Notes From The Executive

Mina Amso
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  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated weekly

Notes From The Executive is NZ's no-BS business & entrepreneurship podcast for Auckland owners running established companies - $1M-$10M revenue, 5-50 staff - who want to grow faster, protect their margin, and build something worth selling. Hosted by Mina Amso (Podcaster + Founder), every episode has real NZ founders sharing the numbers, decisions & hard lessons. Topics: cash flow, scaling, hiring, business value & exiting high. Tired of generic advice? This is the show. 🔎 NZ business | Auckland entrepreneur | scale a business NZ | NZ podcast

  1. 1 day ago

    $500K in 11 Weeks: The AI Brain That Runs His Business

    Six New Zealanders used artificial intelligence in a real business. Did any of them actually make money? AcademyEx Build Business Software Using AI Tools (without becoming a professional developer). Sign up 👉 https://shorturl.at/EgyAj Pwrfully Get Recognised and speak to your ideal market on podcasts. Start for Free https://www.pwrfully.com/bookacall Logitech Win Our 2nd Birthday Logitech Productivity Pack Giveaway worth $1,500 To enter: 👉 https://bit.ly/NFTEGiveaway One of them made half a million dollars in eleven weeks with it. The other five explain why most businesses never will. Stanley Henry fed his whole agency to Claude. Perrin Rowland is Chief Product and Experience Officer at AcademyEx, this show's sponsor, and runs marketing with two and a half people. Marisa Fong built and sold Madison Recruitment. Melissa Clark-Reynolds ONZM ran an insurance company on artificial intelligence in 1998. Greg Cross co-founded Soul Machines. Tim Warren spent $200 on AI tools all of last year. The sharpest argument in it: the layoffs are not really about artificial intelligence, they are companies that over-hired in the good years using it as the excuse. What I Asked Them How do you make half a million dollars in eleven weeks, and what do you feed it first? If it does ninety percent of the job, what can you still charge for? Are the layoffs about artificial intelligence or about bad hiring? Why is New Zealand third to last in the world for trusting it? How much should a small business spend before it is a waste? Chapters 0:00 Cold open 0:45 Building the context brain 3:55 What it actually sold 7:16 Why New Zealand is behind 10:13 The industry that just got replaced 12:36 What boards get wrong 16:02 A utility, not a technology 17:43 Why spending is not a strategy 20:17 What has to sit at the centre Watch The Full Episodes Stanley Henry Perrin Rowland Marisa Fong Melissa Clark-Reynolds Greg Cross Tim Warren Follow Me YouTube Spotify Apple Instagram LinkedIn Notes From The Executive is a New Zealand business podcast for owners who want the conversation nobody else is having. I wanted to know whether anyone in New Zealand is actually making money with artificial intelligence, so I asked six people using it in a real business. One made $500,000 in eleven weeks. We covered AI for small business, AI adoption in NZ, headcount, and whether the job losses are real. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist

    $500K in 11 Weeks: The AI Brain That Runs His Business

  2. 8 Sept

    “They Stopped Him At Auckland Airport”: This Is What Happened Next” NZ Tax Lawyer

