Mr Vintage Ltd
Introduction
Mr Vintage is an Auckland clothing company which specialises in Pop Culture and Vintage style t-shirts. While the bulk of their business is thru www.mrvintage.co.nz they also have a retail store in Parnell, Auckland. From small online beginnings Mr. Vintage has grown to be extremely popular in NZ.
History
Mr Vintage was started by founder Robert Ewan in 2004. Annoyed at the lack of good t-shirts available he decided to import Vintage and Pop Culture designs from the USA. Based on the auction website TradeMe.co.nz his little side earner grew and grew. They became a very successful trader thru the auction site selling at least 100-200K p.a. They expanded to a website and now actually do not sell on TradeMe, only through their website. From a one man band operating thru TradeMe auctions, Mr Vintage now employs 3 staff located in their Parnell store.
Products
The core lines are printed T-Shirts with Vintage style prints. They have an extensive range of pop culture designs from the USA covering movies, music, old Tv shows, and movie stars. Some examples include the Beatles, Terminator and the Godfather. Also extremely popular are their locally designed Kiwiana t-shirts with designs such as "Keep New Zealand Beautiful" and the Commenwealth Games "NZZN designs".
Quality of Tees
We have found the quality of both the Blank T-shirts and the screenprinting to be very high quality. Even after lots of washes the shirts hold their shape and the print stays intact. We recommend checking them out!
Mr Vintage can be found online at: www.mrvintage.co.nz
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Review - Rich Dad, Poor Dad Book by Robert Kiyosaki
Robert Kiyosaki is a extremely well-known financial guru from the USA. His major claim to fame was to author the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" which is one of the most popular and best selling business books of all time. The book has sold over 26 million copies and has been on the New York Times bestseller lists for over 6 years.
If you haven't already I highly recommend reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It is a story about Robert and his 2 fathers, one is real father and the other a friends father. The book discusses their 2 different approaches to the subject of money and the effect both viewpoints had on him from childhood. The book is real wakeup call to most people as its main premise is the "Rich do not work for money, the rich have their money work for them.
The full title of the book is: Rich Dad, Poor Dad. What the rich teach their kids that the poor and middle class do not.
The title sets the scene for the book and there is a strong emphasis on education is the book. There are many mantras repeated throughout the book such as:
Instead of saying "I can't afford it" Say "How can I afford it?
By saying "I can't afford it" instantly stops your mind from working on solving the probelm. Asking "How can I afford it" puts your mind to work.
"The Rich Don't Work from money, The Rich have their money work for them"
Essentially this means that the Rich do not trade hours of their time for money. Very few people can ever get rich simply working in a job. The rich have their money work for them in businesses and investments so that they do not physically have to work. The rich also use many forms of "Leverage" which is the ability to do more with less. Such Leverage through OPT, Other Peoples Time and OPM other peoples money.
Other books in the series written by Robert Kiyoskai are: Rich Dads Cashflow Quadrant, Rich Dad's Guide to investing, Rich dad's Rich Kid Smart Kid, Rich Dad's Retire Young, Retire Rich, Rich Dad's Prophecy, Rich Dad's Success Stories, Rich Dad's Who took my money.
Auckland, New Zealand
If you haven't already I highly recommend reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It is a story about Robert and his 2 fathers, one is real father and the other a friends father. The book discusses their 2 different approaches to the subject of money and the effect both viewpoints had on him from childhood. The book is real wakeup call to most people as its main premise is the "Rich do not work for money, the rich have their money work for them.
The full title of the book is: Rich Dad, Poor Dad. What the rich teach their kids that the poor and middle class do not.
The title sets the scene for the book and there is a strong emphasis on education is the book. There are many mantras repeated throughout the book such as:
Instead of saying "I can't afford it" Say "How can I afford it?
By saying "I can't afford it" instantly stops your mind from working on solving the probelm. Asking "How can I afford it" puts your mind to work.
"The Rich Don't Work from money, The Rich have their money work for them"
Essentially this means that the Rich do not trade hours of their time for money. Very few people can ever get rich simply working in a job. The rich have their money work for them in businesses and investments so that they do not physically have to work. The rich also use many forms of "Leverage" which is the ability to do more with less. Such Leverage through OPT, Other Peoples Time and OPM other peoples money.
Other books in the series written by Robert Kiyoskai are: Rich Dads Cashflow Quadrant, Rich Dad's Guide to investing, Rich dad's Rich Kid Smart Kid, Rich Dad's Retire Young, Retire Rich, Rich Dad's Prophecy, Rich Dad's Success Stories, Rich Dad's Who took my money.
