Kurt Sandtmann is the kind of guy you’d like to see win Celebrity Treasure Island. He’s resourceful, determined, driven and outdoorsy. He’s also people focussed, funny, and easy to chat to.
We sat down recently to chat with Kurt about buying and managing Hawke’s Bay based Marketing Agency Tracta, and how he manages his workload to make sure he doesn’t miss the good surfing days.
So Kurt, tell us a bit about Tracta, what is it?
A – There’s a lot of ways to describe what Tracta does, basically we are a Marketing Growth Agency. We specialise in Customer Strategy, Marketing, Digital, and Communications to help Agribusinesses grow and sustain a competitive advantage. I started working in the company in 2015 and in 2021 the opportunity came up to purchase it. It’s been a fun but wild ride!
How have you found your transition into an Owner Manager position?
Becoming an Owner Manager can be one of the hardest, yet rewarding positions you can ever have. The day you become an Owner Manager is the day you put a mirror up and see what you were like as an employee. It can be pretty confronting. There’s a huge realisation moment there where you reflect on previous roles, managers you’ve liked, and managers who’ve taught you how not to lead. I have however thoroughly enjoyed the transition and learned a lot about myself, management and leadership along the way.
What’s your professional background before Tracta?
I studied a commerce degree at University of Victoria in Wellington. I was working in hospitality to pay the bills, which led me to form a hospitality venture straight out of university. Through hospitality I met a few heavy hitters in the film industry so I then had a few fun years working on The Hobbit trilogy for Peter Jacksons production company, 3Foot7. I moved on to client-side marketing roles for a few years and before deciding to sell the hospitality business and complete my Masters degree. Since graduating I’ve worked in marketing agencies – almost 10 years now.
First published by The Profit. Click here to read the full article.