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A while ago, we realised the travel industry delivers holidays, but not the means to afford them. So we've gone against the grain and redesigned the industry and how holidays are paid for. By embracing technology and thinking innovatively, we've challenged the status quo to deliver a new and innovative solution. It wasn't easy. But fuelled by near-constant caffeine consumption, very little sleep and a tenacious and resourceful 'number 8 wire' approach, LayAway Holidays is now a reality.
The idea came about after a chat between LayAways founder Aaron ‘Grand PooBah’ Panapa and a friend. ‘Going on holiday this year?’ Aaron asked his mate. ‘Nope,’ his friend replied ‘I don’t want to overload the plastic and with this recession, we can’t really justify paying cash.’
This got Aaron thinking. Sure, there's a recession on. Yes, the old days of racking up debt on credit cards are over, and an overseas holiday costs money. But why shouldn't your average kiwi be able to take a holiday? We're a hard working lot... Doesn't every kiwi deserve a holiday?
Why couldn't someone do something to make holidays easier to afford for everybody?
That ‘someone’ quickly became Aaron. He contacted business partner and fellow entrepreneur Ali ‘The Delegator’ McGinn who saw a great opportunity and jumped at the chance to be part of the new venture. They pulled up chairs at the local Columbus Cafe (aka the 'LayAway boardroom') and began to research, strategise and develop a LayAway model for holidays, basing the concept on successful overseas companies with similar but limited offerings. They began speaking to the 'big wigs' in the travel industry, and the message they got back was clear: Great idea. Make it happen, then come back and see us and we'll see. This was like a red rag to a bull for Aaron, who seems to answer every question or setback with 'let's go to work!'
The next step was to pull together a top notch team to help them turn the idea into a reality. Jonno, our Business Development Manager and expert plate-spinner, is often on the receiving end when it comes to delegation, and copes admirably with everything and anything that gets thrown at him. He's got travel industry business know-how in spades after working for several years overseas for different corporate travel companies and the patience of a saint! Tony, our Chief Operation Officer and travel industry vet, has been there and sold that holiday - He’s been a franchise owner for all the major travel companies in NZ and knows everything there is to know about travel - and then some. No Tony, no business… Don, our Marketing and Advertising Manager and guru, is out there finding ways to spread the word about us every day, keeping us true to our brand and on target with our mission. Technical Support Manager Manas is our go-to guy for digital communications and all things techy. If he doesn't know about it, it probably hasn't been invented yet (and undoubtedly he's working on that). Ours is a new service, so it's important that we communicate in new ways. LayAway Holidays embraces the use of technology and Manas has us covered on everything from social networks to web applications and other things that we can't even grasp yet.
We've developed partnerships and alliances with the best, biggest, most trusted names in travel, and we've created a robust and secure online platform for the LayAway model with the good guys at Debitsuccess, the largest electronic transaction process handlers in Australasia.
The future's bright. Our invitation is for you to join us on this adventure. Help us develop an extraordinary business that makes the rest of the industry wake up to what kiwis need, a business that will help more kiwis to see the world. Come November 2nd, we launch and change the travel industry forever. Join the Layaway Holidays club, and let's make your next holiday happen - because every kiwi deserves a holiday!
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