    New Zealand owes $9.4 billion in overdue tax. 65% of it is small business. Why are business owners their own worst enemy when it comes to IRD? · 👉 Stop waiting on developers, build it yourself with AI 👉 Download Free Guide: https://shorturl.at/EgyAj Course Starts 17 September (Applications Close 10 September) · Our 2nd Birthday Giveaway. Be in to win an $1500 Logitech Productivity Pack giveaway. To enter: 👉 Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel 👉 Follow us on Instagram 👉 Like This Video 👉 Comment Why You Should Win. Terms and Conditions Apply. See Video Description. www.logitech.com · Pwrfully. Get Recognised and speak to your ideal market on podcasts. Start for Free 👉 https://www.pwrfully.com/bookacall · Dave Ananth is a tax lawyer and partner at Meridian Partners in Auckland. He spent years inside Inland Revenue on the prosecution team before moving to the other side of the table. · He's negotiated a tax debt down from $400,000 to $210,000, and settled more than 400 student loan cases for Kiwis living overseas. · His central point: unpaid GST and PAYE is a cash flow symptom, not a scam. By the time most business owners call him, it's already a six figure problem. · What I Asked Dave Is IRD too aggressive, or are NZ business owners genuinely bad with money? What's the biggest tax debt you've ever negotiated down? Why do so many people wait until it's a $400,000 problem? Can IRD really stop you at the airport over a student loan? If you were in charge of IRD, what would you change? · Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:32 Why do NZ business owners owe $9.4 billion in tax? 06:37 What are the penalties for not paying PAYE in NZ? 09:16 Why don't business owners talk to their accountant before it's too late? 14:50 How much tax debt can force a business into liquidation? 19:33 Can you negotiate a lower settlement with IRD? 23:57 Why does IRD listen to some people and not others? 25:36 How does IRD handle cryptocurrency tax audits? 37:22 Who gets prosecuted by IRD and who gets a payment plan? 38:32 Why is student loan interest going up for Kiwis overseas? 41:23 How do you negotiate a student loan settlement with IRD? 42:10 Can IRD stop you at the airport for unpaid debt? 49:17 Is New Zealand its own worst enemy when it comes to tax debt? 50:04 How to fix New Zealand's tax debt system 52:42 Is IRD using third-party debt collectors overseas? 53:40 Dave Ananth: how to contact a tax lawyer for IRD debt · Follow Dave https://mplaw.nz/about-meridian-partners/dave-ananth/ · Follow Me YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso · Notes From The Executive is New Zealand's business podcast for owners who want the real numbers, not the theory. · New Zealand owes $9.4 billion in overdue tax, 65% of it small business. If nz tax debt, ird negotiation, student loan overseas nz or small business tax nz is on your mind, this one's worth the 55 minutes. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist

    “They Stopped Him At Auckland Airport”: This Is What Happened Next” NZ Tax Lawyer

  3. 1 Sept

    The $10 Billion NZ Burns on Foreign Fuel. Your Business Pays

    AcademyExStop waiting on developers, build it yourself with AI. Download Free Guide 👉https://shorturl.at/EgyAjCourse Starts 17 September (Applications Close 10 September) · New Zealand spends about as much on petrol and diesel as it earns exporting concentrated milk. Mike Casey says that money leaves the country, and most of it does not have to. · He runs a cherry orchard in Central Otago on 21 electric machines, and a $50,000 diesel bill became a $25,000 revenue stream before financing costs. I asked him what the payback actually looks like machine by machine, what it cost to get there, and what a business owner with a leased warehouse and no roof access is supposed to do instead. · What I Asked Mike👉 How much money does New Zealand lose every year buying fuel from offshore?👉 What did it actually cost to electrify 21 machines?👉 What is the real payback period, machine by machine?👉 What can you do if you lease your building and cannot touch the roof?👉 Who should not do this? · Timestamps00:00 Intro02:08 how does a business get paid for its power09:49 what does it cost to electrify 21 machines11:46 which machines save the most money17:59 why stay on the grid if you generate your own power20:01 how do solar unit economics compare to diesel22:26 what is the real payback on solar and batteries24:36 how do I get a bank to finance solar26:08 what can I do if I lease my building27:40 who should not electrify54:22 how much money does a nine hectare orchard make58:02 how much does New Zealand spend on foreign fuel1:03:45 why can't small businesses get finance for solar1:07:31 why is New Zealand behind Australia on rooftop solar1:12:44 what would fix this for the whole country · Mike Casey is chief executive of Rewiring Aotearoa and co-owner of Forest Lodge Orchard at Mt Pisa, between Cromwell and Wanaka. He co-founded GradConnection, an Australian student job board sold to SEEK in 2019, then moved home and planted 9,300 cherry trees with his wife Rebecca and business partners Euan and Rachel White. · Follow Mike CaseyRewiring Aotearoa https://www.rewiring.nz · Follow MeMina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastMina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcpMina on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812Mina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/Mina on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso · Notes From The Executive is New Zealand's no-BS business and entrepreneurship podcast for owners of established companies who want to grow faster, protect their margin, and build something worth selling.

    The $10 Billion NZ Burns on Foreign Fuel. Your Business Pays

  4. 25 Aug

    No Data Centres, No AI Economy. NZ Is Already Too Late?

