It has been two years since Tweet2eat was launched. It was created in response to a simple problem. I couldn’t find up-to-date stories about Hawke’s Bay restaurants when I arrived back from London. Google was broken. Auckland based web reviews out of date and light on volume.  I came up with the name Tweet2eat, the website and the logo (with the help of a graphic designer in Islamabad) within 24 hours. The startup was born. Since that day, it’s been a journey of evolution and discovery. There are a few key elements that make the work I do worth it. First, is a deep sense of alignment. I wake up every morning excited to write articles that are organic extensions of who I am, what I care about, and what people want, need and value. I feel like the work I do matters — to me and to the Tweet2eat community I serve, and it lights me up along the way.

Tweet2eat Hawke’s Bay was born October 2010.

Pursue the mastery of your craft

Second, is the pursuit of craft and mastery. As a product marketer, foodie, entrepreneur, web producer and tech-head, I spend much of my days pursuing craft and mastery. I geek out over messaging, sharability, photography and storytelling that rises to the level of transcendence. I love the challenge of creating story based narratives for clients, readers and customers that leave them in some way more enlightened. Striving to solve broader complex problems and teaching people how to do the same makes me giddy and is the product marketing consultancy side of what I do. Whether I ever achieve the elusive state of mastery isn’t so much the point, but the quest, the journey, the voracious seeking after the craft is something that pulls me to do more of what I do.

Thanks to Bonnie Cakes in Ahuriri for the tweetie bird birthday cupcakes.

Create your stadium of fans

Third, it’s about the people. I’ve launched & built a few companies and am current building the Tweet2eat Hawke’s Bay tribe in a way that everyone has a voice and everyone can voice their opinion freely. The twitter community actively embraced me and have been a HUGE support over the last two years. Thank you all for your support of the Tweet2eat community and for your belief in this crazy idea!  Thank you to all the Hawke’s Bay restaurants who signed up when we introduced premium monthly plans at the start of 2012.  People often ask what the best part of entrepreneurship is. Is it the money? The freedom? The glory? It’s not any of those, most of which take an insane amount of work and years to come if they ever do. The real magic lies in the opportunity to hand pick the people you surround yourself with and cultivate a culture of joy, respect, service, delight, connection and impact. You get to build a hive of people you can’t get enough of, and that makes a huge difference in the way you experience each day. Last thing, family is the heartbeat of everything. I’ve worked through a pretty tumultuous time for me personally, to build a lifestyle in a way that allows me to be near my family and also take care of myself (sampling dishes takes it’s toll!). This list is by no means all-inclusive, but it contains the big rocks for me, the things that make the work I do worth it.

The “You’re Tweet2eat!” Guy