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. What's Actually Destroying NZ Companies? The Undertaker Speaks Out

    1d ago

    What's Actually Destroying NZ Companies? The Undertaker Speaks Out

    Get Booked & Paid With Podcasts. Start for Free 👉 https://www.pwrfully.com Damien Grant is the principal of Waterstone Insolvency and one of New Zealand's best-known liquidators. He has run Waterstone since 2006 and writes a weekly column for Stuff. His firm has handled some of the country's most public collapses, including Waikato construction firm Stanley Group, Ponsonby restaurant SPQR, and Burger Burger, the gourmet burger chain placed into receivership owing around $1.8 million. In this one he argues it is not the economy closing good companies. It is the Inland Revenue Department, and a mistake most owners do not see coming. What I Asked Damien Is the economy really what is closing NZ businesses, or is it something else Why is the Inland Revenue Department quietly forcing good companies into liquidation If I cannot pay my tax bill, what is the first move Can a profitable business buried in old debt still be saved Why do so many owners hold on until it is too late Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:35 Is the NZ economy as bad as the news says? 04:06 Is it the economy or bad business decisions? 06:03 Why are company insolvencies spiking right now? 06:28 Is the IRD forcing NZ companies to shut down? 08:25 Why is the IRD chasing unpaid tax so hard now? 09:23 Which NZ industries are failing the most? 11:42 What do you do when you cannot pay your tax bill? 13:20 Is not paying the IRD a crime in NZ? 16:06 What mistakes are honest business owners making? 21:18 Why do more men fail in business than women? 25:50 What is the biggest mistake in business? 26:34 What does losing your business actually do to you? 28:33 When should you call an insolvency practitioner? 32:04 What happens in the first insolvency meeting? 37:02 Can you restructure a business to survive the debt? 41:13 What to do after one bad business decision 42:02 Where to find Damien Grant Follow Me Mina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Mina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp Mina on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812 Mina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/ Mina on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso Follow Damien Damien on LinkedIn https://nz.linkedin.com/in/damien-grant-a7463317 Notes From The Executive is New Zealand's no-BS business podcast for Auckland owners running established companies who want to grow faster, protect their margin, and build something worth selling. New episodes weekly. 3,023 NZ companies closed in the past year, according to Centrix. This episode looks past the headline to ask whether the failures are a temporary dip or a structural shift, why the Inland Revenue Department is driving the spike, and what an owner buried in tax debt can actually do about it. Subscribe for weekly breakdowns of the New Zealand economy, business failure, and what it means for your company.

    43 min
  2. How to Sell When the NZ Economy Is This Bad (Sales Expert's Recession Playbook)

    Jun 23

    How to Sell When the NZ Economy Is This Bad (Sales Expert's Recession Playbook)

    Get in front of your ideal clients, start for free!Check out: www.pwrfully.com(REPLAY) New Zealand sales expert Bill James breaks down how to win sales when the economy is against you and buyers have gone quiet.He shares the Rule of Two No's, the referral process that returns 105 leads for every 100 clients, and the one word that is silently lowering the value of everything you say.If you run a business in Auckland and selling has got harder this year, this is the conversation that gives you something to do on Monday morning.Follow MeMina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastMina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp?si=c12e08e33f604916Mina 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 www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso

    58 min
  3. Why New Zealand Is Going Broke: 3 Top Economists Explain Why (Plus a Social Scientist)

    Jun 16

    Why New Zealand Is Going Broke: 3 Top Economists Explain Why (Plus a Social Scientist)

    Get started with podcasting for free. Check out Pwrfully.com Follow Me Mina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastMina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp?si=c12e08e33f604916Mina 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 www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso

    22 min
  4. 'Should I Sell My Company?' Could This Be The Worst Time to Sell Your NZ Business?

    Jun 9

    'Should I Sell My Company?' Could This Be The Worst Time to Sell Your NZ Business?

    Pwrfully Get Booked & Paid With Podcasts. Start for Free https://www.pwrfully.com Hannah McQueen is a New Zealand chartered accountant, financial adviser and entrepreneur. She began at KPMG before founding Enable Me, a financial coaching business built on a mortgage-structuring formula she developed with the University of Auckland. She grew it to around 100 staff and 10 offices, worked with roughly 15,000 clients, and exited about three years ago. She is a regular finance voice across NZ media and now runs Age Brightly, a venture focused on improving older person healthcare in New Zealand. What I Asked Hannah How do I know if my business is actually ready to sell, or if I am still years away? You sold when three buyers turned up unannounced. Was that luck, or a signal every owner should be watching for? Most Kiwi owners decide to sell on a weekend and list on the Monday. How long does a proper exit really take? What did selling actually feel like, and what surprised you about life after the deal? If you had to build and sell all over again, what would you refuse to leave this late? Follow Me Mina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Mina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp?si=c12e08e33f604916 Mina on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812 Mina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/ Mina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso Follow Hannah Age Brightly https://agebrightly.co.nz Timestamps 0:00 Is growing a business in New Zealand actually harder than it looks? 1:07 Who is Hannah McQueen beyond her business success? 2:48 What's broken in New Zealand's aged care system, and can we fix it? 8:08 How did getting fired lead Hannah to create Enable Me? 13:46 Why do smart people still struggle to do "the right thing" with money? 17:34 How big did Enable Me really get, staff, offices, clients, revenue? 23:41 What should founders know about scaling from $2M to $20M? 32:41 What was Hannah's most expensive lesson about hiring and products? 46:55 How did Hannah juggle 100 staff, a baby, and a growing business? 1:07:08 How can founders protect their wealth, health, and plan an exit?

