It's not always clear how early career jobs impact our future paths. We spoke with Morgan Maw, founder of NZ oat milk brand Boring, about how her initial roles shaped her career and her advice for newcomers. Read on for her insights. Morgan Maw from Boring Oat Milk talking about her work experience. Sometimes it’s hard to see how the jobs we have early on in our careers will shape what we do in the future. How could working as a barista in a cafe teach you anything about business? We chatted with Morgan Maw, the inspiring founder of NZ oat milk brand, Boring. She spilled the tea (or should we say oat milk?) on how her early jobs influenced what she does now, and some advice for those who are just starting out.
Hey Morgan, thanks for chatting with us today!
Did you do any tertiary study? If so, where and what course did you do?
No worries! I studied a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and HR at Victoria University.
Tell us about your very first job.
My very first job, apart from traipsing the streets of New Plymouth dishing out pamphlets that nobody wanted, was at a local fish and chip shop. It was owned by a lovely couple and their two girls went to my school. I was 15 and did two nights a week taking orders, on the till and craftily wrapping up the greasy kai. I loved it, I was getting paid for playing shop. I was paid $15 an hour which felt like a lot in the early 2000s.
Did any of your early jobs that you had while you were at school or studying have an impact on what you do now?
Definitely, I started working in hospo straight away and was drawn to coffee roasters. I worked at Coffee Supreme on Hopper Street in Wellington throughout my uni years, I learnt a lot about the importance of culture in the workplace and the community. This has fed into our ethos with Boring. Not to mention that Coffee Supreme is also a distributor of Boring, you never know where your relationships from work will take you.
What do you look for when hiring a new employee?
Experience is a given, but for those that are fresh out of uni I’m looking at what else they have been involved in. Have they volunteered somewhere, or organised a community event or group? Anything to show their initiative and energy.
Curiosity and openness are key traits for anyone on our team. Being a disruptive brand we need to put egos aside and be open to constantly learning, pivoting and trying new things.
What advice would you give to young people who are studying or just starting their careers?
Just get involved in lots of different things, if someone needs a copywriter for a new zine then put your hand up, help organise events, whatever it is and try to get experience working with people who are older and aren’t in the uni bubble. AND do some travel while you’re young, whether it’s doing an exchange, having a gap year or heading overseas as soon as you’ve graduated (that's what I did). The way you can travel in your early 20s cannot be replicated again and the life experiences and opportunities you get from that help you become a well-rounded person.
Thanks so much, Morgan!