Eps 15 We made it out alive (our first year in business)

Bridgette and Louis (two creatives) reconnect after weeks apart to unpack a season of travel, caregiving, and business reality. We trade tourist traps for village life, swap viral posts for real conversations, and make a clear case for long-form storytelling, sharper positioning, and a plan that outlasts economic headwinds.

• house sitting across Devon and Cornwall as slow travel
• caregiving for mum while parenting a teen abroad
• choosing experiences over meals to budget with intent
• Louvre highlights and why awe beats the selfie
• returning to New Zealand and seeing contrast clearly
• business lessons from IRL networking over algorithms
• pricing and positioning without the tomato box limits
• economy, retirement planning, and realistic resilience
• AI as a mentor for a teen’s five-year plan
• shifting to long-form storytelling and collaboration

Let’s tell your story. Get in, you know Bridge will interview you, I’ll interview you. Spread the word, comment, like, share, you know what the hell to do!

www.boltoninc.co.nz 

Transcript

Reunion In The Studio

SPEAKER_03 0:02

Hi there, I'm Louie. And I'm Bridget. Welcome to the Bolton Ink Effect Podcast, where we are navigating new horizons.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Each week we're pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to build something remarkable: a business, a life, and a legacy.

SPEAKER_03 0:16

So join us as we share honest conversations about relationship, entrepreneurship, video production, and the art of building a life together in a new land.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

Because sometimes the biggest risks lead to the greatest rewards. How can we help?

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Can I ask you a question?

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Welcome back into the studio, Louie. You've been behind the lenses for the last couple of podcasts. It's been uh it's been a it's been a while, eh? Well, it's been a long time since I've had you with me in the studio, in front of me being able to talk. So, what's it like having me back in front of you? Well, I don't know, we'll see after the podcast. We'll see how interesting and entertaining you are.

SPEAKER_03 0:54

That's true, that's true. There's been quite a few requests, like saying, where the hell are you two, when are you two both going to be in front of the camera?

SPEAKER_02 1:01

It's great that somebody is even watching. So the fact that there are a few requests makes every moment that we spend in here worthwhile.

SPEAKER_03 1:08

So welcome back to the Bolton Effect Podcast. Our December edition. There's so much to catch up on, and there's so much that has happened since last we actually spoke together on camera.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

I mean, there is quite a lot that's happened. I went I went overseas with Ms. 14 to see my mum, which was um epic, uh which was definitely epic. Yeah, so we were overseas for about seven or eight weeks. Um, and what I did um before I left was I joined something called the Trusted House Sitters. Uh it's a website, it's an app you can put on your phone, and it's really great. Um, and so you uh and you you you pay for the year, it's a it's a subscription, not even that much, and you can look per read per country, per region for the dates, and then it gives you images of all of the people who want you to house it or pet sit over that period of time. So while we were positioned in um in Devon with my mom near Plymouth, we were able to go and do pet sits around Cornwall in Devon, um, which is just so beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 2:13

So there's no payment involved. Basically, you're looking for a place to house sit. Yeah, they need somebody to look after their house or their pets or whatever case. There's no payment involved, you'd literally just have to be vetoed.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

Correct. They pay the app and I pay to have the app, they don't pay me and I don't pay them. When I talk about them, I mean the people who need the house sit. So this is worldwide. Yeah, pretty much it's worldwide. Yeah, yeah.

Caring For Mum And Family Dynamics

SPEAKER_03 2:36

So tell us more about um oh, there's so much I want to ask you. But I mean, on the first hand, let me ask you the first question. I'll get back to the house sitting piece. What was it like being away visiting your mum for so long? And how how do you feel now, having been back for a month or two, looking back at that experience? Because you hadn't seen your mom in quite a while.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

So my mum would always come out to us um because you know we had permanent jobs and it wasn't easy enough to take a lot of leave. But two years ago, my mum s had sort of indicated that she didn't feel up to the big travel here. Um, and she's she's she's had a bit of a heart issue. And so two years ago, she I I went out to her, and then we felt that it was time for for me to go back out. Now my mom's health looked like it was um, well, it did for a while get worse. Um and I just wanted to be there to manage things and to see how I could help and where I could help. And so um, and and so our daughter went with us, and there were times when I think that she was um that she had to really manage her own state, and she did so really well. Um, you know, she wasn't in her environment, she was missing school, she missed her friends, and they're a huge part of her life. And so I really, I really felt for her. Sure.

SPEAKER_03 4:02

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

You know, I just slot in with my mom really easily. Uh so so that was fine. Um, and and it was very much about you know caring for her and and and the environment that she's in. You know, so we we would we did some spring cleaning and some house cleaning and we did some gardening, and and that was really fun, you know, and we went to the mall a couple of times, I did some shopping, and we did day trips. Um, and when my mom didn't feel well, she would just sit as stay at home and Kenzie and I would go off for a day and explore and then come back.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

So this led into the the house-sitting piece would because it was such a long period of time you were away, it led to you actually exploring the countryside and having a bit of a break, so to speak, from having a holiday within a holiday and then going to these small villages that that you just pass on the highway, really.

SPEAKER_02 4:48

Um, and so you become part of village life for four or five days.

