It's the Flavor Podcast Network.
Island Roots Auckland Ways. This one's for the Brown brothers and sisters who want to be one with themselves, their culture, their identity, their roots.
This is Island roots Auckland Ways. So look, we love everyone. Welcome back to Island Roots Auckland Way.
Hey girl, how are you?
We were just singing with you? Use some songs off mike.
Up. Honestly, that such a good song. A banger. You are really snorting today.
I can't have it when I laugh. Speaking of I believe that children are our future.
Oh my gosh, your ways.
Is no link not billy baby.
Yes, so they sell baby products, so think of raps blanker, I think like play mats, those kinds of things. Here, girl, I don't know what babies use, but they need a lot.
Wait do you want a baby?
You?
So do?
I would you do if I came into the Flavor studio tomorrow and I was like, maes, I'm pregnant.
I I'd be happy. I'd be happy for you. I don't think they'd I want to be shocked what I want to be shot?
Off?
Age? Now? How old are you?
Twenty four? Like?
Yeah, let's just I don't.
Know anyway, Let's chat with Nolan was so lovely and we can't wait for you to get into it now.
And welcome back to Alan rootz Auckland Ways. On the podcast this week we have superstar Mama business owner and south Side Queen, Queen of Rework. Do you know about Welcome?
Thank you?
Well, how are you feeling today?
I feel really good, actually nice. I'm so glad to be here with you guys.
Yeah, well, we are very blessed to have you in the fal and Alsa's gonna take the.
Reins now absolutely, I'm sure you already know. But every week we have a little segment called what we Love about Home. Basically we can just boast about the great things about our home, whether that's back home in the Islands, whether that's home and Money, dinner, the two six seven, or what ever feels like home to us. But Mas will start us off, Maz, what do you love about home?
This week?
I must the water of some more, Oh my gosh, healing blue, crystal clear, warm like when you get into the sea and some more. It's not like freezing cold like it is here in I feel because you know, New Zealand is very close to Antarctica's the designs behind it.
I don't know. Why do you look at me when you're there?
Yeah, of the ocean and some wore I miss it dearly, one of my villigious and which is where man was, and so I very much miss just swimming, girl. I haven't gone for a swim since I was that's crazy. The last time using for a swim.
I don't even I wouldn't swim in the beaches here in Auckland, to be fair, I wouldn't even know, like it's been that long.
Summer, like back in the summer.
Yeah, well that's not I don't even think I swam during summer. Sometimes when I'm on my little runs, I will take a dip, okay, just for the lull. But I always am checking like this is it like swim sing yeah, to make sure like it's the green light, because if it's a red light, to stay out.
All black, I think it islack.
Girl, okay alert, Damn it's disgusting anyway, what I love in this week speaking of my runs, Yesterday I was out on a run around money dealer and I was just like, oh, the potanical gardens are so beautiful, Like I love this kind of like it's not un untouched, but I feel like we forget about how you do forget, Like we are literally in South Auckland and the potanical
gardens are right there. Though I will say I did do a stop off at South Mall and I Another thing I love about home is like those really bad quality six State five T shirts that like the Chinese shops out.
I love him.
You make that twenty dollars off that T shirt like it's such terrible quality, but I eat it up every time you have to take my money. I have several Wow, Yeah, I love them. I think they're great.
Okay for one special.
Yeah.
Also, I had someone approach me in sophomore yesterday. I wear a running vest when I go for my runs. He thought it was like a bulletproof fist and he's like, where'd you get that vest from? I want one to cut my weapons, and he wanted it for his weapon. Good old I was like, yeah, I'm not telling you where. I'm sorry.
Oh my gosh, because you are so the girl to look like a gangster and.
Like a right like top on, like bright pink shorts, my silly little pink running shoes. Yeah, definitely selling something out of Baby, What do you love about home?
I'm from Rera as well, good old, but actually it's it's the neighborhood like this week because we've just been doing it like a like boring old things like deep cleans, you know, home, but the neighbors like we get constantly we get missss from our neighbors like across the road and a bit further down because we live on a small street, just letting us know, oh hey someone someone came to your house today, Like do you know them?
