Selling a business is a totally different ball game from selling real estate according to Bayleys Business Broker, Rodger Howie.
While some business sales include bricks and mortar, others present tangible value from years of hard graft, building intellectual property, trading credentials and brand value from the ground up. Business owners have strong emotional attachments to their businesses because they have often sacrificed leisure time, relationships and ready money for future rewards. While passion is crucial to successfully growing a business,
it can also have downsides. Business owners need to put emotion aside and be aware of key pitfalls when selling up:
Unrealistic business value.
Emotional attachment can overinflate understanding of value. It is important to obtain a current market appraisal.
Waiting too long before selling.
Sell when the business is performing strongly as opposed to a forced sale due to external factors, like ill health.
Thinking a business will sell straight away.
If necessary, be prepared to play the long game and sit tight in order to get the right buyer.
Being indispensable to the business is a mistake. Succession planning involves ensuring that the business can function well without the owner. How long can the business operate without the owner being there?
Not seeking professional advice.
Take advice from experienced accounting, legal, financial and business advisors.
Not preparing the business for sale.
Leverage good professional advice to examine the business objectively, from a buyer’s perspective. Engage a business sales advisor.
Not processing all transactions through the business. Profit directly impacts the value of the business so it’s crucial to maximise all proof of profitability.
No business plan, KPIs, or up-to-date financials.
A lack of business structure undermines business value. Demonstrating that success was planned for rather than coincidental will pay off.
Think ‘results’, not ‘opportunity’.
Business value is based on historical results, not future opportunities.
Emotion is an obstacle to a sale.
Some owners think that they can sell a business on their own. We all know the term ‘false economy’. It’s particularly apt here – an experienced business broker brings business and marketing expertise, market knowledge, multiple buyers and ultimately the best price.
Recent portfolio of business sales
First Autoworks and RV
River Park Event Centre Hastings Laminate & Stone
Ash Ridge Wines and vineyards Mangatera Hotel and Bottle Store Hawke’s Bay Platform Hire Autopower Car Parts
Kolachi Eatery
Hertz Hawke’s Bay
Malo Restaurant
Browns Quality Lime
About Rodger
Hailing from Gisborne, Rodger is a former business owner with deep knowledge of sales, marketing and business administration. In 1999 Rodger started a waste collection company in central Auckland. Over 16 years he grew the business into a multi-million dollar company with 22 trucks, employing 60 staff. In 2015 Rodger sold the company and moved his young family to Hawke’s Bay. Since joining Bayleys Hawke’s Bay in 2016, Rodger has helped many business owners sell their businesses for the right price.
Brothers Izaiah (25) and Shae Lange (33) (Ngāti Kahungunu) launched their Napier-based business TH!NK just over a year ago.
Izaiah had returned from playing cricket overseas because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the young entrepreneur saw an opportunity to start a business with his brother Shae, a talented tattoo artist providing the service and him managing the day-to-day operations of the business.
He explored options for upskilling and building his business skills and together they approached the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to inquire what opportunities were available to them in the business start-up space.
MSD’s Flexi-Wage for Self-Employment product was identified as an option for the Langes. The process is thorough, recognising the investment of public funds and to ensure that businesses have the best chance of success. Locally the Flexi-Wage for Self-Employment was being under-utilised and strategically MSD wanted to see more Hawke’s Bay entrepreneurs access the funding, especially Māori. “One of the ways we could increase the number of Māori businesses completing the application process successfully was by working with providers who could provide culturally appropriate support for whānau.
One of those was Tipu Ake Tonu, through their Whanake Ake service,” says MSD’s Regional Commissioner Karen Bartlett.”
The Langes worked with Tipu Ake Tonu to access Flexi-Wage which provides a weekly income for 26 weeks as well as a grant; an agreed amount of capital funding based on the business plan applicants complete. Izaiah and Shae were able to secure their CBD premises through the grant and manage the start-up commitments and living costs with TH!NK, their tattoo and apparel
business being their main source of income.
It allowed us to focus on getting things off the ground straight away. We didn’t have to worry about wages or paying ourselves as we knew what was coming in. It 100 percent took the pressure off and allowed us to free flow,” explains Izaiah.