Village Life And Deep Time In England

SPEAKER_03 4:51

Wow, what an experience! So you actually go off the beaten track, so to speak, you don't go to where normal the you know the tourist traps are, etc. etc. So you saw some amazing places, and the you really understood. I suppose that the the one thing that's with the pictures that you showed me was just how old England actually is and how young New Zealand is. Like you can't get your head around it. Correct.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

The history in England, and and and when I'm there, I always think clear the story with the little cafe that you went to for the clotted cream and the peas. So we went, we we were deep in the heart of Cornwall, and the um it's it's quite interesting because I've never been that far um up that side of the coast. And uh so it's called the Heritage Coast, and and the landscape is very different. So where my mum is, there's the moors and there's the lots of wide open spaces, and there's the cliffs and the seas and all of that. But where we went um further into Cornwall, it's it's uh it's definitely very hilly, but because it's the other side of the coast, the landscape is very different. So the trees are different, and there's moss, and there's um, and sometimes it's a little bit more rugged. So visually it was very different, and so that was very appealing. And so we went to um I can't remember what it was, but it was a very old converted, it might have even been a the station house or something. Um, and somebody had recommended it as uh once again a chance encounter, bumping into somebody else with a dog, and she was coming out of it which was.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

You were house sitting looking after. Yes, we were house sitting looking looking after out of a dog walk, as you do meeting someone and saying, Where would where could we go for a cup of tea? Correct. Gotcha.

Paris Logistics And Culture Shock

SPEAKER_02 6:32

And she just said, you know, go go to go to the such and such a place, and so got out the you know, we're on Google Maps, and Kenzie's brilliant when when it when it comes to maps. She's like left, right, straight for a for a little while, Mom, then left and then right again. Um and so Granny was reclined in the back seat, um, and Kenzie was guiding me, and uh we had the pup with us, a beautiful golden retriever called Arthur, six months old. Anyway, and we and we went to this lovely place for um an afternoon English cream tea, and it's right next to a church. Right. And so we went into this church. Uh, I mean, ancient, Louis, really old. So the bench ends were carved in wood. So you have the bench and then the end of the bench that gets slotted into it, and those were from the 15th, from 1527. Yeah, see. So it's almost hard to comprehend, and and the artwork on these things was so beautiful and intricate.

SPEAKER_03 7:25

I mean, 1500s. I mean, I can't like kind of comprehend, you know, I worried about what we're gonna have for supper tonight.

SPEAKER_02 7:33

And I love the so short. And I kept trying to say to Kenzie and pull her into that.

SPEAKER_03 7:37

I was gonna say, what was the conversation like that you had with Miss 14?

SPEAKER_02 7:41

Well, so I I you know I love to read, so I read a lot, and um I I love historic books as well. So getting back into the the English way back then, you know, like the way they dressed and the streets and and totally different. And and so I can I have a very clear picture in my mind of what it must have been like, you know. And then we went to another village called Clavelli, which is so ancient, so old, this cobbled hill goes down, and these tiny little houses along it. And some of the places are so old, they still have the well in the house in the house for water. Because they were built over the stream or whatever it was. However, it is, and there's no car, so there's a donkey that still has to take your goods up and down. Um, and so you can imagine hundreds and hundreds of years ago, what those people coming out of the house and the washing and the children running around and also a sense of community. Community and time had a different meaning then, and family had a different meaning, and the fishermen were out on the sea bringing in the fare at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_03 8:46

Do you think Miss 14 had any kind of reaction or real impact into what she was seeing? Do you think she took anything away from it?

Spending On Experiences Over Meals

SPEAKER_02 8:54

I think she she definitely appreciated visually what it looks like, because she looks at it through a different lens. Um, not having travelled yet and not having read as much, I don't think she's able to appreciate the very depth of time and history. And also she's part of a generation that is, you know, every everything is in 10 and 15 second snips. So this so there's so there's a completely different appreciation of time and perception of time.

SPEAKER_03 9:24

So this brings me to another point where you and I discussed before you went about the fact that, well, we didn't really mind, but we took her out of school for the eight weeks and whatever the case is, and we had to, you know, not apply, but just state what was why we were taking out because you can't really do that, but be that as it may. Looking back, and even when we made the decision, it was the best decision that I think you and I made because the level of exposure and experience and education that Ms. 14 got traveling far outweighs what she might have got at school. Now there's no diss on the school, there's no diss on the system, but just in terms of her development and her broadening her horizons, I think is far more valuable than spending all that time at school. Does that make sense? 100%.

SPEAKER_02 10:13

Um, and you know, I've traveled with Ken's before, and she's an incredibly good travel partner. And and now that she's you know, two years on, of that age, she's she's an even better travel partner. So it's so she has her head screwed on, she's really good with navigating. Um, and and much like our partnership, when I'm down, you're there to pick me up, it was the same with her. So when she was very tired, I knew that I needed to be a bit more buoyant, and and and it was the same the other way around.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

But it goes deeper than that because I think there's also an appreciation for it's the correct word, emotional intel emotional intelligence and worldliness.