You know, as this person related to you, like they're looking out for and it's a sense of community, which is so good because again we live on this little street. But I think just the connections you know, that you're making in your neighborhood. Yeah, yeah, like if you if I've seen you at southwet Used today because I was there,
I would have been hey cut. But yeah, I think that definitely for me, it stands out very proud to be and rewhere, have the neighborhood around you and just making the connections.
It's almost lost that neighborhood connection. Eh. I feel like back in the day, like we used to sleep over at our neighbors there, used to be barbecues.
And it used to be safe to do so, like we used to ride our bike school like walk to school.
Yeah, everyone going between everyone's houses pecking.
But now I'm just like my son's like can I go to my friends? And I'm just like, what's the address, what's the mom's phone number? Like who's going to be there? Yeah? But yeah, thank god for little streets.
I live on a little street and I can vouch for that sense of like neighborly community. But I feel like those is it, those Facebook grape mind pages were.
Really neighborhood pages. Oh my god, I.
Hate this one for real. Yeah, and it's all just like this is a stray dog music down.
Man. Well, Noline, billy Baby continues to grown so much popularity. Tell us about how you started up Billy Baby.
Well, I have five grandkids and my grandson Writer was born, and I actually went looking for I really wanted a pacificate blanket and I found one in Australia actually, and it arrived and I was just so disappointed, like the quality. You know, you buy something online and you see it and it looks pretty and it's good, and then it
arrives and it's just Cocker. Yeah, but I was so pissed off, Like I was pissed off for my not only myself, but I was pissed off for our people who were buying these blankets because I was like, like, realistically, who was going to like make the time to send it back email them, like send it back to Australia,
wait for a reface, so you're stuck with it. And that for me, I think was like that was the moment, like it was the defining moment when I was like, Okay, this is literally what I meant to be doing, you know, because growing up it was always as a brown girl, I would always look at the shopkeepers and I would think to myself, what makes them so special? Or why do they get to own a business or why can't
we own a business? And it never went away, like what into my twenties, Like I would take my husband and get him to drive me around to the rich areas, you know, call it the rich areas, and you know, I'd look at these nice houses and I'd say, yeah, it.
Was botany, Okay girl, I think it was like Pam.
Like outside of South.
Yeah, and he would just I would like I would be like, oh, you know, what job do they do? Tell me what job they do?
Like making up stories to the harm owners, like what.
Job do they do to be able to afford this hut?
So they've got two cars, recent.
Model's house, you know. And then my husband would just look at me like you're crazy, Like what is wrong with you? But then yeah, and it never went away until I launched feel it Like I always knew that I was meant to do something, you know, something special, but I just didn't know what it was until that moment.
Was your career background related to business before setting up?
I really have no business background at all. Okay, and I have been an executive assistant for so many years, so that's my background. But no, I don't hold any business qualifications. I didn't finish high school. Like I'm literally just a mom and a nana from Oh my gosh.
That's really cool though. I feel like some of the most successful businesses that that I've heard of, like the people I've connected with, are the ones where you haven't maybe you've not realized that you you don't have the qualification, is what I mean, Like you don't have that kind of like background where they're like, this is what you need to do this to be strategic, Like I think this real value in like building a community through your business or like building it from the ground up and
figuring out what works for you and then what doesn't.
I definitely agree. I think even you know, even before I started, like the whole process, but to launch, I was like, you know, you get inside your head and you're like, but do I have any money? Like where's the money?
Yeah?
Do I need these qualifications?
I guess that's the doorstop for heaps of people wanting to launch businesses. I don't have any capital, there's anything in the bank account to try and start this. But it's about lived experience, eh. And so obviously you're you're a mom, you're a grandmother too, and so you're using all those experiences like buying that blanket that was like the light switch moments.
Like that was it And I had no capsule, like I think I have like five thousand dollars in the bank and I just made it work. And I think that's why it's so important, like when I get asked to share my story and wherever that wherever that might be, is for people to understand that you don't need these qualifications you don't need to be this person who's been in business for fifty years, yeah, to make like to
start your business and have it become successful. Which yeah, I just think that's that's where people that's like you said, like it's the draw stop. It's like that's what stops them. Yeah. I just think that there's so many things that go into it. Yeah.
Absolutely. I feel like one of the New age things that has gone into business is social media. And I feel like, girl, you're one of our biggest fans on social media, and I love that for us. How did you, I guess at what point we like, I really need to start using social media as like a mechanism to get my product out there.
