You may have heard that David and Juliet Espiner, owners of Whangarei Chartered Accountants “Business Advice Limited”, have left the accounting profession to devote their energies an exciting soon-to-be-launched venture (see below).
ElevateCA Limited are pleased to accept David and Juliet’s invitation to pick up the baton in providing the quality business development and Chartered Accounting services that Read More…
Picking up the baton from Business Advice Limited
February 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
New Years Resolutions for Business
January 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Well here it is, the first day of the second decade of the third millennium – 1 January 2010. If you’re anything like me, you will have given at least a passing thought to the annual ritual of making new year’s resolutions. Turning over a new leaf in some selected aspect of your life or business. So it Read More…
The Art of Networking
December 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The first Business Owners Forum event for 2010 will be on “The Art of Networking”. We have delayed this a little from the usual ”third Thursday of January” to get past the holiday season. This will be a repeat of the Whangarei December event featuring a panel discussion on “The Art of Networking”.
This event will be hosted at the new BNZ Auckland Read More…
Social Media for Business
December 4, 2009 By 6 Comments
Here’s a summary of my presentation at from yesterday’s Business Owners Forum. I’m no social media expert – but I do use Twitter, Facebook and blogs to generate interest in two businesses – one is here at Elevate CA, and the other is BrightMind LABS, a business that develops psychological tools wrapped in computer games Read More…
World Business Guide
November 21, 2009 By 2 Comments
Most businesses are interested in driving more traffic to their web site. And most know that fostering quality inbound links will help achieve this – and that listing in reputable on-line directories is a great place to start. Many on-line directories are of course free, but some of the better ones do charge an annual fee – for example, Read More…
The Art of Networking
November 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
This will be the last Business Owners Forum event for 2009 – and we have brought the date forward from the usual third Thursday of the month to avoid the worst (and the best!) of the silly season. The December Business Owners’ Forum will feature a panel discussion on “The Art of Networking”.
This event will be hosted at the ElevateCA Read More…
Employment Issues
November 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Business Owners’ Forum at The ICEHOUSE yesterday. There was some quality discussion around employment issues from the panel and the participants. The panelists tonight were:
Paul Diver, a lawyer, employment specialist and HR Partner at the ICEHOUSE, who shared some of the latest and emerging legal issues relating to employment in New Zealand Read More…
Leave something on the table
November 7, 2009 By 2 Comments
Finland vs New Zealand
November 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Here’s a question: What do New Zealand and Finland have in common? Both have a similar population. They are similar in size. Both have a single large city which accounts for a big chunk of the population - Helsinki is similar in size to Auckland with something over 1 million population. And neither Finland nor New Read More…
Employment Issues
November 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The November Business Owners’ Forum will feature a panel discussion on employment issues. It will be hosted by The ICEHOUSE, Level 2, The Textile Centre, 117 to 125 St Georges Bay Road, Parnell – and will be held on 19 November from 5:30pm (sharp) to 7:00pm. As always with BOF events, discussion will ultimately be driven by those who attend on the night Read More…
Business Planning Competition Winners
October 26, 2009 By 2 Comments
Congratulations to the 2009 winners of the Spark Entrepreneurial Challenge – a business planning competition run annually by the ICEHOUSE and the Auckland University Business School. The winners were announced at a ceremony at the Business School on Thursday, where the winning team – Green Loos – were awarded the $30,000 top prize.
Employment Issues
October 14, 2009 By
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Business Owners’ Forum this evening. It was a great turnout, and there was some quality discussion around employment issues from the panel and the participants. The format was intended to be three 15 minute presentations from the panelists followed by 45 minutes of discussion from the floor. But what Read More…
Tax Working Group – Residential Rental Property
October 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Last week’s report from the Tax Working Group makes some comments that are sure to be contentious. The Tax Working Group was established back in May to assist the Government in considering the key tax policy challenges facing New Zealand. Their latest report targets the $200 billion rental property industry, stating that it not only pays Read More…
Northland Business Excellence Awards
October 10, 2009 By 4 Comments
A big night and a full house at the Northland Business Excellence Awards in Whangarei last night. Apart from the medievel costumes, carnivorous feast, ample wine and great social occasion, the highlights for me were these:
MyFriendQuest
October 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment
This is an unashamed plug for MyFriendQuest – released this week to the world from Tutukaka’s own BrightMind LABS.
MyFriendQuest is an animated computer game designed to teach children on the autistic spectrum to recognise and respond appropriately to emotions. It does this using a fusion of cognitive behavioural therapy and immersive gaming techniques – a Read More…
TED Auckland
October 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The first New Zealand TED event was held yesterday in Auckland.