Louvre Moments And Art Up Close

SPEAKER_02 10:55

Yes, so being part of a different culture, like when we went to Paris, you know, so what an experience. Yeah, so so you've got to catch a bus to the airport, and then from the airport, you've got to catch a flight to Charles de Gaulle, you get there and suddenly you're aware of nobody speaking English. Exactly, different culture, different language. Totally. So you've got to try to like figure stuff out, and it's written on the on the posts and on the pillars, and and you go this way and then you go that way, and the machine is there, and you've got to figure out how to make it speak English, and and then you still don't get it right. But and so we got there at midnight, and we were both pretty tired, and she just like got on with it, and mum, let's ask for directions now. And um, and and and I really was determined that we were gonna catch the metro and then catch the bus, so that we were never gonna rely on an Uber. And finally, at about half past one, she's like, Mom, there's an Uber. Call it. And or taxi. And she put out her hand and she said, Take take us to a hotel, please. And I got into the back seat with such a sigh. I was like, Yeah, somebody needed to make the call. So God she did.

SPEAKER_03 11:53

Good on her.

SPEAKER_02 11:54

But um, it it was also an appreciation of of money that I that I really got an insight for.

SPEAKER_03 12:01

Okay. Um explain a little bit more because I I suppose ordering croissants or coffee or etc., and even going to museums.

Homecoming And New Zealand’s Contrast

SPEAKER_02 12:08

So we decided that that was going to be something that was a given. So we were going to pay for experiences. But it's really easy at sort of lunchtime, Paris goes to eat. That's what they do. So between 12 and 2, whatever your lunchtime is, you go and you can see them all sit out on the cafes. And so it's really easy to do that. Um, but then every meal is like, you know, 35 euros each, so that's 70 euros. And so you think if you're doing that for five days in a row, that's a quickly, that's a fair chunk of cash. Correct. Would we rather spend that on an experience? Yes, we would. So we would go and get a baguette, we'd go into the little and and Kenzie was really good with that. You know, we'll we'll we'll do this, and this place is cheaper than that. And she's she's on on um so she found loads of places on TikTok actually. Oh, really? Like, like a burger place. We went there and and we had burgers for three for three euro fifty each. I mean, the queue is literally out the door. Out the door around the corner, and it's this amazing Asian family that are just pushing out these burgers, but they were exceptional.

SPEAKER_03 13:10

That's that's crazy. That's great. I have to ask you, you went to the Louvre. We did indeed. Now, please tell me what your reaction was to seeing the Mona Lisa. Tell me about that experience, please.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

Well, well, the the Louvre is overwhelming. You you need more than a day there. That's that's a definite. Um, seeing the Mona Lisa was a little breathtaking, a little bit awesome. Um, but you're standing so so she's in a room and she's actually quite small.

SPEAKER_03 13:40

So that's what the first thing when I ask Miss 14 about it, she says, Dad, it's so small. So small. It's literally the size of an A4.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

A little bit bigger. I mean, it's she's in a beautiful frame, but you're standing sort of five deep. Well, 15. And then they try to push you closer to the barrier, but the barrier is two and a half metres from you. You can't really appreciate it up close. No, you definitely can't. And then as you get to the front, there's four or five security there who let you have your moment, and you're looking at her and you're trying to absorb her and that smile. And as you're walking, she really follows you. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03 14:12

Yeah, and so attention to detail in such a small space was just absolutely incredible.

SPEAKER_02 14:17

Um but the guards were amazing. You know, they saw a little girl struggling, and he he said to the mom, and she was, you know, way back, and the mum was trying to pick her up, and he indicated to the mom so she got passed through. Um, and and and and he literally held her while she looked straight into the into the Mona Lisa.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Okay.

Business Reality And IRL Networking

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Yeah. So so she was she was one of the highlights. Um look, I Venus Demilo was a big one for me. That's who I want. Venus Demilo. Oh, really? That's really what I wanted to see. Spectacular. I mean, this beautiful big marble statue just in real life, in front of you, not a picture. No. And they're like not sure how, like, what parts of her, you know, how she was and reconstructed. Um, and and you know, there's a bit of history as to how she was found. Um, yeah, that was that was breathtaking for me.

SPEAKER_03 15:04

Cultural experiences, I think, yeah, are banked. I think they're banked. Oh, absolutely. They build on your resilience and they build on your, like I said, your your ability just to see the world differently. Um and to appreciate the world differently.

SPEAKER_02 15:19

And also where we live. Because you you know, you're standing, for example, when you're standing at um the Eiffel Tower, you know, the very first time you see it, you're a bit like there it is. That's the Eiffel Tower. Yeah. And everybody is there, and everybody is having that instant reaction. That's multicultural. Yes, and and people from all over the world, different colours and different dress senses, and you know, you can really you see so once you've once once you've got your full view of this incredible thing. Which was made for a trade show, just built for a show and never taken down. It was it was really an like an ego build.

SPEAKER_03 15:54

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Growth, Money Blocks, And Unschooling

SPEAKER_02 15:55

You know. Um, but but once you, you know, so you go and you sit on a park bench and you can you can observe people and the comings and the goings and the different accents, and you know, the two of us would sit on the bench for ages and just literally people watch, which was you know, really nice.

