Issue 12: Dystinct Report Interview of Dave Strudwick by Flynn Eldridge and Ava Eldridge

New Zealander Dave Strudwick recently caught people's attention with his unusual advertisement when he was looking to recruit a semi experienced roofer for his business, The Roofing Hut. The ad had "dyslexia" and "built stuff as a kid" on the "good things to have list". It even mentioned that not having a CV was "no big deal".

HOW AWESOME IS THIS AD?

The Interview

Dystinct reporters Flynn and Ava Eldridge had a chat with Dave about how being dyslexic has contributed to his success in business.

Excerpts from the interview

Ava: What are your dyslexic strengths? One of my strengths in being dyslexic is that I'm very good at fixing problems. Someone can give me a problem, and I can look at it really differently, and it helps me. It's like a little hidden superpower.

Ava: How did you cope with school? Not very well. When I was little, no one knew I had dyslexia. School was a struggle, and I ended up leaving school very early.

Flynn: How did your school experience help you develop your business? One day, I watched someone do an interview on TV, and then I realized I had dyslexia. When it registered that what I had was dyslexia, I started to look at it and figure it out. And because I was good at fixing problems, I figured out how to fix myself.

Flynn: Who supported you, believed in you to get your business? My mum and my dad and myself.

Ava: In your ads, you seek out dyslexics. Why do you target dyslexics in your ads? Because dyslexics are some of the most cleverest people in the world. You don't know it just yet, but you think differently. When we have people that think differently, we do stuff differently, and that gives us a superpower. It is so useful because it means that when you see a problem in the world, you know how to fix it. People with dyslexia might not have a very good CV to apply for jobs, or they might have been in trouble because they were frustrated or they might not be able to read or write. But if you ask those people just to sit down for a job interview, you can normally find that they're very nice people.

Ava: What other strengths do dyslexics bring to your business? Most dyslexic people that I've come across are compassionate and practical people. They're good with animals, and they've got a very good heart. They are good with their hands and can make stuff. And with roofing, making stuff with your hands is really important.

Flynn: What do you need to modify to help dyslexic people with their work? My attitude! I just have to have the right attitude. If someone can't read or write, I just have to be accommodating to help them learn. I can help them as long as the person with dyslexia has learned not to be embarrassed about it. I find that a lot of people with dyslexia are embarrassed that they can't read or write. It's not that they can't; it's just that they are very good at other things, so they haven't learned to read or write yet. So once you've taught them how to do it and helped them, then they become a very powerful person.