Looking back on 2024 - The year we took a leap!

I thought I’d try this blogging thing out and see how it goes—because why not?

Looking back on 2024, the year we took a leap! It hasn’t been without its challenges, that’s for sure; however, we haven’t faced anything we couldn’t tackle. Mostly, it has been a lot of winging it, “fake it till you make it,” and “she’ll be right,” with a mix of everyone’s favourite post-COVID saying: “It is what it is.” And most importantly, deep intentions and massive amounts of gratitude.

In October 2023, our little whānau ventured to the USA for the trip of a lifetime to Disneyland in California. While we were there, Tony threw out the crazy idea of starting or purchasing a business. We were in LA when he said it, and at that moment, anything felt possible.

Fast forward two months, and there we were, going for a walk through Quality Kennels. It had strong bones, was well-established, and, most importantly, Tony had the skills to pick it up and run with it.

Fast forward past all the “fun stuff” (solicitors, S&P agreements, building the workshop, etc.), we were still married, and yay—it was moving day! Throw in a bout of food poisoning for good measure and a sick toddler, and there we were, loading trucks and making the big move from Rotorua to Otākiri. With the help of whānau and friends, it all worked out—super thankful for the help!

We had just one week to set up the workshop before orders started coming in. It was exciting, overwhelming, and completely terrifying—all wrapped up with a pretty bow on top. Nonetheless, we were away.

Tony learned the ropes quickly and was truly thankful he had two weeks with the previous owner to get an idea of how it was all done before settlement. His tradie skills kicked in, along with the 15-hour days, seven days a week. It took him a good two months to really get into the swing of it all, and four months before he could have a single day completely off.

I, on the other hand, was thrown into learning Xero, reconciliations, invoicing, syncing programs, designing a logo, uploading bills, opening supplier accounts, creating spreadsheets, redesigning the website, and setting up domains and email accounts—all while working full-time in my day job. Thank goodness for YouTube, ChatGPT, and working with a business mentor to help me get my head around it in those early months.

It has been a rollercoaster, to say the least, but something tells me we’ll be on this rollercoaster for some time to come—and that it’s only going to get faster.

Thanks for reading,

Merekaha x