At Prime Strategies, we believe in two things: good honest work, and conversations that don’t make your eyes glaze over. That’s why we found, trained, and continuously support a nationwide crew of Business Advisors, Coaches, Mentors and Consultants who do what they’re actually paid to do — help you, instead of just billing you.
Have a listen to two of our founders Rob and John…they’ll tell you
The Uncomfortable Truths About Owning a Kiwi Business
We’ve sat across the table from hundreds of New Zealand business owners — sparkies, panelbeaters, scaffolders, cabinet makers, accountants, music retailers, you name it. After a couple of decades doing this, a few things become impossible to ignore:
Nobody’s good at everything. Doesn’t matter how many hats you’ve learned to wear — there’s always one that doesn’t fit.
Knowing what you want is the easy bit. Getting there without wrecking your health, your marriage, or your staff retention is where it gets interesting.
Most owners spend 90% of their time working IN the business, not ON it. Then they wonder why the same problems keep showing up like an unwanted relative at Christmas.
Refusing to decide IS a decision. Usually the decision to “keep struggling on and hope it sorts itself out.”
Here’s the reality of running a business in New Zealand right now: we’re a country of roughly 550,000 small and medium enterprises, and SMEs make up over 97% of all Kiwi businesses. That’s a lot of people carrying a lot of weight — supplier price hikes, staff shortages, interest rates that move like a yo-yo, and a compliance list that never stops growing (hello IRD, ACC levies, Companies Office filings, and Health & Safety obligations that didn’t exist ten years ago).
It doesn’t have to suck this much.
That’s why Prime exists. We provide strategy that actually works, accountability that doesn’t feel like detention, and support that doesn’t come wrapped in judgment. We do it because we believe in paying it forward and making New Zealand’s business community stronger — one business at a time. When Kiwi businesses thrive, the whole country wins: more jobs, more resilient regional economies, less pressure on Working For Families and the benefit system.
The Bottom Line
You don’t have to figure this out alone. You don’t have to pretend you know everything about GST, KiwiSaver obligations, or how to structure a shareholder buy-out. And you definitely don’t have to keep doing the same things and hoping for a different result — that’s not optimism, that’s just Einstein’s definition of insanity with a business card.
You just need someone in your corner who knows what they’re talking about and can explain it without the corporate nonsense.
That’s us.
What Makes Us Different (Spoiler: Everything)
01
We Don’t Speak Corporate Gibberish
Other Business Advisors Say:
- “Leverage synergistic opportunities”
- “Optimize your value proposition matrix”
- “Implement scalable solutions for enhanced ROI”
- [Insert 47 more meaningless buzzwords]
We Say:
- “Your prices are too low”
- “You’re spending money on stupid stuff”
- “Your customers don’t understand what you actually do”
- “That ‘strategy’ you have? It’s not a strategy, it’s a wish list”
02
We Fix the Real Problems Not the Pretty Ones
Most consultants love the sexy stuff – vision boards, mission statements, five-year plans that look great in PowerPoint but fall apart when your biggest customer doesn’t pay their invoice.
We focus on the unglamorous stuff that actually keeps the lights on: making sure you’re not quietly bleeding cash, that people actually want to buy what you’re selling, and that you’re not one bad quarter away from a very awkward conversation with your bank manager.
03
We’re Not Your Typical Suit-Wearing, Buzzword-Spouting Business Advisors
Most business advisors have never stayed up until 3am fixing a website crash, had to choose between paying themselves or their staff, explained to their partner why it’s two-minute noodles again, or built something from nothing. We have. Multiple times. And we’re still here to tell the tale — with the grey hairs to prove it.
Our Philosophy:
“Skip the MBA nonsense. Focus on what actually moves the needle. Make more money, work fewer hours, sleep better at night.”
04
We Know What “Business Owner 2am Panic” Actually Feels Like
Most business advisors have conveniently forgotten the panic of not knowing if you can cover payroll *and* your provisional tax bill in the same week. We haven’t. We remember Googling “how to fire someone” at 2am, the sinking feeling when a client ghosts you mid-project, and the fear that everyone’s about to find out you’re making it up as you go.
Our Mission:
“Take away the pain of business uncertainty without the corporate theatre. End the stress of not knowing stuff. Fill in the gaps without making you feel like an idiot.”
“Sales have increased, our market presence has grown, and our headspace has gone from stressing about cashflow around the clock to figuring out how to get all the projects done that we are winning. What he’s done is incredible”
Darren & Gareth Tompkinson
T Brothers Cabinetry
“Fiona from Prime Strategies Group has been a huge help for me and my business.
Using some smart systems and ideas, that she provided, things are running much smoother and a lot less stressful than they had been in the past.
I now have my weekends back and get to spend more time off the tools and working on growing the business.”
Eli Fynn
Managing Director
Queenstown Scaffolding
“Dave has introduced more robust systems and sales and marketing initiatives into my business that are getting great results.”
Rob
Owner
Glenfield Panelbeaters & Paint
.. working with Dave will give you a fresh look and a stronger foundation; …he's probably exactly what you're looking for”
Natasha Port
Director
ABI Music
Our Process
Step 1
Figure Out What’s Actually Wrong
We dig into your business and find the real problems, not the symptoms you’ve mistaken for problems.
Step 2
Fix the Real Problems
Practical solutions that work in the real world of NZ trading conditions, not theoretical business-school BS.
Step 3
Watch Things Actually Get Better
You sleep better. You make more money. You stop feeling like you’re drowning. Revolutionary stuff.
FAQs About Working With a Prime Strategies Business Advisor
How is Prime Strategies different from an accountant?
Your accountant looks after your books and tax compliance (IRD returns, GST, PAYE). We look after your business — the strategy, the sales, the systems, and the decisions that determine whether there’s any profit left for your accountant to report on in the first place.
Do you only work with big businesses?
No. Most of our clients are classic Kiwi SMEs — trades, retail, professional services, hospitality, manufacturing — typically employing anywhere from 2 to 50 people.
What does it cost?
It varies by what you need, which is why the first conversation is free.
Book a call and we’ll be straight with you about the investment and the likely return.