Musos serve snails to boost business belief

Aussie star DJs Peking Duk are launching a one-of-a-kind escargot food truck to help MYOB boost belief amongst Kiwi and Australian business owners.

MYOB has challenged DJ duo Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles to bring a wild idea to life, inspiring other budding entrepreneurs to kick-start their own dreams and sharing some of their own hard-earned lessons along the way.
“We were sitting around a Bunnings’ table kicking on after a gig one night wondering what weird and wonderful creation we could come up with, then it hit us. A food truck that serves escargot!” exclaimed Styles.

“The lightbulb moment came as we were watching a snail make its way across the backyard at two in the morning. It’s a bit left of centre, but the best ideas often are. You just need to give it a go and find out,” added Hyde.

The artists, behind tunes such as High, Fire, and Take me Over – and whose recent cover of Crowded House tune Fall at your Feet has gained more than half a million views on YouTube – won’t be launching their business alone. They’ll be calling on the public to help them crowdsource the name and menu times for their escargot food truck.

Newly appointed CEO at MYOB, Paul Robson, said: “Adam and Reuben were a great choice to tackle this challenge and to help inspire more Aussie and Kiwi businesses to unleash their potential. While they’re renowned for their musical exploits, the pair also have strong entrepreneurial roots.”

Adam and Reuben were previously owners of a bar in Melbourne in the late 2010’s; they have also established an impressive business profile for themselves selling branded clothing and other merchandise.

“We’ve had our fair share of business successes and failures over the years, including the time we tried to sell hoodies in Darwin. We may as well have been selling ice to penguins on that occasion, but the good decisions have far outweighed the bad. It was an opportunity to learn and improve for next time,” said Styles.

“We’re excited to apply those learnings to our escargot exploits.”

Findings from MYOB’s Belief Barometer released earlier this year found more than 8-in-10 New Zealanders have had an idea for a business, however only 50 percent of this group had taken action to start one.

The survey of more than 1,000 people found that for many, fear of failure was a barrier to starting up, with 42 percent of those polled citing this as a reason why they didn’t pursue their idea.

“There is a gold mine of untapped business potential in New Zealand just needing a nudge in the right direction. We hope through Peking Duk’s journey that budding entrepreneurs will be inspired to kick-start their own business adventure,” said Robson.

“We see a plethora of incredible and diverse enterprises coming through our business management platform and we want Kiwis and Aussies to know that they shouldn’t discount their lightbulb moments, no matter how wild they might seem. In fact, some of the most successful business ideas seem unbelievable at first. The most important thing for any aspiring business owner is self-belief.”

To see how Peking Duk is bringing the idea to life and to cast your vote on the Peking Duk escargot food truck business name and menu items, head to www.myob.com/peking-duk.