Tell us about STOKEDNZ.
STOKEDNZ is a lifestyle brand based in NZ. It was founded after I recovered from a freak accident (a brain injury that literally changed my life). It was the tiniest crash with huge effects.
We ship globally, and our products are stocked all over New Zealand, Australia, and even at Scott Base, Antarctica! Since 2017, we’ve been helping humans get changed, dry, and cozy anytime. I’d never seen a Towelie (towel poncho) made out of Turkish Cotton, and I truly think it’s magic material. It dries super fast, packs up tiny, and is perfect for travel and adventures.
Towelies double as a Portable Changing Room and a towel! They’re also a cover-up, giving people the confidence to hit the beach again. They enable people to get changed with dignity literally anywhere (inside of the roomy poncho). We’re big on adventuring outdoors—mountain biking, lake swims, wakeboarding, hiking—so I wanted a super functional towel that did many things (because no one chooses to carry extra weight for fun on a hike 😂).
After my head injury and recovery, my motto became “life is short, do cool shit,” and that’s the foundation of everything we do at STOKEDNZ! So yes, we make towelies, but we also inspire others to go on epic adventures in nature. In fact, after meeting one lady, she went home, chatted with her husband, and decided to take their daughter out of school for a term to travel around Australia in their caravan!
What inspired you to start STOKEDNZ?
My head injury made me realize life can change in an instant, and you don’t know when your tomorrows will stop coming. I thought, “f**k it, I’ve got nothing to lose,” and started making towelies. I had one previously, but it was microfibre and (in my opinion) a bit shit. I hadn’t sewn since school, but that didn’t stop me.
My previous job taught me that what you put in isn’t always what you get out. So, starting my own thing excited me more than ever. I was naive with no business experience, but I didn’t have much to lose!
Tell us about your career and background.
I left school, went to uni, handed in my last assignment, and booked a one-way ticket to Canada. My visa ran out, I came home, started my master’s degree, and got an internship with High Performance Sport, which led to my “dream job” at Cycling NZ as a performance and technique analyst.
I traveled the world, attending world cups and championship events. It was amazing, and I learned a lot about high performance and getting the best out of people. I also learned what type of culture I never wanted in my company.
Describe a typical workday for you.
There’s no real “typical” workday when you run a company, but it looks something like this:
– Wake up at 6 AM and work uninterrupted until 8:30 AM.
– Go for a walk/have breakfast, then head to the warehouse/office to check in with the team and work from there.
– Finish work between 3-4 PM and ride my bike or go to the gym.
I handle so many things—production designs, planning, marketing strategy, and managing key wholesale accounts.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
– Done is better than perfect: You need “done” to get feedback and make it perfect.
-Be clear on your why. Business is a roller coaster, and when you have days where you don’t want to get out of bed (because of staff issues, people not paying, freight delays, slow sales, etc.), you’ll need a strong reason to keep going.
My why is freedom:
– Freedom to work on my terms.
– Freedom to create epic, functional, quality products.
– Freedom to work anywhere in the world.
– Freedom to pay our staff fairly and let them work on schedules that suit them and their families.
– Financial freedom.
– Find your people and love them hard: Surround yourself with people who are further down the path you want to be on. If they’re not on that path, their advice doesn’t matter. Be careful who you listen to.
– Back yourself: No one knows your business better than you. Invest in yourself.
– Zig when others zag: You don’t have to follow trends. We’ve never done a Black Friday sale—instead, we charge full price and donate 5% of sales to Women’s Refuge to buy safe nights for women and children in need. Our customers know this and love us for it.
– Look for inspiration but never compare
– Know your numbers: Inside and out. Without them, you’re flying blind.
What’s next for you and STOKEDNZ?
– For me: Continuing to build a business on my terms.
– For STOKEDNZ
:Expanding our presence in Australia and overseas! Plus, maybe releasing a new brand or two 🤘
