Aotearoa Enterprising Women Series | Torisse Laulu

Meaningful conversations through a card game – that’s the brainchild of Torisse Laulu, founder of Lalaga. Our first question asks for the inpsiration behind the business:

Q𝟏.   𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐚?

I used to host talanoa sessions in collaboration with the Heart Foundation alongside my friend Anatola Finau. From those sessions, we received a lot of feedback from people saying, “We just want more spaces like this – where we can connect and talk about things we wouldn’t normally discuss in our day-to-day lives.”

That really stayed with me. I wanted to find more ways to make these kinds of spaces accessible to everyone – ways for us to authentically connect outside of social media. My first idea was to create diaries or journals, but as time went on, I landed on the idea of a card game. I realised journals might exclude the very people I was trying to reach. Gamifying the concept felt like a lighter, more engaging way to spark meaningful conversations.

Q𝟐.   𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?

Honestly, you’re hit with unexpected challenges almost daily. As you grow, new problems constantly emerge and I’ve learned that it’s crucial to stay adaptable and focus on finding solutions rather than dwelling on the problems.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced has been learning the mechanics of business as I go. I worked through this by seeking mentorship which has been invaluable. Massive love to everyone who has guided me, especially Kim Tuaine and Sarah Rennie, who have played a fundamental role as my mentors, and to Christine Woods for taking the time to help me. I’ve also learned the importance of asking lots and lots of questions, taking those learnings on board, and applying them as I go.

Another major challenge has been access to capital, building Lalaga from nothing and finding different ways to get it off the ground. Especially in the early stages, when Lalaga was still just a concept without a physical product, it meant that timelines were dragged out longer and I couldn’t move as quickly as I’d envisioned. That was incredibly tough to navigate.

How did I work through that? I told everyone I knew in business about my challenges and what I was looking for. I got directed around a lot, met with countless people, and pitched Lalaga to anyone who would listen. It was a long process, but through it I eventually connected with The King’s Trust Aotearoa and J R McKenzie Trust, who both came on board to fund Lalaga. That support was a huge turning point.

I guess the moral is… keep going.

Q𝟑. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝?

It’s been a huge help especially when it comes to marketing and communicating the story of Lalaga and its “why” to audiences. I knew early on that I lacked many business skills, but my strengths lie in storytelling and social media. So, I really leaned into those skills to build Lalaga’s online presence.

My background in film meant I could collaborate with friends and colleagues from the industry to create quality content for Lalaga’s socials. It also made it easier to connect with public figures I had worked with before, who were kind enough to play Lalaga and share it with their own audiences. Their support has been pivotal in growing Lalaga’s online brand presence.

Q𝟒. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐚?

There have been many, but one that stands out is hearing the stories of people playing Lalaga.

One of the most powerful stories came from two rival gangs who played Lalaga. They didn’t walk away as friends but they did walk away with mutual respect for one another. That moment was profound because it perfectly reflected the heart of Lalaga: the belief that disconnection lies at the root of so many social issues, and that by creating spaces for genuine connection, we can foster healing within our communities. That story embodied exactly what Lalaga was built for.

Q𝟓. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲 ?

The importance of finding good mentorship and maintaining a solution-focused mindset.

There will be many moments in business where you feel completely out of your depth. But shifting your perspective from seeing problems as roadblocks to viewing them as opportunities to learn has been key to keeping me grounded and moving forward. That, and my faith in God, have been the biggest anchors in this journey.

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The reflective question(s) for this week, so easy! I just looked through my set of ‘Reflect’ cards that are part of Lalaga set and selected these:

1. What is a memory you’re thankful to have shared with someone?
2. What was the last risk you took?
3. What is something that you’ve learning about yourself this year?