Notes From The Executive Podcast with Mina Amso

The future of business in NZ is changing fast.AI, customer behaviour, marketing, education, and trust are all shifting at once, and most New Zealand businesses are not prepared.In this Notes From The Executive montage episode, three respected New Zealand thinkers break down the future of business NZ leaders need to understand heading into 2026. These are not theories. These are signals already playing out in the New Zealand market.Watch other episodes:Scott Wilson https://youtu.be/f1wHt5QBTyMRichard Conway https://youtu.be/7-7qiWeSBJoFrances Valentine https://youtu.be/xGdPHmqwofoWHAT THEY EXPLAIN◽️ The future of business NZ after peak AI automation◽️ Why face-to-face relationships are returning in New Zealand◽️ How AI is changing customer behaviour in NZ businesses◽️ Why websites may disappear as AI agents handle buying◽️ How AI voice search will affect NZ customer discovery◽️ Why personal brand matters more in the AI era◽️ How education and skills must change for New Zealand’s workforceEPISODE PARTNERS👉🏻 Hibiscus Jet Ski Hire🔥 Enter to WIN Free Jet Ski Rides 🔥Enter here: https://tinyurl.com/y64efe7aTIMESTAMPS00:00 Future Of Business NZ – What’s Changing00:38 Why Face-To-Face Is Coming Back In NZ Business02:00 Short-Form Content Replacing Seminars In NZ03:45 Subscribe – Why This Matters For NZ Leaders04:10 Will Websites Disappear? AI And The NZ Market07:15 Buying Inside AI Platforms – What This Means For NZ09:30 AI Voice Search And NZ Customer Behaviour11:45 Why Testing AI Tools Builds Trust With NZ Clients14:20 Personal Brand In The AI Era – NZ Perspective16:00 Sponsor Message16:45 AI Is Bigger Than The Internet – NZ Business Impact19:55 Why Education Must Change In New Zealand22:30 Digital vs Analog Businesses In NZ26:40 Removing Friction To Win NZ Customers29:20 Final Thought – Who Wins In NZ Business By 2026FOLLOW MEhttps://www.youtube.com/@UCmb8GUvqh3KYZHgLB1qjBBA LISTEN ONApple podcast: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8vSpotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bXABOUT THE EPISODEIn this 2026 prediction special, we explore the collision of AI and human connection. Richard Conway argues that websites as we know them are disappearing, replaced by AI agents. Frances Valintine explains why the "Analog" way of doing business is a death sentence, while Scott Wilson predicts a massive market correction back to face-to-face human relationships.

This special montage episode features three of New Zealand’s top business minds: Marisa Fong (co-founder of Madison Recruitment, sold for $30M+), Lisa O'Neill (Energy Expert & Author), and Rich Ellis (Executive Health & Mindset Coach).Together, they reveal the brutal truth about entrepreneurial burnout. They discuss the cognitive collapse of "decision fatigue," why the concept of balance prevents scaling, and the specific energy management protocols needed to survive the early stages of building a business.What they explain◽️ The "Bandwidth Collapse": Why female founders suffer from decision fatigue first◽️ The "Demon Hours": The exact window where you must sacrifice balance to win◽️ Energy Stacking: How to transition from "CEO Mode" to bedtime without crashing◽️ The "8-Week Postpartum" Reality: The irreversible trade-offs of an exit-level founder◽️ Why "Work-Life Balance" is a myth that keeps you small (and what to aim for instead)Timestamps00:00 Intro01:30 Lisa O'Neill: Why energy is everything (and where to start)03:15 How to find a way to keep your energy up05:40 "What season are you in right now?"08:10 Rich Ellis: The reality of burnout and why it’s not "nice"12:45 The "Bedtime Transition": Stacking small opportunities for rest15:30 Marisa Fong: Mental Overload and Bandwidth Collapse18:15 The Myth of Balance: Why you can't have it all while scaling20:40 "Working like demons": The necessary window of obsession22:50 The Cost of Success: Energy, Time, and Sacrifice24:10 The 8-week tradeoff: Marisa’s irreversible decisionExamples and guide on styleFOLLOW MElinkin.bio/minaamsoWATCH EPISODE ON YOUTUBE (for spotify and apple only)https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastLISTEN ONApple podcast: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8vSpotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bXABOUT THE EPISODEIn this compilation, Marisa Fong, Rich Ellis, and Lisa O'Neill dismantle the myth of work-life balance for entrepreneurs. They explore the cognitive cost of decision-making, the necessity of "demon work" periods, and how to manage your energy so you don't burn out before you cash out.Episode Partners:👉🏻 Hibiscus Jet Ski Hire: 🔥 WIN Free Jet Ski Rides 🔥Enter: https://tinyurl.com/y64efe7a👉🏻 Podcast GuestDownload Your Free Podcast Guide: www.podcastguest.co.nz

