TERM 4, 2014

www.youngenterprise.org.nz

ENTERPRISE MATTERS 2

Talking About Enterprise.....................................................................................3 - with CEO Terry ShubkinHeadline News.....................................................................................................5 - Want To Work For Young Enterprise? - Primary Teacher Enterprise Resource Competition - You Might Like From The Top - Real Secrets Of Business Success By David Gadd - RBNZ Launches What Is Money Video - Community Enterprise Winners AnnouncedStudent Success..................................................................................................9 - Highlights of the 2014 International Trade ChallengeFeature.............................................................................................................13 - PrEP at Bledisloe School – Best memoriesNew Resource...................................................................................................18 - Are You Covered? New Insurance Resources Available - Thinking Big – Enterprise Studies - School Performance – Pick Up And Go SeriesMentors Making a Difference...........................................................................22 10 Questions With.............................................................................................26 - Alumni Interview: Jonny Wilson of Goodtime Music AcademyImportant Dates.................................................................................................30

CONTENTS Charities Commission Registration Number

CC21103

Editorial Content Paul Newsom

Contact Paul on 04 570 3984 or paul.newsom@youngenterprise.org.nz

Address Young Enterprise Trust, Level 2,

iPayroll House, PO Box 25 525, Wellington, NZ

www.youngenterprise.org.nz

Art Director Jodi Olsson

Publisher Espire Media,

PO Box 137162, Parnell, Auckland 1151

Enquiries Phone Richard on 09 522 7257

or email richardl@espiremedia.com

ISSN 1177-875X

Enterpise Matters is a GREEN MAG created and distributed without the use of paper so it’s environmentally

friendly. Please think before you print. Thank you!

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I ’ve recently read several articles about the neuroscience behind learning, and the synapses within the brain that help us to learn. Ignoring the

technical jargon, one article summed it up the best for me – “When we hear, see or do something once, it can be stored in our short term memory. If we hear, see or do it repeatedly, it can enter our long term memory”.

This won’t come as a surprise to any of the educators reading this magazine, but it did make me think about the language we use. Can we simplify things and say that we are trying to create memories?

TALKINGABOUTENTERPRISEwith CEO Terry Shubkin

Isn’t that what experiential learning is all about? Having experiences that will stay in our long term memory? We certainly hear that from YES Alumni who tell us 10, 20 or even 30 years later all about their YES experience. We don’t just hear about what product they had, we hear about what they learnt

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and how it changed their lives. We love these stories, which is one of the reasons we constantly look to profile our alumni. In some cases, memories

are created unintentionally. This doesn’t mean that they are any less important or valuable. I recently had the privilege of going to Hong Kong with six incredible YES students. While the intended

outcome was a learning experience around the business competition, spending a week in a place so culturally different will also create lasting memories for those who

“As you move through Term Four, I wish you all the best in helping to create positive and long lasting memories for both your students and yourselves.”

attended. After we got back, the six students sent us flowers and chocolates. The flowers brightened up the office and the chocolates

didn’t last very long. But the best thing about this gift was a note from all of them which said “We had an amazing time and you changed our lives”. In other cases, we forget that by helping to create

memories for our students, we also create memories for ourselves. A few weeks ago, I visited Bledisloe School in the Hawke’s Bay who have been running our PrEP programme for many years. What struck me when talking to Carol and Diane was

the memories it has created for them and the staff at that school. We have profiled them in this issue, and I love the answers they gave to the question “What are some of the best PrEP memories from your school”. So as you move through Term Four, I wish you all the

best in helping to create positive and long lasting memories for both your students and yourselves.

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HEADLINE NEWSWANT TO WORK FOR YOUNG ENTERPRISE?

IT’S BUSINESS TIME

Do you know any superstars looking for a change? If so, we want to hear from you. We are tendering for some funding to bring on some expert ‘roaming’ teachers whose job it will be to help other teachers in your area. If we are successful in securing the funding, this will be a 12 month secondment for the 2015 year. To get ready, we are taking expressions of interest for teachers in the areas of Northland/Auckland (North Shore), Central North Island, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago/Southland. If this sounds like you, please email Terry Shubkin.