I was I wasn't even on Instagram before Billy, like I was on Facebook, okay, but that was where like because obviously my kids are older now, like that older like twenty seven and down. Okay, So just doing the research and realizing that that is where a lot of the market are sitting, like on Instagram, and that's how I started. Like, please don't go back through my old pictures did I have because you will clearly see the difference.
But yeah, I just you just learn as you go like right, like you said, also like it's all a learning curve. You learn as you go and you get better and better.
Was there like a period of time like can you like put your finger on It took the slog to get baby up and running.
Yeah, it took me a year because I had no I had no financial backing, Like I literally jumped onto Google and I was like, blanket, where do I buy a blanket? Can I buy horse blankets? And it took a good year because I didn't know that there were other businesses out there that could help guide me. Like by the time I found Pacific Business Trust, I was already seven months into my planning, like I'd already had
my product. I had no idea they existed, because how do you know if you if you don't know, like if you don't see them on social media a lot, because they went on social media a lot. And then but thank god I found them because I just needed a soundboard to tell me that I'm on the right track and if I've missed anything, and they will fight like they were perfect. They were like not, You're all
good to go. And then I had no money left, so I had to figure out how to build a website from scratch, and I'm just like, like I don't have like an it bone in my body, Like this is the last thing I want to do. So it took me about two and a half months to build the website and then a few weeks later we launched. Ah wow, it was Oh, there were so many tears, Like it's crazy to think that I'm here now after
that first year of just planning to launch. Yeah, there's so many things, but I only wish that there were like people out there that everyone knew where the guidance was okay, yeah, you know, or even if I knew of another pacificate business that I could reach out to while I was doing it. Yeah, because just there in itself that you just want to give up because it's it's so hard to just do that yourself. They'll support.
That's like one thing that with the podcast, that support is so important, Like we have each other and I'm so grateful for that, But so many small business owners it's literally just you and then maybe like your family, has there been people for you on your journey, whether they were there right from the beginning or you found them along the way that you've been like oh, Thank god I have you lean on.
I'm more obviously my family's there. Yeah, well they can't go anywhere even if they want to, so they were always there, you know if I need anything. But I think like I have found Danika Cooper Jewelry. Danika there husband and wife and as soon as they meet them, like I just clicked out they're in our Nation and
collective store. Yes they're based out Eastockland. But just having like meeting that couple and they we just vibe like we are on the same path, completely different products, but we're on the same journey and we can sort of feedback off each other. We saw all these ideas and to have someone who is going through it as well is so important. Otherwise you just ended up alone and then ended up going crazy.
Were you working full time alongside starting up the business or what was your situation.
I'm still working full time? Wow, yeah, so only recently I got to girl, it's crazy, like I only recently I got to drop to four days, so I still work full time for a community housing provider, so the nights are still there. Like obviously, every single day I'm praying that you know the day's going to come when I can just resign and run Billy full time because this is this is my passion, right, this is what I want to do, this is what I am destined
to do, or you know, that's how I feel. And my job's great, Like, don't get me wrong, but it's just not where my heart is.
Yeah.
Yeah, So the late nights are just still there, like I'm just like I'm trying to keep up.
Yeah yeah, what is your why beyond? You know that really a quality blanket? Like what is the thing when it's like two am and you're like, oh, I really don't want to keep, Like I part of you is like I kind of want to quit a little bit right now. What's the thing that keeps you going?
Like I could say, you know, I want to say my family, because showing them what can be achieved, like if your dreams come true and the hard work that you put in, the sacrifices will be worth it. But more than that, I actually think it's it's actually the community that Billy have built. You know, they might they might think that just a customer to me, but I literally like I see them as family, Like I would not be here sitting here today without them, Like I don't.
I don't think they realize just how much their support, you know, means to me as a small business owner.
So that's my push and because for me, I have like I just feel like, Okay, these products have done well, Like there are so many more things that we could do, like Pacifico designed and things like that that I have on the go, and I just can't wait to share them with everyone so they can, you know, continue to immerse their babies and their culture, you know, by wrapping them in a blanket or whatever it might be, because you know, to some it might just be a playmate
and a blanket, but it means so much more than that. You know, you're actually celebrating your baby's culture and immersing your baby and their culture from day one. Like that's crazy to think that that's that they want to do that as well, and they feel the same that I I do.