I am a fan of TED (www.ted.com), but I really wasn’t sure what to expect from the local franchised event. Was it going to be all hype and no substance – or was it going to induce a genuine ”wow”? So I made sure I was there Read More…
NZ Focus on Health
September 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The semifinalists for the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise NZ Focus on Health competition were announced this week. These 21 ventures will pitch to the five US and two kiwi judges for a spot on the ten-strong finalist’s list. All ten finalists will work on their business plans then participate in a US roadtrip in Read More…
Loud Shirt Day
September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Well this has been a big week for events in the ElevateCA camp. Wednesday evening was the kick off function for the Northland Business Excellence Awards at Salut in Whangarei, then on Thursday we were fully involved in organising and presenting at the Business Owners Forum at The ICEHOUSE in Parnell, Auckland. And yesterday late afternoon Read More…
Managing Cashflow
September 19, 2009 By 1 Comment
A big thank you to all who participated in the 17 September Business Owners’ Forum held in Auckland. Business Owners’ Forums have of course been running in Whangarei since the depths of the winter, which seems a long time ago now – but this was the first to be held in Auckland. Thursday’s meetup was at the ICEHOUSE Read More…
Northland Business Excellence Awards
September 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Business Excellence Awards run throughout New Zealand at this time of year. The Northland competition kicked off this evening with a cocktail function at the Salut Bar in Whangarei – and the Elevate CA team were there along with the entrants, sponsors and a who’s who of local business. This year there were 42 entrants competing in Read More…
TED – Auckland
September 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Well this week I got the letter from the organisers of the Auckland TED event inviting me to attend. The letter got me thinking. Quite clever, really, the whole impression of exclusivity around the application and acceptance process – and the attempt to lift the tone of the event high above the general noise of competing Read More…
Associated Persons Rules for Land
September 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Land dealers, developers and builders who wish to hold investment properties as well as the properties they are dealing, developing or building are in for a much tougher regime from tomorrow. The new Associated Persons rules applying to land transactions are likely to be enacted by parliament tomorrow, which will be the first major revamp Read More…
Twitter Suspension
September 14, 2009 By 1 Comment
Twitter is a great tool for driving traffic to your web site or blog. We started using Twitter in the early days of ElevateCA, and since then have amassed around 700 followers – largely from Auckland and Northland. Great for building our brand locally. Once or twice a week one of us has a random unknown person saying “hey, I Read More…
TED – Auckland
September 9, 2009 By 1 Comment
Anyone familiar with the Long Beach, California phenomenon TED will be excited that the event is coming to Auckland on 1 October. TED is an annual event where some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about. “TED” stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design – three broad Read More…
NZ Focus on Health Challenge
September 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Entries for The New Zealand Focus on Health Challenge closed this week, and judging is now in progress. The Challenge is NZTE run, and is just the sort of initiative New Zealand needs to help specific high potential industries to penetrate lucrative export markets. Ten points to NZTE for this one! The Health industry was chosen Read More…
Managing Cashflow
September 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The September Business Owners’ Forum will cover the topic “Managing Cashflow”. This is the first Business Owners’ Forum to be hosted in Auckland, and will be a repeat of this popular topic which was presented in Whangarei in June. From here on, Business Owners Forums will be held on the third Thursday of every month Read More…
Spark Challenge
August 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment
It was an honor to be asked to present to the Spark qualifiers in Auckland this evening. Congratulations to the 12 finalists. All of those involved are affiliated with the University of Auckland in some way. Of the individuals behind the teams, 11 are alumni, 10 staff members, 49 postgraduate students, 77 undergraduate students and 26 others affiliated Read More…
Property Development
August 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Tonight a contingent of professionals of different disciplines headed North from Whangarei to Kerikeri to discuss property development. This seminar was organised by Cato Bolam surveyors and held at the Kerikeri Sports Complex. It was a repeat of the successful session held in the Whangarei Cato Bolam offices back in April. The subject matter tonight included the latest Read More…
Spark $100k Challenge
August 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The Spark $100k Entrepreneurial Challenge is billed as New Zealand’s premier business planning competition. This competition is open to all ventures where at least one of the team is either a staff member or a student of Auckland University. And up for grabs is $100k in cash and kind, which is a bit of a Read More…
Shareholder Current Accounts
August 22, 2009 By 1 Comment
Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Business Owners Forum this week with Stuart Spicer, Geoff Griggs and myself on the panel. Feedback has been great. There was plenty of quality discussion around shareholder current accounts – and how to make sure they are tax efficient, protected from creditors – and equitable between shareholders.
The Read More…
Winner – What’s your problem, New Zealand?
