Tom Blaxland’s Post

We recently reached the halfway mark of our "𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐩 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 + 𝐌𝐁𝐀 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞" extravaganza in New Zealand! When you reach the halfway mark in a running event, you automatically start to count down to the finish line - but in this adventure, I am still looking forward to every twist, turn, hill, obstacle, and surprise on the way. Nevertheless, reaching this point is a milestone and I wanted to reflect on some of our highlights and revelations... Pursuing my MBA has been both challenging and rewarding. Still, I have not experienced this much free time and flexibility since my early 20s. And I like it! Being removed from stress and other distractions of "normal" life, our family has been spending more time together than before. We are exploring a new country together, learning, adapting, and relying on each other's company. My husband and I enjoy having the time to workout together and lunch by the beach. I am fully embracing my "𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤" student lifestyle. And some of my favorite moments of the day are drinking a cup of coffee in the morning sun, listening to the birds, and feeding the family of purple swamphens (Pūkeko) that live in the bush. I feel more relaxed, mindful, and present - and I hope that it sticks! 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: -Perception of weather quality is relative depending on where you are from. We love the climate here! -A family gap year costs more than you expect. And more than you anticipated it costing more than you expected. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭. -The experience has opened our minds to a multitude of opportunities and dreams. 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭? -Less is comfortable. And easy. We live in a beautiful house with minimal furnishings and household items, but it's enough. We brought over a suitcase each, and even though we have acquired some items we are very mindful that everything purchased will need to be sold when we leave. 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. -𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭. New Zealand is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and it is a joy to get to know people from all over the world with a magnitude of different experiences and perspectives. -It is a great privilege to be able to take a year off to learn, explore, and grow - and 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝.

🚀 Reflecting on Our Busiest Month: 100% Growth & Key Market Insights 🌍 We wrapped up our busiest month ever at amber, achieving a 100% growth Y-o-Y in the same period, and 40% overall as a partnerships team! As I reflect on the last 3 months, there's a lot that has changed, and a lot that is the same: 1> UK is back: Our UK bookings have played a substantial role in this growth, and it has all happened post elections, as the narrative is changing and we see positive vibes coming from the UK Education Department. 2> Student quality has drastically improved: No more fence sitters. Students flying abroad are deeply committed to embracing the culture and the experience of an overseas education. Our premium properties saw record sales as students were not just looking for a bed, but a thriving community where they can build their network and gain exposure. Particularly students targeting Russell Group and Go8 universities. 3> Attention to detail matters: Partners that went the extra mile in ensuring the accommodation, travel, and forex for the student saw better numbers. We extended our whitelabel solution to power the accommodation helpdesk for multiple international partners, and received product feedback on how we can improve the student journey and make it even more smooth. 4> Collaborate and Conquer: We did multiple webinars and events with partners to educate students and counsellors on the trends in the real estate markets in each destination country. We took an education first approach, which was non threatening and welcomed warmly by all audiences. We do understand there's a lot to improve upon, such as our response time to students. International time differences and manual processes need to make way for realtime updates and automation. 🙏 Thank You: To our partners, your trust and collaboration have been instrumental in reaching this milestone. This success is as much yours as it is ours. Together, we are making a lasting impact on the student accommodation landscape. Madhur Gujar Saurabh Goel. Prakhar Pagaria. Nirav Parmar Bhanu Mahajan Shrey Nagori Harshal Maniyar Esha Jaitley

👋🏼 Closing three intense days in an energizing visit to New York City. Three takeaways I would like to share with you all. ✅ Spend time with end-users. We never build products for the intellectual effort of it. We build products to answer user needs and bring solutions to identified problems and opportunities. Spending time with them is the basics, the foundation. Get to know them, who they are, where they come from, how they use your products, what they like/don't like, understand/don't understand, and ultimately what they expect. Building excellent Customer Experience is caring deeply about people. ✅ People first. The older I get, the more I appreciate being surrounded by good, healthy, and talented people. Share what I know, and what my convictions are like but also listen and observe. Accept being vulnerable, and different, look ignorant for a few minutes, and not pretend to know when you do not. All this to stay true to yourself and more globally be better tomorrow. It’s part of the never-ending learning journey. Not only as a professional but as a person. People first. ✅ New York City, you’re really something. I have lived in multiple cities in the world and clearly, you’re different.

