Notes From The Executive

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.

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

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

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?

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