Thursday, October 29, 2026
Nearly half of SME owners say their business doesn't have a money problem — it has a time problem. Here's the 90-day Freedom Plan to fix 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.
Friday, September 04, 2026
67.4% of small business owners know they need a price rise — only 31% have made it. Here's why pricing needs a system, not nerve, and what that system looks like for SME and FMCG owners.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Every scaling SME hits the same transition — from a business that runs on the founder's instincts to one that runs on a team making good decisions without checking first. Here's how the ones that navigate it deliberately do it.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Being "coachable" isn't a fixed trait some owners have and others don't — it's a decision made fresh every week. Here's what actually determines whether coaching sticks.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Your business isn't short of hours — it's short of decisions that don't require you personally. Here's how to find and remove the owner bottleneck, one decision at a time.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Most price objections aren't about the customer's budget — they're about a rep with no confident answer reaching for the easiest lever. Here's how to fix the sales conversation, not just the discount policy.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Chasing brand awareness on a limited budget is the fastest way to spend money without moving revenue. Here's the goal that actually fits a constrained marketing budget, and how to measure it.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Most SME strategy sessions produce energy and an impressive document — and almost no lasting change. Here's what a strategy session actually needs to produce, and how to turn it into real execution.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Only 8% of small business owners say they're fully prepared for succession, and 70% have no formal plan. Here's why succession is a systems problem, not a paperwork one — and the four-question test to check if your business is actually transferable.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Rapid growth kills more SMEs than slow growth does. Here's how overtrading happens, the warning signs owners miss, and how successful scalers fund growth before chasing it.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Scaling a business requires a different identity than starting one did. Here's why coachability, not talent, is the real predictor of who breaks through.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Procrastination on the big strategic project usually isn't a discipline problem — it's a sizing problem. Here's the 20-minute rule that fixes it without more willpower.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Most lost sales die in the first fifteen minutes of the discovery call. Here's the three-question framework that qualifies leads properly and lifts close rates.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Most SME marketing restarts from zero every month. Here's why compounding content — not more content — is what actually builds momentum on a limited budget.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Most SME strategy fails from too many priorities, not too few. Here's the three-filter test for deciding what earns a place on your roadmap — and what doesn't.
Friday, September 04, 2026
73% of SME owners feel more confident than ever. 57% saw revenue stall anyway. Here's what a new 2026 report reveals about the gap between confidence and a real growth engine — and how to close it.