August 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I have been criticised for being a bit harsh about the lack of initiatives to help Kiwi entrepreneurs get their products to the world – compared to what is available in America and other OECD countries. I stand by my previous comments, but of course there are some great initiatives here – some of which Read More…
Business Owners Forum – Auckland & Whangarei
August 14, 2009 By 1 Comment
The August Business Owners’ Forum will be held on Thursday 20 August from 5:30pm to 7:00pm at level 4, 35 Robert Street, Whangarei. The Business Owners’ Forum is for Business Owners to meet and discuss issues of interest and relevance with a panel of experts – and without a sell from the supporters.
This month’s topic is “The mechanics, pros Read More…
You get what you reward, right?
August 14, 2009 By 1 Comment
You get what you reward, right? Give a monkey a handful of nuts every time he jumps through a hoop, and he’ll jump through hoops all day. Compliment a young child every time they say “please” and “thank you”, and pretty soon you’ll have a well mannered kid. Give people massive tax incentives for investing in Read More…
Bill and Phil Show in Whangarei
August 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Elevate CA sponsored the Bill English and Phil Heatley show in Whangarei tonight. Its not that we have a particular political agenda. Actually, if we’re honest it was more about getting our brand out there in front of 100 or so local business people. Chipping in for the beer and nibbles was a small price to Read More…
Stiff Competition for Kiwi Entrepreneurs
August 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I am writing this post somewhere over Nebraska, returning to Whangarei from a week at the Advanced Invention to Venture boot camp in Boston, MA. The AI2V was a sobering experience. Kiwi Entrepreneurs who want to take their innovation to the world are up against some rather stiff competition.
It’s not that American entrepreneurs are smarter Read More…
Something the Americans do Very Well
July 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Here’s something the Americans do well; encouraging and nurturing the art of entrepreneurship that drives that countiy’s economic success. It’s part of the American culture. There are very good reasons why innovations stand a much better chance of making the transition to world class businesses when on American soil.
Entrepreneurs there are taught the skills to Read More…
Taking Great NZ Health Ideas to the World
July 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
New Zealand is a hotbed of innovation. We have all heard that before. The number 8 fecing wore mentality, punching above our weight in all sorts of areas from winning yacht design through to dairy farming techniques. But why is it that this innovation translates into so few world beating businesses?
Numerous studies have been done Read More…
$1 Million Challenge
July 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
We have all heard the rhetoric time and time again. As a nation, New Zealand lives beyond its means. We spend more than we earn internationally, with the difference being funded by borrowings from rich foreigners. It’s unsustainable – a bit like putting holidays and cars on the mortgage year in and year out. Our Read More…
Lessons from MySpace
July 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Silicon Valley is a long way from Whangarei, but there are certainly lessons to be learned from that hotbed of innovation. The MySpace story demonstrates that dominance today doesn’t necessarily translate into success tomorrow. Who remembers MySpace, the company destined for stardom that Rupert Murdoch purchased for US$580 million not so long ago? Who now Read More…
Managing Cashflow
June 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
This evening the first Business Owners’ Forum was hosted at Elevate CA Limited – thank you to the 40 or so business owners who participated in the session and made this a great start to what will become a regular event. Subject matter tonight was “Managing Cashflow” – a rather relevant topic in today’s cash-strapped business Read More…
Why Business Owners Forums are Free
June 13, 2009 By 4 Comments
Business Owners Forums are supported by Elevate CA, The Bottom Line Expense Reduction, BNZ and Webb Ross – all of whom are keen to give back to the business communities that allow them to flourish. Providing a way to upskill the business community – and an environment where skills and knowledge can be shared amongst peers - is a Read More…
What is the Business Owners Forum?
June 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Business Owners Forums are a structure for business owners to meet with peers and discuss topics of relevance in an environment free of the “sales” motive that often comes with business events. Format is casual, normally with a panel of three professionals skilled in the particular topic of the day. Lively, quality discussion is the norm rather than the more Read More…
Property Development
May 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Thanks to the crew at Cato Bolam for inviting us to participate in the Property Development Seminar at their Whangarei premises yesterday. The session was well attended by land owners and property developers – and was a full house. Presentations included a panel discussion with Simon Reiher – Principal of Cato Bolam Whangarei, Alistair Nicholls – Read More…
Elevate CA Launch
April 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Today is a big day. Elevate CA Limited launches this morning as the newest chartered accounting business in Whangarei. Rebecca Brennan, Dean Subritzky and Fraser Hurrell look forward to being of service to the business communities from Northland to Auckland. As well as being new, we are different. That’s easy to say, but over the Read More…
“Congratulations on your success at the Northland Business Excellence Awards for 2010 ... As a keen supporter of local business, I would like to congratulate you for your success and thank you for the contribution Elevate CA is making to our economy.”