Yeah, it's nice to know that option is out there, because I want to say, maybe even like ten years ago, there weren't these options for our Pacific babies and so you'll just get your stock standard wrap for your baby. But I've seen on Instagram heaps of Pacific families proudly showing off their products from Billy Baby and other businesses
like yours. And it's like those little things. Ah, especially if you're a mum when you're preparing for your above, you know that your baby will be dressed in the culture, so to speak, and they want.
It like you know, because I obviously get started because I because of the blanket for my grandson, and I want to do that by just seeing like I just seeing the number of other people who want to do that too. You know. It always blows my mind because obviously the things that I design and that I love, you know, I don't love them because it's going to be great on the market, you know. I don't make them. Sorry,
if it's got to be great on the market. I make them because I actually genuinely love them and want to you know, have my grandkids have them. But for people to love them just as much. Yeah, it's crazy. The number of people like it always blows my mind.
It's so small. Speaking of culture, I want to ask you about your relationship with your culture. So tell us about your cultural background and how that relationship has been over the years.
So my dad is Simon and my mum is half tongue and half Irish growing up, you know, the culture was there because I feel like I've always been proud to be an islander, because that's just what you know, Like you don't know any different, you don't know whether you have you have an option to feel any different. But the culture, I think, is a whole different thing. Like I could read up on the history of Somemore
or the Kingdom of Tongue. But if I'm not in the culture and immerse theon and have someone there with me, then you know, does there even complete the whole picture. So when my dad, my dad passed away in twenty ten, the year he passed away before I got married, so the same year and just and when he passed it, I realized that for me the culture had almost been
lost as well. You know, it's hard to put into words, but just like obviously I'd love to have them back here, but for my kids and my grandkids not to have the presence there, you know, for him to tell stories and you know, stories of the islands and how he grew up and all these other stories, it's not the same if I tell them. So the culture did get
lost on me a bit. But the beautiful thing about Bella is that I didn't actually realize how far disconnected I was from my culture until Belly came in and then you know, it slowly reconnected me, which is such a beautiful thing because my kids and my grandkids now connecting the dots as well. Yeah, because it was just really hard when my dad passed, just for me to feel I guess, like a sense of belonging. You know, you're a pacific person, always first and foremost, but the
culture is completely different. You know, it's a completely different thing in my eyes. So I've definitely come back to it, which is so nice because you know, Billy is a representation of me. You know, it's an extension of me. You know, I've got five kids, but Billy is like the sixth one, you know, the needy baby.
All the attention.
So that's what Billy is for me. So it's definitely brought me back to my culture, and it's so special.
You're so right about your dad passing away and his passing almost feeling like a part of your cultural knowledge was lost, because that's how we learn, right, Our traditions are passed down orally, and so it's through the stories and like those little anecdotes that are out as will share with us. That's how we learn about our culture. So I definitely feel you on that one.
Did you like growing up in Money Deer, did you always feel really connected to your like pacificness, Because I feel like we were so diverse that when I went to high school away from Moneyda, I was like, this is a culture shock. What's it happening right now? Oh my gosh.
For my dad again, he brought the culture, you know, because when I went to school at Monida, there weren't like there were more Mahdi than there were Pacific Eye lind kids. So I was always around brown faces. But again the culture. Like my dad, he was my presence, right, he was the person that will take us to the family things, and you know, well, you are immersed in the culture. And then I went to McCauley Girls High
and Odaho and again like PACIFICA Girls. So that was nice because you don't you never felt like a minority and you just you're surrounded by all these brown faces. This is like you just don't know any yeah. Yeah, And I think it wasn't until it was actually a few months ago, the first time in so many years where actually felt like a minority. I went to the
Baby Expo over the North Shore. Oh oh my gosh, and shout out to the organizers are great, But I was the only Pacificer business owner at the expo and even at Peking. As soon as they walked in there, it just felt you know, you just know, you just feel the eyes on you, and maybe they were just looking because oh, it's this beautiful lady. But standing there and amongst all these other brands that were predominantly white
business owners. Nothing against them, but I just like, at the first night, I just went home and cried, like I was literally I just couldn't shake the feeling that minority. Yeah, yeah, and it just cold me, Like I still can't shake the feeling.
