[ad_1]
WARWICK SMITH / Things
Quaid Robinson was a street vendor who became a barista after the confinement ruined his career.
He lost two jobs and nearly his home amid the Covid-19 shutdown. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.
Living the good life in 2019, street vendor Quaid Robinson had it all.
Earning a six-figure salary for an Australia-based commercial tool business, he bought his first home with his partner in Palmerston North and was looking to a bright future in the industry.
But when Covid-19 started sweeping the world in early 2020, he lost his job. He was able to take on another sales position quickly, but it evaporated just as quickly.
READ MORE:
* What the events of 2020 have taught me and how they transformed my life
* Fillies and stallions make tracks at Awapuni Boxing Day races
* Tony Robinson takes viewers home around the world by train
“I tried New World and The Warehouse, and couldn’t get any jobs. I just wanted a minimum wage to pay at least part of my mortgage.
“I was starting to get into a really dark place because I didn’t know if I was going to get another job.”
On the verge of losing his home, a former employer threw him a life preserver to drive the About Thyme coffee cart on Main St in Palmerston North. The stars aligned.
The owner was looking for a “way out” of the business and Robinson had a chance to take over, but financially it seemed out of reach.
RNZ
Some of the country’s most powerful business leaders are demanding that the government expose its Covid-19 plan, including its strategy to open the border.
“I thought ‘to hell with this.’ I’m not looking for another sales rep job to get laid off in another six months.
“I am happy to put all my eggs in the basket as a business, I will not leave my destiny to anyone else.
“If everything is on my own, I have no choice but to succeed.”
With the help of his parents, partner Christy Baker, and her family, Robinson was able to raise enough money and buy the business in May 2020.
The worst year of his life had turned into a blessing.
“We were very lucky. I loved my job [in sales], but I was in different hotels every night, it was very lonely. I never had time to hang out with my partner. “
Robinson relied heavily on Baker for support during the reopening of About Thyme. With the business now booming, he’s willing to hire support staff to give him a seven-day-a-week break from work and spend time with her.
“If someone knocks on my door and says: ‘[here’s] $ 120,000 now, do you want to be a sales rep again? It sounds stupid, but you couldn’t offer me enough money.
“I have more value here. I am home every night and have met amazing people.
“Clients that I really know personally, I call friends. It has become a really good destination. “
