Friday, October 30, 2026
Nearly three in ten US owners name unpredictable demand as a top stressor. Here's the always-on marketing system (RACE) that replaces the feast-and-famine cycle.
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, September 13, 2026
FMCG suppliers just got scored on 38 retailer-relationship competencies — and the results reveal a growth capability gap hiding behind operational excellence. Here's the two-bucket audit to fix it before your next category review.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
82% of small business owners are confident about growth — but 53% say a lack of customer demand is their biggest obstacle right now. Here's the framework to tell which one you're building.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Export feels like the natural next step for a ranged FMCG brand — but it's a different business, not a bigger version of the same one. Here's the validation sequence that protects you.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
A certificate proves someone studied coaching — not that they've built or fixed a real business. Here's the vetting checklist that actually predicts results.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Your calendar isn't a record of what you value — it's a record of what you haven't said no to. Run the audit that shows the real gap and how to close it.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Most stalled SME deals aren't lost to a competitor — they're lost to silence. Here's the Urgency Ladder framework that turns "went quiet" into a real answer.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Your website works 24 hours a day, yet most SME sites haven't been touched in years. Run the five-minute audit that shows exactly where it's losing you customers.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Most SME owners make their biggest calls alone, with no one qualified to challenge them. Here's how to build a "kitchen cabinet" that gives you real strategic pushback — without a formal board.
Wednesday, September 09, 2026
Revenue is climbing and you feel like you're winning — until you check what's actually left over. Here's the simple two-number habit that stops growth from quietly eating your margin.
Wednesday, September 09, 2026
Your accountant, a podcast, a mastermind group and a mate all just told you something different about your business. Here's how to audit that noise and consolidate around one voice that actually knows your numbers.
Wednesday, September 09, 2026
Every new hire without a system takes twice as long to become productive, and you end up re-explaining the same things forever. The 90-Day Ramp Map fixes that in four steps.
Wednesday, September 09, 2026
Your best salesperson might be the one quietly eating your margin. Here's how to audit and rebuild your commission structure so it rewards the sales that actually grow your business.
Wednesday, September 09, 2026
Most SME owners quietly go quiet on marketing right when customers are buying the most. Here's the simple plan to hold your ground through Nov-Jan without burning out your team or your budget.
Wednesday, September 09, 2026
That pricing review, that org chart, that product line nobody will kill — they're not neutral. Learn how to spot and pay down the strategic debt quietly taxing every decision you make.
Wednesday, September 09, 2026
Most business owners survive the slow season and wait for trading to pick up. The ones who grow fastest use the quiet to fix last peak's bottlenecks, cross-train their teams, and renegotiate supplier terms.