It’s Business Time will be held on 8-9 December 2015. This is your chance to hear from some of New Zealand’s leading entrepreneurs and business leaders, along with NZQA representatives and current Business Studies teachers. The conference is timed to coincide with the National

Final and Awards for The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme, which are being held on 10 December. The National Final is free to attend and tickets can be purchased for the National Awards. The conference will be held at the Shed 6 Conference

Centre on the Wellington waterfront. More than 20 workshops are available to attend over the two days, for a nominal fee of just $50. Registrations will open later this month – watch this space!

>>>483 DAYS TO GO!>>>398 DAYS TO GO!

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COMPETITIONS CLOSING SOONThe EPIC Challenge Competition closes Monday 24th November – get your entries in! • Entries must include a student evaluation sheet.• Courier to Level 2, iPayroll House, 93 Boulcott

Street, Wellington 6011 OR• Post to PO Box 25 525, Featherston Street,

Wellington 6146It’s not too late to run this programme with your Year 10 students this year. The EPIC Challenge takes just two weeks to complete, and can even be run as an extra-curricular activity. The challenge is simple; students research career options in one of New Zealand’s Primary Industries and plan a marketing campaign that could promote a job in this industry to their peers. Email support@youngenterprise.org.nz if you would

like to sign up to run the programme.

Primary teacher enterprise resource competition. Closes 5th December.Share with us the wonderful work you have created for your Primary Enterprise programme. There are ten $100 petrol vouchers to be won! • Submit your entry online at www.youngenterprise.org.nz

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Established in 1994 by the Young Enterprise Trust, the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame recognises and celebrates individuals who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand. Fairfax Media have been involved with the Hall of Fame

for many years, and have compiled an inspiring collection of work giving an unparalleled insight into what makes a successful, entrepreneurial business leader – from the perspective of the Laureates who have made it to the top in their individual spheres of endeavour.The resource is available in several formats: • Free digital edition for students • Apple ibook – $NZ4.99• Kindle ebook – $US7.95. • Printed book OR student discounted printed book

(enter code KC3BWMDA).

YOU MIGHT LIKE FROM THE TOP - REAL SECRETS OF BUSINESS SUCCESS BY DAVID GADD

The Reserve Bank has released a video explaining the functions of money and the Reserve Bank’s role in producing and protecting it. Watch the video here.

RBNZ LAUNCHES WHAT IS MONEY VIDEO

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Our Community Enterprise competition challenges students to connect with a local not-for-profit organisation, and then create a plan on how to make improvements for that group. The aim is to help students understand the importance

of the not-for-profit sector in New Zealand. We have two divisions, Year 7-8 and Year 9-10. In the Year 7-8 division, two teams were awarded $150 prizes:

COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE WINNERS ANNOUNCED

M.I.S. Warriors (Morrinsville Intermediate) - this team is assisting the school fundraising team to raise money for outdoor seating and plants for their school’s new shade area. They held two sausage sizzles and a raffle which brought in a total of $591.90.Fantastic Five (also from Morrinsville Intermediate) - this team is assisting the Morrinsville Scouts to raise their public profile with brochures and posters that are distributed to local schools and businesses.Congratulations to those students for their amazing entries! ■

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STUDENT SUCCESSHighlights of the 2014 International Trade Challenge

In August six Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme students flew to Hong Kong to represent New Zealand on the global stage at the annual FedEx Junior Achievement

International Trade Challenge (ITC). Students from across the Asia-Pacific region had their

business knowledge and creativity tested when they were set the challenge of creating a socially beneficial beauty product that could be exported to Kenya. Working in pairs, and with just 48 hours to research and

put together their ideas, our six students turned out slick and sophisticated presentations to a panel of judges. Izzy & Shannon afer their win

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Congratulations to both of you for a fantastic win at the ITC! Winning must have been a highlight of the experience. Was there anything else that stood out as a highlight for you?Shannon: “Thank you! Winning the competition, of course, was the main highlight but the entire Hong Kong experience was just incredible. It was so exciting being immersed in a completely different culture; getting to experience the markets, bartering, and so many kinds of different foods. Hong Kong has a beautiful landscape also, every bus trip

or subway ride was a new adventure – it’s hard to pinpoint a single highlight because the whole trip was amazing!“Izzy: “The way of life in Hong Kong was just so much

more fast paced than New Zealand, and I loved being a part of that for a week! We also had some amazing bonding moments as a team, which were definitely the most memorable in my mind.”

