Friday, November 06, 2026

Doing the books, the invoicing and the tax yourself at 9pm? Simple-Growth's AI Productivity Audit sorts every repeat task into automate, augment or eliminate.

You can pay a few hundred dollars for an AI workshop in New Zealand, or several thousand. The price tells you very little. What matters is whether you walk out on Monday with one task handed to a tool, or with a folder of notes and a faint sense of guilt.

Disclosure: Simple-Growth publishes this guide and runs AI sessions for owners, so we have an interest. We have not claimed any option is better. Prices below are the public ones we could open, checked 6 November 2026. Confirm with each provider before you book.

What the public prices show

Two published examples show how wide the range is.

  • A four-hour, hands-on session in Auckland: NZ$194.99 + GST per person, seating limited to 10, listed on Humanitix. That particular date (28 June 2025) has passed, so treat it as an example of how a short workshop is priced, not a live offer. (Humanitix listing)
  • A residential programme: The Icehouse lists AI Foundations for Business Leaders at $6,995 + GST for 2.5 days. (The Icehouse programmes)

That is roughly a 36 times difference. Neither is right or wrong. A short session suits an owner who wants to try the tools. A longer programme suits a leadership team that needs to change how work is done.

The cost you are not counting

The ticket price is the small number. The large one is the tool you pay for every month and never use. Before you compare workshops, ask what you want to stop doing by the end of the month. If you cannot name a task, any workshop will feel interesting and change nothing.

Seven questions to ask before you book

  • Which task will I hand over by Friday? Good providers name tasks (quoting, follow-up, invoicing chasers), not "AI literacy".
  • Is it hands-on with my own business, or a demonstration? You learn faster with your own emails and spreadsheets on screen.
  • Who is in the room? Ten owners in a room is a different day from sixty.
  • What happens with my data? Ask about privacy, what gets pasted into which tool, and what to keep out.
  • What proof can I see? Look for a named business, what changed and what is still unknown. Our own example is how Insinc Products connected its systems to AI, with the limits stated.
  • What is the refund and follow-up policy? The Humanitix listing above states no refunds. Others offer follow-up calls.
  • Could co-funding apply? See below.

Could government co-funding apply?

Two public schemes are worth asking your Regional Business Partner about.

  • Management Capability Development Fund: up to 50% of one-to-one training costs or up to 75% of group training costs, capped at $5,000 per business each year, for established NZ businesses with fewer than 50 full-time employees, using approved providers. Register with the Regional Business Partner Network first. (business.govt.nz)
  • AI Advisory Pilot: announced in January 2026 for existing Regional Business Partner Network customers, with co-funding of up to 50%, capped at $15,000, towards an AI plan. It was set to run to at least 30 June 2026, so ask your advisor whether it is still open. (Scoop, January 2026)

Funding rules change, and a workshop is not automatically eligible. Ask before you pay, not after.

A 30-day way to test any workshop

  • Week 1: list the three tasks that eat your week. Pick one.
  • Week 2: hand that one task to a tool. Time it before and after.
  • Week 3: write down what went wrong and what the tool needs to be told.
  • Week 4: keep it, change it or drop it. Then choose the next task.

If you want to start before you spend anything, the free two-minute ME4SME AI audit at me4sme.com shows where an AI tool is most likely to save you time. If you would rather talk it through, book a free 30-minute call with Kevin.

Prices and funding rules were taken from the pages linked above on 6 November 2026. We have not independently verified provider claims.

Wednesday, November 04, 2026

ActionCOACH offers a coaching network, the ABoS platform and two free weeks. Simple-Growth is one owner-run coach who finds your constraint first. Here is who each suits, what is public on cost, and six questions to ask. Checked 4 November 2026.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

Cosmetic and skin clinics rarely stall for lack of attention. Here is how NZ owners can find the real constraint, market within the rules and turn first treatments into long-term clients.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

AI tools are making every small business sound the same. Here is the 3-step Distinctive Brand Assets method for standing out even when a machine wrote the first draft.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

The Entourage or Simple-Growth: who each suits, what The Entourage publishes on price and proof, and seven questions to ask before you apply. Checked 4 November 2026.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

A New Zealand owner connected her ERP, email, website and analytics to AI. What changed, what the early numbers show, what we do not know yet, and what you can copy this month. Checked 4 November 2026.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

The spreadsheet's been updated four times and nothing new has changed in three weeks. Here's why waiting for certainty is the real growth-killer, not the risk itself.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

The thought isn't "how do I grow this" anymore, it's "can I keep doing this." That thought isn't proof you're failing — it's proof you're carrying it alone.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

Twenty minutes at the kitchen table turns into two hours, again. Here's why willpower isn't the fix — and the one question that actually frees up your week.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

"I'm also talking to someone else." Most owners improvise an answer in that moment and sound like everyone else. Here's how to have the answer ready.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

Half your customer base needs chasing, discounting or managing. The fix usually isn't your delivery — it's who your marketing is attracting in the first place.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

You've run the numbers four times and still haven't decided. It's not the decision that's the problem — it's that you're making it with no one to pressure-test your thinking.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

An agency, a freelancer or doing it yourself with AI: who each suits, what one NZ agency publishes on cost, and six questions to ask before you pay anyone. Checked 4 November 2026.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

Scaling Up gives a leadership team a four-decision platform. Coaching finds the one constraint to fix first. Here is who each suits, what is public on cost, and six questions to ask. Checked 3 November 2026.

Tuesday, November 03, 2026

Three self-paced programs at $97, $297 and $497. Here is the problem each one fixes, who it suits, who should skip it, and how to choose in five minutes. Checked 3 November 2026.

Monday, November 02, 2026

Strategic Coach, Tony Robbins Business Mastery or one-on-one coaching? A fair, source-linked guide for US owners, with a five-question test to match the format to your stage.