SPEAKER_03 16:11

Just bringing this back, because I mean there's so much to talk about, just bringing this back. So then, you know, going back uh back to England and spending some time with your mom and doing what you had to do, um then coming back to New Zealand and and and realizing that you'd been away for that space of time. I mean, you know, for me personally it was wonderful for the first two weeks, and then I just missed the crap out of both of you because it was just very, very you know different, yeah, you know, and and you get into your own routines and and own rhythms. And when you came back, you know, again, it took us about a week or two to find our rhythms again and get back in place. Um to you know we started back beautifully. How do you feel about being back now with some time that's passed, um, in retrospect of looking at your mom and with travel with little one?

SPEAKER_02 16:59

Um well, how do I feel about being back? New Zealand's beautiful. I mean, Kenzie and I literally wanted to kiss the ground when we came home. Yeah, I understand that. New Zealand, you you literally can open your arms wide and fill your lungs with this beautiful precious air that we have. It's just green and beautiful. It's it's it's mystifyingly beautiful. Yeah, it's ridiculous, actually.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

Yeah, it's it's something that you never quite you never actually get used to. And then when you go away and come back, you appreciate it even again. There's the contrast.

SPEAKER_02 17:32

Yeah. And you remember that when you went to South Africa. Very much so. Yeah, because there were dirty parts and and and and the pavements, yeah. Yeah, the pavements are unkept and there's litter everywhere. It's the dirt that's and it's the dirt and the poverty. And so in England, it's it's the greyness. Yeah, those those buildings are very grey. Yeah, it's interesting. And the streets are very narrow. Yeah. Whereas here it's just expansive and big and green.

SPEAKER_03 17:58

Bridge, on a business front, I mean, you know, you and I are running our own business or trying to run our own business successfully as possible.

SPEAKER_02 18:07

We are running our own business. We're not trying. So answer me this. Can you get if you try and brush your teeth, what happens? You brush your teeth. Correct. When you run a business, what do you do?

Fitness, Mindfulness, And Work Parallels

SPEAKER_03 18:17

You run a business. Correct. Yeah, look, okay, so back to my question was how did you feel or have you learned anything about yourself in terms of the business aspect of being away for you know seven or eight weeks? Did it change anything or did it did it dampen your experience overseas?

SPEAKER_02 18:36

No, no, no. I mean it it is what it is. I I I thought that I would stay on that LinkedIn hamster wheel and I would do the posting and make sure that I was still noticeable and still present and still making top of mind and making a contribution. And after two or three days, I was like, oh, stuff it, man. Nobody's gonna miss me. Nobody really cares that I have an opinion about marketing or videography or filming or or anything. Who actually gives a shit about opinions?

SPEAKER_03 19:02

Yeah, you know, that's one thing that I think I've picked up for both of us is like, yes, top of mind is cool, but one thing that that I know is working, and I'll get to it. There's a few points that I have made, is that the networking aspect and the in real life contacts that we've made have yielded the best results. I don't know if you've experienced the same.

SPEAKER_02 19:22

100%. Yeah. Well, listen, financially, you've had a much more successful year than I have. But that's only financially from a growth and stepping into myself and a happiness perspective, I've had a great year. You've had a fantastic year, and I've noticed that about you. All this growth and all this learning and and figuring out myself and and and having got to this point where I think actually I'm not comfortable asking for money for what I do. And that's my block, and that's something I have to overcome.

Economy, Retirement, And Planning

SPEAKER_03 19:54

I remember chatting to you at the beginning of this journey, the beginning of the year, and just saying, you need time, you need At least six to nine months just to unwind and school. Unschool. I think that's the word we use was unschool. And I'm glad you've had that experience, myself as well. Um, to figure out who you actually are. And it's one thing that was highlighted while you were away for me was who am I when nobody is watching? When your eyes are not on me, when Ms. 14's eyes are not on me, when it's just me, like who am I? And it was eye-opening. Sometimes a little bit confronting because I realize how much I give to you and give to Ms. 14. And then when you sit and there's nothing else to do, like there's you know, there's no fetching and carrying or business to run, is what what those quiet times look like and what happens in the background, that monkey mind, what chatter comes up and trying to you know, quieten that chatter. And the one thing that led me to kind of um process that was pickable. I played a lot of uh pickable during the time, but also I got on my bike and and and I rode my bike, and I've had a different perspective and different appreciation for getting out and clearing my mind, but being physical as well, getting fitter, getting stronger, and and being very present.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Because you know, when brings you into the present moment because when you're cycling, there's no appearances that need to be kept up. You know, the gravel doesn't lie, it just the road is the road, a bend is a bend, you you are who you are, the bike can do what it can do, it's just you and it, and there's all of that mindfulness that happens, and it takes as long as it takes, and your body's either happy or it's not.