    1h 10m
  5. Bernard Hickey: The NZ Housing Game Is Over (It's Not Coming Back)

    Jun 2

    Bernard Hickey: The NZ Housing Game Is Over (It's Not Coming Back)

    Bernard Hickey is one of New Zealand's best known economics commentators. Trained as an economist and as a journalist, he has spent more than three decades covering money, markets and housing. He now runs The Kākā, a subscription newsletter and podcast, and co-hosts an ANZ-funded economics podcast. Episode Sponsors AcademyEx Get ahead with AI https://discover.academyex.com/mina Pwrfully Get Your Free Podcast List https://www.pwrfully.com Follow Me Mina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Mina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp?si=c12e08e33f604916 Mina on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812 Mina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/ Mina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso Follow Bernard The Kākā (subscription newsletter and podcast) https://thekaka.substack.com/ Bernard on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernard-hickey-44334a14/ Timestamps 5:11 why isn't the NZ economy growing the way we were promised 10:44 is the lack of a capital gains tax the real problem 13:48 why does every other country make it easier to invest outside property 18:08 when did buying more houses become the only way to get rich here 34:07 why have we bet the whole economy on the housing market 35:48 what happens when everyone has borrowed as much as they can 45:02 why won't another rate cut start the boom again 45:22 if housing is done, where do I actually build wealth now 50:14 is immigration really what's holding the economy back 1:12:12 how does any of this hit a business owner turning over a million 1:22:18 what would actually fix this if anyone in power listened 1:25:04 why are a third of our graduates leaving the country 1:33:33 how do I stop my kids and grandkids from leaving NZ 1:37:05 where to find Bernard Hickey and The Kākā

    1h 37m
  6. The 5 Small Business Habits Killing NZ Margins

    May 26

    The 5 Small Business Habits Killing NZ Margins

    Ashish Saxena is a former executive at Lucent-Alcatel, Nokia and General Electric, an investor, mentors business owners across multiple markets. This is his second appearance on Notes From The Executive. What I Asked Ashish Why is a $13M business with a 2% margin more dangerous than a $1M business at 25% Why is revenue the metric quietly killing most NZ businesses How do I sell something before I have even built it Episode Sponsors AcademyEx Get ahead with AI https://discover.academyex.com/mina Pwrfully Get Your Free Podcast List https://www.pwrfully.com Follow Me Mina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Mina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp?si=c12e08e33f604916 Mina on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812 Mina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/ Mina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso Follow Ashish https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashishrameshsaxena/ Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/txiSrqSo7o8 Time Stamps 0:00 – Intro 4:13 – Revenue vs Margin: The #1 Mistake Business Owners Make   6:40 – Why Net Profit Margin Matters More Than Hitting $1M–$10M Revenue   8:01 – Stalled Growth? Start by Rethinking the REAL Problem   9:47 – Marketing & Branding vs Just Having a “Great Product”   10:20 – Business Goals: Profit, Margin, and Building a Real Asset   12:28 – Premium Customers, Luxury Brands & the 80/20 Rule Explained   13:24 – What a Business Really Is: Daily Transactions, Not Busyness   15:25 – If You Had No Transactions Today, You Didn’t Do Business   16:22 – Two Core Questions: How to Increase Transactions and Margin per Sale   17:09 – Example: Media & Airline Businesses, Oil Prices, and Squeezed Margins   20:17 – Risk vs Uncertainty: What Smart Business Owners Actually Manage   21:56 – Why Ashish Starts With the Market, Not the Business   23:29 – Are You in a Growing Trend? How to Read Market Signals   25:35 – The “Sell Before You Build” Strategy: Validating Offers Upfront   27:29 – 3 Pillars: Trend, Money in the Trend, and Your Experience   29:48 – Ad Break 30:16 – Case Study: Selling an Online Course Before Creating It   31:44 – Pricing Strategy: Why You Should Price High, Then Discount   33:14 – Established Businesses: Innovating Offers When Margins Stall   34:17 – Clarifying the Pre-Sale Strategy: Content, Trust, and Timing   35:11 – Attention vs Credibility: From Attention Economy to Trust Economy   36:50 – How Much Content Someone Should Consume Before Buying ($1k Offer Rule)   37:59 – Applying 80/20 to Content: Who Actually Becomes a Buyer?   39:50 – From One-Off Transactions to Long-Term Customer Relationships   40:07 – How Long-Term Clients Increase Your Profit Margins   41:44 – Apple’s Ecosystem: iPhone, iCloud, AirPods & Recurring Revenue   42:47 – Why Some Clients Leave Programs—and What That Reveals About ROI   44:19 – Are You in a Collaborative Business Model or a One-Sided One?   45:42 – Summary: Why You’re Stalled While 38% of Businesses Still Grow   47:55 – Think Market First: Is the Market Growing While You’re Not?   51:22 – Shiny Object Syndrome: Chasing AI and New Trends vs Staying the Course   52:10 – Long-Term vs Short-Term Trends: What Coca-Cola and Toyota Teach Us   54:23 – Business Models with Built-In Repeat Demand: Supermarkets, Cybersecurity   55:16 – “I Want to Be in Demand” vs “What Is in Demand?” – A Critical Mindset Shift   57:15 – If Your Market Isn’t Hot Anymore—Do You Leave or Adapt?   58:34 – Same Product, New Markets: How Apple Expanded into GPS and Torch   1:00:05 – Why Apple Launched the Watch & AirPods: Following the Trend + Revenue   1:01:48 – How Apple Uses Acquisitions (Beats) to Shortcut Experience   1:03:01 – Final 3 Takeaways: Thinking, Transactions, and Trend–Revenue–Experience   1:04:26 – How to Connect with Ashish Saxena (LinkedIn)   1:04:48 – Closing: Applying These Ideas to Your Own Business Growth

