Founder and CEO, Sharenanigans, Christchurch, NZ
Please introduce yourself and describe your career. What do you do for a living?
I’m Alli, a Christchurch local and the Founder and CEO of Sharenanigans- a fun and competitive board game based on the key concepts of how to invest in shares. After two years of development, this year I have gone fulltime on Sharenanigans to give it the love required to bring it to life and grow the brand. After graduating university in 2022 I moved to Auckland to be an Account Executive for a marketing agency. After continuously running campaigns and scheduling PR for other brands, I thought why am I not doing this for my own brand, especially while I am young and have nothing to lose? So, I quit and moved back to Christchurch to dedicate my time to Sharenanigans.
I am also a high school workshop facilitator on the side and have been doing this for the past 4 years. During my time facilitating business workshops with students, I started to realise not only the lack of knowledge around investing but just the lack of awareness. As someone who also didn’t know anything about investing in shares I started to dive deeper into these issues. Eventually Sharenanigans was created, a way to spark conversations and curiosity about the topic in more households. Fast forward two years I have successfully completed a crowdfunding campaign raising almost $50k in pre-sales and business sponsorships, enabling mass production to go ahead. The games are scheduled to arrive late October, to be distributed to major retail stores, and go direct to consumers.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Surprisingly for as long as I can remember I have always wanted to own a business. In primary school I was hiring out my Heelys (shoes with wheels in them for $5 a day), and then in high school I started importing products to sell on TradeMe. So I guess I have always been on the lookout for opportunities to create something of my own, and to solve problems others over look.
What did you study? How much schooling do you think is required to get into your role? What could you have skipped?
I studied a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, and a minor in Innovation.
It is hard to say because one of the great things about business is that anyone can start one. You just need to have the drive and perseverance (and an idea of course). From doing work shops in high schools around creating businesses, some of the most talent kids are the ones who do not excel in traditional academic classes. Business gives them a way to be creative, think outside the box, and there are no right or wrong answers. This is why programs such as Young Enterprise Scheme is so amazing in high schools because it gives students another option rather than traditional schooling. Young Enterprise was for me what cemented my love for creating businesses.
However, university did benefit me for multiple reasons. Obviously, it provided me with more knowledge around scale, commercialisation and marketing but it also now gives me more credible, especially as a young business owner starting out. The main benefit of going to university was the network I had access too. I made sure to get involved in all business extra curricula activities which included doing two Start Up accelerator programs. This is where I met hundreds of industry experts, mentors, and business founders, growing my network before I had even left university. My current shareholders were my first ever business mentors, given to me during a university program. I credit so much of my success to the other founders in the community I formed around me at university. Starting a business by yourself can be a lonely time, so university gave me a community of like-minded people to always be around and bounce ideas off.
Was your path hard or smooth getting to where you are in your career? (Can you briefly describe what it was like on your journey so far?)
It has certainty been a challenge getting Sharenanigans to where it is today but wouldn’t have it any other way.
It takes a lot of sacrifices to grow a business and I am constantly questioning if I made the right choice doing this instead of sticking with my graduate role. You see everyone else climbing the career ladder with stable income or traveling the world, it’s hard not to compare.
There is a lot of uncertainty and risk when growing something of your own but that’s what makes it exciting, it’s thinking about the potential of exponential growth that keeps me going.
Walk us through your typical work day—when do you start, end, and do all day? (Where do you work from?)
Everyday I am faced with new challenges and wins. Whether that’s meeting with new retail partners, traveling to Shanghai to meet our manufactures, design new game prototypes, or creating social media content. Right now my day is based around growing the brand through marketing and PR, while locking in contracts with new stores. I have set myself a goal of 2 new TikToks or Insta Reels everyday, which takes up way more time than I thought!
This is probably where I note, I am also a gym instructor as CHCH gyms, so you’ll see my at the gym at least once a day as well.
I do get bored easily so I love that every day is different, and I never know what will come up.
What are some questions someone should really ask themselves if they want to get into your industry / career path?
Why not?
You do have to analyze the risk of starting a business and make sure it is the right decision for your current situation but at the same time I hear too many excuses of why people don’t want to.
Anyone is capable you just have to be willing to challenge yourself and push through the hard times.
What do you enjoy most about your career? (What do you enjoy least?)
The people I meet! Everyday, I meet so many ambitious people who are doing incredible things, or people who have done incredible things and are now looking to give back. Has someone who is super extroverted, I love going to events or having coffee meetings with new people.
What tools/resources do you frequently use? (Books, podcasts, mentors, wellness habits, software, etc.)
Books: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, Diary of a CEO, Girls That Invest.
Habits: Lots of hill or beach walks, gym/ activity every week day, plan something fun every weekend, join community groups to be around more people.
Software: I’m pretty basic and leave all the complicated software to the marketing team but everyday I use Trello, Slack, Canva, ChatGPT.
Mentors: From university I have a group of people who specialize in different areas of business who I meet with at least every fortnight. But for those wanting to find mentors NZ Business Mentors is a great place!
What is something you do when things get difficult? How do you handle stress/ challenges?
If I need to destress then I go for a walk on the beach with my dog, hang out with friends, or play golf with my dad. If it is something difficult that I need to get done I will normally get my shareholders to help or one of my mentors.
What advice would you give to someone who is trying to figure out what they want to do (for work) in general?
Just say yes to as many different opportunities as possible, you never know who you will meet and what doors it will open.
If something scares you or challenges you outside of your comfort zone, then do it.
Do you have any mentors or key pieces of career advice that helped you get to where you are today?
People are so willing to help, just put yourself out there and ask for help when you do.
What excites you about the future OR what's up next for you in the near future? (Could be career-related, life-related, or even a future career pivot / path)
Seeing how much the Sharenanigans brand can grow on a global level while making a positive impact. I want to hear of stories in the future that Sharenanigans was the reason someone was curious to learn more about investing. My dream is that no one feels they don’t fit the ‘mould’ of who you have to be to invest.
Beyond Sharenanigans I want to be creating more products and expanding our range, while also looking at how to make major retail stores more accessible for smaller NZ made games.
After being to China I have also recognized the opportunity available to do more work promoting the potential between NZ and China business connections. I was overwhelmed by the benefits of connecting with my manufactures face to face, it really gives you an appreciation of how your product is made and where it comes from.
Where can readers find/connect with you if they have questions? OR How can we support you?
To pre-order or to know more about Sharenanigans head to www.sharenanigans.co.nz
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alli-kennedy
Insta: @Sharenanigans.game
