New Possibilities

I've had a few people ask me about being an entrepreneur, and I'll be honest, some days I feel like such an amateur. I'm not an expert. I've learnt from giving things a go, making mistakes, and dusting myself off and picking myself back up again. Sometimes I have to remind myself that a struggle doesn't mean I'm failing; it's just another challenge. Persisting in the face of challenges makes you better at whatever you do in life, I think.

In the end, it's about people. Nothing is achieved single-handedly - this magazine you're holding is the sweat and tears of our whole team. Probably the most exciting thing over the past few years has been assembling the best team of creative, intelligent women from across Aotearoa to pull it all together. When you surround yourself with people who know what they're doing - far more than I do - and you all share a common goal, you can achieve so much together.

Getting anything off the ground is a lot of hard work. I once heard someone make a comment about a millionaire and philanthropist - that he didn't become a millionaire by accident. Wealth is not something I have in my sights by any means - publishing is very much for love! But it struck me as being so true. Getting somewhere, creating something, doesn't happen by accident. It happens by the hours spent chipping away, little by little. Still, while I've got no shortage of love for my work - most days, it doesn't feel like work! - I'm not the person to ask about knowing when to stop and take a break. (Deputy Editor's aside: Kristy, go to bed!)

People speak of having "big, hairy, audacious goals." But you often have no idea what's around the corner. Did I think four years ago I'd be running a magazine? No way! I had to learn how to make a magazine from a friend scribbling on a whiteboard, just weeks before we went to print. I try to approach things with an open mind and seize opportunities as they crop up. Where will we be in one, five, ten years? Goodness only knows.

But after a few years at the helm, I think I'm more confident now to say, "These are our values. No, we can't, and we won't, do that, because it doesn't fit what we're looking for." When you first try to do something new, people don't know what you're on about. You really have to show them what you know is possible.

Kristy

This letter appeared in the Kōanga Spring 2022 Edition of Shepherdess.