The International Trade Challenge is quite a different dynamic to working in a YES team – how did you manage working in a two-person team, with such high pressure?

Shannon: “Izzy and I went into the training weekend pretty much just knowing each other’s names! We were lucky in that we got along really well straight away. In terms of workload it was quite a shock initially, with all the research and presentation work riding on just two people.

Izzy and I really had to communicate clearly and bounce ideas back and forth to make sure we had covered everything, but we did this really well together. In some ways it was easier having a two person team because it was easier to balance two people’s ideas and opinions than six or eight.

For example, at the end of the first night of competition Izzy and I decided we weren’t happy with our idea, so we changed it straight away. That probably wouldn’t have been possible in a larger group.”

We spoke with first place winners Izzy Stangl and Shannon Metcalfe about their experience at ITC:

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Securing a spot in team New Zealand for the ITC is highly competitive as so many YES students are keen to learn from the experience. What did you learn at the ITC that other YES students might be able to apply to their businesses?Shannon: “Something that we are often told is to research our target market first, then find a problem and create a product or service to solve it. Often we do the opposite; we come up with the idea and then try to find a target market to push our product into. The ITC showed me the importance of research and how

crucial it is to the success of a feasible business. Time management, I think, is sometimes underrated in terms of its importance to business success. Even in such a short amount of time ITC showed us how important it is to set achievable goals by allocating time wisely.”

Izzy: “I learnt that perseverance is the key to success! Sometimes when creating a business idea, you get half way through it when you discover the idea isn’t going to work. That’s what happened to our idea! It took a lot of courage for us to realise that it wasn’t going to work, and to start over! However, that was a pinnacle moment for our success as if we had not started over, we wouldn’t have won! So I would plead with other YES students who are at that deciding stage in their business, starting fresh isn’t always a bad thing!”

Team NZ (left to right): Ben Seelen, Tom Anderson, Izzy Stangl, Dylan Rogan, Amanda Ngo, Shannon Metcalfe

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Have you applied this knowledge to your own businesses?Shannon: “Absolutely! I recently applied for Young Enterprise’s Venture Up program and this was very helpful in my application also!”Izzy: “Unfortunately, our YES team has three weeks until

deadline. Which means to start fresh would be ludicrous. I feel bad for not taking my own advice, but if we were to carry on with our business we would definitely reconsider our idea and make appropriate alterations in order to further its success.”

Thinking long term, has the experience influenced your personal or learning goals?Shannon: “Hong Kong really motivated me to push myself and strive for the absolute best result from every situation. I really want to extend myself over the next few years and reach into business on an international scale. Izzy: “Absolutely! After walking among giants (referring mostly

to the tall buildings and the large-scale way of life in Hong Kong) my horizon has indefinitely expanded. I aim to one day be a part of that booming world, the world of business!”

Do you have any words of wisdom for next year’s New Zealand ITC teams?Shannon: “ Give it your absolute all! Always look for ways you can do things better, strive for perfection! Red Bull is your best friend.”Izzy: “I think what was truly amazing about the ITC team

this year was that even though the six of us were divided into pairs to compete, we didn’t act as enemies in the competition. We shared our ideas with our team-mates and asked for their opinions and insights. I would encourage the next ITC team to do the same, as you gain so much extra knowledge from doing so”. ■

The ITC contestants in Hong Kong

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The PrEP programme gives primary school students the opportunity to develop their own enterprise community and sell products at a school Market Day.

The flexible nature of the PrEP programme allows teachers to mould it into many different forms. We asked teacher Carol Bevis to talk us through how PrEP

has been creatively integrated into the culture and learning objectives of Bledisloe School over the last ten years.

