You’re working for a large company and see an opportunity in the market for a new product. It’s got big potential, if you can get investment to turn the idea into a successful global offering. What could possibly go wrong? There are many sad stories of bad outcomes for unwary entrepreneurs in this […]

Business expansion can be achieved in many ways, from online sales to partnerships, joint ventures, or overseas branches. New Zealand businesses typically establish themselves here in our relatively small local market before targeting larger, potentially more profitable overseas ones, such as Australia and China. Business expansion can rapidly come unstuck if you don’t get it right […]

Ken Wells – General Manager of NorthStar Group Q. Can you tell us something about your business background and general approach to business, Ken? A. I have managed teams large and small, and as a consultant have helped many business owners improve and grow their businesses. My focus has always been to turn poor performing […]

Unless you are passionate about your business project, it is unlikely to succeed. However there’s a big difference between a passion project and a good investment. Successful entrepreneurs understand that their passion for a business may not last forever, and that at some point they may wish to exit. They also know that the best […]

How to train your lawyer Inexperienced businesspeople often hate talking to lawyers. There are many reasons for this, including fear of: High hourly charge-out rates Being made to feel ignorant Losing control of the outcome Finding out later the legal route was not the best way to achieve the desired result. Surprisingly, the huge volume […]

    “The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new European Union (EU) data privacy law. It comes into full effect on 25 May 2018. The GDPR’s main purpose is to create one coherent data protection framework across the EU, greatly improving data protection and privacy rights. It imposes a comprehensive set of principles […]

Maximising your business’s intangible assets is vital to making your business attractive to investors. Intangible assets can be a neglected area for many smaller businesses. However, unless you understand, develop and protect your business’s intangible assets, you are prejudicing its future growth. You are also potentially giving yourself a lot of unnecessary grief. Take a […]

Risk management isn’t just about avoiding disaster. A successful risk management strategy should also have plenty of upside. Those who are old enough to remember the Apple Newton will appreciate this. In 1993 Apple gambled on launching this expensive, revolutionary Personal Digital Assistant. Newton’s size and inefficient handwriting recognition interface eventually led to market failure […]

  Inland Revenue (IR) recently liquidated the failed Nosh supermarket chain to recover unpaid tax of around $242,000. The liquidator’s report showed that unsecured creditors, including many small business suppliers, were collectively owed $2.4 million. IR has priority rights by law to recover tax and penalties due from remaining company funds and assets in a […]

Optimise the structure of your business from an early stage to avoid many potentially crippling problems including: Personal Risk The limited liability company was established to encourage entrepreneurs to take the risk of going into business. Even the smallest operator would be unwise not to take advantage of limited personal liability available when trading under […]