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This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
A Hamilton woman who has turned her layoff into a fledgling dessert business is encouraging others to look beyond job postings for her next chapter.
Donna Williams is among the thousands of Air New Zealand employees who have lost their jobs this year.
But despite a year of massive challenges, his new business is taking off, proving to be a recipe for success.
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Illuminated signs greet hungry customers at the Gumdrops dessert shop. It says: “If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gummies, oh what rain would it be …”
Supplied / RNZ
The past year has presented numerous challenges for Donna Williams.
Williams says it’s a fitting phrase, chosen because it represents looking for the positives in life.
Williams, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, is a master at finding silver lights – her shop is a new beginning in what has been an incredibly tough 12 months.
In October of last year, her mother died of cancer and 10 weeks ago her 33-year-old husband had a fatal heart attack.
In between, the mother of four lost her job as an international flight attendant at Air New Zealand.
John Hawkins / Stuff
The coronavirus pandemic dramatically changed the life of the former Air NZ flight attendant.
“Covid arrived and we knew things were not going to go well in the airline industry; of course, redundancy arrived, so I took my dismissal and put it in the workshop.”
Although it was an overwhelming time to start a business, he backed his idea.
“In an age when people can’t travel, we like to eat kiwis, and this store is as kiwi as possible.”
Williams’ dream of selling delicious banoffee pies, pavlovas, trifles, and cheesecakes has been bubbling for a while.
Her husband Jason was her number one entertainer and the sticky date pudding she sells was her favorite.
Jason cheered her on until the end: she signed the lease for his shop at 5:00 p.m. and he died around 11:20 p.m.
“For me, it was a great blessing, because I know if I hadn’t made that decision, if we hadn’t, then I would have been struggling to know what to do to move forward.”
The new business is a family affair with many friends who also collaborate to support it.
Donna and Jason’s daughter, Stevie, is a business partner after also losing her job this year.
“This has been such a positive experience for our family and for me, having lost my job in the airline industry and just coming here now and settling down is like home for us now.”
Desserts are proving to be a recipe for success: the store opened last week to hordes of hungry customers, they sold out in 90 minutes.
Williams said that while some of his former colleagues had also found new activities, Covid was changing people’s world and there were hard times everywhere.
She says she feels for those who are figuring out what their next step is, and encourages them to seek help.
“Regardless of how you feel during this layoff period, there are people you can communicate with, there are people who have been through what you are going through.
“People help heal other people, so when we are around other people, that’s where our strength comes from.”
This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
