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Business Plans, Succession Plans, Exit Strategy, Financial Management, Sales and Marketing, Human Resources, Systems and Processes, Productivity, Franchise Development, Health and Safety, Cost Control, Strategy & Planning, People & Leadership, Change Management, Operational Excellence, Productivity, Compliance, Virtual GM Services, Governance & Advisory Board, Coaching & Mentoring, Training Workshops, Recruitment, Employers Toolbox & Advice, Legal Services, SME Advocacy, Digital Services, Business Insurance, Bookkeeping, Job Management Systems, Business Grant Funding…
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For us at Prime Strategies it’s really all about business strategies that work in the real world.
Translation: Figuring out what you’re actually trying to do.
Most “business strategies” are just fancy ways to avoid making hard decisions. We help you figure out:
- What business you’re actually in (hint: it’s often not what you think)
- Who will pay you money for what you do, and why they should care
- How to stop doing the things that don’t make money
- What to do when your brilliant plan meets reality — because it always does
What does this do for you?
Takes away the pain of wondering whether you’re heading in the right direction, or just staying busy.
The Three Things Killing Kiwi Business Profits (And How We Fix Them)
01
Strategy Problems
What’s going wrong:
You’re trying to be everything to everyone — the classic “we’ll take any job” trap that so many New Zealand trades and service businesses fall into once cash gets tight.
What we do about it:
- Help you pick a lane and dominate it
- Stop you chasing every shiny opportunity that lands in your inbox
- Build systems that actually work when you’re not watching
- Make sure your team knows what they’re actually supposed to be doing
The embarrassing truth:
Your “diversification strategy” is often just confusion wearing a nicer outfit.
02
Preparation Problems
What’s going wrong:
You’re building the plane while flying it — no succession plan, no documented systems, and a business that would fall over if you got hit by a bus (or just wanted a holiday).
What we do about it:
- Build processes that don’t fall apart the moment you’re not there
- Make sure you’re not accidentally breaching employment law, Health & Safety at Work Act obligations, or Companies Office requirements
- Plan for growth before you desperately need it
- Set up systems that scale as you take on more staff and more IRD reporting obligations
The embarrassment of not knowing:
Winging it stops being charming the moment you have employees and customers relying on you.
03
Profitability Problems
What’s going wrong:
Money is disappearing faster than free sausages at a Bunnings Warehouse sausage sizzle.
What we do about it:
- Find where your money is leaking and plug the holes
- Stop the spending on things that don’t move the needle
- Increase your margins without a blanket price hike
- Make your team more productive without making them hate their job
Taking away the pain of:
Watching your hard graft turn into someone else’s profit — usually your bank, your biggest supplier, or the IRD via a penalty you could have avoided.
The Reality Behind Why New Zealand Businesses Struggle
It’s not usually one big catastrophe that sinks a Kiwi SME — it’s a slow accumulation of small, fixable things: pricing that hasn’t moved in three years while costs have gone up 20%, a marketing “plan” that’s really just word-of-mouth and hope, cashflow forecasting done on the back of an envelope, and a founder who’s the only person who knows how anything actually works. Add in New Zealand-specific pressure points — provisional tax dates that never seem to line up with when the money’s actually in the bank, KiwiSaver and ACC levy obligations, and a tight labour market where good staff are hard to find and even harder to keep — and it’s no wonder so many owners feel like they’re treading water.
But wait…
This is only for you if:
- You suspect you don’t know what you don’t know (and you’re right)
- You’re tired of business advice that sounds good but doesn’t actually help
- You want to fix real problems, not just talk about them
- You can handle the truth about what’s wrong with your business
- You’re ready to stop making expensive mistakes
This is NOT for you if:
- You want someone to tell you your bad ideas are brilliant
- You love meetings about meetings about planning meetings
- You think all your problems are someone else’s fault
- You’re looking for cheerleaders, not advisors
- You believe everything is fine (it’s probably not)
Start Here: The Reality Check Tools
01
The “What’s Actually Wrong” Business Checkup
This isn’t your typical feel-good assessment that tells you what you want to hear. It’s designed to spot the problems before they become expensive disasters.
02
The “Speak Human” Business Health Check
A straight-talking review with a real advisor, not a form. Book a time and we’ll tell you what we actually see.
FAQs About Getting Business Advice in New Zealand
How is this different from IRD’s or Business.govt.nz’s free resources?
Government resources are a good starting point for the basics, but they’re generic by design. Prime Strategies advisors work inside your actual business, with your actual numbers, competitors and constraints — and we’re accountable for the outcome, not just the information.
Do you help with succession planning as well as growth?
Yes — a huge part of our work with established New Zealand business owners is exit strategy and succession planning, not just growth. See our Solutions page for the detail.
Can you help if we’re already using an accountant and a bank?
Absolutely, and most clients do exactly this. We work alongside your existing accountant and bank relationship manager rather than replacing them — we just focus on a different part of the business.
“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
“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