Auckland, New Zealand
Review - Presidential Inner Circle
Presidential Inner Circle is a company under the Richmastery umbrella. The PIC is a private club that provides unique experiences for their members with a success and business focus. Some of their events include Lunches with the worlds top business people and celebrities, Ferrrari/Porsche days and other one-off special elite events.
The club looks like a lot of fun with a good variety of events to cater to a wide a range of tastes. Membership cost is in the $10,000 region. Which I think is quite reasonable considering some of the heavyweights they have secured in their first year such as Richard Branson, Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.
They run a range of events with internationals celebrities as well as local events with local business people and personalities such as Grant Dalton, Dean Barker, Michael Hill, Ian Taylor.
Essentially the group is just a networking opportunity for wealthy/success minded people but obviously the deals you can strike can be worth a significant amount. The other purpose of the group is to provide elite experiences not available anywhere else. The kind of events that other a select few people will ever attand. You have to be a person of stature, famous or personally know the celebrities but Inner circle groups the world over are meeting the need of very successful people to network and socialise with like-minded people.
The club looks like a lot of fun with a good variety of events to cater to a wide a range of tastes. Membership cost is in the $10,000 region. Which I think is quite reasonable considering some of the heavyweights they have secured in their first year such as Richard Branson, Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.
They run a range of events with internationals celebrities as well as local events with local business people and personalities such as Grant Dalton, Dean Barker, Michael Hill, Ian Taylor.
Essentially the group is just a networking opportunity for wealthy/success minded people but obviously the deals you can strike can be worth a significant amount. The other purpose of the group is to provide elite experiences not available anywhere else. The kind of events that other a select few people will ever attand. You have to be a person of stature, famous or personally know the celebrities but Inner circle groups the world over are meeting the need of very successful people to network and socialise with like-minded people.
Review - Subway
Lots of New Restaurnants
I thought it a good time to give a review on Subway Restaurants. In the area I live there seems to be more and more restaurnats opening per suburb. Sometimes several in the same suburban street! One of the the worlds most successful and well known franchises, Subway has literally taken the world by storm. Now with over 28,000 Restaurants in 86 countries including 197 in New Zealand.
Eat Fresh
The menu at Subway has always been funny to me. I would go thru stages of buying Subway 3 times a week then go thru periods of not eating it for months because I didn't like the last time I ate it. Subway can leave a funny taste in your mouth (no pun intended). Their mantra is of course "Eat Fresh" and while the food looks fresh, it looks very uniform and possibly processed.
Genetic Engineering
In New Zealand there was an item on the news several years ago that Subways baker Yarrows used GE wheat in their bread. Subway do promote in each store now that their bread is baked fresh daily on site. But baking dosen't necessarliy mean they make the actual dough. So I assume that Yarrows stil make thedough and each store "bakes" as in puts the dough in the overn every day. So I believe that their bread still contains GE wheat. Their vegetables are all so uniform it makes you wonder if they are GE as well to get the consistency.
Business Model
As a business model though I believe a Subway franchise would be quite a good money spinner. A typical Sub costs around $8.00. The ingredients to make that can't be more than $4.00
Auckland, New Zealand
I thought it a good time to give a review on Subway Restaurants. In the area I live there seems to be more and more restaurnats opening per suburb. Sometimes several in the same suburban street! One of the the worlds most successful and well known franchises, Subway has literally taken the world by storm. Now with over 28,000 Restaurants in 86 countries including 197 in New Zealand.
Eat Fresh
The menu at Subway has always been funny to me. I would go thru stages of buying Subway 3 times a week then go thru periods of not eating it for months because I didn't like the last time I ate it. Subway can leave a funny taste in your mouth (no pun intended). Their mantra is of course "Eat Fresh" and while the food looks fresh, it looks very uniform and possibly processed.
Genetic Engineering
In New Zealand there was an item on the news several years ago that Subways baker Yarrows used GE wheat in their bread. Subway do promote in each store now that their bread is baked fresh daily on site. But baking dosen't necessarliy mean they make the actual dough. So I assume that Yarrows stil make thedough and each store "bakes" as in puts the dough in the overn every day. So I believe that their bread still contains GE wheat. Their vegetables are all so uniform it makes you wonder if they are GE as well to get the consistency.
Business Model
As a business model though I believe a Subway franchise would be quite a good money spinner. A typical Sub costs around $8.00. The ingredients to make that can't be more than $4.00
Auckland, New Zealand
Review - Auckland Property Investors Expo
November 2007, Auckland Showgrounds
I attended the Auckland Property Investors Expo on day 1. I was expecting a little more from a prestigious sounding event. The expo was extremely small and I would have thought there would be more exhibitors and patronage. A possible reason for the small scale is the fact that the property boom and surrounding hype has died down stopping Property Investing from being investing flavour of the month. At least to Mom and Dad investors.
