what is growth
Growth is a fickle thing, especially when it relates to small business.
There is rapid growth, growth through acquisition, steady growth - and a myriad of other options. For each of the categories there are good (and bad examples) - some of my favourites are Xero & Mojo Coffee … I’ll let you figure out which bucket they fit into respectively.
For myself as a small business operator we measure growth in a couple of ways. Some are purely numbers driven (# of customers, $ sales, average customer spend, RFM, etc) - and some are where they are along a the business plan that we have mapped out.
Well today we’ve managed to tick off another piece of the puzzle with the hiring of a permanent staff member to work OFF the playing fields (as opposed to the people we’ve got trained for running games on the weekends).
For us, even though they are only part-time, this is a big step. It is going to open up other options for us in the business (like more time to work ON the business instead of just IN it) … and I can’t wait.
i got to play
This weekend I got to play paintball.
I know that doesn’t sound like much, but I’ve been out of the tournament scene for almost three years - what with buying TAG, family stuff and generally needing a break from some of the general bullshit that was so prevalent in the sport.
Downside was that I’m broken - torn hamstring - so didn’t get to play as much as I might like. But I knew that going in, so wasn’t as heartbreaking as you might think. A big thanks to Phoenix for letting me come guest with them.
I’m not going to cover off talking about the event - I’ll do that on my other blog.
Overall it was fun - but it has just reenforced what I already knew. The team needs a stable roster, training needs to be more focused - and the guys have to work on some personal fitness & speed.
But I guess I know what I want to do - now that I know I still have the desire to play - and that is to put a team together and start winning again. But that means fixing a whole bunch of stuff in Wellington first - so I better get started.
I’m still here.
A question
A friend has a new (paintball) gun arriving tomorrow.
Question: should I unbox/video it before I hand it over? And send the footage first?
Hmm…
has it really been six years?
It seems hard to believe that it’s been six years this year since we took a team across to Australia to play in the now defunct AXL. The we being Wellington Hybrid that is.
But there ya have it.
Hybrid was, at the time, a collection of some of the best players from around New Zealand, brought together by a couple of us to challenge the Aussies in their own backyard at the newest format for paintball - X-Ball. It didn’t matter who you played for, where you were based - or what gun you shot … if you had the drive to play and were willing to put your hand up then you had a chance to make the squad. At the end we had players from the length of the country and all places in between … and it was great.
Paintball has changed a lot in the last 6 years. Australia has motored ahead in vast leaps and bounds while here in New Zealand we have stagnated and gone backwards. An unfortunate part of that demise was the disbanding of the team around two years ago. Buying houses, businesses & having kids will do that generally speaking.
But time moves on and things change. There seems to be a drive to try and fix paintball 
in New Zealand now, at least the murmurings are positive. So perhaps it’s time to get the band back together?
I know that the drive to win is still there - but more importantly the drive to have fun with my friends has never gone. And it is that which will probably be the deciding factor in what the team does in the next few months. I’m heading to Ashburton for round 2 of the new Southern Series at Easter - and I can’t wait.
Rock the House.
