Studying at Massey University in the early 2000s, Chris Pescott says he knew he wanted to run his own business, and so at 23 he started Perceptive Research.
The company works with its customers to help with marketing and brand strategies using data and analytics. Ten years on, it has 27 staff and more than 300 customers across New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan.
"When I left university I was pretty naive about just how challenging it was going to be and I think that was both a blessing and a curse," said Pescott. "If I had known how difficult starting a business was going to be I don't think I would have done it - so in a way it was a bit of a blessing."
"We've created a lot of different technologies which have allowed us to expand into Australia and to outgrow the size we probably would be if we were just a New Zealand business and I think the economic times have been challenging but that probably helped us to innovate which is a good thing," he said.
His dad, who he said was a hard worker and good businessman, is a role model.