PrEP at Bledisloe School – Best memories

Can you tell us about how you work PrEP into your school year and into existing school activities?Carol: “We have a school currency called the ‘Bled dollar’ that students in our middle and senior school can earn throughout the year (through good behavior, attendance etc…). In the junior school, students earn their money in the period leading up to PrEP and teachers make a clear display of their earning progress. The senior students bank their earnings in a class banking system and keep personal bank books to keep track of their finances. The fact that our whole school is involved is a great

thing as it means that concepts introduced in the junior school are refined, extended and developed through out a students’ school life. “

FEATURE

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How do you structure PrEP? Do students form teams and run a Market Day?Carol: “Each learning team in our school implements PrEP in a slightly different way, whilst maintaining the important principles of the programme. The Junior School focusses on earning money,

keeping money safe, and making choices about how to spend money. Some of the ways in which we teach these lessons include a movie afternoon where students spend their Bled dollars for

‘extras’ (such as cushions and popcorn), a craft-making day where equipment and materials are purchased with Bled dollars, and a Market Day where students sell products they have made in class. The Middle School runs a five-week unit that focuses on

the formation of business groups and product creation for Market Day. The students are taken through a process of refining their product ideas, planning how much they will make, and then thinking about the advertising and promotion of their product.

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After Market Day, the students work on counting up their takings and ascertaining whether they have made a profit or a loss. The Senior School runs an integrated PrEP unit over

six weeks. The learning at this level is made more sophisticated by getting students to elect a student Government and Prime Minister. The Government manages issues such as taxation, patents, import duties and any breaches of consumer law. The Government also manages the supply of materials and the rental of equipment (photocopier, laminator, hot glue guns etc).There is a big emphasis on the notion of ‘choices’ at this

level – groups decide on a product or service that they will promote and sell at Market Day and from there they work their way through a series of decisions about their business.Market Day is held outside at the end of six weeks and

students are invited from around the school to increase the number of potential buyers. A particularly successful business during the last market day was a ‘Gangnam’ style dance tent where you paid to enter a tent and dance to very loud music; low overheads coupled with a current trend saw a very big profit!”

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What are some of the best PrEP memories from your school?Carol: “A patent investigation was triggered by one group pinching another groups’ idea – a perfect inquiry! Seeing parents turn up to Market Day and have conversations with their children using economic language and ideas. A ‘scary maze’ idea which teachers thought would be a big

fail, but absolutely cleaned up because it was the children’s idea and they knew what would work best for their peers.One year senior school students made and tried to sell

fake ID’s (maybe they had older siblings!) No-one knew what they were and certainly no-one wanted to buy them. A lesson in knowing your market!Very intense discussions have been had on road patrol

between a teacher and students about who they would be voting for in the upcoming PrEP elections, what candidates stand for, and what they would do for business operators.”

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Can you tell us about some of the challenges that you have overcome with PrEP?Carol: “We had a Consumer Law issue when a team paid for a poster to market their product and found that when it was delivered it was sub-standard. They demanded their money back, but the poster producer refused. We then had to investigate what the customer’s rights were under Consumer Law. An accident with a hot glue gun prompted the student

Government to look at workplace safety and decide that they needed to impose an ACC levy on each business group. Some students started to bring and buy items from

outside the school economy. Instead of just saying ‘no’, the student Government imposed a fairly hefty import tax so that the students had to make economic choices.

How do your students respond to the programme?Carol: “We believe it is the most effective integrated learning that we do in our school. The excitement, learning conversations and student directed learning that occurs is exciting to see. The PrEP programme has the capacity to become

quite a significant fixture in the school year, which can be intimidating for new teachers. Do you have any advice for how to approach PrEP for the first time? Starting small and then growing the experience makes it

manageable. Our PrEP learning has evolved over 10 years. Maybe just start with the idea of a school currency and savings books.”

Where to next?Carol: “Linking the unit to a shared text has been great for us and gives a starting point for planning. Going forward we will be looking at also integrating an English unit around visual literacy and advertising.” ■

We believe it is the most effective integrated learning that we do in our school. The excitement, learning conversations and student directed learning that occurs is exciting to see.

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NEWRESOURCES

ARE YOU COVERED? NEW INSURANCE RESOURCES AVAILABLE

For many students, leaving school sees many changes. Young people might buy more expensive items when they start work, some will go flatting, some will go

on their OE. All these come with risk, and taking out an insurance policy is one of the ways we manage these risks. To help senior secondary students understand and make

informed choices about managing their risk, and getting insurance cover, we have teamed up with The Insurance Council of New Zealand to develop a set of teaching resources, and a handy A5 booklet.