    AcademyExBuild Business Software Using AI (without becoming a coder)👉 Download Free Guide: https://academyex.com/courses/micro-credential/understanding-software-development-processes-and-tools-micro-credential/Course Starts 17 September (Applications Close 10 September) · PwrfullyGet Recognised and speak to your ideal market on podcasts. Start for Free 👉 https://www.pwrfully.com/bookacall · Data centres are not a technology story. Greg Cross calls them the infrastructure of the AI economy, in the same way dams and power lines were the infrastructure of the electrical one. His view on where New Zealand sits: very late to the party, with a pretty embarrassing record on infrastructure decisions behind us. · Greg co-founded Soul Machines in 2016 with Dr Mark Sagar, the two-time Academy Award winner behind the facial animation work in Avatar and King Kong. The University of Auckland spinout raised more than US135 million dollars, about NZ225 million dollars, and worked with Pfizer, General Motors and the golfer Jack Nicklaus. · What I Asked Greg👉 Is New Zealand already too late on data centres👉 What does being late actually cost someone running a business here👉 Are AI data centres going to make power more expensive for the average Kiwi👉 Who owns your business data once it gets processed offshore👉 Is AI really the reason big companies are laying people off · Follow MeMina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastMina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcpMina on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812Mina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/Mina on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso · Follow Greg CrossLinkedIn: Greg Cross NZEmail: greg@crossventures.co.nz · Timestamps00:00 Intro05:57 Why are data centres infrastructure and not technology08:33 Why do we keep getting infrastructure decisions wrong15:45 Who owns your data in an AI world37:12 What does all of this mean for a business owner49:05 How did a New Zealand company raise 225 million dollars59:07 Why does raising a lot of money not make you safe1:10:43 Why did the company go into receivership1:43:49 Is AI a growth tool or a cost cutting excuse1:48:39 How to contact Greg Cross · Notes From The Executive is New Zealand's no-BS business and entrepreneurship podcast for owners running established companies. · Data centres are the infrastructure of the AI economy and New Zealand is late. I asked Greg Cross what that costs an owner running a real business here, and who holds your data once it is processed offshore. If you follow the New Zealand economy, power prices, data centres or AI adoption in NZ, start here. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist

    No Data Centres, No AI Economy. NZ Is Already Too Late?

  5. 18 Aug

    "A Once In A Decade Year": The Best Year To Buy A NZ Business?

    Eight of his first ten deals this year went to people who already owned a business. Why do buyers keep losing the good ones? AcademyExBuild your own software (without coding) at https://academyex.com/courses/micro-credential/understanding-software-development-processes-and-tools-micro-credential/Course Starts 17 September (Applications Close 10 September) PwrfullyGet Recognised and speak to your ideal market on podcasts. Start for Free https://www.pwrfully.com/bookacall Mike Ponsonby is a business broker with Kakapo Business Sales, in his tenth year in the industry. He sells New Zealand businesses in the $500,000 to $10 million range. Most of his work sits in trades and services, transport and logistics, and food distribution. He did the same number of transactions in the first six months of 2026 as in all of 2025, and calls it a once in a decade year. Of his first ten deals this year, eight went to people who already owned a business. Two went to first time buyers. What I Asked MikeIs now a good time to buy a business, or is that just what brokers sayWhy do experienced owners keep beating first time buyers to the good dealsHow do I know if a business is worth what they are askingWhat should I check about the seller, not just the numbersWhat costs a buyer most in the first six months Chapters0:00:00 What happens if you buy the wrong one0:01:38 Is it a good time to buy a business0:05:54 Why it is a seller's market0:06:34 Which businesses are hardest to buy0:10:22 Why people sell a business that makes money0:12:44 Buying into an industry you do not know0:19:07 Who is actually buying businesses0:22:48 When to walk away from a deal0:28:37 How to work out what a business is worth0:37:46 What to ask before you buy0:43:22 How to spot dodgy financials0:46:13 What to check about the seller0:50:03 Keeping staff after you buy0:53:38 NZ business sales in 20261:02:22 What to do two years before you sell1:03:43 How fuel costs are hitting NZ operators1:04:28 Where to find Mike Ponsonby Follow Mikehttps://kakapobusiness.co.nz/team/mikeponsonby Follow MeYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastSpotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcpApple https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso Notes From The Executive is New Zealand's no-BS business podcast for owners running established companies, one million to ten million dollars in revenue, five to fifty staff. Mike says there is an undersupply of good businesses in the one to three million band, and experienced buyers keep getting them under contract first. If you want to know what buying a business NZ involves, what a business valuation NZ is built on, and where the NZ business outlook sits for 2026, watch this one. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist

    "A Once In A Decade Year": The Best Year To Buy A NZ Business?