Was that the first instance you had felt kind of isolated as a Pacific business owner?
Yeah, it really was. And I sort of I should have known, Like I was so upset at myself that I'd put myself in that situation. But for me, I don't see Billy as. I'll wear this niche brand that's only the only Pacific Islanders are going to Like, like, I walk into a space and I talk about Billy As, Oh, it's a mainstream product. Everyone loves it, and then it sort of like hurted me like a ton of bricks, and with it the expert like, girl, what do you think? But are you like crazy kings?
Yeah, well you're not. But like it's wild because I feel like, at least with Marina and I, we've built our world to be so pastigo centric that when we're into spaces that are not passibigo centric, it's like, what do you mean There's a whole world out there that's not as haughty about being prospiguo as I am, Like,
what do you mean? I'm the different ones. I can like it totally empathized with how you're feeling, because you know, even when we went to the Radio Awards, it was like it was like, hits you like a ton of bricks, Like you are not like we can sit here. All what we do is talk to brown people all day every day when we do the podcast. And then you go on to space like that and you're.
Like, oh, like.
One of yeah, we want to like teen of us. Awesome, that's great. You know, in a room of like a thousand people.
It's quite isolating.
That's definitely isolating. That's the first time I've ever felt like, look, I will you know, not not again, not anything. It's the organizers, but I just I will not go back to the baby expo over the shore again because I can't put myself through it. You know. And majority of people that we did sell to on that day were
brown people. But it just sort of made me realize that again, like you said, Alyssa, like we may you know, we surround ourselves with our you know, people and brown faces and things like that, but again there is like a whole different world out there. Yeah, but you know, I'm still here, Like Billy's a mainstream brand, not just fonders.
Well, imagine if you weren't at the baby expo, all these brown families looking for themselves and the businesses that they were going to would have never come across you.
It's so true and I never thought about that.
So maybe maybe go back to the shore girl.
With me.
Actually I will come with you.
I'll be like, but yeah, definitely one for the books, that's expert.
Yeah, well, I mean you have that learning, Maybe won't go back to the shore for the expert. What are some other like big whether they're strategic or like cultural learnings that you've had with Billy Baby. What are some of the ones that stick with you.
I think just being invited to spaces like this, the podcast, or being invited to speak at schools like I went back to McCauley last week to speak to the girls. I think those types of spaces it definitely highlights for me, Like I like, I love those spaces and sharing the story because I just keep taking myself back to when I was younger, how I used to think, And I just wonder if these girls are thinking the same, yes, like it's too hard to get into business or you know,
I'm not the right color to get into business. And I just feel like more of us need to share our story. And it's not only the youth like we have. I had people after that McCauley interview parents come up to me and say, I really want to start my business. Can you help me? And I was like, yeah, I'm all for this. Email me because it's never too late to start, and we just need to see someone or listen to something that's going to give us confidence to say, Okay, actually I can do it.
Yeah.
You know, you know she's from Rewa and you know she's from Rewa. Yes, yes, they can do it. You know, if they can do it, then I can do it.
So those are definitely the highlights for me obviously, other than meeting like beautiful customers and at the Pacifica Festival and things like that, but being in the spaces to share, like because it's not just you talking, right, you're actually there and who knows, Like those audiences, one person might be like, oh my gosh, that's gonna that's that's me, Like I can do that, might just go and do it.
Yeah, because of you. And in the simplest sense, it's that ability to dream and be inquisitive and these girls who for example, when you meet some o'cauley, who might be thinking, oh, man, like, I've really got so much ideas and so much energy that I want to put out into the universe and it might not be through business or might be through university or what have you. That I just need to know that there's someone out there applying what's in their mind in real life.
Absolutely, yeah, Yeah, it's just it's such yeah, like for you guys, and then I mean to be in the space right where you get to share people's stories, it's just so valuable. You know, it could just make some oh yeah, you know, you could make the next millionaire. You could give them the confidence.
You know, I'd like to be the next brilliant metal. But it's that whole like you can't be what you can't see, right, Like it's so important to platform ourselves and like learn more about the different people and our communities who operate outside of the potentially like the stereotypes that often put on our people, Like a stereotype would be that our people can't own a business or something like that, you know, like which obviously we don't buy into.
