Saturday, November 07, 2026
A volunteer mentor and a paid coach solve different problems. Here is who each suits, what each costs, and six questions that settle it.
Last updated 9 November 2026. Published by Simple-Growth (Motherbase Limited). Market: New Zealand.
If you run a business turning over $1 million to $3 million, the Icehouse Owner Operator Programme costs $6,295 + GST for three one-day workshops, one a month. A one-to-one coach costs a different amount for a different job. The choice comes down to whether you need a curriculum and a peer group, or a diagnosis of the one thing holding your business back.
A disclosure first: Simple-Growth publishes this guide, Kevin D'Ambros-Smith coaches for Simple-Growth, and Simple-Growth partners with The Icehouse, so he is not neutral. That is why both options below are described the same way: what it costs, what you get, who it suits and who it does not. Everything about The Icehouse comes from its own pages, read on 9 November 2026 (New Zealand time). If something is out of date, tell Kevin and it will be corrected.
According to the Icehouse's programme page, the Owner Operator Programme is a practical academy for ambitious owners: three one-day in-person group workshops, held monthly over three months, with an optional one-on-one session with an Icehouse business coach. The price shown is $6,295 + GST. The page lists the current group meeting on Tuesday 15 September, Tuesday 20 October and Tuesday 17 November 2026, and says it suits New Zealand owners turning over $1 million to $3 million, in groups that mix industries and regions. It also says Management Capability Development funding may be available through your Regional Business Partner, that partners sometimes offer scholarships, and that payment plans may be available.
The Icehouse's about page says over 4,000 Kiwis have taken part since 2001, and over 1,400 owners have completed its flagship Owner Manager Programme. These are the provider's own figures. Because the current group finishes on 17 November, ask the Icehouse when the next intake starts.
| Option | Published cost | Format | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icehouse Owner Operator Programme | $6,295 + GST | Three one-day in-person workshops, monthly, plus an optional one-on-one session | NZ owners turning over $1M to $3M who want a structured curriculum and a peer group |
| One-to-one coaching with Simple-Growth | Discussed on a free 30-minute call; co-funding may apply for eligible businesses | Find the real constraint, then a 90-day plan with owners, dates and measures | Owners whose growth is stuck and who cannot name why, at any stage |
| Business Mentors NZ | $295 + GST registration, 12 month journey | Volunteer mentor, matched after registration | Owners who want a sounding board and a wider network |
Costs are taken from each provider's own pages. Simple-Growth's coaching fee is not published here; it depends on the format and is discussed on the call.
This is not for you if you are hoping someone else will do the work. A programme, a mentor and a coach all need you to act. Many owners use both: a programme for peers and structure, then a coach to apply it to their own numbers.
Possibly. The government's Management Capability Development Fund, reached through the Regional Business Partner Network, covers half of one-to-one training costs or three-quarters of group training costs, up to $5,000 per business a year, for eligible businesses with under 50 full-time equivalent staff (business.govt.nz page, last edited 3 August 2026). The page describes the application as four to 12 hours of effort, and approval is not guaranteed. Speak to a Regional Business Growth Advisor before you pay, so you know whether you qualify. Simple-Growth is an approved Regional Business Partner Network provider.
The Icehouse programme page lists $6,295 + GST for three one-day in-person workshops held monthly over three months, with an optional one-on-one session with an Icehouse business coach.
The Icehouse says it is for New Zealand business owners with $1 million to $3 million turnover, in groups that mix industries and regions.
Possibly. The Icehouse says Management Capability Development funding may be available through your Regional Business Partner. The fund covers half of one-to-one costs or three-quarters of group costs, up to $5,000 per business a year, for eligible businesses with under 50 full-time equivalent staff. Approval is not guaranteed.
No. A programme gives you a curriculum and a peer group; a coach builds a plan around your own numbers. Many owners use both, one after the other.
Not sure which fits? A 30-minute conversation will tell you honestly whether a programme, a coach, a mentor or nothing at all is the right move, and you are welcome to take the answer anywhere.
Sources (read 9 November 2026): The Icehouse, Owner Operator Programme (New Zealand; provider's own information); The Icehouse, about us (provider's own figures); business.govt.nz, Management Capability Development Fund (New Zealand); Business Mentors NZ (provider's own information). Related: a four-step ladder for business help in Auckland and what NZ business coaches charge. Last updated 9 November 2026.
Ready to find out which route fits your business?
Sunday, September 06, 2026
One-on-one coaching diagnoses and designs strategy. A peer accountability group enforces it. Here's why the combination produces follow-through that neither achieves alone.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Organic growth isn't the only path. Here's how well-chosen SME acquisitions can compress years of growth into one transaction — and where most owners get the due diligence wrong.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Most SME roadmaps fail from what they never remove, not what they add. Here's the three-question kill list to run before your next planning cycle — and why pruning, not adding, is what actually frees up growth capacity.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Paid social and search rent attention you don't own. Your email list is the one channel most SMEs already have permission to use — and almost never invest in properly. Here's how to turn it into a real asset.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Most sales training focuses on the pitch and the close. The call is usually already lost in the first five minutes. Here's the agenda-set and diagnostic sequence that fixes it — at the team level, not just for one rep.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Delegation doesn't fail because your team can't do the work — it fails because nobody defined what "done" looked like before the task started. Here's the four-part handoff that fixes it.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Self-funded expansion runs out of capital and management bandwidth before it runs out of market opportunity. Here's the franchise-readiness test and how to compare licensing against scaling it yourself.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Business coaching has borrowed a lot from therapy's language, and it's blurred an important line. A coach uses psychology to find what's blocking you — then converts it into a dated business action, every time. Here's where the line sits.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
A 2026 survey of 1,500 business owners found 32% have never taken a full week off. Kevin D'Ambros-Smith on why that's a systems problem, not dedication — and what the regret data reveals about coaching and support.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Most SME growth plans have one forecast and no backup. Here's how to build a 90-day roadmap with base, stretch, and contraction scenarios — plus the trigger points that tell you when to act.
Friday, September 04, 2026
New 2026 data shows only 6% of SME owners feel ready to grow. Kevin D'Ambros-Smith breaks down why the barriers everyone blames are shared by every owner — and what actually separates the 6% who feel ready.
Friday, September 04, 2026
88% of business leaders are confident about growth in 2026 — the highest since 2019. But 74% worry about cybersecurity and only 12% plan on a rolling basis. Here's why confidence without a planning system is exposure, not readiness.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Landing the big account feels like the win that changes everything. Here's how to spot customer concentration risk before one client's decision decides your year.
Friday, September 04, 2026
"It felt useful" isn't a return on coaching. Here's how to actually measure whether a business coaching engagement is working — and what to do if it isn't.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Decision fatigue, not hours worked, is what wrecks an owner's judgment by Thursday. Here's how to batch routine decisions and protect the ones that actually need you.