Meet Tim Taylor from Ruahine Kayaks. Bay of Plenty local Tim might be a familiar face for a number of reasons.
One of them is that he made history in 2015 for completing a 24-hour solo kayak paddle and walking away with a world record (prior to that, he had set himself the challenge of becoming the first person to kayak around the whole coastline of New Zealand solo).
One year later, in 2016, Tim took up the reigns of Ruahine Kayaks and has since then been building the business. Specialising predominately in multi-sport and sea kayaks, Ruahine Kayaks is built on a reputation of innovative designs and construction, and is the go-to manufacturer for Coast to Coast participants.
We asked our new Chamber Member a quick fire Q&A to get to know him and the business better.
Tell us a bit about your background:
I grew up in the Bay of Plenty and was a kayaker from an early age – starting at Tauranga Boys’ College and going all the way up to New Zealand representative level. Leaving high school, I trained as a winemaker at Lincoln University and started my career with Cloudy Bay upon graduating.
I returned to Tauranga after my OE, and I brought back the idea of becoming the first person to circumnavigate the whole country in a sea kayak. It was said it couldn’t be done, but nearly three years and close to 10,000km later, I completed my goal and had decided the kayaking life was what I wanted, so I started a tourism company, NZ Kayaker.
When did you start this business and how long have you been operating?
Kayak tourism was seasonal and, at approximately the five-year mark of NZ Kayaker, a mate brought to my attention Ruahine Kayaks.
This was available as an asset sale as the original owner had passed away and the manufacturing data was lost. My mate suggested I could figure out how to make a few kayaks in the winter and guide all summer.
Well, it didn’t turn out to be that easy, but after watching a few YouTube videos and going through a lot of trial and error, I figured out how to build them.
Ruahine soon took over and after three years later, the tourism was ditched and manufacturing went ahead full steam. All up it’s been about a 10-year process, but I finally have my passion paying for itself!
Why did you start your own business?
I’ve always been very independent. While I loved working for other people, I wanted to be able to choose my own direction while being able to stand on my own feet. I guess it was partly the challenge and partly the freedom.
Tell us about your business: What services do you offer? How can you help our business community?
Ruahine Kayaks produces composite kayaks and waka. Our aim is to produce quality products at an affordable price.
The best thing I can offer other businesses is my support as a customer as I prefer to buy from local suppliers.
What makes your business unique?
I believe we’ve got to where we are for one simple reason: We’re kayakers too. I’ve never forgotten what it’s like to be totally shit scared, to make those silly little mistakes, to ask those dumb questions. I’ve based Ruahine’s reputation on putting the focus on the customer and trying to get them to love kayaking as much as we do.
When you first got into business, what is the one thing you wish people told you?
You’ll make more money on wages haha!
In your first year of business, what challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Finding customers was probably the hardest and having a regular income was the next. About the only way to overcome this was by being persistent. At the end of the day, I figured the only person who was responsible for success or failure was myself, so I just worked damned hard!
And now, looking back, what have been your biggest learnings?
- Offer something that there is a need for. You might have the best idea in the world, but if there’s no need for it, it won’t make you money.
- Find your ‘bread and butter’. Every business needs a product or service that makes regular money. It may not be glamorous, but having something that pays the bills is half the battle.
- Don’t forget where you’ve come from. If you’re in a position to give back to the community, do so. New Zealand is still a small place and your generosity will be rewarded.
What’s the one misconception people might have about your industry?
The chemicals are dangerous. Yes, we use a lot of powerful chemicals, but modern standards and PPE ensure we have very good safety.
What’s the one thing you want people to know about your business?
We pride ourselves on our work, so if we wouldn’t use the product, we won’t sell it.
What are your goals (personal and professional) for the next six to 12 months?
Professional: To move away from seasonal peaks and troughs, so that our staff have continuity and security.
Personal: To get off the tools and start working on the business rather than in it. I do have some kayaking goals, but those will remain a secret for now.
When you’re not at work, how do you like to spend your time?
I’m lucky that there are many forms of kayaking and I love them all – big white water with the boys, training for a multisport race, or out fishing on the ocean.
I also love hunting and spend a lot of time in the bush. This is a completely different world to kayaking so it’s a great release. I have recently added a hunting dog, Scout, to my life, and we love getting out on the hills chasing deer.
If you could impart one piece of advice to fellow business owners, what would it be?
Your mouth is still your most important tool. All too often we fire off a quick message without thinking about how it might be received. I find a quick phone call, or better yet, a face-to-face chat, overcomes any problems you might have and will help to build a far stronger relationship. This applies equally to staff, customers, or suppliers.
New members can find it hard meeting people at events, so we want to take some of the pressure off that awkward small talk by shining a light on your business through our member profiles.
Our member profiles are a great way to give the business community a taste of who you are and what you do, so when they see your face at one of our events they won’t hesitate to make that all-important introduction.
If you’re a new member and would like a profile, get in touch with our marketing team today.
