A while back I sat down with a business owner we work with. Cracking little business, glowing reviews, the kind of local reputation most people would give their right arm for. And they were undercharging. Not by a bit, by a mile. When I gently suggested it might be...
The email landed just after lunch. Three lines. A supplier needs paying this week, there are two payrolls right behind it, and the money to cover all three does not currently exist. Twenty minutes later, the follow-up arrived: do we have a backup plan? Names changed...
If you are in the trades right now, you will already know the pressure. Fuel is climbing, supply is tightening, and prices have jumped off the back of transport costs flowing through everything. The question is not whether to pass those costs on. It is how you do it...
Most Kiwi business owners do not struggle with ambition. They struggle with capacity. It is one thing to build a business. It is another thing to build a business while raising young kids, protecting your relationship, and keeping the wheels on at home. In this Beyond...
Most Kiwi businesses do not start with spreadsheets and strategy decks. They start with an idea, a few good people, and a willingness to give something a crack. Parrotdog is one of those stories. I first connected with Matt Stevens through a FinTech accelerator...
Raising capital is frequently misunderstood. From the outside, it can look like a well-designed pitch deck, a handful of meetings, and a signed term sheet. In reality, it is a disciplined process that rewards preparation, structure, and credibility long before money...
Big changes are coming to KiwiSaver, and they’ll affect more than just your retirement savings. Whether you’re a high earner, an employer, or a younger employee, it’s worth understanding how these shifts could impact your cashflow, payroll obligations, and long-term...
Most of the Kiwi businesses we work with aren’t short of work. They’re busy. Order books are full. Teams are flat out. On paper, things look great—but the cashflow often tells a more complicated story. Over the past year, business liquidations across New Zealand have...
Growing a business is exciting. It signals momentum, demand, and opportunity. But behind the scenes, growth can also bring a very real kind of financial strain. If you're hiring faster than revenue lands, or investing heavily to scale up, your cash position can feel...
As the year winds down, Christmas and summer in the Bay of Plenty arrive all at once. For some business owners, it's a mad rush to the finish line. For others, it's the quiet wait before everything starts again. This season looks different for everyone and that's the...
Many business owners I speak to around Whakatāne are running flat out — long days, full books, and still not much left at month’s end. It’s a familiar challenge. And more often than not, the issue is that their hourly rate doesn’t reflect the true cost of labour in...
Remember the phrase we kept hearing last year? "Survive until '25." Well, here we are. And for many business owners, the reality is... we're still in survival mode. But there’s a new version doing the rounds now — and it’s got a bit more edge: “Don’t get the shits...
Running a small-to-medium business in New Zealand often means walking a fine line with cashflow. You might have healthy revenue on paper but still feel the squeeze when tax dates roll around or when big client invoices are slow to clear. Traditionally, many business...
Running a business comes with a steady stream of costs. But how many of those are you actually claiming back? For many Kiwi business owners, the answer is: not enough. It’s easy to overlook everyday expenses like software subscriptions, internet costs, or ACC levies....
Rising costs are hitting hard across New Zealand. From fuel and freight to wages and rent, business owners are feeling the squeeze—and cashflow is often the first to show signs of strain. Whether you’re a rural contractor navigating higher fuel bills, a tradie dealing...
If your business has a 31 March balance date, the clock is ticking — your 2026 provisional tax payment NZ is due 28 August 2025. Missing it can lead to penalties and unnecessary interest charges — and that’s money better kept in your business. It’s a date that can...
If you feel like your business has been fighting an uphill battle lately, you’re not alone. Recent Inland Revenue data shows that more than a third of New Zealand businesses reported a current-year loss in the latest tax year. That’s over 107,000 companies struggling...
Most of us are taught to take our time in business. Plan carefully. Review everything twice. But sometimes, the fastest way forward is to put yourself under a little bit of pressure.++ I was reminded of this today at Trident High School. I had one hour with their...
Tradie business skills aren’t taught at trade school. Yet for every Kiwi tradesperson who wants to grow a successful business, knowing how to quote, manage cashflow, and hire well is just as important as knowing how to do the job right. In this post, we’ll unpack how...
Busy doesn’t always mean profitable. In fact, some of the hardest-working business owners we meet are unknowingly losing thousands each year through silent “profit leaks” — small inefficiencies or blind spots that compound over time. The danger? These leaks don’t show...