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Nathan Epplett, Billy Tong and Joshua Greville, have launched a fashion label in Hawkes Bay, called Open Plan Fashion. They are aiming to create a new range of clothes for people in the Hawkes Bay region, targeting tourists who want to take a piece of Hawkes Bay home with them.

The boys have set themselves high goals, aiming to make a 10,000 turnover this year, win the National YES competition, and in five years be established as a global clothing brand.  

We caught up with the team and asked each of the members what they are enjoying the most about running their own business:

Joshua Greville: CEO

The things that I enjoy the most about running a business with my fellow classmates are facing and overcoming different challenges that present themselves to business owners, being behind the scenes of what we are all used to seeing just on a hanger, and making executive decisions on how the company will run. I have been privileged enough to be elected into the CEO role of Open plan fashion. and with this title, I ensure team members are always on task, ensure the team is meeting deadlines, motivate the team and oversee all production matters. But my most enjoyable aspect about running Open plan fashion. is seeing a paper design become a shirt and the smile on the consumers face as they walk away.

Billy Tong: Communications Director

I love the challenges that come with running your own business. As Communications Director, I manage all incoming and outgoing communication, website development, and also sales completed through our website. The exciting thing about helping to run this business, is that you never know what’s going to happen next. You never know if all of a sudden you’re going to get a huge order, or if all of a sudden your network is going to expand vastly throughout the length of the country. It’s the sense of elation lurking that excites me the most.

Nathan Epplett: Financial Manager

What I enjoy most about running a business with two of my close classmates is the opportunity to incorporate my ideas and knowledge into real life situations. With this being a real business it means that the risks and rewards of our decisions have real outcomes which is constantly keeping us on our toes and giving us reason to think not only about the initial decision but also about all possible outcomes it could cause. As well as this I also enjoy learning more and more about the financial side of things with operating our company xero account and keeping track of all transactions. Running this business is helping me to gain experience in the business world and build the foundations I will need if I wish to pursue a career in business and commerce.

See www.openplanfashion.com to find out more, and to purchase your own t-shirt!