Thursday, November 05, 2026
A rival undercutting you doesn't mean 'grow harder' is the answer. Igor Ansoff's growth matrix shows SME owners the four real routes, and how to pick one on purpose.
Choose an Icehouse programme if you want to learn alongside other owners in a structured, in-person group, and your turnover fits one of its bands. Choose one-on-one coaching if you want a plan built around your business alone, on your timeline, with someone holding you to it. Many owners sensibly do one, then the other.
A disclosure first: Simple-Growth publishes this guide, and Kevin D'Ambros-Smith coaches for Simple-Growth. Kevin is also a partner of The Icehouse and has presented on its programmes, so he is not neutral. That is why this page explains who each option suits instead of ranking them. Everything said about The Icehouse comes from its own programmes page, read on 5 November 2026 (New Zealand time). If something is out of date or wrong, let Kevin know and it will be corrected. Market: New Zealand.
| Icehouse programme (its own page, 5 Nov 2026) | Who it is listed for | Length | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner Manager Programme | Owners with $3M+ turnover | 3 days a month over 5 months | Not listed |
| Business Owner Programme | Owners with $1M to $3M turnover | 3 days over 3 months | $6,295 + GST |
| Smart Governance Programme | Mature businesses with $5M+ revenue | 5 days over 3 months | $7,850 + GST |
| Financial Skills Workshop | Owners, leaders and employees | 2 days | $2,295 + GST |
| Sales Skills Workshop | Owners, leaders and employees | 3 days | $5,895 + GST |
| AI Foundations for Business Leaders | Decision makers in leadership | 2.5 days, residential | $6,995 + GST |
Also listed without prices: the Leadership Development Programme and the Owner Manager Exchange (alumni only). No dates were listed for any programme on the page read, and the page mentioned no co-funding.
This is not for you if you want someone else to do the work. Neither a programme nor a coach can.
"Kevin has some amazing ideas around marketing, things we would have never thought of ourselves. He has gone above and beyond what he needed to!"
Amy Nixon
Tiny Forgages (quoted word for word from Icehouse coaching feedback)
Its programmes page lists $6,295 + GST for the Business Owner Programme and $7,850 + GST for the Smart Governance Programme. The Owner Manager Programme price was not listed on the page read.
Yes. A programme gives you a framework and peers; coaching applies it to your business. Be clear about what each is for, so you do not pay twice for the same problem.
Possibly. The Management Capability Development Fund can cover up to 50% of one-to-one and up to 75% of group training costs, capped at $5,000 per business per year, for businesses with fewer than 50 full-time equivalent staff. Check current rules and eligibility with the Regional Business Partner Network.
No. Clients are chosen by mindset, not sector, across 30+ industries.
Not sure which suits you? A 30-minute conversation will tell you honestly whether a programme, coaching or neither is the right move, and you are welcome to take the answers anywhere.
Sources (checked 5 November 2026): The Icehouse programmes and workshops page (the provider's own listing, not independently verified); business.govt.nz, Management Capability Development Fund (New Zealand). Related: Business Mentors NZ or Simple-Growth? and more growth tips. Last updated 5 November 2026.
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.
Monday, November 02, 2026
Research published by Adobe Acrobat in October 2026 shows 88% of UK business owners don't trust their own branding, even though 72% call it essential. Here's the gap, and the 3-step fix that closes it.
Monday, November 02, 2026
The New Zealand AI advisory pilot co-funds up to half of an AI plan for small businesses, capped at $15,000, and has been extended to mid-2027. What it is, what to check, and a practical first 30 days. Checked 2 November 2026.
Monday, November 02, 2026
Seven things you can check before you hire a business coach, and how ActionCOACH, Business Mentors NZ, EOS, Simple-Growth and The Icehouse compare on each. Method and bias disclosed. Checked 2 November 2026.
Monday, November 02, 2026
The demand is there. You aren't. Here's why your business can't grow past your own hours, and the simple method for designing one that can.
Monday, November 02, 2026
Flat out one month, silent the next, and every call is yours alone. Here's why the quiet season is exactly when an outside perspective pays for itself.
Monday, November 02, 2026
An invoice tips into overdue and somehow it's you, again, drafting the awkward follow-up. Here's why that's an ownership gap, not a cash problem, and the one-name fix that ends it.
Monday, November 02, 2026
You're closing deals and still going without pay. Here's why discounting to win the sale is costing you more than the sale is worth, and the fix.
Monday, November 02, 2026
You post, you boost, you hope. Here's the one-page system that tells you, every Monday, exactly which part of your marketing is earning its place.
Monday, November 02, 2026
Your sales report looks great. Your bank balance doesn't agree. Here's the strategic fix most growing SME owners miss, and how to find the handful of customers who actually pay you.
Monday, November 02, 2026
EOS gives a leadership team a shared system. Coaching finds the one constraint to fix first. Here is who each suits, what is public on cost, and six questions to ask. Checked 2 November 2026.