TH!NK has survived the tumult of the past year, after initially having to close just after opening due to Covid and theirs being a close contact business.
“Being open and staying open through a time like the last year and a half has been crazy. Our best business learning has been to persevere with what we know will work.”
Tattooing is a service that lends itself to social media marketing and word of mouth. There is often an emotional, sentimental, and expressive element to it and the brothers agree that there is no easily definable demographic that uses their services. They quickly included the addition of lifestyle apparel brands to their offering to diversify and complement their key product- Shae’s art and his ability to interpret what the customer wants.
They are excited about the next offering they are looking at bringing to market, tattoo removal. While it may seem ironic it is the market who have driven the service expansion. After a conversation with a friend they saw potential with a gap in the market, leveraging an opportunity to positively impact whānau and community.
“People’s situations change and one of the avenues for removals is for those people who are looking to reintegrate back into the community after rehabilitation or prison and want their tattoos removed.” Not only does it help give people a second chance, but it is also a savvy business move with early projections showing it could equate to around 25% of their turnover in the first year of service.
Without Flexi-Wage for Self-Employment TH!NK might not be in the position to expand their offering. Providing options in the start-up space aligns with the Ministry’s focus. Karen Bartlett said, “while MSD is known for our income, housing and employment services, we do offer a range of support for people and creating self-sufficiency and independence for whānau is always a priority.”
+MORE, a business advisory and accountancy firm in Hawke’s Bay, believe every small and medium New Zealand business deserves access to business advice that is fuelled by technical capability and practical commercial experience.
That’s why their Hawke’s Bay team are here to provide local business owners with advice that has depth to support them through the challenges that come with being in business. Jess Tietjen & Sam Ogle are behind the +MORE team here in Hawke’s Bay. They advise clients on a wide range of business issues and are considered trusted partners when it comes to helping their clients succeed.
They are focused on providing advice that is practical, commercially driven, and the most relevant to the client. Invaluable support to Bay businesses Do you know your ‘why’ as a business owner?
An established business completed a business planning session with Jess recently after going years without having a plan in place. With no plan, the business owner lacked clarity around their future direction and what success looked like to them.
“One of the most important things that come out of our sessions is nailing down what success looks like for the business owner and looking into how they can make their business work for them, to achieve their versions of success, whatever that may be” says Jess. During the session they reviewed their past performance and future direction, as well as set realistic goals with clear strategies on how to achieve those goals. All these key learnings come together to make up their one-page business plan.
Following the session, the client now has clarity on what steps they need to take to achieve their version of success. To help stay accountable to the plan, Jess meets with the client every quarter to check in and help assist with any roadblocks or challenges along the way.
This is part of +MORE’s quarterly coaching service. A performance duo. Jess recently worked with a new client who felt they didn’t have a handle on how their business was performing at any given time.
“Many business owners find it hard to step out of the day to day running of their business and take that essential look into how it’s performing” says Jess.
Firstly, Jess worked with them to ensure their financial information in their accounting software was accurate and up to date. From there, they developed customised reports and dashboards that were meaningful and easily understandable to the client.
The dashboards are integrated with the client’s accounting software, which is in real time meaning the client can now access accurate and up to date information whenever they need it. This has been crucial to identifying issues before they become a major problem.
Pair dashboard reporting like this with +MORE’s quarterly coaching service and you have the perfect performance duo. +MORE’s quarterly coaching involves meeting every quarter to review reporting, assist with challenges, clarify areas for improvement, and develop a 90-day action plan to keep on track to achieving the client’s overall strategy.
Local firm with national strength and experience
“Being part of a nationwide firm means that we can tap into wider expertise if required, so we can continuously deliver the best outcomes for our clients.” says Jess. “Whether you’re an established business looking to grow or sell, or an entrepreneur just starting out, we can support you to achieve your goals through our extensive range of advisory services, while ensuring your tax requirements are well managed”. If you are an ambitious business owner and need an advisor that can coach you to success and help you reach your goals, then +MORE is the best place you can be.
