So i've been meaning to write this up for a while because a few people have asked how i ended up where i am now.
basically i had a shop. outdoor gear, tramping stuff, some clothing. queenstown, right on the main strip. did it for twelve years. loved it until i didn't, you know how that goes
covid properly killed us. not straight away, but tourists stopped and they just... didn't come back the same way. we had a good summer in 22 but by then i'd already started thinking about what else i could do
i'd been watching the tour operators around town - the walk guides, the alpine guys, the fiordland trips - and mate, every single one of them was running their bookings on spreadsheets and whatsapp. like, properly chaotic. i'd talk to them when they came in for gear and they'd just laugh about it. "yeah we know, it's a disaster, someone's going to build something one day"
so i thought why not me. i know these people. i know what their days look like. i've sold them gear for twelve years. and with the AI everything possible.