Saturday, October 31, 2026
46% of NZ small business owners aren't paying themselves. Here's why that has to change, and the three moves that build it into a real habit, not a hope.
Choose Vistage if you want a standing group of 12 to 16 peers, a monthly meeting day and a Chair, and you are comfortable applying and asking for the fee. Choose Simple-Growth if you want one owner-run coach to find your single constraint first, then build a 90-day plan around it. Neither publishes a price for the core offer.
A disclosure first: Simple-Growth publishes this guide and Kevin D'Ambros-Smith is an independent business coach, so he is not neutral. That is why this explains who each option suits instead of ranking them, and uses only what Vistage says on its own website. Checked 5 November 2026. Market: United States.
Vistage describes itself as a CEO coaching and peer advisory organization with "more than 45,000 members in 40 countries". Each peer group has "12-16 other CEOs or local business owners", meets for one full day a month, and is led by a Chair, described as "an accomplished former CEO or executive". Members also get a private session with their Chair, which Vistage says runs one to two hours. Groups are curated so that no two members are from competing industries.
Its Small Business program one-sheet lists eight half-day and four full-day meetings a year, twelve private coaching sessions of up to two hours, and up to three speakers a year. The CEO programs are split by company size: one for companies with $5 million or more in revenue, one for $1 to $4 million.
Simple-Growth is one person's practice. Kevin has coached 200+ businesses one-on-one across 30+ industries since 2017, after more than 30 years in business. Coaching clients surveyed through The Icehouse return a Net Promoter Score of +72. The method: find the real constraint in your numbers, fix that first, and only then add tools.
The practical difference: a peer group gives you a room of other owners and a regular rhythm. A coach gives you one person who works on your numbers and your decisions between meetings. Some owners need the room. Others have plenty of opinions already and need the decision.
This is not for you if you want a public price list today. Vistage's page gives no dollar amounts: membership typically includes a one-time enrollment fee and monthly dues, and you complete an application and are contacted if you qualify. Simple-Growth quotes coaching by conversation too.
| Question | Vistage (per its website) | Simple-Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Peer group of 12 to 16 with a Chair; one full-day meeting a month; private Chair session | One-on-one coaching with one owner-run coach, online |
| Price | Not published; enrollment fee plus monthly dues, quoted on application | Coaching quoted by conversation |
| How you join | Application; a Market Leader contacts those who qualify | Free 30-minute call |
| Evidence offered | Member revenue growth of 4.6% in 2020 against a 4.7% decline for comparable nonmembers, attributed to Dun & Bradstreet data; method not described | NPS +72 among coaching clients surveyed through The Icehouse |
| Fixed-price entry | Not shown | Quick Wins $97, Making It Happen $297, Know Your Future $497 |
Read every evidence line the same way: ask how many were measured, over what period, and who chose the sample. Vistage's growth comparison is one year, and it was 2020. Our own NPS comes from clients who chose to respond. Neither tells you what will happen in your business.
If you would rather start with a fixed price, Quick Wins is $97 (15 ways to lift sales), Making It Happen is $297 (turning plans into action) and Know Your Future is $497 (your destination and roadmap). All three are self-paced.
"Working with Kevin has pushed us to step back and look at the business from the outside. He's easy to bounce ideas off, and he keeps us focused on working on the business instead of getting stuck in the day-to-day."
Ben Leitch
Home Lab Store (quoted word for word)
The US Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy counts 36,207,130 small businesses employing 62.3 million people, or 45.9 percent of private-sector workers. With that many owners, there is no shortage of advice on offer. The scarce thing is the right kind of help for your stage: a room of peers, a coach, or a fixed-price course.
Not quite. In a peer group the main learning comes from other owners, guided by a Chair. In one-on-one coaching the coach works on your numbers and decisions directly. Vistage includes both: a monthly group day and private sessions with the Chair.
Not on the pages checked on 5 November 2026. Its site says membership typically includes a one-time enrollment fee and monthly dues, and that the rate depends on the program and location.
Vistage asks you to apply and to speak with a Market Leader. Simple-Growth offers a free 30-minute call, plus a free sales training, The World's Greatest Sales Line.
Neither is automatically better. If you want a standing group of peers, Vistage is worth a conversation. If you want one owner-run coach to find your constraint first, book a call with Kevin. Take the same six questions to both.
Yes. Kevin coaches online, so location is not a barrier, and the self-paced programs are priced in US dollars.
Be the owner who knows the one decision to make first, and makes it.
Not sure which suits you? A 30-minute conversation will tell you, and you are welcome to take the answers to any other provider. You can also read how Simple-Growth compares with ActionCOACH and Scaling Up.
Sources (checked 5 November 2026): Vistage, What is Vistage. Vistage, Small Business program one-sheet (2025). SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business 2026 (United States). The testimonial is quoted word for word from the person named. Last updated 5 November 2026.