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Are You on the Brink of Burnout? Discover 4 Strategies to Achieve Work-Life Balance

Achieving work-life balance is a common struggle for business owners—it's like learning to juggle while riding a unicycle! When work starts creeping into our personal time, it can lead to stress, feeling constantly exhausted, and it can result in significant health issues. This lack of balance can be traced back to a few common challenges.How many of the following four challenges apply to you?Do you struggle with managing your time effectively, feeling overwhelmed by numerous responsibilitie...

How to Streamline Business Processes for Maximum Efficiency and Productivity

In today’s fast-paced business world, being efficient is everything. Companies, big or small, need to find ways to improve operations, cut costs, and increase productivity. Streamlining your business processes helps helps you eliminate bottlenecks, reduce errors, and make better use of resources. This is crucial in today’s global market, where everyone needs to do more with less.First, you need to find out where your current processes are inefficient. Review your workflows, analyse data, and...

5 Essential Strategies to Safeguard Your Business Against Financial Uncertainty

Have you ever watched a train wreck in slow motion?That was me last week, clutching my coffee cup while reading about the closure of so many NZ businesses. Rent hikes, fluctuating customer numbers, and the ever-present shadow of economic downturns is taking its toll.As business owners, we thrive on certainty. We crave the stability that allows us to plan, grow, and invest in our futures. But when financial uncertainty rears its ugly head, it can undermine everything we've worked so hard to ...

5 Reasons Why Regular 1:1 Meetings Boost Productivity and Improve Company Culture

1:1 meetings provide a platform for feedback, goal setting, and personal development, fostering a sense of connection and alignment within the team.When we get busy, it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of day-to-day operations, leaving little time for meaningful interactions with your staff. However, not doing regular 1:1 meetings can be a missed opportunity to significantly boost productivity and improve company culture.Not convinced? Here are five reasons I believe that they are critic...

Passion, Purpose, and Profit – the true measure of Business Success

For many, profit is seen as the pinnacle of success, a sign that a business is thriving.But to me, profit is an outcome.It is the result of the many things we do in our business.Is there ONE thing that can have a greater impact on profit?Undoubtedly YES.  If a business is DRIVEN by passion and GUIDED by purpose, then profit will follow.What is Passion?Passion is more than just enthusiasm or excitement; it is a RELENTLESS drive that propels you forward.It’s what gets you out of bed each mo...

Why I don't work with Startups

As a business advisor, my primary goal is to help businesses transition from a phase of hands-on management to one where they can operate efficiently with established systems and processes. Over the years, I've found my niche in working with established businesses that have a proven business model. These businesses are typically owned by sole shareholders or husband-and-wife teams and have a dedicated team of around four or more employees.You might wonder why I choose not to work with startups. ...

Understanding Profit: How Focusing on Inputs Can Boost Your Business's Bottom Line

In the world of running a business, making a profit isn't just nice to have—it's essential.While most business owners understand the importance of making a profit, not everyone understands what it is and what they can do to influence it.Profit is the result of what we do every day in our business. It tells a story about our business's financial health and operational efficiency.To really make a difference in our profit, we need to look at what we're doing—our daily activities, how we spend m...

Accountability breeds Success

If you are wanting to be successful, setting goals is just the beginning. What moves us forward and turns our dreams into reality is accountability. But how do we make accountability work for us? Here are some simple strategies to help you build a strong framework for success, hold yourself accountable, and extend that accountability to others.1. Building a Framework for SuccessSuccess doesn’t happen by accident; it’s planned. Start by setting clear, ambitious annual goals that reflect your ...

Keeping Your Business Afloat: Practical Tips to Prevent Insolvency

We all know that running a business comes with its fair share of challenges. In the latest business statistics (Feb 2023) 63,192 businesses have ‘died’ this year, and 99% of these businesses have 0-5 employees. That is a lot of people who took a chance to realise their dream of being their own boss and somewhere along the line it went wrong. So, what can you do to ensure that you small business thrives?In this blog, I will explore some practical and positive tips that can help you safeguard ...

7 Tips on planning your business growth

When sales are increasing and new opportunities can be sensed, many a business owner’s thoughts turn to expansion. But unplanned expansion can be as detrimental to your business as no growth at all. Fast growth can destabilize a business giving its owners a false sense of well being while the additional revenues eat up more operating funds than expected. If expansion is on your agenda keep these things in mind.Watch Your OverheadsThe biggest danger in expansion is the erosion of a low overhead...