But like I think that's what makes things like Billie Baby so important because you know, all it takes a S five k in the bank account and a dream.
That's it. Like it's literally, I mean, I know it's hard when you're doing yourself and you're planning, but when you come out the other end, it's just so worth it. And you know, another thing when we're on that topic
is the career exposed. Like I've reached out to a few schools and I'm just like, hey, look, I realized you have a career expoke coming up, but why do you not have an entrepreneur at these expos you know, like even if it's not myself, like I'm just asking the question because you have all these different stands and all of these different pathways right into what they might do next. But entrepreneurship and owning a business is a step,
like that's literally a pathway, you know. But they obviously don't they don't answer me.
Maybe you've got them start.
Hey, Noeline, what are some gyms of advice that you would in part on other PACIFICA businesses or PASIFICA people wanting to start their own business?
It's the support, you know, like you need to. I mean, there are places out there who can help guide you. But another major thing to have as a soundboard, you know, reach out to well, to me, to other PACIFICA businesses because since barely started, like the PACIFICA community have rallied around Bailey. Is so hard, Like it's crazy. I never expected it. Because there's a seat at the table for everyone, right, we just want to see each other shine, like to
it their full potential. That's why I get heaps the messages asking me what do I do? How do I do it? Where do I look? And I'm happily, you know, I'm happily sending off these replies because we just we just need more of us. We don't want to be the minority in business. We need to be seeing it as though, Oh you know, I don't you know, I don't want people to drive around to these rich areas, like I like, what do they do? You know? Yeah?
Like everything has a story, Like there's always a meaning behind everything we do, right, there's always going to be a bigger purpose, which is definitely uplifting.
I love it. Like lack of competition as well, I being like, no, like there's plenty of seats on the table we can all eat, Like I love that. But we're moving into our rapid fire came our game, so I would be live. I would like you to get a little bit competitive, and we're playing a little bit of rapid fire this or that, so whatever, I'm going to say something and you peck this or that. Essentially,
does that make sense that it's easy? Okay? Introvert or extravert extravert night our early bird, early bird, sports or books, books, board game or video game, video game? Okay, text or cool text, coffee, your tea, water and the last one night out all night and night.
And yeah, night and on the computer sales man Noline, thank you so much for coming on to Alan Auckland Ways this week. Where can we find Billy baby online?
So billy our website jub dot billybabies dot com or on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and then you will see a stockers page on our website. Were all of our stockers beautiful?
And nolane up? And oh I do have one more thing? Sorry?
Yeah, just speaking of real wife forgot completely read. I can say Clinton, oh this is a soft spot for I'm sorry. Are you buying your fruit and veg is from the clearance table? Oh? My gosh. You know, you know you go to a different peg and save in different areas like Pekan, say Botany, for example, they cater to the area. They have foods pegan save Clanton. We can't even get Holandai sauce, no.
Pegan save Clantons.
Literally nothing nothing, nothing, not even I've been looking for like holdie sauce, Like just because we are low medium does not mean we do not want nice cheese for our crackers.
Yeah, I think I've looked for like bean sprouts on noodles there before. Where are they show me the bean sprouts.
Please. You need to do better.
Even at my local supermarket, like they don't have all the flavors of the yogurt and I'm like, girl, what is that one chocolate?
Are we give me some passion fruit? Yeah?
Yo?
Please?
Oh they need to cut it out literally, Yeah yeah, that's the right way.
Stop stocking these by lay what about us?
Thank you so much, thank you for having me. I'm so shocked that you you wouldn't be shocked. If I told you that I was having a baby, I'd be.
Like, I'd be gagged, but I'd be happy. I think the happiness would override the I mean, that's a baby, girl, Like, it's not about me, it's about a baby. You're a wild I honestly wouldn't be shocked.
Do you actually like I have all these suitors who are really to just give me a baby?
I would be like, oh shit, crazy, my oh my gosh, should be so excited.
Okay, okay, anyway, you guys obviously tep beck and next week we're here island It's awkward ways and you can also find us on the socials Island Roots orkand ways. But until then, have a great weeke. Bye.