believed in our business, and supported us along the course of our incredible journey thus far.

We are hugely grateful to our clients who, first and foremost, are the inspiration and the momentum that take centre-stage of any success we enjoy. Without them, we wouldn’t have a business at all. A huge thank you also to everyone involved in the Westpac Business Excellence Awards team, the Chamber of Commerce, and all of its various sponsors and supporters for creating such a fabulous forum.

Rotorua Trust Social Responsibility
Business Award

Kaitao Middle School

Kaitao Middle School
– winner of the Rotorua Trust Social Responsibility Award

We are the proud winners of the Rotorua Trust Social Responsibility Award for 2010 and finalist in the Newstalk ZB Community Organisations Awards.

Kaitao Middle School has a motto which over-arches all we do “Kia puawai i roto i te Whanaungatanga” which means to blossom within the family. After wide consultation in 2009 we made a decision to have four values which would be the cornerstones of all we do and complement the motto. Those values were Te Whakapono – Honesty; Whakawehi – Respect; Mana Whakahaere – Responsibility; and Te Manawanui – Compassion.

The values are taught and we ask ourselves the question “What does it look like at Kaitao?” For Te Manawanui – Compassion an answer lies with our kaupapa which means all our community, near and far, are our family so we need to help them to blossom.

Our student leaders select a different charity to support every three or four weeks and the whole school has a mufti day when each student donates a gold coin or a can of food to the cause.

When there is a national or international catastrophe, the school responds in a variety of ways. As an example, 10% ($800) of the money raised at our recent Dress for Success relay fundraiser went to the Red Cross in Christchurch to support the earthquake victims. Food parcels are made up and donated to our community when we visit homes for differing reasons and we also give recycled computers to our community when we upgrade.

Charities are invited to our assemblies to receive the cheques for the funds raised and give immediate feedback to our students.

As a finalist in the Newstalk ZB Community Organisations Award we received very positive feedback from our judges as well as some suggestions for further development.

• It was clearly evident there was a huge emphasis to exceed customer expectations.

• Kaitao Middle School is to be congratulated on the continued drive to improve quality.

• Whilst most schools will operate within required curriculum, Kaitao Middle School is definitely leading the way in innovation and knowledge.

• Kaitao Middle School has got its priorities right focusing on the development of their students and creating a stimulating learning environment.”

The ERO report for March 2010 clearly provides consistent standards to evaluate one school performance against another and Kaitao’s glowing ERO report is indeed exceptional. “Kaitao Middle School has implemented an Academy-based philosophy which has contributed to outstanding results in literacy, numeracy, student engagement, effective teaching and student achievement.’

Overall, Kaitao Middle School’s reputation is on an upward trend with significant interest from parents outside the local area to make Kaitao Middle School their choice of school.

As a school we pride ourselves on our student engagement initiatives and the fact that we haven’t had any stand-downs for five years and no suspensions or exclusions for the last three years is testament to the way we care for and nurture our students through school for the two years they are with us.

We have achieved this through involving our parents and whanau to the disciplinary process through restorative practices and are finding a willingness of all our parents to be involved in the reintegration of students back into the classroom.

Pukeroa Oruawhata Holdings Retail
Business Award

Kiwibikes

Kiwibikes
– winner of the Pukeroa Oruawhata Holdings Retail Award

Talk to Kiwibikes’ owner Jeff Anderson about his success at the Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards and his elation at winning Pukeroa Oruawhata Holdings Retail Business of the Year clearly hasn’t waned: “Last year I was a finalist in the Emerging Business Category, and I really enjoyed the process. Given how the business has been going from strength to strength it just seemed right to have a go”.

We pressed Jeff further about his reasons for entering. Replied Jeff: “Kiwibikes is all about getting people to enjoy their riding more, whether it’s providing weather forecasts on our website, building customised bikes, or sponsoring local riders and events. As a result we have a lot of dedicated customers who I really see as friends, and celebrating the success that they’ve helped Kiwibikes become seemed a natural thing to do.”

But awards aren’t won just by having happy customers. A winning entry must be written, the books opened up for scrutiny, judges’ questions answered and a formal presentation given. Jeff certainly admits that it took up a lot of his time: “I found a big help was having a marketing friend sit down with me to go through the entry forms, discussing all the questions with me and how I’d like to answer them. Anyone considering entering next year’s awards should consider this. You might be great at business management but that doesn’t mean you can necessarily sit down and write well, even if you have all the ideas in your head. Plus, it was worthwhile attending the sessions about the Awards that the Chamber ran, learning more about what they wanted to see.”

Jeff is clear on the other benefits of the process as well: “Sometimes owner-operators just get too focused on day-to-day operations. Having to step back, take stock, and consider some major business issues is invaluable. Even the businesses that don’t win an award will still benefit from the process. In particular, the judges’ comments that you receive are valuable in their own right.”

Kiwibikes is much more than a one-man-band though, and Jeff is quick to point out that his right-hand man Steve Pattle was a finalist in the Employee of the Year Award – clearly the awards involved the whole Kiwibikes team. “Nominating Steve was a great thing to do – not only because he deserved to be nominated but also because it was a way of publicly saying how good he is. So even if employees don’t win the big prize, it’s a wonderful thing for a boss to do and I recommend employers to give this some thought.”

We also asked Jeff about the involvement that the rest of his staff had in entering the awards. His unexpected response sums up what makes Kiwibikes different: “Naturally Steve and my marketing guy Jon were involved at every step, but we also knew from the start that our customers are our best advocates, so when we had to present to the judges I invited a wide range of our customers to speak on my behalf. I’m still humbled by their eagerness to help.”