5 Challenges Couples Face When Running a Business

Running a business is challenging enough, but when you're doing it with your spouse, things can get even more complicated. While there are plenty of successful couples in business, there are also unique challenges that can arise.Here are five common challenges that NZ business owners who work with their spouses face.Blurring the lines between work and home life.Not "listening to understand" what your spouse is saying.Different management styles.Competing priorities within the workplace.Not resp...

Why Setting Goals Is Critical for NZ Business Owners

As a business owner, the daily grind can be overwhelming. Juggling myriad tasks, addressing immediate challenges, and ensuring your business runs smoothly leaves little time for contemplation. Amidst the chaos, the importance of setting clear and achievable goals often gets overlooked.Here are five reasons why setting goals is essential to your business's success.Goals help you stay focused - When you have clear goals, it's easier to stay focused on what's important. You're less likely to g...

Are you feeling a bit lost and confused in your business?

Are you feeling a bit lost and confused in your business lately? Like you're running in circles and getting nowhere fast? 🤔 Well, let me tell you, you're not alone! The key to getting back on track and achieving success is simple: CLARITY. Clarity is the magic ingredient that will help you focus, stay motivated and ultimately reach your goals. 🚀 So, how do you get clarity in your business? Here are five steps to help you. 1. Outline your 'Why': Why do you and your employees get out of bed ...

Do you know your Customers?

When was the last time that you had a conversation with them about their business? It is vitally important that you always know what is happening in your customers’ business. Why? Because through those conversations, you will get to know: If they are having issues with supply, staff or cashflowIf they are planning to grow in the next 5 years, and if so, what this looks likeIf they are planning to sell or exit in the next 5 yearsWhat factors outside their control are impacting their business �...

Be a leader; create followers

Currently there is a lot of discussion around the problem of finding talent. Everyone I talk to has vacancies within their business that they are struggling to fill. With every business in the same position, there is one thing that every business owner can start doing today to give them a point of difference and that is to create a team of followers. Followers will help your business by: 💥 Providing excellent customer service - Going the extra mile for you and your customers 💥 Increasing ...

Recession proof your business

The world of business is a fickle one. One minute you're on top of the world, and the next you can find yourself struggling to stay afloat. There is much talk at the moment of NZ heading into a recession, and whilst you may not believe this, you can’t ignore the fact that labour shortages, product shortages, cost of living increases and increased debt servicing costs are having negative effects on small businesses. Unfortunately, it's during times like these that many small businesses fall vic...

The value of independent advice and accountability

Independent advice and accountability allows you to see things differently and offers support for business challenges....

Reducing owner-reliance and bottlenecks

Reducing owner-reliance and bottlenecks can create a business that will be saleable in the future....

Peace of mind, a growing business, and improved lifestyle

Improving financial performance has led to peace of mind, a growing business and an improved lifestyle. ...

Free up time to focus on expansion

Implementing simple systems and processes reduces stress and frees up time to focus on business expansion....

How do I choose a Business Advisor?

As a business owner, having someone to go to for business advice can be invaluable. Someone who comes from the outside, whose perspective isn’t clouded by the day-to-day activities, can help you to see things differently, find clarity, break through any barriers and change for the better.Check out the following tips on how to choose a business advisor that will give you the confidence and knowledge to grow your business, profitably .1. Ask them for a free introductory meeting?It is important t...

How can a “Stop, Start, Continue” Framework improve your business?

As Business Owners using the “Stop, Start, Continue” framework, we can regularly evaluate what works and what doesn’t work in our businesses. Running a profitable business is hard. There is no shortage of things to do and whilst people know what the pain points are, they are often too busy or don’t have the inclination or knowledge to fix them. To eliminate pain points and gain clarity on opportunities to improve, it is a good idea to have a team meeting where participants can brainstorm...

5 Tips on Using Your Time Wisely in Business

We have all grown up hearing people say, “time is money”. This has misled us into believing that the more time we spend working, the more money we can earn. Business owners often tell me that they are busy, but they haven’t achieved what they wanted to. When we delve into what their workday consists of, we often find that their day has been spent managing crises, rather than focusing on, and planning for, the future. Being reactive, rather than proactive is common in many bu...

Becoming a Secured Creditor

I am super proud to be partnering with EC Credit Control to assist businesses small and large.  Do you know what it means to become a secured creditor? Becoming a Secured creditor, by completing Personal Properties Securities Registrations (PPSR), is super important.   A PPSR, in conjunction with really robust terms of trade, will enable businesses to be in the best possible position in the event that any of the clients, that they are working with or have worked with in the recent...