Architecture HDT has added Kaweka Hospital to its impressive CV of technically complex projects. Architecture HDT architect director, Shaun Thompson-Gray says the firm has been involved in many projects within the health sector and is part the team working alongside project manager Nick Ward of PML and lead contractor, Gemco.
Architecture HDT was given the opportunity to design Kaweka Hospital based on its experience on other technically challenging projects particularly in health such as New Zealand’s largest GP practice, Hastings Health Centre, and the Hawke’s Bay DHB’s Renal facility.
Both of these projects involved directors of Westside Health, the umbrella company of Kaweka Hospital. They were impressed by our design process and examples of completed buildings.”
Tracey Thomson-Gray, who headed the design team, said “the brief was to create a state-of-the-art environment that improves the health and well-being of patients, visitors, and staff. A ‘biophilic design’, philosophy, which is about human kinds innate biological connection with nature, is achieved through physical and visual connections with nature, thermal and air-flow variability where appropriate, the presence of water (in the Stage 2 courtyard), the use of dynamic and diffuse light, biomorphic forms and patterns, and material connections with nature.
“Our initial response was to create a master plan allowing for the continual growth of a health campus set in landscaped grounds, featuring native plantings, with the complex divided into four quadrants – a vehicular axis connecting Canning Road (Hawke’s Bay Regional Hospital) to Murray Place, and a pedestrian axis within a landscaped zone, pathways, rain gardens, an internal courtyard, public seating, sculptures, column carvings, and bicycle parking facilities.”
The overall form of the form of the building was inspired by the peaks of the Kaweka Range which are a significant Hawke’s Bay boundary condition. The solidity of the Kaweka Range is referenced through the roof form, brick cladding, and punched windows.
A counterpoint to the building’s solidity is the entry which is carved out of the solid form to create a glazed, light-filled, and welcoming space. Other key members of the HDT design team included Tom Nielson – who managed the technical aspects of the project and Emma Cox – who brings 19 years of hospital planning experience to the project.
“We are very happy with how the design elements of the building have come together and are most proud of the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the board, staff, and visitors. Patients, visitors, and staff can now experience the architecture we have created to bring the clients brief to reality. www.architecturehdt.co.nz
A quick look at HDT
We are a mid-size architectural practice founded by Burwell Hunt and Mike Davies in 1994. The Hawke’s Bay office opened in 2008 with Shaun Thompson-Gray and Ian Nelson as founding directors. It has gone from strength to strength with a current team of 17. It also has offices in Wellington and Christchurch. We are a client-focused, innovative, design-oriented practice with strong technical skills capable of providing full architectural and project management services. We are committed to providing a positive influence in the creation of a sustainable future for our community.
Structural and civil engineering firm Kotahi hit the ground running when it opened its first North Island studio in Napier, having already completed stage one of Kaweka Hospital’s structural design. The project provided the perfect platform for senior structural engineer Aaron Kaijser to return home to Hawke’s Bay, after a decade of working in both the design consulting and construction space.
This included two years of postgraduate studies in the Netherlands and rebuild work in Christchurch where he first linked up with Kotahi, then named Structex. Projects such as the QEII Sport and Recreation centre, Lyttelton Port’s headquarters and multiple developments for Christchurch International Airport, were taken on during that time. After four years in the South Island and looking for a new challenge, the intrigue of returning to the Bay was too good to pass up.
“Hawke’s Bay is a vastly different place to the one I left as a teenager.I didn’t think returning in my early 30s was really on the cards given the traditionally limited opportunities in the regions. I’m happy to say that that thinking doesn’t hold up like it used to.”
Work aside, Aaron says that his American wife needed little convincing of moving to a warmer climate. While it might be a slight exaggeration to call the Hawke’s Bay climate “similar” to California, it is at least a step up from the cool South. While the idea of starting an office in Hawke’s Bay was his, Aaron says Kotahi’s leadership was open to the relocation. This was also about the time that he became a shareholder in the company.
“It reinforced the company’s guiding aspiration of seeing its people flourish, it aligned with Kotahi’s expertise in the wine sector and it coincided with a purple patch in the Hawke’s Bay economy as it was going from strength to strength, and continues to do so.” Aaron also identified an increasing complexity in new and existing builds, and the need for capable structural engineers as the impetus for growing an office in the bay — Kaweka Hospital being a prime example.
