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Why Does Everything Still End Up Back on Your Desk?

I want to share a conversation that, in many ways, acts as a litmus test for almost any business.Recently I had a Zoom with a business owner who was exploring whether working with BSP might make sense. By most measures, he has a good business.●      Solid revenue.●      A capable team.●      Customers who genuinely enjoy dealing with him.On paper, things looked good. But within a few minutes, I could tell something ...

I Drove 6 Hours for This...

Many moons ago, I played in a band.We weren't rock stars. But we weren't bad either. Good enough to get booked, and good enough that people showed up.Then one year, the gigs started rolling in. Regional venues, a few festivals, the local pubs. The kind of momentum that makes you think this is actually working.The highlight was playing at a packed motorcycle club festival near Rotorua. Four to five thousand people. The sun was out. Engines rumbling in every direction.We hit the stage and the whol...

A Quick Test Most Business Owners Fail

Quick question.. and it's worth being real with yourself on this one.If you disappeared from your business for four weeks: no calls, no check-ins, no "just a quick question", what would actually fall apart?If the answer is a lot, you're not alone.. and it's not because you've done something wrong.It's because the thing that got your business here, you, might now be the thing quietly holding it back.What It Usually Looks Like From the InsideThe team is working. Customers are being looked after. J...

How Do I Get My Team To Care As Much As I Do

Underneath that sentence is something heavier than frustration. It's the specific loneliness of carrying the weight of something. The risk, the vision, the responsibility, while the people around you move through it like it's just a job.Because for them, it is just a job. Until you change that.It's Not Really a Question About Your TeamIt's a question about whether the weight you carry every day is something you'll always carry alone.Not because your team is bad. Not because you've hired the wron...

Costs Are Rising Again. This Is Where It Gets Tricky.

And enough to bring up the question every business owner knows:Do we pass it on… or absorb it?On paper, it looks like a pricing decision. In reality, it rarely feels that simple. Because neither option sits clean.If you pass it on:You risk pushback.You wonder how customers will respond.You don't want to be seen as taking advantage.If you absorb it:Margins tighten.Pressure builds quietly.You carry more of it than you should.So most businesses do what feels safest.They hold.Adjust slightly.Wait ...

Are You Rewarding Performance — or Creating Entitlement?

Pay conversations are rarely just about money. They usually carry something else: Pressure on margins.  Concern about setting precedent.  Uncertainty about what is actually being rewarded.  Most business owners want to reward performance fairly. But when remuneration conversations happen, performance often gets reduced to whatever is easiest to measure: Revenue generatedTargets achievedHours workedOutput deliveredResults matter.But paying purely ...

Can Your Business Actually Afford to Grow?

The pace hasn’t quite returned. The phone is quieter. There’s a bit of mental space again, often for the first time in a long while. And for many owners, this is when a familiar thought starts to surface: “This feels like the year I need to make more sense of the business.” Not in a dramatic way. Not because something is broken. But because carrying things as they are feels heavier than it should. Growth is usually part of that thinking. More customers. More revenue. More momentum. But f...

What Should I Do About Wage Increases This Year?

One of the most uncomfortable moments for a business owner isn’t a bad month or a tough customer...It’s sitting across the table from a good employee, knowing their expenses are rising faster than their pay, and wondering whether saying “yes” to a pay increase today, quietly creates a problem you can’t easily undo tomorrow.There is a practical way to handle wage increases without blowing your budget or damaging trust.It doesn’t involve saying yes to everything — or avoiding the con...

Introducing the STEP Programme: A Clear Pathway for New Zealand Business Owners Who Want Control, Growth, Time, or a Successful Exit

Running a business in New Zealand today requires resilience, adaptability, and no small amount of grit. Between labour shortages, rising costs, operational pressure, competitive markets, and the seemingly endless demands from customers, staff, and administration — it’s no wonder business owners often feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of their next strategic move.For many owners, the business that once felt exciting and full of possibility now feels like a weight that never quite lifts.At BS...

A Must Read for Every New Zealand Business Owner Over 50 in 2025!

If you own a business in New Zealand and you’re over 50, what you’re about to read is one of the most important messages you’ll hear this year.You’ve survived Covid. You’ve pushed through labour shortages, inflation, rising costs, and constant operational pressure.You’ve done what most New Zealanders will never understand — kept a business alive through some of the toughest years in decades. Well done!But right now, there is a far bigger challenge quietly forming beneath the surfac...

How much should I sell my business for and is it the right time?

At BSP Advisory we deal with many New Zealand businesses across a broad range of industries and one of the common questions we get is “How much should I sell my business for and when is the best time to sell?”These are important questions — but they can only be answered properly by looking at the structure, performance, and readiness of the business.That’s exactly where the STEP Programme comes in....