Hey marketing academe whanau (family)! SAVE THE DATE! We would like to extend a call for papers for the SCP Boutique Conference “Marketing for Social Impact,” Dec 10-11, 2024, at Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. The event is chaired by me (yay!), Ekant Veer, Megan Phillips, PhD and Katharine Howie PhD. Key dates: Full CFP will be released in March, with submission deadline is June 1, 2024, and notifications of acceptance sent by July 15, 2024. What's it about? We are method agnostic and invite all comers. We aim to bring together scholars working to understand and build social impact in their marketing, advertising, communication, sales, retail, logistics, and supply chain scholarship. We acknowledge and particularly invite participation from those who have held lengthy engagements in social marketing, macromarketing, public policy, and transformative consumer research. We envision a collaborative alliance with all marketing scholars who seek to agitate societal-level, firm-level and individual-level change. We'll welcome papers with rigorous theoretical and empirical practice and those that challenge our ways of knowing and being, along with issuing a call for social good. In particular, we invite innovative work that has been shown to have demonstrable and measurable social impact. See more here! And please share with those this post makes you think of, cause you and they are the ones we want to see. Cheers from Auckland!! #SCP #marketingforgood #boutiqueconference #socialimpact #socialgood #researchimpact #AUT #researchthatmatters

How do you make others feel? This week many expats are starting a new school year. Some people are new to the country, city or even school. Some are returning after being elsewhere, some are long term staff members. However, everyone is coming with mixed feeling and a range of emotions from their summer and past experiences. Some might have had the best summer traveling, or being with family or friends who were hard to leave, others may have had loss or are worried about a loved one. Some might be still on a high from a wedding or birth or others may had stayed home the whole break. Almost all would be feeling anxious or excited about being new to the country, or city, school or new team. Everyone comes with a different story and experience and mix of emotions. The most important part of this week is not what we share about the curriculum, the new policies, or the time to set up the classrooms, it’s the relationship building and embedding of relationships that we need to focus on. Make sure everyone you interact with leaves with a feeling that they matter as an individual, that they are seen, heard, listened to and cared about. Build those relationship, have authentic connections and conversations and see everyone for who they are. Best of luck to everyone for the week ahead. You all matter. 💕🤩 #wellbeing #expats #internationalschools

🏀🏈 Why We Love the Sports Market 🏒⚽ Sports aren’t just about competition, but community, growth, and economic impact. A recent report sheds light on how robust the sports tourism industry is. According to the Sports Events & Tourism Association State of the Industry Report, sports-related travel had a staggering direct economic impact of $52.2 billion in 2023 alone! That's a testament to the enduring appeal and influence of sports in our society. But what makes the sports market particularly special for us? Let me break it down: 1️⃣ Weekend Fun: Sports events often grace our weekends, offering a welcome break from the corporate grind. It's a time to unwind, cheer for our favorite teams, and celebrate the spirit of competition. 2️⃣ Community Engagement: Our favorite groups? High school teams right here in Utah. Supporting these teams isn’t just about the game; it’s about rallying behind our local talent, fostering school pride, and strengthening community bonds. 3️⃣ Family Affairs: When a team plays, it's not just the players who show up—it's their families, friends, and even entire school districts. Sports events become vibrant gatherings where people come together to share in the excitement and camaraderie. The numbers speak volumes: Sports-related travel generated over 73.5 million room nights in 2023 alone! That's millions of memories made, friendships forged, and dollars circulated within our communities. As someone deeply involved in the sports market, I'm thrilled to see its continued growth and impact. It's not just about the games themselves; it's about the countless opportunities they create—for businesses, for communities, and for individuals. So let’s continue championing the sports market, not just for the thrill of victory, but for the countless benefits it brings us all. Whether you’re a player, a fan, or a business owner, there’s something exceptional about the world of sports. Let’s keep the momentum going! #highschoolsports #hotels #hotelrewards

