Saturday, October 31, 2026
46% of NZ small business owners aren't paying themselves. Here's why that has to change, and the three moves that build it into a real habit, not a hope.
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.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
The personal touch that built your reputation at ten staff quietly becomes the bottleneck that breaks it at thirty. Here is how to turn a habit into a system before it costs you.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most owners check star ratings and warm adjectives before hiring a coach. Here is the three-detail test that tells you whether a review is evidence or decoration.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
The Christmas shutdown is about eleven weeks away. Here is the one-page-per-role handover document that decides whether you actually switch off this year.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
The biggest sales research study ever run found the best reps ask, they don't tell. Here is the SPIN method, and the four questions that come before any pitch.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
No ad budget doesn't mean no reach. Here is the Dream 100 method for finding the audiences that already trust your exact customer, and earning your way in.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most SME growth plans are really just wishlists with a due date. Here is the two-question strategic choice cascade that turns good ideas into an actual strategy.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Burger King sold Whoppers for one cent, but only within 600 feet of a McDonald's. Here is the small-business version of that play, for under $5k.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Customers rank quality and service three times higher than price, yet a third of marketers admit they can't say what makes their brand different. Here's the three-step audit that fixes the real problem before you touch your price list.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most growth plans start with finding new customers. The cheapest lever is usually already inside the transaction happening right now - here's the Checkout Audit that finds it.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most owners call a coach only once something's broken. The data on mentored businesses says the real value compounds earliest - here's the Two Doors test for deciding when.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Owners feel busy all day and still don't move the business forward. The research says task-switching is the hidden cost - here's the Three-Block Day that gets the best hours back.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Owners chase new leads every Q4 while a cheaper, warmer list of past customers sits untouched. Here's the four-step Win-Back Sequence and the real economics behind it.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
SME websites and pitches default to telling their own story. The research says customers skim past most of it looking for themselves - here's the StoryBrand framework that fixes it.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most SME growth plans default to out-competing everyone else on the same crowded turf. Blue Ocean Strategy's own data says that's the lower-profit path - here's the four-question grid that finds the faster one.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most SME owners blame a lost customer on price. New 2026 research says it is almost always one unresolved issue instead. Here is the three-step audit to find your real loyalty leak.