Coupled with that was the ability to attract returning talent and those who appreciate the lifestyle but don’t want to relinquish their career. Two of his office colleagues, Nick Bednarek and Martin Mendilaharzu, are a testament to this; Nick, a returning local, after working on some noteworthy building projects in London, and Martin, a likeminded engineer who jumped at the opportunity to live in the Bay while visiting from Argentina. With offices in Lyttelton (Christchurch), Blenheim and Napier, and some 25 engineers and draftsmen spread between, Kotahi has the nimbleness of a classic New Zealand SME but the scale to tackle large building projects.
Their well-regarded reputation is borne out of the winery sector, having worked with a significant proportion of the nation’s wineries. This encompassed master planning of new and existing facilities and high-level advisory on seismic risk to winery assets, through to their core business of providing structural engineering services. This backstory gave rise to Kotahi’s guiding aspiration of being the premier engineers in NZ’s winery regions.
Given the need for adaptive re-use of wastewater in viticulture and the complimentary role it plays to their core business, Kotahi added a civil/environmental component in 2021. This shores up their capability as a one-stop shop for their clients. However, wineries are but one arm of the business and in the last 5+ years, as the team has grown, Kotahi has taken on a much broader range of project sectors. This being driven by its clients and project partners.
Aaron says: “As our name suggests, we work together as one, so whether it be a residential lintel beam or a base-isolated hospital, our approach is to find the optimal solution for the project. This means we challenge conventional thinking when we need to, we work with a ‘yes’ attitude and we stay focused on the horizon, while always considering the landscape in between.”
When Aaron set himself a target of moving to Hawke’s Bay in August 2019, he spent the next several months looking at how to make it happen, including securing local-based projects. Kaweka Hospital came along prior to the move, a project which was set out over two stages; the first a $30M surgical building with four operating theatres followed by the larger and structurally more complex, Stage II, a 7000m2 four-storey building.
To expediate the construction programme, the structural documentation for the Stage I building consent took place more than four months prior to the architectural and building services packages that made up a larger portion of the overall building works. This required a significant amount of model co-ordination early on to ensure the various disciplines would align later. The same process has been followed for Stage II, given how well it worked for the contractor, Gemco Construction. Approximately 3000 design and construction monitoring hours were spent on Stage I and almost double that for Stage II with design largely complete and construction well underway.
Hospitals are unique in that they play a major role in the social and economic vitality of cities. The expectations on the performance and longevity of these buildings reflect that. Early on in the concept design phase, Kotahi guided the client through the building’s performance post-seismic event, effectively playing out the various situations that could occur with different size earthquakes.
“Given the significant investment in a building asset and the critical function a hospital plays in society, it was important for our structural design to align with client expectation.
“It sounds simple but if there’s one thing the Canterbury earthquakes taught the structural earthquake profession, it was the need for better communication around damage cost and repair time, not just life safety.”
Stage II took this perspective a step further with the introduction of what Aaron calls the “crème de la crème” in building performance with the introduction of base isolators. A technology that has been around for decades but only present in a handful of buildings in NZ, predominately in Wellington and Christchurch, and more so following the Canterbury earthquakes.
Kotahi also employed the use of innovative U.S.-developed software to confirm the building’s post-seismic performance, including its componentry, the first building in NZ to do so
at the time.
While an official rating from the U.S. Resiliency Council (USRC) was not formally pursued, the structural modelling and analysis indicated a 5-star platinum performance across all dimensions, with the ability to remain operational following a 1 in 500 year event, the same size event for which a typical office building is designed not to collapse (i.e. life safety only).
Other innovations such as a seismic sensoring system fitted to both buildings are likely to follow as the development progresses.
As Aaron looks at the completion of stage I, he’s equally impressed by the design outcome internally and externally as well as the strength of the structure.
“I am absolutely blown away by how good the interior looks, almost hotel-like. As much as structural engineers enjoy seeing the skeleton of their buildings go up, I have tremendous admiration for the work done by others to clothe it and make it the useable functional space it needs to be.”