Thinking of the night and Jeff still beams: “The feeling on the night was awesome, especially things like having the Mayor rush over to congratulate me, and being up on stage making my speech. Those sessions at Toastmasters really paid off! But ask us how we’re feeling now and it’s two words: “Happily frantic!”

As to the future? Jeff’s already got his award on the Kiwibikes website and was trumpeting it on Facebook and Twitter almost as soon as he won the award. “It’s one thing to say that you have a great shop, but to have independent judges say the same thing is something else altogether. Although our success vindicates our business plan, we’re not just going to sit back and do the same-old because the awards process really got us thinking – there are some really innovative things we have planned – so stay tuned!”

Destination Rotorua Economic Development Emerging Business Award

Pure Cruise

Pure Cruise
- winner of the Destination Rotorua Economic Development Emerging Business Award

When Rotorua business partners Tina Masters, Don Johnstone, Annie Walden and Matt Horder decided to set up Pure Cruise, a luxury yacht charter business on beautiful Lake Rotoiti, we began a worldwide search for the right vessel that would suit the unique surroundings of Lake Rotoiti.

Our search came to an end in Grenada in the Caribbean, when we found a 53 foot catamaran that was the perfect yacht for the job.

But that was just the start of the journey.

Matt and Tina, accompanied by a couple of local friends, Tim and Bernd, sailed the yacht halfway around the world to bring it to New Zealand. The trip included sailing down the world-famous Panama Canal, visiting the Galapagos Islands, and then catching the trade winds south to French Polynesia and the Marquesas Islands. From here it was a downhill run to Papeete, Rarotonga, Tonga, and a night or two in Minerva Reef, a reef system in the Pacific Ocean.

Four months and 9,000 nautical miles later, the Tiua arrived at her new home in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

Already a beautiful catamaran, Tiua has been transformed into the luxurious yacht she is today and Pure Cruise the business began.

Today Pure Cruise provides a stylish venue for social events, Christmas functions, team incentives, and private and shared charters. We tailor-design trips to suit your group’s needs, with a range of menus and a fully licensed bar aboard to complement your charter.

Entering the Business Awards had always been a goal for Pure Cruise. Enhancing our business performance through increased awareness of our brand, company and profile are just some of the benefits of becoming a finalist in the Business Awards. Being a winner creates a whole lot more opportunity.

Completing the application was a team effort. Once we started on the process we enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on our successes. In the end the application process turned into a reflection for us of our achievements and an opportunity to look back over where we have come from and where we are today. As a tool for measuring our performance, this part of the exercise has been invaluable. We were alreally excited when we submitted the application; we’d done the best we could and we had a good feeling about it.

It was a real privilege to be recognised for business excellence by the judging panel. The high calibre and integrity of the judges were evident throughout the whole judging process. The feedback was fantastic and provided great suggestions for future direction for Pure Cruise. Winning the Emerging Business Award provided validation from a reputable third party.

Would we do it all again? Absolutely!! From a business perspective the Business Awards are of great strategic value to Pure Cruise. It’s an excellent way to increase our profile, gain competitive advantage and open doors for further opportunities. The PR our win has given us has meant the opportunity to be featured in business publications nationwide. Our Westpac and Rotorua District Council winners logo is loaded onto our email signatures, and embedded on our website and on Pure Cruise Newsletters. It’s a creative talking point, and builds confidence in our brand.

Pure Cruise - our luxury yacht charter - creates unforgettable memories and great times for those coming aboard and sailing with us on the pristine water of Lake Rotoiti. Give us a call; we are here to create your unique sailing experience.

Investing in Time

Peter Stokes

Bottomline Consultancy Ltd

“I’m too busy running the store to do all those other things I know I need to get done,” a business owner recently told me.

This certainly isn’t the first time I’ve heard this lament from a business person. I’ve heard it from clients I’ve worked with one-on-one as well as audience members at my presentations. Those “other things” often include marketing, recruiting, business planning, and reviewing financial documents. As owners we’re so busy running the store we don’t have time to run the business.

I usually respond by recommending that the owner considers adding a part-time employee or two to free them up to do these important “other things”. Almost without fail the person replies, “I can’t afford that”. The fact is that they can’t afford not to. It’s vital that the owner of a business has time to focus on the elements of the business that will make it successful. Most of us only need about four or five hours a week of focused and uninterrupted time to spend on these “other things”. Some may see the extra payroll as an added expense. I believe it to be a valuable investment.

Here’s a great example. Every year when spring comes around, my thumb slowly turns black. I am the Dr. Kevorkian of lawn care. No matter what I do, the crabgrass wins, the critters build houses underground and I end up frustrated, hot, and sweaty. So this year, I’m going back to hiring a lawn service. I used a lawn service up until I started my own company, when I decided I shouldn’t spend approximately $150 per month on garden work.

Back then I saw the $150 as an expense. I now realise that by investing in the lawn service, I have an additional six to eight hours each month to market my company, time that could spent in a speaking or consulting engagement that nets considerably more than the investment in the lawn service. I can now spend more time with my family and I also have real grass that’s free of critters and a pleasure to see. Of course, I could choose to take care of the lawn myself and pay someone else to market my business but I don’t believe that’s the best use of my time.

Ask yourself the questions “What’s my highest and best use?” “Do I really need to fight this crab grass?” “What benefit does my business gain by me spending time on my grass at home?”

Like the owner of a business, I can delegate many things but the key to my business success is to personally focus on those important “other things”. So the next time you find that you don’t have time to do those “other things”, stop and consider if the cost to find the time is an expense or an investment.

I’ve found that by investing in the appropriate help that I’m happier, more profitable and, best of all, my garden is no longer the most depressing sight in the neighbourhood.