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Ep. 2: Aaron Carter: 'How Not To Start A Business' and Why Purpose, People and Passion are Essential For Running An Events Company
Covid has hit the events industry hard and for Aaron Carter, the man behind Total Sport, one of New Zealand’s largest and well-known sports event companies, it put paid to his exit strategy from the business.
He's just thankful to still have a company and is hoping the events industry bounces back in 2021.
Despite his mistakes, Carter has built a tribe of outdoor enthusiasts with trail running and mountain biking events a speciality.
"We aim to deliver inclusive events that make people feel like champions," says Aaron. "What we do reminds me a little bit of Fight Club. We offer people an escape from high pressure jobs and take them to some wonderful locations."
Aaron chats about the loneliness of running a business and how he wish he knew about the importance of the 3 P's — Purpose, People & Passion —when he first started out in business. His advice to anyone starting out in business today is to watch Simon Sinek's TED talk , Start With Why to help you understand your purpose.
"Once you get clear on your purpose, making decisions becomes a lot easier," he says.
Aaron started his career at Sport Auckland, where he was employed as an Event Manager. His job was to deliver a portfolio of events but after a couple of years he wandered into his boss’s office, convinced him to make his position redundant, give him a contract to deliver a number of events, and Total Sport was born!
"If there’s a book in me it’d probably be called “How not to start a business – lessons learnt over the years,” Aaron admits. "I did little or no planning and I was a reluctant boss."
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By Robert TigheCovid has hit the events industry hard and for Aaron Carter, the man behind Total Sport, one of New Zealand’s largest and well-known sports event companies, it put paid to his exit strategy from the business.
He's just thankful to still have a company and is hoping the events industry bounces back in 2021.
Despite his mistakes, Carter has built a tribe of outdoor enthusiasts with trail running and mountain biking events a speciality.
"We aim to deliver inclusive events that make people feel like champions," says Aaron. "What we do reminds me a little bit of Fight Club. We offer people an escape from high pressure jobs and take them to some wonderful locations."
Aaron chats about the loneliness of running a business and how he wish he knew about the importance of the 3 P's — Purpose, People & Passion —when he first started out in business. His advice to anyone starting out in business today is to watch Simon Sinek's TED talk , Start With Why to help you understand your purpose.
"Once you get clear on your purpose, making decisions becomes a lot easier," he says.
Aaron started his career at Sport Auckland, where he was employed as an Event Manager. His job was to deliver a portfolio of events but after a couple of years he wandered into his boss’s office, convinced him to make his position redundant, give him a contract to deliver a number of events, and Total Sport was born!
"If there’s a book in me it’d probably be called “How not to start a business – lessons learnt over the years,” Aaron admits. "I did little or no planning and I was a reluctant boss."