The second stage, when it opens in late 2024 will set the new bench mark in earthquake resilience in the region and beyond. Aaron and the local Kotahi team have enjoyed being involved in the project, alongside the likes of Nick Ward as project manager and architects HDT, one that will benefit the community for many years to come.
“There’s a sense of pride in having the opportunity to be a part of this and knowing the positive impact it will have on the Hawke’s Bay community for years to come. Returning home after almost 15 years away and jumping straight into this project was a great way to kick things off.”
While keeping a close watch on the progress of Stage II, especially during the early stages as the base isolators are put in place, the Kotahi team have been busy on a range of other notable projects. This includes a multi-story logistics complex for Aramex in Napier, Centralines’s new 2600m2 headquarter in Waipukurau, a new supermarket in Havelock North and the restoration of the Napier War Memorial, along with many others.
Mike and Steph Russell have come up with the perfect add-on to their residential rental property business, that not only offers a solution to their own portfolio, but also other property owners and those needing an additional bedroom or office.
The couple have been property investors since 2008, purchasing ‘do ups’ in Hastings and Flaxmere and doing the hard yards themselves to make their rental homes warm and tidy for their tenants.
As their portfolio grew providing houses to both the private rental market as well as via a partnership with Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga to provide Transitional Housing for families, they identified that potential tenants needed an additional bedroom.
“We purchased run down properties that required renovations, which we completed ourselves in the evenings and weekends, creating a portfolio that we’re very proud of and that are all Healthy Homes compliant.
“In recent years we have started to get enquiries from some of our current tenants or prospective, needing an extra bedroom, so we started looking for solutions.
The Russell’s had two options – building an additional room on to existing houses or looking for a less permanent alternative.
Building a room was restrictive and a slower process – potentially requiring a resource consent, then a building consent and in recent times there’s been a shortage of building materials and labour shortages.
As well as creating a passive income stream through a housing portfolio, Mike has been a commercial pilot for Air New Zealand and Jet Star, while Steph works in the technical and quality space within the pipfruit industry. Mike was made redundant as a pilot when Jet Star closed its Hawke’s Bay service and has transitioned from planes to trucks, using his skills in the air to on the ground as a truck driver over recent COVID-19 times.
The couple, who enjoy a challenge and working together for solutions, saw cabins as a viable alternative. A cabin could easily be moved on to a property and be up and running very quickly. If the existing tenants moved out, and the new tenants didn’t need the extra room, it could easily be moved to another property.
“We started doing some research and we came across a cabin builder and hire business in Hamilton and he wasn’t interested in the Hawke’s Bay market, so we decided to partner with him.
“We didn’t want a cheap product that wouldn’t last and we were really impressed by the wood paneling, the insulation is amazing as is the double glazing.”
The Russell’s purchased a trailer from their cabin supplier and then their initial order of twelve 4.2m by 2.4m cabins.
They have a target of having a fleet of around 40 cabins. Any surplus cabins can easily be stored at their Bridge Pa property.
“We are very confident that the cabins will be popular as an ‘at home office’ or as the extra bedroom on a rental property or within the horticulture sector for worker accommodation.
“The key for us is to make sure that property owners are happy for an additional building on their properties, so we will ensure that the correct processes are done. It’s certainly a benefit that we are rental property owners ourselves, so we can provide good information and share our experiences.”
Steph says that finding a quality cabin build partner was the easy part, now it was time to create an identity for the cabins and market them to other property owners, investors and accommodation providers.
“How hard could it be … what we didn’t know too much about was building awareness of our new business via social media and advertising.
The biggest challenge so far has been coming up with a memorable brand name.
“We were struggling and every name we thought of we would check the website domain address and they were all gone.
Our IT provider Bruce from Herbert, Harrison and Associates came up with the observation that when people are referring to a destination they say ‘those houses down the road’ and he said why not name the business ‘those cabins’.
Successful marketer pivots to provide career advice and coaching.
It might sound like an unusual move to retrain as a career advisor and coach whilst running a successful marketing business, but for Julia Kay the pivot was borne of a desire to help others find their ‘right fit’ career pathway.