Are you Covered? – Your first Guide to Insurance is a handy booklet aimed at school leavers. It is freely available now for you to download from www.covered.org.nz.

Personal Financial Management Unit Standard resources These comprehensive teaching resources include Student workbooks, Student assessments, Assessor guidelines and Teaching PowerPoints.

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Level 228096 Evaluate and select insurance

product types in relation to events for personal finances

3 credits

28097 Evaluate and select personal banking products and services in relation to personal financial needs

3 credits

Level 328103 Analyse and select personal house

financing and purchase options3 credits

28104 Analyse the impact(s) of external factors on personal finances

3 credits

These resources will be freely available on our online resource centre from mid December. Sign up now.

Teaching Resources

We also have case study lessons for Vehicle, Travel and Contents Insurance. The resources consist of Q & A type powerpoint slides, which can be used as a case study. These resources will be freely available on our online resource centre from mid December. Sign up now.

Our new Enterprise Studies module, Thinking Big (Year 9-10), is now available through our Resource Centre.Thinking Big encourages

students to research and understand the qualities of entrepreneurs who are big thinkers, and to begin fostering their own big ideas. Students will learn

about enterprising people and businesses, creative problem solving, and social enterprise.Thinking Big is an ideal lead into your school Market Day.

Access to Thinking Big is free. Sign up here.

THINKING BIG – ENTERPRISE STUDIES

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We have released a new ‘Pick Up and Go’ resource that will support you and your students in the delivery of a School Performance. This new module is aimed at students Year 3-8, and

is part of a series that complements regular activities on primary school calendars and helps you to develop enterprise and financial capability with your students.Regular school activities such as a school performance,

present wonderful opportunities to integrate cross curricular and authentic enterprise and financial education into your teaching. This Teachers’ Guide is a compilation of eight focus activities that highlight learning experiences in the planning, implementation and evaluation of a school performance. School Performance could be incorporated into a school

production or show, wearable arts or trash to fashion show, cultural festival, syndicate signing, grandparents concert or movie premiere night.

SCHOOL PERFORMANCE – PICK UP AND GO SERIES

School performances are traditionally managed and run by teaching staff. However, this inquiry provides an opportunity to engage students in the preparation and running of a school performance.

Pick Up & Go Module

Designed for years

Length of time it takes to run the programme

School Gala 4-8 5-6 Weeks

Overnight Camp

1-4 6 weeks to 1 term

School Gardens

1-8 6 weeks to 1 term

School Performance

3-8 Approx. 8 weeks

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Platinum Gold Silver National Supporters

Sponsors & SupportersAuckland Chamber of Commerce

Citi

FedEx

Kaimira Estate

New Zealand Māori Tourisim

Magpie Media Limited

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

Te Puna Kokiri

Glenice & John Gallagher Foundation

Fujitsu

Baines Trust

Careers NZ

Federation of Māori Authorities (FOMA)

Te Ohu Kaimoana

Snowball Effect

Ricoh

Te Tumu Paeroa

Gallagher Charitable Trust Board Inc

AT&T Australia New Zealand

Pie Funds Management Ltd.

OUR SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS

Thanks to our fantastic sponsors and supporters. None of what you have seen in this magazine would be possible without them. If you would like to know more about how you can help, please go to www.youngenterprise.org.nz

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MENTORSMAKINGADIFFERENCEWhen we talk about the Lion Foundation Young

Enterprise Scheme (YES), we tend to focus on the experiences and successes of the students who

have gone through the programme, and rightly so. YES is all about encouraging students to grasp

opportunities and transform their ideas into actuality, and we love sharing these exciting stories. It is less often, though, that we talk about the phenomenal support of our ‘behind the scenes’ YES champions – the teachers, speed coaches, expert advisors, and mentors who help keep things ticking.We recently spoke with YES teacher Suzanne Bishop

about two volunteers who are doing a fantastic job with YES teams at Columba College in Dunedin. Rachel Bird and Martin Dippie are two of the hundreds of volunteers Rachel (left) with her YES team at their product launch

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around the country who are hooked on YES. Both Rachel and Martin participated in YES when they were students at high school, and have been drawn back into the programme as YES team mentors. We did some investigating to find out about their new experience of YES, and to share their top mentoring tips.

