Is this is a simulation or a movie or a fever dream? Sometimes the plot is so intense and surreal, the last week being a very poignant example of how strange the universe can be. When the power went out in Portugal while I was walking the Camino de Santiago
10 years ago we started the Pam Fergusson Charitable Trust to inspire tamariki into STEAM. In that time we have done so much. We have been in the lives of 100,000 kids all across Aotearoa, from teaching robotics, coding, science and invention to supporting kaiako and teachers to be
Innovation
5 years ago, we bought a zoo —well, by zoo I mean a camp. Zoe and I renamed it The Institute of Awesome, and then we set about to reboot the 50 year old outdoor education centre to be a place of innovation and inspiration for kids. Here we run
Apple
Egg and cream. Universally the best. Malt. Like old coagulated Milo when you leave the Milo tin lid off. Mint. Like brushing your teeth while chewing toffee. Harrogate. It’s like when you eat a bit of paper wrapper with the toffee. Harrogate is that flavour. Coconut. Nice start. Middle
Startup
Vend10 : Year Six – Diversity Every successful company is people powered. The diversity folks bring makes everything better. We challenge biases and collaborate on new ideas with different perspectives. It also makes for hanging out with cool people who are each a little or a lot different. My journey with the
Vend10
Having fun as you go is important, and celebrating the wins as much so. But at the same time you need to be great at what you do, or it’s just fun and cakes. Being excellent is hard, doing the impossible is harder. To make sure you are going
Retail
This week we are talking about going global! Well actually Vend was global from day one. Our first 10 customers were from all around the world. We started our international “presence” with a few secret beacheads prior to “officially” opening offices. We did a lot in air-quotes in the
Vend10
Culture eats strategy — that’s what saved us when we didn’t have any strategy. Mel was on board right from the beginning (and even before), and she set the tone for culture at Vend. Friendly, quirky and hard working. Mel can give you more background on exactly how and
Vend10
In the second installment of the comprehensive history of Vend (glossing over the boring stuff) I asked Nick — Vend employee #1 to tell tales of getting noticed. Nick spent the first couple of years responding to all the support tickets I didn’t have time to, and in the meantime
Vend
A decade is both a short and long time. A long time for a squirrel they only live for 10 years, short to a redwood tree which can live 2,000 years. But for a startup it’s quite a milestone. The vast majority don’t make it that far,
Valentines Day
Woses are red, Wiolets are blue. What’s with all the W’s? Well, they have double-you!
Happy birthday Mum, 70 today wow. 70 years ago who would have thought that today would be like it is. Radically different. For a start you were in London and soon to be on a boat as a wee baby to go the other side of the planet. Nanna and