The first seminar I attended was the Ron Hoy Fong hour. Ron has been featured on many Investing programs on TV and he is a well known Richmastery Graduate. I have always liked Ron Hoy Fong after meeting him at a Richmastery seminar. He expressed some insightful concepts about the property cycle. In particular he talked about the wave of property price rises during the last boom in Auckland. He says that in the last 2 year boom period, the first rise of prices in Aucklands Central suburbs (Parnell, Mt Eden etc) took 2 years for those same rises to hit the outermost Auckland suburbs like Pukekohe. Essentially a ripple effect of prices rises, from the CBD, outwards in all directions. It is a very intriguing concept.
The next seminar I went to was a short presentation by GRA (Gilligan Rowe and Associates). They discussed Propert Investing Structures such as trusts and LAQC companies. They also covered tax minimisation techniques. I had seen the bulk of a standard GRA presentation before so the info was nothing knew but they have some interesting insights on immigration and property price rises.
I attended a presenation by How2 which seem to be an amateur developers advisory service. They talked alot of about different ways to develop property and how to assess possible development options prior to purchasing a property. I was alittle confused at how their business works but from what I understood they sell software to help you manage the development process and run a few seminars for more intensive techniques.
Hotspace was an interior design agency. Essentially they send a consultant around to the property you'd like to sell and advise on various design aspects that could be applied to give the property a lift in preparation for selling to obtain a higher price. Their before and after hptos did show dramatic improvements in interior and exterior changes which really did lift the appeal of the properties. Hotspace are not contractors or project managers, simply just consultants that come in and advise on how to decorate.
Sue Tierney, President of the Auckland Property Investors Association was up next to talk about her mortgage broking business Mortgages by Design. She had some interesting takes on banks and how they assess loan applicants. She explained the ratios they apply to applications such as (LVR) Loan to Value and (UCM) Uncommitted Monthly Income. She also fielded lots of questions from audience members on aspects of mortgage broking fitting their personal circumstances.
Sue also spoke in the next section about the Auckland Property Investors Association and the benefits to be gained by joining. Quite a convincing presentation and I know of a few people that signed up. Essentially the networking and industry news aspect of belonging to an association are great selling points.
All in all the Expo I found to be vsmaller than I expected and light on good content. It With 2 seminar rooms they were only ever each half full. I suppose the expo was really just a showcase of the support businesses to the private mom and Dad investors market.
Auckland, New Zealand
I attended the Auckland Property Investors Expo on day 1. I was expecting a little more from a prestigious sounding event. The expo was extremely small and I would have thought there would be more exhibitors and patronage. A possible reason for the small scale is the fact that the property boom and surrounding hype has died down stopping Property Investing from being investing flavour of the month. At least to Mom and Dad investors.
The first seminar I attended was the Ron Hoy Fong hour. Ron has been featured on many Investing programs on TV and he is a well known Richmastery Graduate. I have always liked Ron Hoy Fong after meeting him at a Richmastery seminar. He expressed some insightful concepts about the property cycle. In particular he talked about the wave of property price rises during the last boom in Auckland. He says that in the last 2 year boom period, the first rise of prices in Aucklands Central suburbs (Parnell, Mt Eden etc) took 2 years for those same rises to hit the outermost Auckland suburbs like Pukekohe. Essentially a ripple effect of prices rises, from the CBD, outwards in all directions. It is a very intriguing concept.
The next seminar I went to was a short presentation by GRA (Gilligan Rowe and Associates). They discussed Propert Investing Structures such as trusts and LAQC companies. They also covered tax minimisation techniques. I had seen the bulk of a standard GRA presentation before so the info was nothing knew but they have some interesting insights on immigration and property price rises.
I attended a presenation by How2 which seem to be an amateur developers advisory service. They talked alot of about different ways to develop property and how to assess possible development options prior to purchasing a property. I was alittle confused at how their business works but from what I understood they sell software to help you manage the development process and run a few seminars for more intensive techniques.
Hotspace was an interior design agency. Essentially they send a consultant around to the property you'd like to sell and advise on various design aspects that could be applied to give the property a lift in preparation for selling to obtain a higher price. Their before and after hptos did show dramatic improvements in interior and exterior changes which really did lift the appeal of the properties. Hotspace are not contractors or project managers, simply just consultants that come in and advise on how to decorate.
