Madness.

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for a number of reasons – not just in a personal sense, but more from a perspective of the business.

On Sunday I rocked up to the field at Grenada North to find this lovely sight to greet me.

Someone between 5.30pm on Saturday and 12pm on Sunday had brought this vehicle up to the field, parked it right in front of the gate we need to get through and set it on fire.

The photo doesn’t do it justice – the tyres are melted down to the rims – and there was nothing left inside it at all.

Great when you need to get 15kg (more of less) or stuff to the top of the hill to run games.

And then there was Monday.  I was at Grenada (car since removed by WCC – thanks guys) running a game when I get a call from a Police constable from Lower Hutt.

Someone had torched the shed at the Pomare field.

Awesome, thanks guys. Just what I needed to start my week off.  And coincidence? Well you be the judge.

We started in 2005 (not long ago I realise) to play the first season of the AXL in Australia. It was a lot of fun – we pulled the best players from around New Zealand together and kicked ass for 12 months across 4 events.  We learnt a hell of a lot both as players, organisers and life in general in those trips across the Tasman – but mainly that X-Ball rocked and we were good at it.  That and the fact that some were determined to stop a Kiwi team from winning events in Australia at all costs.

So with ending the team, and erasing the presence from the online world I feel at a lost. I shouldn’t really – I haven’t had a chance to play competitve paintball since I took over running/owning TAG Paintball here in Wellington (so almost 18 months now) – but I do. The fact that some of my old team mates are still playing/just started again (you bastards know who you are) does smack of salt in a wound.  Add to the fact that I actually managed to play in the Open Day we ran a month ago – and the itch is back.

Frustration city.

So here’s the plan. I give myself six months to get the field well and truely sorted out – and then I ease myself back into some local events with a view to play 2011 properly. Sound good/fair?  I think so – heck I can probably use those 6 months to convince the wife that I should be allowed to. So if any of you clowns want in taking into consideration the timeframe specified – you know where I am.

Hell I’ve even got a new team name sorted

It’s not something I’ve had a great deal of chance to do in the last 14 months or so – since Tania and I took over TAG Paintball here in Wellington.  Sure I’ve run hundreds upon hundreds of games – seen a few thousand people through the field having fun and getting the rush you feel when you try and shoot someone with a paintball gun … but I personally had not been out on the field as a player.

I  had not realised how much I missed it.

It was a blast.  There weren’t many of us out there, but for a couple of hours we played the game the way it is suppose to be.  We stalked each other in the bush, on the speedball field, laughed, joked, gave each other shit and had good old-fashioned fun.  And I sit here with the same feeling of wondering when I’ll next get out onto the field.

I think it is something, as a field operator, that I need to do more often.  To remember why it is that I do this – to bring it back to the basics – the inner kid of running through the bush with your mates, with the adrenaline pumping – waiting for the thrill of the 10 second call to hit me again.

I can’t wait.

I am a paintball player – and this moment, right here, is my life

– Matt Marshall, Sunday Drivers

Well that appears to be working – and we’re posting some fantastic growth figures (albeit off of a base that wasn’t ‘woohoo’ material to start with.  Hell next week alone we’ve got 400 people booked in across the 7 days to come and play paintball with us at TAG.

And that’s good numbers on a New Zealand standard.

So we’ve decided to mix it up a little, and next year we will be exibiting at the Armageddon Expo in Wellington.  It should be a bit of a laugh – we’re looking forward to it a lot – and the ideas of what we can do with our stand are flowing thick and fast.

I’ll try and post up a couple of times about what we’re doing in that space – but we’ve only got around 4 months to get it finalised.  The show is April 2/4 2010 – so book sometime out and see what’s happening.

It’s been a long 12 months to be fair.

For most of that time I’ve been running two fulltime jobs and trying to fix a business that was in a dreadful state when we took it over.  In that time I’ve been made redundant, had some family issues that have had to be dealt with – and generally been moving from one crisis to another.  I understand more fully the rollercoaster of emotions that I have heard people speak of around owning your own business.

The field is in a much stronger place now then it was when we took over.  We’ve upgraded all of the equipment, purchased a new (more efficient) vehicle – and taken major inroads into fixing the damaged relationships that the previous owners had left for us to inherit.

The next 12 months for us are key.  We have the tools, and the systems now to get things moving – we’re planning the marketing push for summer and with any luck we’ll be able to start seeing the fruits of our labour.  Having time to focus on the business since leaving NZ Post has been great – but there are still lots to be done.

I guess that we’ll see how things go from here.  But I know now that (like having children) no matter how much you know it’s going to be hard, that it’s going to take sacrifice to make it work – you really have no idea until you take the plunge and commit to something like this.

Whatever.  I’m still here.

You get all sorts on the field – asking for freebies, discounts – anything that can be asked has been asked.  We’ve got standard responses to most questions that people ask – but they do always get asked.

I’ve started doing the same sort of thing with my suppliers – a couple below for your reference:

Q – Would you like to advertise in our magazine? (Targetting a key demographic at a key time of year for us)

A – Sure, but only if you ensure that we are the only Wellington based paintball field that does.

Result – We’re advertising (with a quarter page ad) and will be the only Wellington paintball field in there.

Q – We’re going to have you pay the advertising bill in one installment (from a large corporate we advertise with)

A – How about we spread those payments out over a year?

Result – We’re spreading the payments over 10 months (or so), but have to move to direct debit (happy with that)

End of the day the message is clear – especially in these trying economic time – try and negiotate with your suppliers for more favourable terms, small discounts.  Be prepared to give a little as well – but it will make things easier in the long run.

It’s nice – but would like to have some science around it. Heck at this stage the last month of winter will be as big as one of our summer months. Maybe we’re doing something right for a change Either way I need a lot more paint – and if it don’t arrive on time tomorrow then I could be stuffed

Should be fun. I hope.

Not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination – but part of the plan for the business moving forward.

What we save on CC merchant fees as a member isn’t to be sniffed at either Whole bunch of benefits to be honest.