Jon Low – or ‘Patchy’ as he goes by on social media – is a homeless entrepreneur.
After losing his home last year when his car – which served as both his bedroom and workplace – was stolen, Low ended up sleeping in a public restroom before relocating to a car park.
”I was in a very, very dark place psychologically,” he said.
“I was living on a bathroom floor at night, then leaving again early in the morning.”
Low continued to work for Uber Eats, using e-scooters for transportation.
With his only possessions packed into a bulky backpack, he decided to ease the burden by pushing his backpack around in a trolley instead.
“I noticed in the front of the trolley there was this space. I thought ‘what can I sell out of this? I know, coffee!’.”
Before long, community members began queuing up to purchase his coffee.
Eventually, three of his satisfied customers rallied together to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Givealittle after Low faced closure due to council regulations.
”They set up a Givealittle to help get me off the street. It wasn’t long before it was up to $10K and I was able to apply for the lease of a retail premises.”
Low now operates his business out of a Rutland Street space in Auckland’s CBD.
He aims to generate revenue by featuring advertisements on the side of his trolley, once he acquires a food trading license. He also plans to expand his fleet by adding more trolleys to his business.
”To those girls, I would say thank you… You’ve provided the avenues for the capital to come in to get this start-up going.”
New Zealand Agricultural Show: Deal reached with Christchurch Council