Sue Tierney, President of the Auckland Property Investors Association was up next to talk about her mortgage broking business Mortgages by Design. She had some interesting takes on banks and how they assess loan applicants. She explained the ratios they apply to applications such as (LVR) Loan to Value and (UCM) Uncommitted Monthly Income. She also fielded lots of questions from audience members on aspects of mortgage broking fitting their personal circumstances.
Sue also spoke in the next section about the Auckland Property Investors Association and the benefits to be gained by joining. Quite a convincing presentation and I know of a few people that signed up. Essentially the networking and industry news aspect of belonging to an association are great selling points.
All in all the Expo I found to be vsmaller than I expected and light on good content. It With 2 seminar rooms they were only ever each half full. I suppose the expo was really just a showcase of the support businesses to the private mom and Dad investors market.
Auckland, New Zealand
Review - Fastway Couriers
Worst Courier Company in New Zealand
Fastway Couriers have got to be the worst courier company we have ever dealt with. Their customer serivce is the absolute pits. I really do wonder how they have survived at all. I suppose because they are probably the cheapest courier service around. They seem to win lots of awards for franchising. Easy to sell a franchise, hard to run the business well.
Whenever we had an issue with a delivery that had gone missing. I.e. a customer complains that their order hasn't arrived yetr. We would ring the office and sometimes it would take us about 6 attempts over 2 days jsut to speak to an actual person, let alone get even close to resolving the issue.
This wasn't a one-off incident. Everytime we had an issue with a delivery we would ring them. If you were able to speak to a person within 3 attempts over the day it was a good day. All the while you're customer is asking you what is happening, where is my order!
Once you actually speak to a person you'd think your problems would be sorted but its just the beginning. The staff or better still the systems are rubbish and it takes about 3 days to get an answer. Not good enought for a business that wins all these supposed franchise awards. Franchise awards are for good systems, and Fastway couriers is rubbish. Now don't get me wrong we haven't sampled any other office, other that Auckland main head office. But hey, in the businest office you'd expect the fastest result. They need to hire more staff but are obviously trying to cut costs
Review - PBT Couriers
PBT Couriers Auckland
After giving such a bad review about Fastway Auckland, I need to offer an alternative! PBT are the best courier service we have used. Reasonable Pricing, Signature Delivery and some of the best courier customer service around.
Background
The company was started as Peter Baker Transport in 1972 by Peter Baker. Originally a trucking company they added the courier arm in the late 90s. PBT Couriers have grown to be a major player in the National Courier market.
Online Package Tracking
PBT have a comprehensive online tracking systems where you can track the progress on your package on its way to you. You are given a tracking number and each time the package changes hands (ie from pickup driver to depot, from depot to truck) the operator will scan the barcode on the package. Each time the barcode is scanned the transfer shows up on the online tracking record. This way you can see the exact times when the package moved thru each stage in transit.
Customer Service
On the odd occasion we need to check up on a delivery the PBT staff are always great to talk to. And hey you can actually speak to someone on your first call! They have the systems in place to deal with an query. Their online tracking systems are excellent and you can actually see each change of hands with the package. Not just the latest change like on the "Courier Post" Website.
Also when a staff member follows up on a delivery for you, they stick to their word and do call you back. They really do go out of their way to help!
I highly recommend looking at using PBT Couriers if you are sending 5 or more packages per day!
Auckland, New Zealand
After giving such a bad review about Fastway Auckland, I need to offer an alternative! PBT are the best courier service we have used. Reasonable Pricing, Signature Delivery and some of the best courier customer service around.
Background
The company was started as Peter Baker Transport in 1972 by Peter Baker. Originally a trucking company they added the courier arm in the late 90s. PBT Couriers have grown to be a major player in the National Courier market.
Online Package Tracking
PBT have a comprehensive online tracking systems where you can track the progress on your package on its way to you. You are given a tracking number and each time the package changes hands (ie from pickup driver to depot, from depot to truck) the operator will scan the barcode on the package. Each time the barcode is scanned the transfer shows up on the online tracking record. This way you can see the exact times when the package moved thru each stage in transit.
Customer Service
On the odd occasion we need to check up on a delivery the PBT staff are always great to talk to. And hey you can actually speak to someone on your first call! They have the systems in place to deal with an query. Their online tracking systems are excellent and you can actually see each change of hands with the package. Not just the latest change like on the "Courier Post" Website.
Also when a staff member follows up on a delivery for you, they stick to their word and do call you back. They really do go out of their way to help!
I highly recommend looking at using PBT Couriers if you are sending 5 or more packages per day!
Auckland, New Zealand
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