Reflection on My Journey to Independence When I started my bachelor's at Capital University of Science and Technology, I was full of dreams. Studying English was thrilling, and seeing my brother and friends work while studying made me want to do the same. The idea of earning my own money and enjoying life was very appealing. 💭✨ In my second year, I took a full-time night shift as an Admin Assistant for the Director of Operations in Illinois. Balancing university and work was tough, but I was excited and managed to excel, maintaining a 4.0 GPA and even being named Employee of the Month. 🌟📚 Initially, having my own money and freedom was exciting. I dreamed of buying things, traveling, and enjoying life. 🛍️✈️ However, as time passed, the excitement faded. I had the money but not the happiness I expected. The things I once looked forward to no longer thrilled me. I realized that while I had grown and succeeded, I was no longer happy. I missed simple pleasures like watching Netflix. Constant work was affecting my health and making me tired and bored. I learned that the independence I chased wasn't truly fulfilling. Despite feeling let down, the journey was important for my growth. It made me more responsible and skilled but also showed me the importance of balance. ⚖️ I needed time to relax and enjoy life, not just work. I missed carefree moments and realized that true happiness lies in the journey and simple joys. 😊 Now, I try to enjoy the little things in life. I spend more time with family and friends, take breaks, and find joy in the present. While I still work hard, I no longer let it take over my life. I've learned that having goals is important, but so is enjoying the journey and appreciating what we have now. 💖🌟 #Growth #Balance #Journey #PersonalDevelopment #Happiness

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How have I delivered myself to other people so far? Thank you for visiting us Alberta Mason 🟡🔴🟢🔵 from L'Oréal and Monica Sedman from FOOTASYLUM . The day2 at Future me week( The Manchester Metropolitan University) gave me great reflections on myself about personal branding. They taught me a lot of very helpful things and my interpretation of each session is: 💻The first session “Building your personal brand” by Alberta: -Believe in your authenticity and have confidence in yourself. -Be prepared to be confident. -If you were hesitant to do something, ask yourself if there is any risk there ⭐️ All these attitudes form your personal brand. 💻The second session “How do I sell my skills to employers?” by Monica: - Proactively contact and meet people from all walks of life. -Meet and listen with interest to what people have to say. -Read and understand the job description thoroughly, asking yourself questions about the contents. -Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Don't be afraid to approach people. ⭐️ Have interest in people, job, company, and yourself 👩🏻💻My thoughts 💭 Since I moved to the UK in September 2023, the more I learn, the more unknowns I find, and as much as I enjoy pursuing them, sometimes it feels like a small anxiety. But I am aware that this is a process of growth and I want to keep moving forward. I am thankful that in coming to the UK alone, I have interacted with so many people at university, at various events, online and in really different environments, and I have met so many supportive people. As Alberta and Monica told us, there may be surprisingly few reasons to hesitate in our day-to-day lives. (Of course, we need risk analysis though.) I decided to leave my comfort zone and come to the UK to develop myself, so I'm consciously being proactive at the moment, but it was a good reminder that there is still a lot I can do. Great feeling before starting semester 2. Thank you so much, Alberta Mason 🟡🔴🟢🔵, Monica Sedman and Debbie Kearns. #mmu #rise #personalbranding #selfimprovement

Is it time we acknowledge that living with regrets is perfectly normal? The millennial ethos of striving for a "no regrets" life, amplified by social media slogans and even tattoos (often humorously misspelled), seems to cast a shadow over the mere mention of regret. My perspective: regrets shouldn't be seen as disappointments but as valuable lessons and opportunities for redemption. Speaking of regrets, one regret of mine was missing out on the chance to study abroad during my undergraduate years. During undergrad, I was juggling full-time work because I had to support myself. I was focused on making sure my bills were as paid as they could be while trying to make a life for future me. I faced the hard reality of limited resources, and studying abroad wasn’t an option. I think we need to be a bit more honest about the fact that studying abroad is out of reach for a lot of people who come from working-class backgrounds, but we won’t tackle socioeconomics…in this post. Thanks to Daniel G. Van Der Vliet, Susan Hu, Kaitlyn Mann, and Nicole Pellegrino, I was able to join the annual Italy trek that allowed me to embark on a remarkable journey across northern Italy, visiting Turin, Milan, and Bologna. This experience allowed me to delve into the fascinating world of family businesses, exploring their unique challenges and opportunities. As someone who has built a career in the institutional investment landscape, family offices have really been a hot topic, and this was my opportunity to engage in learning more about them and appreciating the complexities and nuances of what it means to run a family enterprise. A highlight of my trip was learning about the various approaches to sustainability adopted by the businesses we visited. The Davines Group | Certified B Corp stood out for its commitment to regenerative sustainability. The dedication to ethical practices, biodiversity, and inclusive management was inspiring. While I could wax on, I’ll leave it at this: timing is always an element of life that you find yourself on the right or wrong side of—but, in classic millennial fashion, if you have an opportunity to have a “do-over,” YOLO. No Regrets. Get that tattoo... even if it’s misspelled. #CornellMBA #FamilyBusiness #PersonalDevelopment