Do you know this man… a.k.a. ecoman…? No ..?? Neither do I, but after reading his book I feel like I know him a little bit and I’d go so far as to say, I’d like to get to know him better. The book sets out his personal journey starting with his childhood, where his Dad instilled a sense of thrift and adventure into his life. He went on to have his own ‘adventures’ including plenty of travel which he financed by working as a radiographer, a stint at the Whangerai Arts Council, and the setting up of his beloved eco village, Mamaki which is where the very first seeds of his business, ecostore were planted.
I can’t remember what my pre-conceived ideas were for what he or his book would be like. It’s hard to remember pre-conceived ideas when you have developed ‘conceived’ thoughts !! But I know I had some and perhaps approached reading his book with a sense of scepticism – I mean….he calls himself “ecoman”…???!!
But I loved reading this book. Although I felt it wasn’t so much reading a book, as listening to a friend. It’s written with a very personable tone and easily lets you in, brings you in, to see a bit more of Malcolm and what he is about. It’s full of interesting tales about his life, his hopes and dreams for the future, the mistakes he has made along the way and his passion for what has become one of the best selling brands of ‘eco’ cleaning and body products in New Zealand.
One could be forgiven for thinking that ecostore has a big corporate giant behind it – just like most of the other bottles and brands it sits alongside on the shelves of the supermarket. But this is not the case. ecostore is Malcolm’s baby. He and his family have nurtured it, brought it up, seen it grow and develop with highs and lows along the journey. But any lows have been philosophically chalked up to experience and Malcolm has taken these lessons and used them to improve himself and better his business.
I loved Malcolm’s honesty and self deprecating humour – he calls himself a new age wally and a boring fart (!!) which brings a sense of fun and grounding to his account. His book is a remarkable tale of vision, courage, persistence and good old fashioned hard work and as he demonstrates, so much can be achieved when you believe in what you are doing. And so, Malcolm proves the point……nobody cares about what you do. They care about why you do it.
Whether you are a fan of ecostore or not, interested in how to build a business from the ground up, keen on sustainable living or simply like a good read you won’t be disappointed with what Ecoman has to say.
Good libraries should have a copy or you can buy it here from ecostore.
P.S. And did you know Malcolm used to be in a heavy metal band and wear skin tight red velvet bell bottoms…?? Well…you do now!!!