Providing a comprehensive career service for teenagers from Y12 was the start point for her business, as that’s when decisions need to be made for the future. Julia works with her clients to identify individual skills, personality traits, strengths and interests before considering career options.
“Many of my teenage clients are a bit anxious and overwhelmed when we first meet as they’ve put off making any decisions, plus some feel pressure from their parents which can end up causing extra stress at home… The goal is for my client to understand themselves better when making choices. I want them to feel in control of what comes next, ideally so that they don’t waste time or money progressing down the wrong track.”
Over time it became clear there was also a need for a careers service for adults who were looking for support to achieve goals within their current role, or on the flipside were feeling unfulfilled in their job, were going through a restructure, or were looking to define the next step in their career.
Julia’s career service for adults is quite different to working with teenagers, as adult clients have built up a toolkit of transferable skills over the years and have the benefit of personal experience and hindsight.
“My adult clients usually have a pretty good idea of what’s important to them; they’re looking for unbiased support to explore their options and make wise decisions when taking their next steps.”
The missing piece of the puzzle was for Julia to gain qualifications as a coach, in addition to her career guidance qualifications. Although still in its infancy in New Zealand, coaching is incredibly popular overseas, with many progressive companies across the USA and Europe including coaching as an integral part of employment packages for staff at all levels.
“Coaching is not counselling or therapy. It’s a proactive way of addressing challenges whilst looking to the future and taking action to achieve goals. Overseas, businesses use coaching on an ongoing basis to support their employee’s health and wellbeing.”
It’s no surprise that the current situation with Covid, increased cost of living and geopolitical situations around the world are affecting stress and anxiety levels, which can have a flow on effect into the workplace.
A growing number of Julia’s clients are employers who want to provide impartial support and mentoring for their staff. Many staff find it helpful to be supported by a trusted outsider and, considering the challenges with the current tight job market, coaching can be a beneficial way to offer support and resolve any issues rather than lose a staff member.
“It’s fairly easy to say ‘this is what you should do, go do it’ but the real benefit is in providing impartial one-on-one support to the employee, listening objectively and helping to find solutions. I can bring fresh eyes to a situation and provide a perspective they may not have considered before. Providing this type of support to employees on a regular basis will help them to feel more valued.”
As an employer who has worked with SMEs, large corporates, government departments and not-for-profits, Julia understands the realities of the world of work from ‘lived experience’ rather than through an academic lens. She aims to provide pragmatic, practical advice and recommendations that support her clients to thrive.
“Let’s face it, we spend a huge amount of our waking hours at work, more time there than we do at home with our families and friends, so it’s important to get it right” says Julia. “If you want to find the best fit career direction for your teenager or yourself, or have staff who are in need of impartial support or guidance at work, I can help.”
Anthony Norris is sure he has made the RITE decision to take on the Hawke’s Bay franchise for Wash Rite, which is New Zealand’s largest exterior cleaning business with 23 franchises and growing.
Anthony is up for the challenge and he’s not daunted by taking on the exterior cleaning of large-scale buildings in any weather elements, as he loves working outside, something he did in his former career in the New Zealand Navy.
He spent 17 years as a Navy officer specialising in navigation and warfare and although Wash Rite is a land based business, it requires a similar set of skills of tackling projects that require good planning and implementation. He’ll probably be a pretty good aim with the water blaster as well!
“Wash Rite appealed as I wanted to be working outside and I love being able to help people and leave them with a smile on their face.
“I truly believe I can accomplish that and leave customers happy and also surprised at the difference we can make with our services.
“Wash Rite also appealed as it is a high profile award winning franchise which has excellent procedures in place and a proven track record with franchises and after speaking with other business owners and Troy (the founder of Wash Rite) I could tell this would be a good fit for me with good people, who are always willing to help each other out.”
Wash Rite was established in August 2015,by Troy Hillard and it has quickly grown to 23 franchises in operation in 26 cities in New Zealand, from Whangarei to Auckland, Hamilton to Wellington and from Christchurch to Dunedin and is also expanding into Australia.
Wash Rite NZ services both the residential and commercial markets, providing building cleaning services, including window cleaning, roof washing, deck and fence cleaning, pest and insect control, driveway and concrete path cleaning.