New Study of 1,500 NZ Business Owners Uncovers a Surprising Pattern

Running a business in New Zealand is not for the faint-hearted.Covid, labour shortages, recruitment difficulties, supply chain pressures, rising costs — all piled onto an already demanding role for owner-operators. So, we recently checked in with over 1,500 business owners to understand what they’re struggling with right now.The answer surprised us.51% said the number one thing they wish they could change is their work/life balance.Not profit.Not sales.Not staff.... their work/life balance.A...

How this Cambridge Couple Successfully Exited Their Business

When people search for business mentors or business advisors, they’re often looking for one thing: Clarity. Clarity about how to exit their business with a financially satisfying result, without any stress.I had the pleasure of talking with Toni and Keith Paton (Ex Keith Paton Joinery) last week who successfully sold their business and have been enjoying retirement ever since.They had just returned from a motorhome trip around NZ and were excited to share their experience about "Steppin...

An Introduction to Exit & Succession Planning: STEP Programme Edition

Whether you're considering stepping back in the next five years or are looking to grow your business and secure its future, Exit and Succession Planning is a critical area deserving attention.Learn what exit & succession planning is, why it matters and 6 key steps for effective exit and succession planning.This article explains what exit and succession planning really is, why it matters, and how the STEP Programme gives NZ business owners a clear, structured path to the strongest possible fu...

Succession Planning vs Exit Planning: Key Differences and How They Benefit Your Business

Exit planning is the process of planning for the eventual sale or transfer of a business whereas succession planning is the process of identifying and developing internal employees or family members to fill key leadership positions with the aim of taking over the business one day. Issues exist for both topics and expert guidance and advice is recommended....

The 6 Challenges Almost Every Business Owner Struggles With — and How to Beat Them

You're solving problems or bringing joy to people, all while being your own boss.You're enjoying the profits; reaping the rewards from your hard work.You're finally able to make a meaningful difference to something you've always been passionate about. ...

Subscription Creep: How Complacency and a Changing Digital Landscape is Affecting the Bottom Line

This article has been guest written by Izaak Wicks, from The Dream Factory NZ. Izaak specialises in website creation and custom digital solutions for businesses....

5 Essential Reads for Business Owners

With many of our advisers coming from diverse business and corporate backgrounds, we asked a few of them to share their top must-read books for every business owner.Here are five essential reads recommended by our team, along with why they were chosen and how they influenced their approach to business....

How NZ Banks Can Better Understand Small Business Challenges and Opportunities

Banks heavily rely on traditional means to assess loan risk, often neglecting other useful metrics for assessing a business's healthPersonalised banking: Bank managers who know their clients and the intricacies of the business are now a rarityThere are significant opportunities for banks to champion small businesses, the end result strengthening the economy as a whole....

Unlocking Success: Empowering Business Owners to Achieve More While Working Less

In the hustle and bustle of entrepreneurship, the idea of achieving exponential growth, soaring profits, and enhancing the value of your business while simultaneously reducing personal workload might sound like a pipe dream.Despite this, making that dream a reality is our passion. We empower small and medium-sized business owners to reach new heights of success, by working smarter, not harder. Here's three ways we implement this attitude within businesses....

A Success Story of Horses and Engineering

Many of our clients are undergoing The BSP Advisory Business Success Programme, with the end goal of exiting their businesses more profitably.We already have a great success story on this scenario in our September post here.There are many other business owners on the programme are all about building a solid profitable foundation for today and increasing financial security and freedom.Having a profitable, systemised business means not only a better lifestyle for the owners, but also a better...

Keeping Your Business Afloat: Practical Tips to Prevent Insolvency

In the latest business statistics (Feb 2023), 63,192 businesses have ‘died’ this year, and 99% of these businesses have 0-5 employees. That is a lot of people who took a chance to realise their dream of being their own boss and somewhere along the line it went wrong. So, what can you do to ensure that you small business thrives?In this blog, I will explore some practical and positive tips that can help you safeguard your business against insolvency....

Are you building a business of value, or do you simply own a job?

Many entrepreneurs set out on their business journey with grand aspirations of creating a thriving enterprise that not only generates profit but also builds substantial value as an asset. However, for many, the reality can be quite different.The systems we implement with our business owner clients are specifically designed to address this disparity by delivering three critical outcomes:...

Maximising Business Value for Exit: Upcoming Workshop

Held in association with Small Business New Zealand, we're hosting an insightful workshop titled "Maximising Business Value: Succession Planning & Exit Planning for Small - Medium Businesses".This event has been tailored to support you as a business owner in navigating through complex future planning scenarios and ensuring your enterprise is not just sustainable, but thriving....

When Life Throws Lemons at Your Business: Escaping the Negativity Spiral

They work hard day in and day out to ensure the success and well-being of both their lifestyle and their venture. However, despite their efforts, they often find themselves trapped in a loop of negative thinking, stress, and overwhelming emotions. Does this sound familiar? Perhaps it is negativity bias....