4 days ago
Cole Dallimore: Meet the Napier teenager running four businesses
His impressive rise has not been achieved alone, and he is hugely grateful for the support from his family, including his father and mentor Scott Dallimore.
His business journey started when he was aged 16 and attending Napier Boys' High School.
He spoke to his father about starting some kind of business.
'I finished school one day, and I wasn't a big fan of school, and he threw out the idea of water blasting and house washing.'
He didn't have a licence, so his mum drove him to jobs he lined up after school and on weekends, cleaning houses with a brush.
Cole Dallimore at the yard he has started leasing for his businesses. Photo / Gary Hamilton-Irvine
The money he earned went into advertising his business on Facebook, and he bought a hand-held water blaster.
'We were going about six or seven months and it started to pick up momentum so I got my mate to give me a hand.'
His father invested in the business and he bought better gear – a new trailer water blaster and then a van.
Not long after Cyclone Gabrielle hit in February 2023, Dallimore 'took a punt and dropped out of school' early in Year 12.
'I just didn't like school, I don't know why ... I liked making money I suppose.'
The move paid off, and he soon picked up a big contract for waterblasting at a Hawke's Bay winery, which led to more work.
His father helped him buy another company in September 2023, Merson Contractors, which specialises in roof painting and maintenance.
The companies have complemented each other nicely.
In 2024, he rebranded his water blasting company to HydroGo, which is now in Hawke's Bay and Taupō.
Later that year, he opened up Merson Builders with a qualified builder as an employee, because 'we wanted to be a one-stop shop for property managers'.
Early this year, they moved into a bigger yard just out of Napier as 'there is a lot of room for expansion'.
Nowadays, much of his vehicle fleet and equipment is on finance, but he said he was very grateful for the early financial support from his father.
'You like the thrill of it,' he said.
'Like yesterday, we were short of work then this morning we had a huge job come through, which will take us three weeks, so you have things like that.'
He said he greatly enjoyed seeing the business grow.
Most recently, that has included the launch of HydroGo Drain Unblock.
He hopes to franchise HydroGo.
His advice for starting a business?
'If you are thinking about doing something, just do it, just start.
'Whether it is starting with a Facebook page [for a business], then you get ideas.
'Luckily for me I had Dad, but if you have someone that is happy to help you out take it while you can, and just work hard at it.
'Persistence is the biggest one. If you are having a s*** week you just have to keep pushing through.
'Yesterday was yesterday and today is today – that's the kind of mindset you have to have.'
He said people don't think he is the owner when they meet him, which was fine by him.