Rachel Bird, now an event and function manager, first connected with the YES programme as a student in the seventh form. YES helped her establish connections with people in the local community who she still works with till this day, and helped her to gain experience in managing people, tasks and timeframes.

Her previous experience with YES prompted her to give an instant ‘yes’ when she was approached about mentoring by the Head of Commerce at Columba College. This year Rachel is mentoring a team that is producing The Good Dunedin Book – a book that highlights 50 local businesses who employ local people and do good in the community.

She finds her interaction with the team fun and rewarding. She has seen the team produce a stunning product and

excellent presentations, and has watched the Managing Director blossom before her eyes. Teacher Suzanne Bishop has commented that Rachel

makes her YES team ‘fizz’ when she walks in the room. When we asked Rachel how she does this, she told us that her strategy was to be fun, positive and encouraging. Rachel sees her role as a mentor as being to guide and motivate the team, rather than to provide product specific knowledge. Young Enterprise couldn’t be more supportive of Rachel’s

understanding of the purpose of mentoring.Often we find that people are intimidated by mentoring a YES team as they assume that they need to have in-depth technical knowledge about the team’s product.

Teacher Suzanne Bishop has commented that Rachel makes her YES team ‘fizz’ when she walks in the room. When we asked Rachel how she does this, she told us that her strategy was to be fun, positive and encouraging.

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This is not the case at all. We do our best to connect students with volunteer ‘expert advisors’ should they need them, but we do not expect mentors to carry that role.

On this note, Suzanne commented that she sees the role of the mentor as being to help students develop business skills, and the role of the teacher as being to help them keep to the Young Enterprise timeline.

She is quite right – teachers and mentors often have different skill sets and need to work together to help

guide and support students through YES. “The best mentors”, she says, “support the students and work with them to empower and challenge them to do the hard tasks”. Martin Dippie, who

was drawn back into a mentoring role after seeing

his daughter go through the programme, has found his greatest satisfaction as a mentor to be in introducing the students to the commercial world, and seeing them succeed in their business. The successes (and the failures) that students experience through the YES programme are pivotal to student learning. Martin told us that some

31 years later, he can still remember the enjoyment and satisfaction he and his team got from successfully running a YES company that sold jerseys at the Otago Boys’ High School 125th reunion.

Martin with his daughter’s YES team

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We asked Suzanne what she looks for in a mentor, and what she sees as the biggest asset of having a

great mentor on board. “Having personally been through the YES programme is a big help. Experience working with young people is beneficial, as is understanding that the students are balancing YES with a myriad of other activities, including school work.” Suzanne also stressed

the importance of their commitment to the team, as students can struggle without regular input from their mentor. In general, most mentors commit to meeting their YES team for a couple of hours twice a month, though there are all sorts of variation in this.

Suzanne sees success when she sees shy students

who are empowered by training from a mentor go out and make a sale

to a stranger, ring a supplier, run a

meeting, or make a presentation. All of

these little successes help to build up

the skill sets that students like Rachel

and Martin can carry through their

working lives.

Suzanne sees mentors as having a huge impact on student’s success in YES. Of course, success can be measured in different ways. Many students measure success on their sales, or on whether or not they win an award at the end of the year.

However, Suzanne sees success when she sees shy students who are empowered by training from a mentor go out and make a sale to a stranger, ring a supplier, run a meeting, or make a presentation. All of these little successes help to build up the skill sets that students like Rachel and Martin can carry through their working lives.

We put to Rachel the question of what she would say to people who are considering mentoring a YES team in 2015. “Get involved. Commerce and risk taking are so important in our communities. We need to get these students involved and impart the passion and drive required to be successful in their next chosen steps. Don’t hesitate.” We hope that we will see another round of fantastic volunteers take up this challenge next year, and create their own YES experience.

To volunteer, visit www.youngenterprise.org.nz. ■

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10QUESTIONSWITHJonny Wilson of Goodtime Music Academy

Jonny Wilson is the founder of the Goodtime Music Academy – a Music School operating in Lower Hutt, Wellington and Upper Hutt. The Goodtime

Music Academy teaches over 750 students a week, and employs 40 people. Over the last five years the academy has taught over 5,000 children and given free concerts to 90 Wellington Primary schools. Jonny has received a Local Hero award for its community projects. Jonny was introduced to Business when he participated

in YES as a student at Hutt Valley High School. We talked to Jonny about his business journey and advice for young entrepreneurs.