AI, UBI, And The Future Of Work

SPEAKER_03 21:46

But therein lies the it's not the rub, it's the opposite to the rub. Therein lies the lesson. It's like when we've we're running our business, all those emails, all those the newsletters, the LinkedIn posts, the constant work, it's exactly the same as me putting in the miles and putting in the the kilometers. You know, sometimes I'll go out for a 50k ride and it sucks because there's headwind and there's wind and there's rain and there's mud, and I'm like, what the hell am I doing? And then a couple of weeks later I'll go for a ride again, and that same hill in that shit condition, I do, and I get to the top, I'm like, that didn't even feel like anything because I put in the work, I put in the mouth, I put in the practice, and then all of a sudden it gets easier and easier. But also, I find that's what's happening in our business. Yeah, it's just taken a hell of a lot longer than we both thought it would, but based on other external factors as well.

SPEAKER_02 22:44

So two things there. Number one, when you're in the flow, you're in the flow, and when it goes well, it really goes well. And there's nothing you can do about a headwind, you just have to accept it. And get through it. And you just have to get through it. Um, and and the other thing is is the economy that we've experienced, the the economic range that we've experienced this year has been um contracted. Yes, it has been very contracted. Slower. Um slower, slower than we'd anticipated at the beginning. But had we known, we would have operated very differently. So I'm glad we didn't know.

A Teen’s Five-Year Plan With AI

SPEAKER_03 23:20

I absolutely agree with you. I mean, what's the ignorance is bliss in that in that and that's and we just forged on. I mean, we're still here, we're still paying rent, we're still putting food on the table. Yes, we don't have a lot more, but but I'm I'm like, I look around, I'm like, how did we do that? No, yeah, I think you know, we've done amazingly well. I suppose it does put into perspective, I mean, you and I in our in our 50s. Yes, retirement is a concern for you and I, and and what that looks like, we have spoken about it, but there is a plan.

SPEAKER_02 23:55

And that's and that's what I recommend for anybody who who is who is heading into their 50s is to have a plan. Because because that worry that sits at the back of your mind will will just will destroy you. And will just like poison, isn't it? Yeah, just keeps eating away at you. If you've got a plan and you know where you are and you know where you want to get to, you can put those steps in place. And you can adjust along the way. Adjust along the way. Because there's so many things that come into that we have to take into account. From a retirement perspective, historically you could always rely on the on a government pension or a superannuation, as they call it, in New Zealand. Um, so in South Africa, not so much a state pension, you know.

SPEAKER_03 24:37

Most of the other stories all been taken anyway.

Positioning, Pricing, And Market Fit

SPEAKER_02 24:39

Yes, yes, that that that is another story. But because we have a population that so so you you and I were having this conversation the other day, like some 10 years or so ago, you had seven and a half people who paid for every retiree. Now we're down to, I mean, I don't know the statistics exactly. But it's like three or whatever. Yeah, two and a half or two. And so what's that going to look like? So a lot of our youth have left, a lot of us are having smaller, a lot of kids, kids are having smaller families. So so so you so you've got this real grind, you've got this crunch when when we come to retiring. I I don't know if this country can afford to support us. So that's not something you and I have ever even considered. It's not something we've relied on. But I think because we're foreigners, we've we've just said to each other, we'll have to look after ourselves, whatever that plan is.

SPEAKER_03 25:26

That's yeah, and and work within that.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

And work within that. But if you're relying on a pension fund, no, it's not gonna look after you. I I I I think you need to open your eyes.

SPEAKER_03 25:37

There's another layer to this, and we're not gonna open that can of worms here, but the whole evolution of AI into our lives and and the whole world structure is changing at such a pace that no one actually can confident confidently foretell what's going to happen. You know, there's talk of UBI, there's talk of just so just so that we know what UBI is. Universal basic income.

SPEAKER_02 26:03

And that's that's not and and and we know that the New Zealand government are looking at it, but I don't think they're looking at it as realistically as well.

SPEAKER_03 26:10

Where's that money going to come from? Well, exactly. You know, exactly. Who is reading those coffers? Yeah, that money's got to come from somewhere. Yeah, yeah. The whole concept of money is going to be, in my opinion, change somewhat.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

Yeah, I'd I'd be interesting to understand to understand, because I I I get I get the concept of I get the concept.

SPEAKER_03 26:29

But the the the nitty-gritty of it, I think, will beat itself in the world.

Giving Back When Budgets Shrink

SPEAKER_02 26:33

Because we can't help but think of the fact that we have to work until we're 65 or 67. That's the old-fashioned way. You can't help but think that that's what you have to do, and then you get to a point where you say, okay, then I'm not going to be able to do that. Very very much so. For you and me. But if you if if you think of the alternatives, money will hold a different value because you know, cryptocurrency will will it appears to be coming becoming the backbone of financed financial structures. Yeah, and we're not you can we're not experts in any stretch of the imagination. And and so on on one of the cryptocurrency platforms, the South African one, there are like two and a half thousand outlets that you can pay.

SPEAKER_03 27:12

With Bitcoin.

SPEAKER_02 27:14

With with your yeah, with with your app. And and we don't we don't have, but it's as as simple as, you know, um, there were some food outlets and they're clothing outlets. So you've got your Bitcoin on your phone and you just tap and it just takes it off. So so so that's a very different, very different thing. So you've got your your money accumulating, and if you bought Bitcoin ages ago, you've still got some and it's worth whatever it is, 20 or 30 or 50, depending on when you bought 60 or 70 percent more.

