Can you tell me a bit about your background?
I am Samoan but was born and raised in Auckland. My parents emigrated to Auckland in the late 60s and like many islanders of the time, left their parents in Samoa and started new lives with aunties, uncles and cousins in New Zealand.
My business partner is Va Leaupepe who is also Samoan with a similar background to myself.
How did Schupepe Tents get started?
We started the business in 2007. The idea was born when my business partner and I saw a different kind of marquee while we were living in London. We'd been overseas for nearly 10 years and were keen to head home but always said we'd need to have our own business to do that, so we were alert to any opportunities.
Through our network in the UK we were introduced to Freeform, which is a South African product, and the company invited us down to Cape Town. We then flew home to Auckland, did our research and once we were satisfied we made the decision to introduce the Freeform product to New Zealand.
In the beginning we stored our equipment for free at the back of a friend's warehouse and both worked from home as we'd invested a large amount to purchase the necessary stock and equipment to get the business off the ground. Both myself and Va had a long history working in the events industry, but we had very little business experience, so it was a case of hitting the ground running and learning as we went. However, we did try to surround ourselves with friends and family that were already running successful businesses to help us out.
For the first few years we only paid ourselves enough to cover our expenses, but we committed ourselves to trying to carve out a successful business. We knew it wouldn't be easy but were prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve our goal.
What's the current state of business?
Year-on-year we have increased turnover and maintained a cash-positive business. We have been going through a steady growth phase in the last 12 months, which has seen us take over a larger warehouse, recruit staff, increase stock and develop more strategic marketing campaigns. We are also planning on becoming a wholesale and nationwide distributor of the Freeform tent by working with selected agencies over the next year.
What do you enjoy about running your own business?
I enjoy being my own boss and the daily challenges of that. I also relish in being able to take pride in our achievements. We love working with the product and are passionate about it.
We enjoy learning about the intricacies of business; over the years we've had to learn quickly from our mistakes, sometimes at a cost! We've also gained a much better understanding about how a business is run.
We also enjoy the flexibility that running your own business offers, although this sometimes seems like an ideal when, in reality, this isn't always possible as you are very much tied to your business.