Will Gray
Specialists in creating amazing experiences for team building, corporate hospitality, incentive and rewards.
I am the Managing Director and oversee the operations of the business and new experience development.
Tell us about your AHA! Or Lightbulb Moment (when you first connected with your passion and felt like you were 'in the zone')...
I was backpacking across Europe and had a niggling ambition to try and ride a bull whilst in Spain. I tracked down a ranch and negotiated a fee and did 2 full days of lessons. 2 weeks later I was telling the story to a travelling British man who said he'd love to do go bull riding as a team event with his company. I realised then that my passion for creating amazing experiences could be a fun and rewarding business.
Can you recall a Go Ahead and Jump! Moment? - we call this a Chutzpah experience, it's the Big Moment when you had to feel the fear and do it anyway
Every day! We're a small business with tight cash flow so opting to invest in a new experience is always risky. I had a feeling that 'Graffiti' would be a great team event but it required significant cash resources to get it set up. At the same time, there was growing reports in the media about graffiti vandalism. We decided to jump in and invest in the experience and hope it would take off. It is now one of our top 3 experiences Australia-wide.
What about the 'I Have Arrived' moment (when you knew you were doing it right or you had a big success).... What did it look like? How did it feel?
We have an experience named 'The Italian job' where teams race around between checkpoints in Audi A3's. We ran a trial event to get feedback from potential clients that resulted in 14 group bookings within a fortnight. It was extremely satisfying (and also a relief) to see something go from idea into practise, and then ultimately become a staple of our revenue.
A helping hand along the way... a couple of examples of mentors, teachers, friends, parents and how they helped / why they matter so much to you
My wife is my biggest mentor and also has a balancing effect as I tend to be very 'big picture'. She is great at analysing business decisions where I normally go on 'feel'. She also reminds me every day that we're in the business of creating fun experiences for people so our work environment should be that also. A friend, Luke Whittington (owns a construction company), has been a great help in assisting with business structure and admin.
If you could give advice to yourself when you were 16 what would you say to that kid you were?
Enjoy learning - both in school and in the world around you - as it is the key to enjoying life. Remember that happiness is far more important than money. Get that right and everything else will fall into place. Oh, and the 2001 lotto results were 9, 16, 18, 31, 4 and 22.
Leading Lights: Who inspires you - in any field, at any time in history?
Father Chris Riley from Youth Off The Streets is an amazing man who does endless great work for kids that need a helping hand. Hidden Door has been fortunate to work with Youth Off The Streets since we started and we're proud to help wherever we can.
The 3 most important things you need to be a successful young entrepreneur....
- Commitment - to your business, to yourself, to your goals
- Work Ethic - you need to be prepared for long days and sleepness nights
- Great Team - surround yourself with great people whether its employees or simply friends and family who can help and support you.
What really matters to you, what gets you out of bed each day ....
Knowing that I'm working in a business that is about creating great memories and experiences for people. I also love the fact that my days are always very creative in that we are developing new experiences every week.
