Wednesday, November 04, 2026
Doing every bit of marketing yourself with no plan? Learn Donald Miller's StoryBrand method for making your customer the hero, not your business.
Choose Business Mentors NZ if you want an experienced volunteer to talk things through with, you are happy to steer the agenda yourself, and you want a low-cost start. Choose a paid coach if you want someone to find your biggest constraint, set a 90-day plan with owners and dates, and hold you to it. Plenty of owners sensibly use one, then the other.
A disclosure first: Simple-Growth publishes this guide, and Kevin D'Ambros-Smith coaches for Simple-Growth, so he is not neutral. That is why this page explains who each option suits instead of ranking them. Everything said about Business Mentors NZ comes from its own website, read on 4 November 2026 (New Zealand time). If something is out of date or wrong, let Kevin know and it will be corrected. Market: New Zealand.
This is not for you if you want someone else to do the work. Neither a mentor nor a coach can.
| What you want to know | Business Mentors NZ (its own website) | Simple-Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Format | One-on-one mentoring with a volunteer mentor, over a 12 month journey. | One-on-one coaching with Kevin D'Ambros-Smith, online or in Auckland. |
| Who it is for | NZ residents who own a small business or social enterprise, open to feedback and motivated to grow. | Ambitious owners and founders in any industry, chosen by mindset, not sector. |
| Cost | $295 + GST one-off registration fee. | Not published for one-on-one coaching; discussed on the free 30-minute call. Eligible NZ businesses may get up to 50% co-funding through the Regional Business Partner Network. |
| Scale (its own figures) | Over 1,500 mentors; over 85,000 business owners mentored. | 200+ businesses coached one-on-one across 30+ industries since 2017. |
| Free first step | A free guide on how a mentor can support you. | A free 30-minute call. |
| Best when | You want a sounding board and a wider network at low cost. | You want a diagnosis, a plan and accountability on a clear timeline. |
The Management Capability Development Fund, delivered through the Regional Business Partner Network, covers 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. Your business must have fewer than 50 full-time equivalent employees and pay its share of the cost. You register with the Network and talk to an advisor, who connects you with approved training providers. The government page estimates the application takes four to 12 hours. Rules change, so check the current page before you commit.
"Kevin's knowledge and intellect on all things business — no matter what industry it is — he just seems to find gems that you can focus on."
John Roberts
Co-owner & COO, Oragene (quoted word for word)
Its website lists a one-off registration fee of $295 + GST for the 12 month mentoring journey.
Yes. Many owners use a mentor for perspective and a coach for a time-boxed plan. Be clear about what each is for, so you do not pay twice for the same problem.
No. Clients are chosen by mindset, not sector, across 30+ industries.
No. Eligibility and approval sit with the Regional Business Partner Network.
Not sure which suits you? A 30-minute conversation will tell you honestly whether coaching, a mentor or neither is the right move, and you are welcome to take the answers anywhere.
Sources (checked 4 November 2026): Business Mentors NZ website (the provider's own claims, not independently verified); business.govt.nz, Management Capability Development Fund (New Zealand). The testimonial is quoted word for word from the person named. Related: how to choose a business coach in 2026 and what NZ business coaches charge. Last updated 4 November 2026.
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Gallup found 55 percent of US business owners have no real plan for their business beyond themselves. Here's the two-week test that reveals how dependent your business really is on you.
Saturday, October 24, 2026
LinkedIn's 2026 research found 40 percent of B2B deals end in "no decision," not a loss to a rival. Here's how to build urgency into your sales process so your pipeline stops dying in silence.
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Organic reach on Instagram fell roughly 14 percent year on year in 2026, and every platform is heading the same way. Here's the channel SME owners already own that no algorithm can throttle.
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Up to 90 percent of strategies never get executed, and it's almost never the document's fault. Here's the team dysfunction actually behind it, and how to fix it before you rewrite the plan again.
Friday, October 23, 2026
Two-thirds of small business owners are raising prices in 2026. If you're in the third who won't, the real problem is probably your offer, not your price point.
Friday, October 23, 2026
Revenue was fine. Profitability growth wasn't, for the first time in a year and a half. Here's the one number to track through your own busy season so the same thing doesn't happen to you.
Friday, October 23, 2026
Just 25% of business owners have natural delegator talent. Here's the Clockwork test a good coach runs before any strategy conversation happens.
Friday, October 23, 2026
31.7% of small business owners have never taken a full week off. Here's the handover document that actually fixes it, and how AI turns a week of writing into an afternoon.
Friday, October 23, 2026
Four in ten small business owners say they discount often, and a third still report sales down anyway. Here's the SPIN Selling framework that gets you to full price without the price cut.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
When offers look alike, price is all that is left to compare. What New Zealand telecoms teach SME owners about escaping the price war.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Get more from the link that limits your growth before you spend a dollar on it. A 14-day, no-new-spend plan for SME owners.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Score eight links in your business from 1 to 5 and the weakest, earliest link is usually your constraint. A 20-minute self-check for SME owners.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Referrals just became small business owners' #1 source of new customers — up from 65% to 83% in a single year. Here's the Dream 100 system that turns word of mouth into a repeatable growth engine.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Roughly one in four founders report loneliness and isolation running their business. Here's what a coach actually does differently, and why the first session is rarely about strategy.
Thursday, October 22, 2026
NZ small business sales rose 8.6 percent this quarter, but growth ranged from 2.9 to 16.3 percent by industry. Here's the three-number check that tells you whether your growth is actually yours.