Startups, Love Time, and Launching a Family Dream
In the PR industry, we have a thing called Love Time. It’s the extra hours you pour into a client’s account because you believe in what they’re doing, and to be honest, you like them and want them to succeed.
At Pead, we’ve given out our fair share of Love Time, especially to startups. Maybe it’s because we love a good "born in New Zealand" story. Or maybe it’s because startups run on the smell of an oily rag and need all the love they can get.
Recently, I found myself on the receiving end of that generosity. Pead, the agency I founded and now proudly co-own with my partners, went above and beyond to help launch Danbri Farm, our family’s regenerative Angus beef brand. I always knew Pead was good. But experiencing it as a client? Hand on heart, we’re the best.
But beyond the bias, diving into another startup at this stage of life has been nothing short of exhilarating. I’ve spent a good part of my career knee-deep in startups or cheering them on from the PR sidelines. Some of my favourites?
42 Below We weren’t there at the birth of 42 Below, but we met this beloved Kiwi brand when it was a toddler with the attitude of a rebellious teenager. Our job? Inventing creative ways to apologise for its outrageous antics. We learned a lot from Geoff and Justine Ross—zeitgeists, brand-builders, and marketing maestros, who took 42 Below to the top shelves of the world’s best bars. These days, they’re chasing a different kind of top shelf: one lined with fine carbon zero merino, not liquor, on their carbon-zero magnificent regenerative farm, Lake Hāwea Station.
My Food Bag. Watching Cecilia and James Robinson, Nadia Lim and Carlos Bagrie put everything on the line was awe-inspiring. We gave them so much Love Time it was the X-rated version of Woodstock. And how we cheered when every order came through. What a Kiwi classic.
Calocurb. Another standout. I remember the team huddled around the screen on launch night, one eye on Seven Sharp, the other on Shopify. When those orders started rolling in, the energy was electric. But that was just the beginning.
I watched founder Sarah Kennedy push a stubborn ox uphill, tirelessly explaining what a New Zealand-grown GLP-1 was (aka the bitter brake). Then along came Ozempic and Wegovy to do the heavy lifting of category education. The ox was gone, and she was holding a tiger by the tail. And now? She’s growing a multimillion-dollar business and has just inked a deal in the US that could see Calocurb become a great Kiwi success story.
Startups are thrilling, nerve-wracking, high-octane affairs. And having just launched Danbri Farm Angus Beef, ethically raised, humanely harvested on the farm, and damn delicious, I’ve realised two things make or break it: a great team, and the unwavering support of your family, friends and whānau.
We had both.
The team at Pead were exceptional. And our family? Next level. Great-grandfather Graham handcrafted timber serving boards for the launch. Nana Eileen was on her knees assembling boxes. Our daughter Brittany, digital queen by night (and day job by day), roped in her friend Hannah Morgan to help with socials. Our son-in-law James has gone from farmer to business mogul. Our son Daniel back seat drives from Melbourne but captures every essence of the farm in his beautiful copy. And my husband Carl, fluent in Angus, but freezes when handed a microphone, spoke with great pride on launch night. It’s a family affair, heart, soul, and muscle.
I feel deeply grateful that our family is so aligned, so committed to this brand we’re growing. And my wish for every founder is this: may you find a team who backs you, and a family who’ll get up, dress up, and show up, no matter what.
Because behind every great startup is a village. And sometimes, that village comes with gumboots, a glue gun, a very strong cup of tea and a bucket full of Love Time.
