Rose shares the journey behind creating a brand that has become known for bringing people together around the table, creating meaningful experiences, and celebrating genuine connection. We dive into the courage it takes to do things differently, the importance of staying aligned with your values, and how motherhood has influenced both her personal growth and business journey.

This conversation is a beautiful reminder that success doesn't have to fit a traditional mould. By embracing who you are, leaning into your creativity, and staying true to what matters most, you can build a life and business that feels deeply fulfilling.

In This Episode:

• The story behind Rose's Dining Table and how it all began
• Why authenticity has been a driving force in Rose's journey
• The role creativity plays in business and everyday life
• Building a brand and community with purpose
• The realities of entrepreneurship behind the scenes
• Lessons motherhood has taught her about balance and growth
• Staying connected to your values through different seasons of life
• Redefining what success looks like

Connect with Rose:

Follow Rose's journey and learn more about her incredible work through Rose's Dining Table.

EPISODE SUMMARY

Abby Van Schreven spent 14 years building the fashion label Maaike before closing it and starting again, this time helping other creative business owners get to grips with the numbers and the business side so they can build something sustainable. Her new venture, Waffle Advisory, comes from everything she learned the hard way.

This is a rich, honest conversation about getting clear on why you are really in business, learning that everything is learnable, and building a life and a business that are genuinely yours. Abby also shares a profound personal loss and how it shaped the way she lives now, with warmth, perspective and a lot of heart.

IN THIS EPISODE

- Getting to the core of why you are really in business

- From a fashion label to advising creative founders

- An early life in hospitality, and the lessons that stuck

- Building Maaike, going global, and learning on the fly

- Becoming a mum, identity, and the myth of having it all

- Money stories, and unlearning what holds you back

- Perspective, loss, and what really matters

- Surrounding yourself with people who get it

WHAT WE COVER

Timestamps are not in the raw transcript, so slot these in from the final edit.

- Who Abby is: creative, foodie, grower, and someone who craves deep connection

- Helping founders align what they are building with what they actually want

- Why she started Waffle Advisory after years in fashion

- A teenage start in hospitality, and learning above the line and below the line

- Growing up in Waimate, independence, and pushing back on being told what to do

- The MICA story: Fashion Week, retail, export and early Shopify

- Becoming a mum, survival mode, and rethinking identity

- Money stories, perfectionism, and what she has unlearned

- A turning point and a profound loss, handled with care

- What gives her meaning, and keeping joy in the everyday

- Finding her people in the Waikato, and being honest about the hard parts

- Her unreasonable advantage: she can talk to anyone, about anything

ABOUT ABBY

Abby Van Schreven is the founder of Waffle Advisory, where she helps creative business owners understand the finance and business side so they can grow something sustainable. She co-founded and ran the fashion label Maaike for 14 years, navigating retail, e-commerce, export and manufacturing, and now brings those hard-won lessons to other founders. A creative, a foodie and a grower who loves the ocean and nature, she lives in Cambridge with her partner James and their son Mateo.

LINKS

Waffle Advisory

Duncan Leask is one of those people who just got stuck in and built something brilliant. In a little over five years he has grown Optiplumb into one of the Waikato's standout trades businesses, and in this episode he shares exactly how, and why none of it means much without the life around it.

We talk about the obsession with numbers that underpins everything he does, the grit that goes back to a hospital bed at 18, why he hires the person and not the CV, and how he protects time for his wife and three kids without apology. It is an honest, warm conversation about building a business on your own terms, and a few unpopular opinions along the way.

In this episode

• Why Duncan is a dad first and a business owner second
• The single most important thing he believes every business owner must understand
• Hiring the best person before you even have the work, and why the person beats the role every time
• The accident at 18 that shaped his grit, and the word he refused to accept from his doctor
• The 1 percent that separates good from great
• Saying no to protect your energy, and the non-negotiables that keep him grounded
• Why chasing perfect holds people back
• His honest take on university, the trades, and the future of work in the age of AI

Chapters

Timestamps are based on the raw recording, so nudge them once the intro is trimmed in the edit.

• 02:00 Who is Duncan the human: values, family, and grit
• 03:30 The career journey, 20 years in the trade, and the mind-blowing moment in Perth
• 05:00 Growing fast, hiring before the work, and flying by the seat of your pants
• 07:00 Know your numbers: the foundation of everything
• 08:00 How Duncan hires, and why attitude beats everything
• 09:45 The trades are customer service: how people feel matters
• 11:00 Building and protecting a culture, and winning through winter
• 14:30 Leadership, trust, and doing what you say you will do
• 16:45 Little Duncan: rural roots, independence, and being the first in business
• 20:00 The accident, the hospital bed, and refusing to be just a number
• 24:30 The power of the 1 percenters
• 25:00 Consistency, mindset, and seeing it from the other person's side
• 27:50 Saying no, protecting your energy, and managing your time
• 30:30 Family non-negotiables and switching off
• 34:30 Parenting, values, and the legacy he is building
• 36:30 Energy, connection, and what AI can never replace
• 40:30 His secret sauce: relating to anyone
• 42:00 Constructive, not conflict, and why everyone just wants to be heard
• 44:00 Fundamental beliefs: openness, perfectionism, and living life on your terms
• 49:00 An honest take on university, the trades, and the ambitious middle
• 51:00 The future: embrace the tech, but stay human

About Duncan

Duncan Leask is the founder and managing director of Optiplumb, a family-owned plumbing, gasfitting, drainlaying and backflow prevention company based in Hamilton and serving the wider Waikato. With more than 20 years in the trade across New Zealand and overseas, Duncan started Optiplumb just over five years ago and has grown it quickly on the back of strong values, sharp systems and a genuine love of people. He is a proud dad of three, a member of WAM, and living proof that you can build a serious business and a full life at the same time.

Links

• Optiplumb: https://www.optiplumb.co.nz
• Duncan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-leask-75013b14b
• Optiplumb on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Optiplumb

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