  6. 11 Aug

    Is New Zealand Actually Going Broke: A 9 Out Of 10 Crisis?

    I asked eight people whether New Zealand is actually broke, or whether that is a false narrative. They do not agree with each other, the question is, do you? AcademyExBuild your own software (without coding) at https://academyex.com/courses/micro-credential/understanding-software-development-processes-and-tools-micro-credential/ PwrfullyIf you're a business owner who is lacking visibility book a call to discuss your options at https://www.pwrfully.com/bookacall Watch The Full EpisodesPhil O'Reilly ONZM https://youtu.be/smuSEOkp6lgDamien Grant https://youtu.be/pz-btE8ge1MBernard Hickey https://youtu.be/BktT8wXe-2wNick Tuffley https://youtu.be/dS_qDECbCV4Shamubeel Eaqub https://youtu.be/96TvHjL5a0MPaul Spoonley https://youtu.be/ex4fQY5zDaALuke Kemeys https://youtu.be/3y2CXX5Yx-ASimon Bridges https://youtu.be/np6gYsXroLQ Follow MeYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastSpotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcpApple https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso Timestamps0:00 Are we actually broke as a country1:27 What is the myth New Zealand keeps telling itself1:42 How bad is this compared to the global financial crisis5:34 Why is this still a housing market with bits tacked on6:20 Is a real economy beyond housing just a myth9:29 Why can a business only borrow against the owner's house11:34 What do you do when you cannot pay the tax bill14:38 How many New Zealanders are actually leaving23:42 Why one father tells his own daughters to leave Nick Tuffley is Chief Economist at ASB.Shamubeel Eaqub is Chief Economist at Simplicity.Bernard Hickey is an economist and journalist at The Kākā.Phil O'Reilly ONZM is Managing Director of Iron Duke Partners.Damien Grant is a liquidator at Waterstone Insolvency.Paul Spoonley is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Massey University.Luke Kemeys is a director and accountant at Next Advisory.Simon Bridges is Chief Executive of the Auckland Business Chamber and a former Minister of Energy. Nick Tuffley rates this shock nine out of ten, against six or seven for the global financial crisis. Unemployment hit 5.6 percent in the June 2026 quarter, the highest since 2015, and liquidations sit at a fifteen year high. If you want the New Zealand economy explained without spin, the New Zealand recession in plain terms, or a straight answer on cost of living and the New Zealand housing market, this is the episode. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist

    Is New Zealand Actually Going Broke: A 9 Out Of 10 Crisis?

  7. 4 Aug

    Google Rank #1 Means Nothing To AI: A Warning For NZ Business

    AcademyExBuild Business Software Using AI Tools (without becoming a professional developer). With AcademyEx Program. Sign up 👉 https://academyex.com/courses/micro-credential/understanding-software-development-processes-and-tools-micro-credential/Course Starts 17 September (Applications Close 10 September) PwrfullyGet Recognised and speak to your ideal market on podcasts. Start for Free https://www.pwrfully.com/bookacall Richard Conway moved from the United Kingdom to New Zealand in 2009 and founded Pure SEO the same year, building it into one of the country's largest independent search agencies. He is now founder and chief executive of The Optimisers. He won Gold for Service to the Industry at the Interactive Advertising Bureau New Zealand awards in 2023, and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2026. His argument here: ranking first on Google no longer guarantees you appear in a large language model answer, and the brands that survive build trust signals instead of buying shortcuts. What I Asked RichardHow are you actually using artificial intelligence to make money?What separates using AI well from using it dangerously?What mistakes are business owners making right now?How do you track whether any of it is working?How do you play the long game instead of the short game? Chapters00:00 Why being high on Google may not be enough now01:58 How do business owners use AI day to day02:50 When does using AI become dangerous04:27 How do you rebuild a business system from scratch06:00 Should you let AI make your sales calls13:53 How do you build something with no coding skill22:00 What is zero click shopping26:44 Why does trust decide who AI recommends30:20 Who is gaming Reddit to appear in AI answers35:13 Why unique data beats weekly blog posts42:21 Can a small business do this without an agency49:47 What should every business owner do first Follow RichardThe Optimisers https://theoptimisers.comLinkedIn https://nz.linkedin.com/in/pureseo Follow MeYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastSpotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcpApple https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso I sat down with Richard Conway to work out what changes when a machine, not a person, picks the supplier. Semrush data puts Reddit in about 40 percent of AI answers. In February 2026 Mastercard and Westpac completed New Zealand's first authenticated agent-led payments. He told me an industry exists to spam Reddit and plant businesses inside AI answers, and it will reach New Zealand. Covers AI search, generative engine optimisation, zero click shopping and NZ business marketing. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist

