E129 | Izzy Whitley

Episode summary | Izzy Whitley

Izzy Whitley is one of New Zealand’s most successful, self-made men under 30. He’s 28, has founded two businesses that do over $30 million a year in revenue and has the world at his feet.

But the foundations of his incredible rise were far from smooth.

From humble, strict Christian beginnings in Gisborne, he left home at 16 chasing a football dream, before eventually dropping out of university. At the age of 21 he had lost his father to suicide and suffered two heart attacks, and was dealing with his trauma, alone, with nothing, in an Auckland hospital.

So with $500 to his name he embarked on a journey building Auckland Labour Hire with just himself on the books to Aotearoa Labour Hire with 11 branches around the country and a short-term goal of $100 million in annual revenue and an eye across the ditch.

Along the way he has forged a friendship with former Air NZ CEO Rob Fyfe who has provided guidance, along with his own extraordinary mindset and competitive instincts alongside his own mantra of hard work, works.

Show notes | Izzy Whitley

0:00 Export Beer cans are back! And what is the song of the week?

2:50 The importance of routine

6:25 Character references from Luke Kemeys and Sam Jasper

7:46 Having tough conversations

10:28 Thriving in uncomfortable settings

13:15 Growing up in Gisborne

20:02 The adversity faced from 16 to 21

40:36 The birth of Auckland Labour Hire

41:01 Getting help from Rob Fyfe

1:02:06 From Auckland Labour Hire to Aotearoa Labour Hire

1:09:02 Looking after your people and supporting others in your team

1:11:45 Australia Labour Hire?

1:14:00 Life optimisation and compounding time

1:18:07 Work ethic

1:21:10 Books, games, and sensory overload

1:24:16 Last words from Steve, Seamus, and Izzy