Member Blog | Garry Gupta talks about how to build a successful business in NZ

Garry_GuptaNZAL Emerging Leader, Garry Gupta arrived in New Zealand in 2009, after previously working in the entertainment industry Film and Television companies in India. With 15 years of experiences in media production and marketing, Garry is a multi-channel marketer with a ‘never-say-die’ spirit. Currently running his own boutique marketing agency, Media Solutions Kiwi Ltd, Garry has worked as a line producer for the locally produced film Curry Munchers to marketing roles within respected media houses in Auckland, like Humm 106.2 FM and Indian Weekender. He currently handles marketing & communication for the India New Zealand Business Council.

Having worked in two countries that are poles apart in their functioning of marketing and communications, we asked Garry to share his views on how to build a successful business in NZ. This is what Garry had to say:

India’s media industry is a very fast one, with one doing 20 hours of work in 12 hours! No wonder it burns you down after being there for a decade.

NZ working culture has a good work-life balance, which seems to attract most of the migrants. even though Kiwis are know for their ‘at-your-own-pace’ work culture, but that does not mean that it is less efficient in any way. In fact, I’ve realised that we get more done in a more manageable and happier way. Some areas I can highlight would be:

  1. One has to be a multi-tasker. As kiwi companies are small in scale, you need to be able to contribute more, with lesser resources. However this gets the best out of you, and you may become a generalist in many fields, while being a specialist in one!
  1. Always be ready to reinvent yourself. You can never be satisfied with the skills that you have.
  1. Do not be pushy; at the same time, be prompt and professional. Get the kiwi way of doing things. Kiwis don’t like the American style of push strategy, rather a pull strategy work better. Kiwis like to take it at their own pace.

These are some of the things I’ve learnt from my experiences and am sharing with you.