Saturday, November 14, 2026
Many NZ owners held back hiring, pricing and spending until the 7 November election. Now it has passed, here is what the latest ANZ, NZIER and MYOB surveys say, and a 30-day plan to restart the decisions that matter.
Last updated 15 November 2026. Published by Simple-Growth (Motherbase Limited). Market: New Zealand.
This is a story about an owner who's been told that loyalty is bought with discounts, and who suspects it isn't. You can't always out-price a bigger player. You can out-care one. Here's what that looked like for one struggling solo mum, and for the team that looked after her.
Kevin D'Ambros-Smith and his team ran online retail businesses for new parents. Their purpose, from the start, was to help new mums and make their lives easier. Selling products was how they paid for it, not why they got up in the morning.
That purpose showed up in small, human habits. Writing a personal card was part of how the business operated. It was part of the culture, not a marketing campaign.
One mum was a struggling solo parent. She needed help more than she needed another product. So one of the team, Penny, kept talking to her on the phone. It wasn't a sales call. It was a conversation.
Afterwards, Penny followed up with a handwritten card, so she'd know someone cared.
She became a customer for life. In her words: "I thought no one cared. Then I got your note."
Other mums said something similar: "You make me feel like I am your only customer, even though I am not."
A discount tells a customer you want their money. A card tells them you noticed them. Kevin's businesses gave a gift with purchase instead of a discount, and the eleventh box free, because rewarding the people who love you builds something a price cut can't. A competitor can match a price by tomorrow. They can't match a culture.
This matters when the big players are priced hard against you. You don't have to win their game. You can play one where scale doesn't decide the winner.
You can't write a card for every customer yourself, and you shouldn't have to. The point is to decide what your business stands for, then make it normal for your team to act on it without asking permission.
"Kevin doesn't just present — he electrifies the room and drives massive, real-world value! He drops game-changing insights and actionable shortcuts that show businesses exactly how to turn everyday customers into raving, loyal fans — and acquire new ones faster than ever thought possible."
Gareth Bayliss
Sales Manager, The Icehouse
This isn't for you if you see customers as transactions and plan to keep it that way. It's for the owner who started the business to help someone, who senses that care is the real edge, and who hasn't yet built it into how the team works.
On its own, no. It worked in Kevin's businesses because it was backed by a purpose and a team that cared, and followed a real conversation. The card is the proof, not the strategy.
Start with one habit and one customer segment. Let a simple system flag who needs attention, then write or call personally.
The principle holds. People still remember who noticed them when they needed help.
If your customers deserve to feel noticed, your next step is to build care into how the business runs.
Monday, November 09, 2026
80% of US small-business employees now say pay is their top reason to stay or leave. New research shows that's rarely why your best people actually stick around.
Monday, November 09, 2026
Nearly three in four NZ businesses have no employees. If you are one of them, here is the order to spend on advice, AI training and coaching, who each suits, and a 30-day plan you can run alone.
Monday, November 09, 2026
The Icehouse publishes a price, dates and a turnover range for its Owner Operator Programme. Here is what that buys, who it suits, when one-to-one coaching fits better, and how co-funding may apply.
Monday, November 09, 2026
US owners lose 33 working days a year to financial stress (Xero, 2026). Sean Ellis's North Star Metric shows SME owners how to grow without it costing their evenings.
Monday, November 09, 2026
41% of US owners say the cash gap is their top stressor (Bluevine, 2026). The GROW coaching model shows why saying the real number out loud, early, changes everything.
Monday, November 09, 2026
US owners spend 22 hours a month on financial admin alone (Xero, 2026). Gary Keller's focusing question shows SME owners the one task worth handing off first.
Monday, November 09, 2026
62% of US owners reduced or skipped their own pay in the past year (Bluevine, 2026). David Sandler's qualifying method — and a real client story — show SME owners how to stop chasing the wrong deals.
Monday, November 09, 2026
Half your enquiries drain you because your marketing is built to appeal to everyone. Seth Godin's Purple Cow and a real client story show SME owners how to find the one sentence that's actually remarkable.
Monday, November 09, 2026
Sales are up but the bank balance isn't following. Here's Marc Benioff's V2MOM — the one-page tool that turns a wish-list strategy into the few moves that actually protect your margin.
Monday, November 09, 2026
Making It Happen is a self-paced video masterclass on six implementation skills, priced at $297 with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Here is what is in it, who it suits, who should skip it, and how to use it in 30 days.
Monday, November 09, 2026
Scaling Up publishes a price ladder from a $20 book to a $40,000-$120,000 annual coach retainer. Here is what each rung buys, who it suits, and when a coaching program is the better first step.
Sunday, November 08, 2026
Vistage, EO and YPO each decide who may join. Here are the entry rules, who each suits, and when a one-on-one coach is the better fit.
Sunday, November 08, 2026
Coaching is largely unregulated, so the vetting is yours to do. Here are 12 questions to ask any business coach in NZ before you sign, with what a good answer sounds like.
Sunday, November 08, 2026
A fresh 164-team B2B sales survey finds 59% of small teams never calculate pipeline coverage, and most deals slip twice before closing. Here is the 3-step Pipeline X-Ray to run this week.
Sunday, November 08, 2026
A free clinic, a $295 + GST mentor, half-funded training or a paid coach: which rung suits your business, and how to avoid paying for the same thing twice.