Year Takeaways And Being Present

SPEAKER_03 27:41

Yeah. It reminds me, Dr. where we're going. Remember the movie Wally? Yes, you know, where where there are no jobs because robots and everything don't do everything for you, and most of the people are just on conveyor bars drinking and in front of the screens and stuff like that. But that dystopian, utopian kind of vibe, I just it it's fascinating how it's all playing out and what's what it's gonna look like. And I mean, we've had a chat to Miss 14 about it, and I mean it's not something that she can preconceive or or talk about with any confidence because she's in very much still in the moment.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

But she is thinking about it. So she had a conversation with with Chat GPT and just said, This is what I didn't know this. Oh, didn't don't don't you know this? So so so what she did was she she I think it was last Friday. So she said to me on Saturday morning, what does a 14-year-old do on a Friday night when they can't sleep? They have a conversation with ChatGPT about their future. So I'm like, okay, this is interesting. Where's this going? So she was saying, these are the things that I'm interested in. Right. This is what I love to do with my time. I want to earn a lot of money and I want to have a lot of fun in my life. Let let's let's let's put a realistic plan forward. And so ChatGPT asked her lots of questions and interrogated her thinking and then um and then got her to refine things and then interrogated her thinking again, and then put a five-year plan for forward for her because she wants to be out, she wants to be in nature, she's really creative, she's got a good eye, she wants to climb trees, she wants to be in the sky, she wants to be in the wall, she wants to, you know, she wants to be out in in the world, in the wild.

SPEAKER_03 29:18

Yeah. And the top the top thing that came out to her was a nature photographer.

SPEAKER_02 29:22

It was a wildlife photographer and a nature photographer, um, and um It's great. It gets you thinking biologist, and so now suddenly that Kenzie has that bit of plan in place, or scope for, she suddenly realizes that maths and science are important to her. Whereas two weeks before, she's like, oh gotta go do stupid science, just all about a what a Bunsen burner and a beaker. Like, okay, like I don't know what to end, yeah. I don't know what to add to that, but so she's now seeing things through a completely different lens.

SPEAKER_03 29:56

That's great, eh? Yeah, I mean so many points to to, but I love these conversations because we never know where we're gonna go, but we always land up talking about business in ourselves in any in any way. Have you got any questions for me? Because I mean I could carry on all day.

Intent For Next Year And Long-Form Work

SPEAKER_02 30:11

I I wanted to ask you, um, what's what's caught yes? I wanted to ask you, husband, what is something that has caught your eye? What is something that you're pondering of late?

Community Invitation And Closing Charge

SPEAKER_03 30:23

Uh there's quite a bit, but I think the the most recent thing was um I did a big race this past weekend, the gravel ground, which is um part of the um the Lake Topo Cycle Challenge. So there's many, many rides here in a local region in New Zealand. And the gravel ground is an 85-kilometer gravel ride. Um, and I've been training for that for the last 10 weeks. And it it I think the biggest thing for me is it caught my eye, is well caught my eye, is that the attention to if you put in the work, the results will yield themselves. I just wanted to finish the ride and enjoy it. I had a time in mind, I didn't quite get my time, but at the same time, I really enjoyed the process of being able to finish the ride because I'd done the work. And it's the same in our business. I can really enjoy reaping the rewards based on my years of experience as a videographer and editor. And I've had a few, which has led to a few collab jobs where I have been a production assistant, which is sort of way below my pay grade, but that's not a discriminatory thing. It's just I've been on set with other like-minded people and it's been great. And it's given me the confidence, or it's given me the realization of how how what's the word I'm looking for, the lack of confidence I've had in myself. I'm not putting that sentence right, that I've been living too small. I've been living in a very small tomato box. You know, there's this saying, or this um little story that you and I have got about um you need to increase the size, what's it you need to increase the size of your tomato tomato box. Basically how it came about was when we used to do um documentaries and films in the in the townships in South Africa, you'd have all these street sellers and they'd be selling um you know fruit, vegetables. There'd be a butcher right there with your chicken head and your lamb, your sheephead, and that. But the tomato box person knew that he had to sell, he had like little plastic plates with tomatoes stacked on each other like a little pyramid, and he'd sell that for like five Rand. He knew that he, if he sold five of those plates, that he could get enough food and pay for his family. But that's as big as his world was, was the size of that tomato box. The minute he sold out of that and he got more, he had to have more tomato boxes or get a bigger street store, and suddenly your world opens up.

SPEAKER_02 32:49

But that was the the the conundrum with that is that sometimes that is you you cannot see beyond that. You cannot see beyond. So every morning he would go and buy his 35 tomatoes, and every day he would sell his 35 tomatoes and he would go home with 35 times five Rand or whatever the case is. So the minute you start to see the scope as bigger and you take slightly bigger steps, he could have gone to buy 35 apples and 35 onions. He now has three three brands to sell, he's got triple the risk because he's had to outlay all of those costs, but he's got triple the reward. And then he and then if he gets a bigger table, and then what about if he rents a shop and then he gets bread, milk, tomatoes, vegetables, onions, potatoes, and all the other things. So he's then building a much bigger business. And then he's got a factory, and then he's got a manufacturing plant. But if he ever only thinks that he can manage selling 25 tomatoes, whether he sells them by nine o'clock in the morning or three o'clock in the afternoon, that's his goal. And that's really as big as his as his eye can see, as big as his world can see.