If you’re a NZ Business founder heading into 2026, staying small, comfortable and indecisive will kill your dream – you have to think bigger, commit to one path.Three top entrepreneurs tell us why Big Thinking in New Zealand is Hard. They say founders move too slow. Kiwis think too small. Optionality kills. Comfort kills. Tall poppy cuts ambition.Learn More FromMahesh Muralidhar https://youtu.be/jXmNi-XqLMgSteven Zinsli https://youtu.be/r9fes_4ZU_ISir Ray Avery https://youtu.be/GenrFva6QBAThis Episode Is For:• NZ entrepreneurs building or scaling a business• Founders frustrated with staying small in New Zealand • Business owners thinking about global expansion• Anyone interested in entrepreneurship in NZThanks ⁨@HibiscusJetSkiHire⁩ for powering this episodeL Be in to win: https://www.facebook.com/hibiscusjetskihire/posts/pfbid02oyANuNkVR8RaFtcfmBJD6PbyJjTNJfhReJtTau8ivH94fbnU1QaKmQVDWMN6ekUrl

If you are starting a business in New Zealand in 2026, this episode is compulsory viewing.The rules have changed. What worked ten years ago will not work today.This montage brings together three of Aotearoa’s top founders to break down the critical mistakes that kill most early-stage Kiwi businesses before they ever get off the ground.Thanks Episode PartnerHibiscus Jetski Hire https://hibiscusjetskihire.co.nz/You will learn: • How to validate your idea before you spend money. • How to avoid building a product nobody wants. • How to choose the right niche and avoid spreading yourself too thin. • Why resilience, simplicity and speed matter more than ever in the NZ market. • How AI is reshaping the fundamentals of entrepreneurship.Watch More: • Scott Wilson – https://youtu.be/f1wHt5QBTyM  • Tim Warren – https://youtu.be/iN4VD9wT2N4  • Steve Ballantyne – https://youtu.be/aho75bHK2-g Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 01:00 Mistake 1 – Building Without Validation (Scott Wilson) 08:00 Mistake 2 – Going Too Broad (Tim Warren) 12:00 Mistake 3 – Building Too Heavy (Steve Ballantyne) 15:30 Final Advice for 2026If you are serious about building a business that lasts, start here. This episode will save you time, money and years of unnecessary pain.This episode is ideal for: • Early-stage founders • Aspiring entrepreneurs • Small business owners looking to grow • Anyone planning to launch in 2026 • Investors who want to understand NZ founder behaviour

Founder resilience isn’t luck. This episode shows how founders stay resilient with practical resilient leadership habits, mindset shifts, and tools you can use this week. Apply it now: daily practices, decision frameworks, and stories from David Downs.David Downs is the CEO of New Zealand Story, former Microsoft executive, best-selling author, and cancer-survivor-turned health advocate. He helps Kiwi companies scale their global impact through brand storytelling and practical leadership, and serves across innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives in Aotearoa.What David explains Founder resilience isn’t luck. This episode shows how founders stay resilient with practical resilient leadership habits, mindset shifts, and tools you can use this week.David Downs is the CEO of New Zealand Story, former Microsoft executive, best-selling author, and cancer-survivor-turned health advocate. What David explains:◽️True Resilience vs. "Macho" Resistance◽️ The Science of Storytelling in Business◽️ The "Kiwi Paradox" in BusinessEpisode Partners: 👉🏻 Hibiscus Jet Ski Hire🔥 Enter to WIN Free Jet Ski Rides 🔥 Enter: https://tinyurl.com/y64efe7aTimestamps00:00 - Intro: The power of storytelling04:46 - Impact: How New Zealand is seen by the world06:22 - David Down’s Story and Cancer Diagnosis09:23 - What is resilience? (It’s not about being tough)11:00 - Why positive thinking is science, not "Woo Woo"12:28 - The "Green Traffic Light" mindset (A lesson on luck)16:36 - How to handle bad days: "Recreational Moaning"18:03 - Hedonic Adaptation: The science of bouncing back19:35 - The GROW Framework for solving any problem21:51 - Kiwi Business: Great at starting, struggling to scale24:31 - Tall Poppy Syndrome: Why we struggle to celebrate success31:27 - Why people buy stories, not spreadsheets34:39 - Inside "New Zealand Story": Branding a nation35:57 - The Fern Mark: Leveraging NZ’s reputation40:43 - How a terminal illness creates a "more intense" version of you FOLLOW David New Zealand Story: https://www.nzstory.govt.nz/FOLLOW ME linkin.bio/minaamsoWATCH EPISODE ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/fV3LMp11_NQLISTEN ON Apple podcast: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8v Spotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bX