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Leisure for most people is the opposite to work. It’s a time to spend with family and friends enjoying some much awaited freedom. But where most of us see a chance to simply do nothing, Rachelle Duffy noticed a great business opportunity. She started The Little Big Events to provide others with quality leisure time – which literally means she works while others rest. Surprisingly, this didn’t drive her crazy. On the contrary, she managed to finally find that elusive ‘work-life balance’ and can now spend more time with her family….which has just grown bigger!
focus caught up with Rachelle while she was on maternity leave and enjoying some downtime with her family. We spoke about how Kiwis love spending time outdoors, how the markets relate to her childhood and what it takes to be a good entrepreneur in the Bay of Plenty.
focus: Being a boss and a mother are two huge roles. How do you manage to fit it all in?
Rachelle: That was my scenario from the very beginning! One of the reasons I started The Little Big Events was because I knew I wanted to work for myself. To be a full-time mum, yet still able to work, was my main goal. Of course, when it all started I didn’t realise how large the business would go. It was just WOW! But we still managed to work everything out. As my husband works on the business as well, I can now work from home. Before giving birth to our second child, I wanted to slowly get myself into a position where I would work ON the business rather than IN it. And that’s where I am now – working more on business development while my staff take care of the daily routine.
focus: What was the inspiration behind the markets?
Rachelle: Markets were always a huge part of my life. I remember, as a child, visiting them with my parents. When I returned from time overseas, I saw there were no fun markets in this region. There were several amazing events, but mostly about arts and crafts. So we decided to create something ourselves. We are inspired to do things that we ourselves want to see, and we’re also constantly inspired by our stallholders – we are really happy to have so many amazing people on board!
Vegan Vibes 2016
focus: Do you have a professional background in organising events or is this a newly discovered passion?
Rachelle: Well, it’s my passion but I gained invaluable experience overseas. I organised important events for a few French companies and large hotels. When I got back I had a retail shop and I think management skills and being organised is what really matters in my current work.
focus: Let’s talk about the future. How do you choose a new theme to launch yet another event?
Rachelle: We simply go by what we personally want for ourselves. Every season we also look for something that’s not part of the markets yet. For example, last year we started Vegan Vibes which was so successful we decided to continue this market every year. This year we’re also launching the Coffee Festival because we wanted more events in winter time, so we thought, what should it look like? What do we want to see?
focus: Do you have your personal favourite among all those markets?
Rachelle: Little Big Markets is always going to be my love. It’s our core event and how it all started. I also love our annual charity event Christmas in the Park because it’s something that goes back to the community. We earn no money for that event. For the whole year my team works on it for free. I guess it’s our giving back and we’re proud of it. It has more meaning behind it than any other market.
Vegan Vibes 2016
focus: And when you’re not working on your events, what do you like to attend?
Rachelle: To be honest, we don’t get to many. When we’re not working we’re generally enjoying family time! I like to spend time at the beach and catch up with friends but I do support other event managers locally and out of town and, for example, visit Laneway music festival in Auckland and the Tauranga Arts Festival.
focus: People today are so obsessed with technology. In the era of Skype and Instagram why do you think people still enjoy traditional outdoor events?
Rachelle: I think it’s just a Kiwi thing – everyone is always outside. What people love about New Zealand is our weather. It doesn’t matter if it’s summer or winter, people still get outside and these days they also love to tick all the boxes at once. At the market you can talk to everyone, just wander around, listen to the music, have a bite to eat and let your children play. That’s the reason we’re not stitching ourselves to one thing. The Market is not a mall – it’s a place that provides entertainment for all ages and genders.
focus: There is an opinion that big business is only done in Auckland. Why have you chosen Bay of Plenty as a place to start your business and as a place to live?
Rachelle: I was born in Mount Maunganui so I guess it has a maternal feeling for me – it’s where I’m from. My husband is from Auckland but we’ve already been here for 10 years. It works really well for a family with children. You have all the bonuses of a big city and a village type mentality at the same time, and it’s convenient to spend only 10 minutes to get to work – in Auckland it takes an hour! Also, a population makes a place. At the moment we have the best combination of bustling city, laid back village and coastal lifestyle, which really helps with that holistic approach to enjoying life. It’s easy to organise events in an area like that!
focus: Tauranga is growing rapidly. Do you think it will bring more people to your markets or make our population too large to appreciate outdoor events?
Rachelle: For now we aren’t planning any changes in the way we run our events. We were always making them for different groups of people and what we created became possible, not only because of the city itself, but because of the way we talk to people through what we do. We are the creators of all that, not the environment. And we are going to continue doing it the same way! After all, we do it for ourselves, the way we like it. Of course, getting more people to visit the markets would be a bonus!
focus: Lastly, what would you recommend to all the entrepreneurs out there, who are only at the beginning of their journey?
Rachelle: Be bold in what you’re doing and don’t listen to what others say. If you are really confident – just do it! Ten years ago I pitched the idea of the Little Big Markets to the Council and no one supported it. They couldn’t understand how it could make money but I knew for sure how I wanted them to be and I never allowed other people to decide for me. Even if you fail, it’s not a bad thing. We learn from failure and become better. Surround yourself with positivity and supportive people and do it.
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