SPEAKER_03 33:57

But it brings back another story that I heard the other day, and I'm paraphrasing here. Um and it goes along the it goes along the lines of an American tourist goes to um one of the South American states and wants to go fishing and sees a a guy on the back of a boat with a hat and cigarettes and with his fishing line and he's got his catch for the day, but he's happy as Larry, and the tourist goes up to him and saying, you know, what are you doing? He said, No, you know, I'm fishing, and what are you gonna do this afternoon? Oh, I'm gonna go and spend some time with my my wife and and child and have a siesta and and that it's and the tourist says, Well, what what happens? Don't you want to you know grow and and get out of this situation? And the fisherman says, Yeah, I've thought about it. And then the tourist coming from the like the Western kind of thing was talking exactly about that. He says, Yeah, but if you excuse me, if you go out earlier and come back later with a bigger yield, you've got more fish to sell. That money can then buy you another boat, and by definition, you can get more product and sell it, and then you can have a factory, and and then basically what you can do is you can move towns and you can get a bigger house and you can go into and then you can buy the city, and you can buy the car and everything like that, and then and then you can you know you can list on the stock exchange and you can have a whole fleet and stuff like that. And he said, and then you can retire, and then you can come back to the boat and sit with a cigarette and whatever, and spit and he stopped him right there and he says, Well, I'm already doing that. Yeah, you know, and it's so interesting because that's worth thinking about it's worth thinking about. It's something that I heard. I'm like, yeah, you know, we we we constantly this hustle culture and this chase and bigger, better, scale up, scale up, and get more. And I understand there's a level that you want to live at. I've I I'm not I'm not I'm not taking anything away, but I mean But are we talking about two different things?

SPEAKER_02 35:48

Probably are, but so so but if you break it down, so so the one thing is if you cannot see beyond your own limitations, which is the one thing, which is which is the tomato box theory, so you can't see beyond your own limitations, right? I I I yeah, yeah, so so so that's one concept.

SPEAKER_03 36:08

But then there's a concept of like how big do we want to build this business? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 36:13

And I don't want to I But if you if if you only can see as far as your box, that's as far as you're gonna go. Yeah, yeah. And so I've I've I find that frustrating for me. So so you asked me earlier on, you know, what what have been some some of my observations over a whole year of not of not working? And and one of the big things is yeah, I I think that potentially I'm limited in in what I'm thinking. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 36:37

I I get what you're saying because I I'm not sure how to charge for my services. Yeah. Um also you you because of that you stretch yourself thinner in the market's eyes because you can do everything. Oh, and I want to be something to all people.

SPEAKER_02 36:51

Correct. But that's just, you know, I hate the expression, but it's just throwing shit on the wall and hoping that it sticks. Yeah, and nothing is just stuck yet, but you've got to keep showing.

SPEAKER_03 36:59

Yeah. So that also multiple lessons in business, yeah. I heard an interesting, another thing that I heard the other day was that price determines position. Position doesn't determine price. And what I mean by that is you've thrown a lot on the walls and you get to the point where you charge below what you should be charging just to try and get something in, but you get no response from the market, which plays on your self-confidence, where you know that you can position yourself much, much higher. Which dictates a price. But because that expectation hasn't been met yet, we keep going down, and we both in the situation where we actually have to realize the tomato box thinking, we know what that outside of looking outside of that is, that's the price based on where the position is. It's just something to think about.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

There's a few things there though, because if the market's not willing to pay Well, the market doesn't have money at the moment. And and that's and that's what's that that was my next point. So A, the market's not willing to pay because it can't. So either you get in there and you help your community, which is what we did with the podcast, the community podcast. Which were great. Yeah. Um, and there was no money exchange there. Um, so that was us, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:26

Interesting food for thought. So there's a lot of food for thought here. So let's anything else you want to ask me because I've got a few more things for you to to to ask you, and then I'm gonna wrap up. I don't have anything else actually. Cool. So based on the last 12 months. Unusual for me not to have a unusual, but let's go. And this is not a resolution thing or anything like that, but takeaways from this year and some things that you want to take into next year. I know we're going on a break at the moment, and New Zealand pretty much shuts down for the whole of December and January.

SPEAKER_02 38:57

So, your question to me is takeaways from 2025 and thoughts to take into 26? Not wishes or resolutions. No, no, no, I hear you. Um, so things from 2025 are probably that it's been a wonderful year of of personal growth. Um, and there's a little bit of unschooling that's happened. Because if we think about, you know, I started school when I was five years old and I've had a permanent job practically until I'm 50. So, you know, that's that's a lot of conditioning.

SPEAKER_03 39:27

Lots of conditioning. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:28

So so there's been some unlearning there uh with regards to guilt. If I don't feel like doing anything and I'm not feeling in the flow, then sometimes I would I would force myself. And if you're working for somebody, you have to do it because that's fair, that's an exchange. Exactly. You're on their books and and and and and I get that. But so I've taken a lot of that learning into my own, into my own world. So I don't have to. If I don't feel the flow, I don't have to do it.