    Google Rank #1 Means Nothing To AI: A Warning For NZ Business

  8. 21 Jul

    NZ is About to Change: Here's What 2040 Really Looks Like | Ft. Melissa Clark-Reynolds ONZM

    AcademyEx Build Business Software Using AI Tools (without becoming a professional developer). With AcademyEx Program. Sign up 👉 https://academyex.com/courses/micro-credential/understanding-software-development-processes-and-tools-micro-credential/ Course Starts 17 September (Applications Close 10 September) Pwrfully Get Recognised and speak to your ideal market on podcasts. https://www.pwrfully.com/bookacall Melissa Clark-Reynolds ONZM is a New Zealand futurist and professional company director, and the founder of FutureCentre.nz. She was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015 for services to the technology industry, and at 15 was the youngest woman of her time to attend a New Zealand university. After more than 25 years as a technology entrepreneur and chief executive, she now sits in boardrooms as an independent director. Her board roles include Wētā Workshop, Atkins Ranch, Alpine Energy, Squirrel and the energy-transition body Ara Ake, and she was the first independent director of Beef + Lamb New Zealand and former deputy chair of Radio New Zealand. She teaches strategy and disruption for the Institute of Directors. What I Asked Melissa What are NZ boardrooms really talking about behind closed doors right now? Am I investing in the customer I have, or the one I will have in 10 years? Are CEOs wrong about how much AI will actually lift productivity? What will New Zealand look like in 2040? How do I train myself to think 10 years ahead? Follow Melissa LinkedIn Website FutureCentre Timestamps 0:00 - what is a street smart futurist 1:24 - sponsor: AcademyEx for NZ business owners 2:04 - what does planning for the next 10 years actually mean 3:19 - what are NZ boardrooms really talking about right now 4:58 - where should I invest spare cash for the next 10 years 10:45 - how does a futurist decide where a business spends money 11:53 - am I building my business for today instead of the future 13:00 - what is agent to agent AI and why does it matter 17:50 - are CEOs wrong about how much AI will boost productivity 19:34 - sponsor: AcademyEx AI software programme and free podcasts 22:00 - why is AI just giving me the average answer 26:08 - should boards let AI do their thinking 28:20 - who will my customers be in 10 years 30:47 - why do boards keep getting blindsided by shocks 36:49 - why do we keep building for the past not the future 41:10 - how do I train my team to think 10 years ahead 49:44 - how do I make decisions when the future is uncertain 54:10 - what happens when you are 30 years too early 56:00 - how do you lose a $190 million business overnight 1:07:18 - what will New Zealand look like in 2040 1:19:46 - is New Zealand's low debt actually hurting the economy 1:23:00 - what does high tech farming look like in New Zealand 1:26:34 - the one thing every business owner should do now Follow Me YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts Instagram LinkedIn

    NZ is About to Change: Here's What 2040 Really Looks Like | Ft. Melissa Clark-Reynolds ONZM
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About

Notes From The Executive is NZ's no-BS business & entrepreneurship podcast for Auckland owners running established companies - $1M-$10M revenue, 5-50 staff - who want to grow faster, protect their margin, and build something worth selling. Hosted by Mina Amso (Podcaster + Founder), every episode has real NZ founders sharing the numbers, decisions & hard lessons. Topics: cash flow, scaling, hiring, business value & exiting high. Tired of generic advice? This is the show. 🔎 NZ business | Auckland entrepreneur | scale a business NZ | NZ podcast

Information

  • Creator
    Mina Amso
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    147
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mina Amso
  • Show Website
    Notes From The Executive

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