    1h 5m
  7. Forget AI Tools: Why Most NZ Business Owners Are Burning Cash

    May 19

    Forget AI Tools: Why Most NZ Business Owners Are Burning Cash

    Tim Warren is the Co-Founder of Ambit, a New Zealand AI software company serving Financial Services, eCommerce, Retail, Telco and Utilities. Before Ambit, Tim was a COO at JBWere and an executive at Goldman Sachs. He is an angel investor with more than 15 investments and was previously on the board of Flying Kiwi Angels.In this conversation he tears apart New Zealand's government AI strategy, questions the $76 billion Microsoft and Accenture forecast, and tells NZ business owners why most AI consultants are wasting their money.What I Asked TimWhat is actually wrong with New Zealand's government AI strategy?Is the $76 billion AI forecast a real number or marketing copy?How do I know if my AI spend is strategic or just expensive noise?What is the worst AI mistake NZ business owners are making in 2026?What should I ignore that every AI guru on LinkedIn is telling me to do?Episode SponsorsAcademyExGet ahead with AIhttps://discover.academyex.com/minaPwrfullyGet Your Free Podcast Listhttps://www.pwrfully.comFollow MeMina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastMina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp?si=c12e08e33f604916Mina 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 www.linkedin.com/in/minaamsoFollow TimTim on LinkedIn https://nz.linkedin.com/in/tswarrenTIME STAMPS00:00 INTRO01:02 why does NZ's AI strategy feel weak to business owners03:08 how do I tell if the $76 billion AI forecast is realistic06:30 why is AI making bad work worse instead of better08:20 how do I avoid AI generated misinformation in my industry14:30 why do I feel behind every other business owner on AI16:07 how do I actually define a strategy for my NZ business25:30 how do I know if my AI investment is strategic or tactical34:30 how should a small NZ business approach AI without wasting cash44:30 how do I tell a good AI consultant from a bad one52:00 is hiring an in-house AI lead worth it for my business55:00 what are the worst decisions NZ business owners are making right now58:00 what should I be doing today that pays off in five years1:02:00 how do I grow without chasing every shiny new tool1:09:00 what should I ignore that everyone tells me to do with AI1:11:00 how do I reach Tim Warren on LinkedIn

    1h 13m
  8. How NZ Founders Reposition to Win Their Best Clients Back

    May 12

    How NZ Founders Reposition to Win Their Best Clients Back

    Nicki Osbaldiston is a NZ marketing strategist and founder of Client Focused Approach. She has spent years repositioning founders whose marketing was never the real problem and built a framework experienced operators use to win back premium clients without producing more content. Episode Sponsors AcademyEx Get ahead with AI https://discover.academyex.com/mina Pwrfully Get Your Free Podcast List https://www.pwrfully.com Follow Me Mina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast Mina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp?si=c12e08e33f604916 Mina on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812 Mina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/ Mina on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso Follow Nicki Osbaldiston Website: https://www.clientfocusedapproach.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicki-osbaldiston What I Asked Nicki Why are experienced NZ founders getting underbid every week despite being active online? What is the framework you walk founders through to fix this? How do I stop competing on price and start being chosen? What do my best clients actually want to hear that I am not saying? How do I get found without producing more content? Timestamps (rebuild after final edited runtime — placeholders from current cut below) 36:55 — How does networking actually grow a service business? 38:24 — How do strategic partnerships work in practice? 41:21 — Why should I celebrate what is already working? 44:13 — Who is in my network that I am not talking to? 49:29 — How do I find my ideal client through second-degree connections? 54:47 — How do I track relationships when I am too small for a CRM? 56:27 — How do I build a positioning framework from scratch? 1:00:06 — Why does Nicki want NZ businesses to win? 1:00:30 — Where can people find Nicki Osbaldiston?

    40 min
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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
    137
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mina Amso
  • Show Website
    Notes From The Executive

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