SPEAKER_03 39:52

Yeah, which is difficult for you.

SPEAKER_02 39:54

Yeah, but I can achieve a lot more in three hours when I'm in the flow than I can on eight hours in a Day when I'm just feeling crap.

SPEAKER_03 40:01

100%. I've seen that.

SPEAKER_02 40:02

It's been amazing to be that's a gift. It's been amazing to be a very present mom with Kenzie.

SPEAKER_00 40:08

No doubt.

SPEAKER_02 40:09

And that and that's been a very, very difficult weight that I've I've honestly felt in deep to my very core, in my very soul, that I wanted to be present for Ken's. Her early years are the most informative. And when we came here, we expected life to be slightly differently. And I'm not going to harp on that again because it's not worth it. But I went to work, Kenzie went to school, she then went to aftercare. So I didn't see her until I got home at six o'clock or whatever. Um, and and that's and that was difficult for me. So being around her this year has been amazing.

SPEAKER_03 40:40

And I'm going to say this to you as a as the father of the daughter, to the mother of the daughter, is that I can see the difference it's made for you to be present in her life more so than you realize. Well, what can you see? The connection that you have with Kenzie is beyond belief. And the fact that I recognize the fact that Kenzie may not say it all the time, but I think she appreciates you even more now than when she was when she was younger. I was around when she we both were around, just in different uh uh different situations. Your time is now and I f I think that's even more effective now than would have been earlier, because you were still around. But that's just uh just just feedback for yourself because I'm amazed at the relationship that you have with Ken.

SPEAKER_02 41:27

I'm amazed that Kenzel come home and not even not even know where her phone is.

SPEAKER_03 41:32

Yeah, she wants to spend time with with us and and and and do things, which is you know sometimes like what?

SPEAKER_02 41:37

And so Christmas for us is is is easy because we we must just go and buy games. Yeah board games. Board games. They are brilliant. Rummy cub and cards and yeah, there's a few we need to get. But you're a few fantastic games. Anything else? Anything else? So anything to take into 2026? Um I'm having some really good chats with Chat GPT at the moment, just around mentoring for me, just about refining, just about not throwing shit at the wall. Okay. Um positioning piece. It's very much a positioning piece um and a value piece, and there are some amazing um insightful questions. And I've started to do um some shadow work, which I'm finding quite intriguing. I seem to have had hit a bit of a wall with it. Um, but that's just awareness that you know we're we're all this face that you see in the light, but there is there's there are there are things that go on behind us that motivate certain behaviours that um and so let me turn the question to you. What are your thoughts for 25?

SPEAKER_03 42:39

One of the biggest things for me taking from to be taken from 2025 going into next year is the fact that I am more aware of where my strengths are now and what I want to be seen as. And that is definitely not a short form um editor or videographer or cinematographer. I'm far more interested in the longer form uh deeper detailed documentary or story-based um editing and and filming. I mean, you know, that can still be a three, four-minute uh um expose on a on a project or a person or whatever the case is, but the short form stuff I'm not interested in, and I don't want to be seen for that. So that's something I'm gonna be focusing on um more with you next year and going, you know, the podcast is something I want to lean into even more and finding those clients that value the art of long-form documentation. I'm really looking forward to that because that's where I know your and my skill lie. Um and I don't have to compete with anybody else, you know, for the for the tidbits. And it might take a little bit longer than anticipated, but this year has taught me to have that patience and resilience. Um and the collab work, the collaboration work uh is something that I am also interested in and finding one or two other team members, not to work in the business, but just to work alongside spitballing ideas and that collaborate collaborative experience is what I'm looking forward to, and getting you on board on more projects to work alongside you more than so that we don't diversify in terms of you in the marketing and me and the video side. I really want you to come along board as that sort of producer, script writer, storyteller, and me doing the production side of things and working together in that is something that is really, really it's going to happen.

SPEAKER_02 44:40

Yeah, good. I like that as an intent for the for for next year.

SPEAKER_03 44:44

That's my intent. So lovely, thank you very much. Thank you for your time. Love you lots, and uh hopefully we do another one before the end of the year. But until then we do, we've got it.

SPEAKER_02 44:52

We've we have got another one. It's just whether you've got the time to edit it. We have uh we have another community member coming on next week, a creative, and so we'll talk about the chaos of creativity.

SPEAKER_03 45:02

Let's do that, and to anybody out there, or to everybody out there, especially if you're a local in the community, get hold of us. Let's tell your story. Get in, you know, Bridge will interview you, I'll interview you. Um, spread the word, comment, like, share, you know what the hell to do. Every little bit helps, and uh, thanks so much for listening and being coming to yourself for those around you. Cheers. That's a wrap for today on the Bolton Ink Effect Podcast. The world doesn't need more noise, it needs bold voices, real stories, and people willing to show up. So if something here sparked an idea, made you rethink the rules, or reminded you that you're not alone on this journey, don't keep it to yourself. Share it. Talk about it, better yet, take action. Because at the end of the day, it's not about waiting for permission, it's about showing up, doing the work, and making something that matters. Thanks for being here. Now go build, create, and keep pushing forward. We'll see you next time.