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How was the school report Jonny?Jonny: “I went to Hutt Valley High School and did very poorly, I barely scraped through. I didn’t enjoy most subjects, but I do remember enjoying Business Studies.”

So tell us about your YES businessJonny: “We were a team of two. My business partner was a great sales person, and I did the rest. At the time I felt like I was doing all the work, but it taught me that a successful business needs a team of people with the right skills. It’s no good if everyone is an expert at the same thing! Our product was a decorated plant pot full of lollies. We

sold out very quickly, partly because we had a great sales person, and partly because people wanted the lollies. We probably wasted our time doing these carefully decorated plant pots that mostly got thrown away. There was a great lesson in this: make and sell what

people want, not what you think they might like.”

And how did you end up running a music business?Jonny: “Most of my music was done out of school, as I wasn’t good enough to make the school bands. School also didn’t prepare me for a career in business or music.I took a year off after leaving school, and mowed lawns.

During this time a learnt a lot about myself and realised I wanted to study music. I practised hard and the following year I started a degree at the NZ School of Music.I helped pay my way through University by giving music

lessons. When I finished I had a list of clients who wanted to continue with music lessons – so there I had a business.”

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Did your experience with YES help in any way?Jonny: “YES gave me the confidence to make the idea of running my own business seem real and possible. It sparked my interest, and what I learned about planning and pricing has been very useful. I didn’t work hard at

school, and didn’t know how to work hard when I left school. You have to learn what hard work is, and how to push yourself really hard. In business you have to get going, and get going fast.”

Business for you is not all about making money. Tell us about your community projects.”Jonny: “I see this business as a real community asset, and I don’t beat around the bush when people ask me the reason for why I do what I do. God loves people and he wants us to use the different skills and gifts he’s given us to help people, rather than just selfish gain. So, as small as I feel my gifts are, I’m going to hone them the best way I can, in order to

help the greatest amount of people possible. One of the ways I’ve done this is I set up a

project called NZ Music Missions where we bring a team of musicians from all over the world to take part in a camp where the main focus is to provide children at low decile schools with free music tuition. This year we gave 500 children free

lessons and next year we’re aiming to double that. I have a goal to teach 5,000 for free, then I’ll need to set a bigger number to aim for!”

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You said earlier that you learned to provide what people need, not what you think they might like. How have you used this lesson in your business?Jonny: “After hearing from countless primary school teachers about how they struggled to deliver a good music program due to lack of time or lack of musical skill, I got to work to fix the problem. After two and a half years of research and development

alongside teachers and principals we are now launching Rad Rhythm. This is a nine week course of theory and practical lessons,

and the entire programme is taught using our Rad Rhythm videos. Each practical lesson is done with the use of a simple classroom set of rubbish bins and drumsticks. The teachers don’t need any musical skills at all because

everything is hosted digitally, making it a lot cheaper for schools than the old school approach of buying DVD sets and workbooks etc.”

Any advice for young entrepreneurs?

Jonny: “People will be asking you all the time what you want to do when you leave school. Figuring this out after 12 years of a school curriculum can be hard.

You don’t have to define your life at 17 years old, so if you this sounds like you, take time to learn about yourself and discover what your passions are. You have plenty of time ahead of you.” ■

You don’t have to define your life at 17 years old, so if you this sounds like you, take time to learn about yourself and discover what your passions are. You have plenty of time ahead of you.

ENTERPRISE MATTERS 30

IMPORTANT DATES “The task of the

modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts” - C.S. Lewis

Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme National AwardsDate: Wednesday 10 December, 5.45pm – 10.30pmVenue: Shed 6 Conference Centre, WellingtonDress code: Cocktail/Business attireTickets: $115 each (incl gst) – three course meal included, with cash bar. Order your tickets online here.

EPIC Challenge Competition closes on 24th November

We are closed for ChristmasThe Trust office will close on 23rd December and will reopen on 5th January 2015. Happy Christmas!