Friday 4 January 2013

Bugbears and sunshine

It's been 3 days and I feel I can do the job now. I've got my head around the bulk of the workflow and button pushing and reckon I could take on the whole empire myself.

Oddly enough this epiphany of skillset coincides with 3 days off. So I may not be feeling quite so confident upon my return. If anyone finds mashed potato in the keyboards Tuesday morning, we'll know I was right.

How to spend 3 days off in Doha? Today will be all about sourcing a new toothbrush, toothpaste (that doesn't taste like you had to scrape it off the bottom of the prison sink), a plug adapter and some sunglasses. That endeavour should certainly chew up today as I desperately try to hail taxis, exchange poor directions, find myself in god knows where then try to get back home.

If I even procure one of those items and return home safely, I will consider today a success.

As for the other 2 days, I have a lot of hockey work to catch up on. While there is planning to be done, emails to answer and cutting to conclude, what I really need is a plan for getting that elusive naming rights sponsor.

Dear reader, you may not be aware of my involvement in New Zealand ice hockey, but I'm neck deep. I've helped make some wonderful progress happen over the last 3 years and am focused on bringing the New Zealand league to television. Everything is in place save for the last $60,000 to cover the production and it is this sum I am in constant search for.

The problem for me is that as good as I am at marketing, cost cutting, production planning and generally everything else, I am no salesman and certainly don't have the business connections to make this happen easily. It's the bugbear in an otherwise perfect plan.

And if you google images of bugbears you'll see what I mean.

It's all a bit chicken and egg, sponsors will leap all over something that is successful in it's own right, but aren't generally keen to work with you to build something far better. The New Zealand league certainly needs televised match coverage and the audience for that is both domestic and international. Any sponsorship working relationships and requirements are possible, but require a great deal of trust in the New Zealand league and myself.

I think I've put enough on the table to prove the project has serious validity and a bright future, that expansion is inevitable and the speed of growth attributable to the relationship we form with the sponsor who wants to take us on.

But who are you Mr Sponsor and where are you hiding? Where is the cashed up Joe Sunshine who wants to work with me on this project, have some laughs, enjoy the sport and bring New Zealand ice hockey to the world? I suspect he or she is under your bed dear reader, so please check before you go to sleep tonight.

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