Saturday, October 31, 2026
Most SME owners have a 12-month plan for the business but no vision for their own life. Here is a simple 3-step fix, plus the research behind it.
Choose a franchise network such as ActionCOACH if you want a standard programme, a brand behind your coach and group options at a published starting price. Choose an independent coach if you want one experienced person designing the work around your numbers. Either can work. The wrong choice is the one you make without asking the questions below.
A disclosure first: Simple-Growth publishes this guide and Kevin D'Ambros-Smith is an independent business coach, so he is not neutral. That is why this explains who each option suits instead of ranking them, and sticks to what the organisations say publicly. Checked 1 November 2026.
ActionCOACH is a franchise network. On its own site it says it has served thousands of businesses since 1993 and refined its frameworks in over 80 countries. You buy into a recognised system, delivered by a local franchise coach.
An independent coach runs their own practice and builds the work around you. Kevin has coached 200+ businesses one-on-one across 30+ industries, through Simple-Growth since 2017.
The practical difference is where the consistency comes from. With a network it comes from the system. With an independent it comes from the person, so you need to check the person.
This is not for you if you only need a specialist task done, such as a website or an accounting clean-up. Hire that specialist directly.
Publicly, very little is known about one-on-one coaching prices from either side. ActionCOACH's cost page says one-on-one typically costs more than group coaching and lists the factors that move the price: programme format, personalisation, the growth pace you want and the complexity of your business. Simple-Growth does not publish a price list either, so ask any provider for a written 12-month total.
Funding is the part many owners miss. The Regional Business Partner Network's Management Capability Development Fund can cover up to 50% of one-to-one training costs, to a maximum of $5,000 per business each year, for eligible New Zealand businesses. The training must come from an approved provider and you must register and have a discovery session first. Kevin is an approved Regional Business Partner Network provider. Rules change, so confirm them on business.govt.nz before you commit.
Put the same seven questions to every provider, Kevin included, and compare the answers on paper. A coach who answers with specifics is worth another conversation.
Yes. ActionCOACH links to a franchising page from its main navigation, and coaching is delivered by local coaches in its network. Ask which coach you would work with and how long they have been coaching.
Neither is automatically better. A network gives you a recognised process; an independent gives you a bespoke one. The better choice is the one whose coach has done what you need to do and can show you how.
There is no published standard. ActionCOACH quotes group coaching from about $99 a month and gives no one-on-one figure. Most providers price one-on-one by quote, so ask for a written 12-month total and check whether funding applies.
Possibly. The Regional Business Partner Network can co-fund up to 50% of one-to-one training from an approved provider, capped at $5,000 per business a year, if you are an eligible New Zealand business. Check the current rules on business.govt.nz.
Book one free conversation and use the seven questions above. You should leave knowing your likely constraint and what the first 90 days would look like, with no obligation.
Not sure which suits you? A 30-minute conversation will tell you, and you are welcome to take the answers to any other provider. You can also read how ActionCOACH, EOS, Scaling Up and Vistage compare or how coaches, consultants, mentors and peer groups differ.
Sources (checked 1 November 2026): ActionCOACH, How much does business coaching cost?, business.govt.nz, Regional Business Partner Network. Last updated 1 November 2026.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
A global survey of over 10,000 workers found trusted employees nearly twice as productive as distrusted ones. If your calendar fixes keep failing, the real constraint may be trust, not time.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Most sales conversations present cheapest to most expensive. New research found flipping that order lifted revenue by 10.8 percent, with no price changes at all. Here is how to use it.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Most SME marketing budgets are weighted toward customers who already buy. The research says that is the smaller lever. Here is where brand growth actually comes from, and how to redirect your spend toward it.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Most SME strategy problems are not thinking problems, they are seeing problems. Here is the one-page model that catches the two mistakes that quietly kill most growing businesses before they show up in the bank account.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Four pillars, one real constraint and a 90-day plan. Here is how the Simple-Growth System works, plus a 45-minute test you can run this week.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
When you are surrounded by your industry, it is hard to see the wood for the trees. Here is why an outside perspective finds growth moves insiders miss, and how US owners can use it.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Small businesses grow at half the rate of big ones, and it is not about budget. Techaisle's 2026 global survey reveals why depth of relationships beats contact count, and how to build your own Dream 10 this week.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Rising revenue feels like proof the business is winning. If your margin is quietly shrinking at the same time, you are growing broke. Here is the three-line check that catches it.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
January feels like the obvious month to commit to a coach. It is actually the worst one. Here is why the owners who get the most out of coaching start in November instead.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Wrong hires are now costing Australian SMEs an estimated 7.3 billion dollars a year. The mistake almost never happens in the interview room. Here is where it actually happens.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Somewhere in your pipeline right now is a buyer whose budget has to be spent before their financial year ends. Here is how to find them before a competitor does.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Most SME marketing budget goes to whichever channel the owner already knows, never the one that would actually work best. Here is the simple test that finds it.
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Most strategic plans fail quietly, from an optimism nobody questioned out loud. Here is the 20-minute pre-mortem that finds the weak spot before you commit a dollar to it.
Tuesday, October 06, 2026
What a business coach for an NZ food, beverage or FMCG brand should do: price waterfall, real constraint, velocity story and a 90-day plan.
Tuesday, October 06, 2026
73% of small business owners feel more confident than ever, yet 57% have flat or falling revenue. Here is the real constraint behind the gap, and the 15-minute test that exposes it.