Over the past 7 years, Wash Rite has become known for high quality wash trucks within the exterior cleaning industry. So much so other exterior cleaning companies have tried to copy the Wash Rite design with various amounts of success.
Wash Rite’s 3rd generation wash trucks were designed with input from many of the franchisees and a key modification has been to place both engine and pumps on the passenger side of the truck, freeing up deck space while also improving operational safety.
“It means the operator did not have to go into the traffic lane to start the motors.
However the largest change to the trucks is a fabricated aluminium chemical drum holder mounted under the deck that allows 6 x 20lt water drums to be carried and freeing up deck space.
Troy sees huge potential for Anthony and Kim’s Wash Rite franchise in Hawke’s Bay and some large building jobs have already been priced up and the brand gaining strong interest due to Wash Rite’s innovations in cleaning products, soaps, and water run off covers that catch water, preventing run off into storm water drains.
“This is very appealing for many businesses, especially local councils and central government agencies that are committed to the environment, but also want to protect their biggest assets.
Troy says the same approach can be taken with residential homes and the importance of maintaining the exterior paint condition and their 10 year warranties.
“A house is usually someone’s biggest asset and it’s important to look after it, whether that’s a soft clean that protects the paint or cleaning gutters.
“We are also undertake a lot of pre-sale exterior cleaning as a first impression is very important.
Troy is excited about Anthony and wife Kim joining the Wash Rite franchise family. He says they are keen to learn and bring with them good work ethic and a desire to develop great client relationships.
“The Wash Rite brand is fortunate to have such experienced and qualified franchisees joining our brand and Anthony and Kim are a fantastic addition to our franchise family.
Anthony is looking forward to getting around Hawke’s Bay and quickly building a great reputation for quality workmanship that in turn grows his business.
“We will be starting off with just ourselves but we have goals which will require us to expand in due course and we’re willing to do that as soon as we can.
Businesses are operating in uncertain and unpredictable times when 50 to 100 year events such as pandemics, droughts and floods are happening with more regularity.
In Hawke’s Bay the rural sector has had two consecutive summer droughts while Napier was struck by a major flood event that damaged houses, vehicles and businesses.
A well-established New Zealand insurance brokerage firm ICIB has set up in Hawke’s Bay, much to the joy of the firm’s chief executive and former Hastings Boys’ High School student Grant Milne.
ICIB Hawke’s Bay is being headed up by experienced insurance professional William Horvath, who moved from Wellington to the sunny Hawke’s Bay with his family in 2008. William had previously worked with Grant and jumped at the chance to set up ICIB in the region as well as become a shareholder.
“We are a high touch insurance business which means that we work face-to-face with our clients to work out the best insurance solution for them based on their risk profile.
“By touching base with them regularly we understand their current, most up to date status of their profile and adjust their risk profile accordingly.
“It’s all about the right insurance for the right price, which isn’t always the cheapest price, as that’s when businesses can come unstuck.
William says ICIB provides brokering services to many different businesses with expertise within construction, wineries, food & beverage, manufacturers, engineers, horticulture, and exporters.
He says the key is delving into a clients business, so we can identify key risk areas that are quite often over looked, such as key customers and suppliers. Does the client have one of these and what would happen if this key supplier or customer is no longer able to supply or take your product? How does this impact the business and its balance sheet?
A recent example was a client that has a key customer that accounts for 30% of the business revenue. The key customer had an insured loss and was not able to trade for 6 months, so our client had a drop of revenue, which took our clients company from making a profit to a considerable loss situation, which would have resulted in having to lay off staff to reduce costs. We had covered this risk exposure with our client and they had agreed to take the cover for this risk exposure, which meant our clients policy responded to cover this loss of profit while their key customer was not trading. Which was a satisfying result as our client didn’t need to look at cost cutting and was able to keep all their staff during this period, when we know it is a challenge to find quality staff in this market.
Grant says ICIB uses its knowledge and experience to identify and recommend to clients the best insurance solutions.
