Small business boom: Why Tauranga locals are going out on their own

Marisha Wilson started offering online fitness classes after lockdown and has since grown her small business to include a fitness subscription box. Photo / George Novak

Tauranga is in the grips of a small business boom as more locals are choosing to go out on their own post-Covid.

Driven by passion, necessity or both, new businesses are cropping up in a range of fields, not only in the city but across the Bay of Plenty region.

According to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, more companies were registered in the Bay of Plenty in March to October 2020 than in the same period last year.

Just over 2500 companies were registered between March and October this year, compared with the 2353 companies registered in the same seven-month period in 2019.

While these figures can indicate a higher level of businesses being registered, it does not take into account unregistered businesses being set up.

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley. Photo / File

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said business had boomed relative to the 12 per cent decrease in GDP in the June quarter.

"Year-on-year, spending is back to near-normal. Some sectors are struggling while others are going strong. This is thanks to a significant amount of public spending and quantitative easing."

Cowley said it was common to see a number of people going out on their own on the back of a recession either because they had to or because they wanted to.

A similar trend to what was being seen now was seen after the Global Financial Crisis, he said.

Cowley said the boom was being experienced in a range of industries, from professional services to "hobby-type retailers".

"I am personally most impressed that sign-writers and marketing agencies are busy. It is a great sign that businesses have innovated and they want to communicate their changes to existing and new customers."

Cowley said people who went out on their own were "brave, driven and passionate people who want to create a better world for their family and their customers".

But he said there were pros and cons to starting your own business.

"The biggest pro is the sense of ownership of your own destiny. The biggest con is that it can be quite lonely, stressful requiring a lot of self-awareness and self-belief."

Personal fitness journey leads to business

Marisha Wilson started offering online fitness classes after lockdown and has since grown her small business to include a fitness subscription box. Photo / George Novak

Tauranga mum of two, Marisha Wilson launched her online business Fitness for Females around the time of the March nationwide lockdown.

She started offering online workouts for women each weekday, inspired by her own personal fitness journey and how that had helped her mentally and physically.

Her following quickly grew and she says this endeavour sparked a fire inside her.

Since then, the entrepreneur has grown her small business to include a new health and fitness-based subscription service called Fit Box NZ.

"Covid has impacted me in both positive and negative ways. Being an online business, I saw quite a spike during lockdown and it was actually after lockdown that I started to see a slump because people were going back to the gym.

"That's when I decided to start my new venture Fit Box which bought a lot of hope and gave me a way forward.

"It was an idea that had been floating around my mind and when my clients started asking for recommendations for good snacks and things like that, I thought the subscription box would be a great addition to my portfolio, one that would marry up nicely with the other things I offer.

"Each box has a minimum of five health, fitness and wellbeing products, a meal plan created by a nutrition professional, a workout plan, healthy eating guide and a free 30-day membership to Fitness for Females."

Wilson said she had always been an entrepreneur at heart.

"I am not made to work for somebody else, it is just not in my blood. I have tried it before, and it's not for me.

She said going out on her own had been a scary decision but she was confident she had the innovation and self-drive to make it work.

"You need to be innovative and keep track of what's going on so you're able to evolve and try new things without losing sight of your original idea. You can't stick to the same old programme, you need to move and add new things."

New bar on the horizon

Luke van Veen and business partner Lisa Kerr plan to open a new bar in Mount Maunganui called Frosty & Fox in time for Christmas.

Co-owner of Papa Mo's in Pāpāmoa, van Veen said there was an element of risk in anything and opening one post-Covid-19 lockdown was just part of the challenge.

The pair have been working together for years and was now putting together a new business concept - Frosty & Fox.

"There's a hole in the market for a social experience in the Mount and we wanted to create that... It will be casual, social dining."

Frosty & Fox is planned to be open by mid-December and was hoped to hire between 18 to 20 people, van Veen said.

"We chose to open in the Mount because of the growth."

Supporting local business had always been important, van Venn said.

"It is local businesses that drive the economy, employment and relationships. They drive growth."