Blair, Nick and Tim are your typical twenty-something Kiwi guys: they like beer, birds and takeaways.
A few years ago, they banded together and decided to branch out into something they saw as a common problem: lack of on-demand delivered food. Together, they developed the idea for their now business, Delivereasy. “We decided to be part of the solution” Blair explains. The lads now run a fleet of boys on bikes that deliver hot restaurant meals to your door via an on demand app. Delivereasy is serious business. So how did three friends, one in software development, the other in marketing and the other working for a multinational corporate, come to make the idea up in the first place to deliver hungover people dumplings?
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Friends First - Feeds Second
Blair, Nick and Tim started as friends before they became business partners. Blair grew up in Central Otago in a little wine village. “My parents owned the pub in the village where we lived. Growing up, my old man got into working for transport logistics and then so did the rest of the family. It has ended up as good experience and I can always call Dad about what we need to think about” Blair says.
He studied marketing and history at University in Dunedin before completing his exchange at Universities in Europe. After working a few years he moved in with a friend, Nick. They came to the conclusion that while the corporate life was OK, the dream was to become self-employed. Blair now acts as the business development guru of Delivereasy.
'“My parents owned the pub in the village where we lived. Growing up, my old man got into working for transport logistics and then so did the rest of the family" says Blair'
Nick, on the other hand, originates from Lower Hutt in Wellington (another top graduate of Hutt Valley High School). After completing his marketing degree he went to work for Powershop. In 2016, after starting to work for a bank, he decided that the entrepreneurial life was more his cup of tea. Nick now heads up the marketing side of the business.
Tim, the ‘geek’ of the group hails from Whitby. He studied a business degree in Dunedin before working in sales for two years “...Selling propane...”, then deciding he wanted to learn to be a developer. He ended up working for Powershop, where he met Nick. But the pieces had not yet come together. There was one missing ingredient to turn these three friends into entrepreneurs. Beers. Lots of beers.
A Boozy Idea
Delivereasy would likely not exist were it not for alcohol. After Blair moved up to Wellington, he caught up with Nick over a few drinks and the pair decided to flat together in Mount Victoria. The idea was spawned one afternoon while hung-over one day. They didn’t get serious about it however until a few weeks later when they were a couple deep again (they sealed it with a chahoo). But there was one problem: they didn’t have a tech guy.
"The idea was spawned one afternoon while hung-over one day. They didn’t get serious about it however until a few weeks later when they were a couple deep again (they sealed it with a chahoo)."
They ended up reconnecting with Tim, who built the software. After a few months, they managed to get a few initial restaurants to take a punt on them. Despite a fairly bumpy start with the technology during their launch on 1 May 2016, Delivereasy has had a relatively smooth ride since, up the hills of Karori, through the death trap roads of Haitaiti and the valleys of Brooklyn no less.
Restaurants on Board
The business would not be a business however without the food. First on board were Little India, Masala, Pizzeria Napoli, Rasa and Satay Malaysia. Since then, they have lined up restaurants from Monterey in Newtown to Miyabi Sushi and Rams restaurant on Cuba Street and the Rogue and Vagabond. Even Wellington iconic Wellington Fidel'safe have signed up. “They gave us a go so we will always be grateful for that!” says Tim.
'“They gave us a go so we will always be grateful for that!” says Tim'
The boys knew they were onto a good thing when they did their first free delivery service. The were swamped by orders, on a cold rainy Wellington day. “After that was a high-five moment - we knew there was a demand for what we were doing,” Nick says. Their goal is to keep it as cheap as possible for the customer so restaurants don’t charge more for delivering the meal.
On the go...
So what is the most - well, difficult thing - about Delivereasy? “All of have been surprised by how quickly it has grown. Now all of us have left our jobs, which is crazy thinking how little time we have been working on it for. There is enough there that we can focus on it full time. After working a 40 hour week it was so exhausting to switch our minds between the 9-5 jobs we had and Delivereasy.” Instead of going to Barbecues on Sunday, the boys find themselves working on health and safety policies and working taking food around the city.
"Instead of going to Barbecues on Sunday, the boys find themselves working on health and safety policies and working taking food around the city"
Delivereasy now has around a dozen drivers on the road. “As long as we keep making the deliveries interesting, we’ll keep enjoying it. We need to know our company from the ground up.” Overall, though, they are happy as a threesome. “That is the perfect number,” says Blair. “It means that majority rules if we have a disagreement.”
Making their Mums proud
The boys are dreaming big and have ambitions to launch in Auckland next year. “We want to be New Zealand’s go-to restaurant delivery service” Blair states. So what do their parents think? “My parents understand that I want to be self-employed like they are. It’s huge but amazing. It just is crazy and my parents are proud that my skills are being put to good use” Blair says. “My mum is just surprised, ” says Nick. “She told me not to go to university but it turns out spinning a few yarns is enough to start a business.” Tim interjects “I could be a janitor and my mum would be pumped,” he says.
“My mum is just surprised, ” says Nick. “She told me not to go to university but it turns out spinning a few yarns is enough to start a business.”
Business Wellington
Wellington is “such a friendly place, and a great place to start a company,” says Blair. “It is great to be able to feed Wellingtonians”. “The regular customers keep us going” explains Tim, beaming. “They love having a bit of a yarn. One of our best customers has done, like, 60 orders. People love finding out about new restaurants on board, finding new experiences. They want to try new restaurants but they can eat it in their own house.” Which sounds like Delivereasy will be helping Wellington restaurants grow their customer base, and Wellingtonians their waistlines, for years to come.
FREE DELIVERY: Grab a free delivery to try the service out - enter the coupon 'RESIDENTS' at checkout and your first delivery will be free!
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