“We understand that building, managing and growing a successful business isn’t easy, and we think that managing risk shouldn’t add to your workload. That’s why we use our knowledge and experience to identify, innovate, select and build solutions that let you focus on what matters most – running your business.
“We’ve been future-proofing businesses for over 45 years – long enough to see the value of our approach in action. As one of New Zealand’s most successful independent risk advisors and insurance brokers, we work hard to help businesses protect themselves against the unpredictable and the unknown.
ICIB exudes transparency and discloses its income from the insurance underwriters. Grant says developing trusting, long-lasting partnerships is ICIB’s focus.
“We’re one of the first risk advisory services in New Zealand to offer full transparency around fees and pricing. This open approach builds trust and confidence in our services and continually allows us to deliver value as your business evolves and grows.
Grant says ICIB’sdeep understanding of New Zealand’s industrial and commercial markets has helped them create innovative, sector-specific solutions for businesses working in specialised industries.
ICIB is a member of the NZbrokers network. NZbrokers is New Zealand’s largest insurance broking collective, representing over 87+ independent businesses across the country, from Kerikeri to Invercargill, and everything in between. Recognising the benefits of working together, the driving philosophy behind their rapid success is that each member leverages the strength and capability of the national group, while retaining their successful formula of local knowledge and long-standing relationships.
Wellness practitioner Robin Wilson is concerned about burnout with many of us getting sent too much information, which is leading to us feeling as if we’re always on.
“We are bombarded by information and not hitting the off button. We’re constantly on and wired. We need to stop. If we’re constantly in the red zone of stress, we will run out of fuel. We need to listen to the warning signs.”
Robin’s businesses, Holistic Wellness and Workplace Wellness, is built around helping people and workplaces avoid burnout and achieve health and wellbeing. These journeys to wellness began with her own.
It began with a moment of realisation one morning, when she and her family were camping with friends.
As she says in a blog, “I woke feeling dreadful… The previous day had been awesome, and we’d enjoyed a fun night, but somehow, my off switch once again malfunctioned.
“By the time enough was enough, it was too late.”
Robin had made the decision to stop drinking and get well before, but this time, she was determined to make it stick.
At the time, she had a stressful and busy career in banking and a seriously unwell husband.
“I look back at some decisions and wonder what I was thinking – like going to a bank conference rather than my son’s Year 13 prizegiving and finding out afterwards he was awarded a scholarship. This wasn’t a rational decision, it was fear based.”
She embarked on a quest for wellness but considered only her physical health.
“My life was still out of balance, as I only addressed one aspect. The warning signs were there, and I ended up with the autoimmune disease Ulcerative Colitis.”
Robin’s focus on her own wellness eventually became an exploration of how she could help others on the same journey. After leaving the bank, she trained as a massage therapist, and a health and wellness coach and through taking a holistic approach, Robin healed herself.
Now, she helps people in similar situations, supporting clients on their journey to get their life back on track with better balance.
During a brief interlude working for a charity, Robin met Leonie Wallwork, who could become a friend and business partner.
They decided to go to Outward Bound together, and it was there that the idea for a Workplace Wellness business was born.
Workplace Wellness applies the same principles to workplaces as Robin does to individuals: it helps them increase productivity by becoming resilient, robust and resourceful through a purposeful, strategic approach.
Robin says the need for support has increased exponentially with COVID-19.
“What are we seeing? Tired people, who limped to Christmas last year without a break.
“People with capacity issues. People with a great work ethic, who don’t set boundaries or hit the pause button.
“People whose values are being tested, who are feeling unsure about having difficult conversations in their workplaces. People working from home and working through when sick… not taking leave despite their employers’ strong encouragement.”
Robin credits her own tenacity and curiosity with how far she has come personally, and with her two businesses.
“I love learning new things; my coaching studies were a game changer for me.”
She believes that both individuals and businesses need to seek help to understand.
“So many of our issues stem from a lack of conversations and understanding.”
At its simplest, Robin says that businesses, and people, should be clear about their core principles.
“Values are like our GPS. If we’re not living in line with our values and purpose, that’s when it goes bad.”
“We need multiple tools in our toolkit, and we need to be open to learning. That way, we’re better equipped to deal with the inevitable rocks in the road.”
