Georgia and Anna Tiatia Fa’atoese Latū are the latest to be accepted into our LIFT programme. The pair are working on their business Pōtiki Poi. Pōtiki poi make, sell, distribute and teach the craft of Aotearoa original poi.
Anna and Georgia are a mother-daughter duo who competed in our NZ Startup Bootcamp and have since gone from strength to strength. They have been paired with mentor Eliot Jessep. We recently caught up with the trio to find out more about them.
Read below to find out why Anna wants to live in India for a year, how Georgia came up with the idea for the business and how Eliot wants to help the team achieve.
Eliot Jessep:
What got you into your line of work and how did you end up where you are?
A few years ago I started bringing in a few games from china and selling them on trade me as a bit of a side income. Fast forward a few years as we’ve now developed NZs #1 online store for all things board and card games and also started to create a number of our own games. We’ve grown to where we are now looking for ways to continue growing.
What are you looking forward to getting out of this process with the Pōtiki Poi team?
For me it’s really exciting to come into a business which is growing at such a fast pace and really help put some structure around how they’re going to grow.
Anna Tiatia Fa’atoese Latū:
What got you into your line of work and how did you end up where you are?
Georgia! She had a need and I couldn’t help her out financially at the time, so we came up with a plan to sell poi. I like problem solving and making things happen fast, so it just fell into place. We attended the Soda NZ Startup Bootcamp and the mentors were inspirational. With all their advice and encouragement we returned home to Ōtepoti and got the ball rolling. Today we are making more poi than we would ever had imagined and loving all the new opportunities we are getting.
What are you looking forward to getting out of this process with Soda?
Some days I have so many ideas running through my head, I am loving the opportunity to share and create strategies with Eliot. He is super knowledgeable and experienced. It is inspiring to have him on our side and I love how he is such a great role model and friend to Georgia. The more exposure my children get to honest, hardworking people in their lives the better.
Tell me something not everyone knows about you?
I would really like to go to India someday. Not just to visit but to live. My husband thinks I am mad, as he prefers quiet places with no crowds. But I would love to just live and breathe the culture and learn whatever it is that's out there to soak up.
Georgia Tiatia Fa’atoese Latū:
What got you into your line of work and how did you end up where you are?
I needed to get to a wānanga in Matata, so I had to fundraise. Me and my mum came up with the idea to sell poi. Most of the time I would gift them to people for birthdays or celebrations but in this circumstance we sold them. In the first 3 days of us selling poi we made 1000 dollars! I paid for my flights and also brought myself a GoPro.
What are you looking forward to getting out of this process with Soda?
I am hoping that we get a clear picture for the future of Pōtiki Poi!
Tell me something not everyone knows about you?
I don’t like it when people call me “12”. If people use my age too much I will simply lose interest. Because in my opinion anyone and any age can have an amazing idea, it’s just how you execute your idea that matters.