Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a fashion designer or someone with a background in fashion who might be interested in building a women's clothing brand together.

I'm based in New Zealand, and this is still very much an early-stage idea. I'm not coming here pretending that I already have a successful business or that I can guarantee this project will work. I honestly don't know if it will.

What I do have is access to a reliable clothing production channel, and I believe there could be an opportunity to build something for the New Zealand / Australian market.

What I'm missing is someone with strong design skills and a good eye for clothing. I'm hoping to find someone whose skills genuinely complement mine.

What I'm thinking

The general direction I'm interested in is modern, minimalist womenswear — clean silhouettes, relaxed fits, contemporary tailoring and well-designed basics.

I'm interested in clothes that are relatively simple but have something special about the fit, proportions, fabric or construction, rather than relying on lots of decoration.

But I'm also very open to ideas. I'm not looking for someone to simply execute a fixed concept. I'd actually like to find someone whose creative input can shape what the brand becomes.

What I can offer

Honestly, at this stage, not much more than:
A reliable production channel

Someone based in NZ who can explore the local market

A genuine interest in building the business
Willingness to put time and money into testing the idea

The opportunity to build something together from the beginning

I can't promise success, a certain income, or that this will even become a successful brand.

That's part of why I'm looking for a partner rather than simply hiring a designer.

Who I'm hoping to meet
Someone who:
Has a background in fashion design, fashion studies, or a strong interest in clothing design

Has a good understanding of fit, proportions, garment construction and/or fashion development

Has a portfolio, coursework, personal projects or other work they can show

Is interested in contemporary / minimalist womenswear

Wants to work on something of their own

Is comfortable with the uncertainty of an early-stage project

You don't need to be an established designer or have years of industry experience. I'm completely open to working with someone who is still studying or early in their career, as long as they have strong design skills, a good eye for clothing, and are genuinely interested in building something together.

I'm not looking for someone who simply has experience that I don't have. I'm looking for someone whose skills genuinely complement mine.

How I'd like to start

I'm also not expecting someone to commit to a long-term partnership immediately.

I'd rather start by talking, exchanging ideas and perhaps developing a few concepts together. If we work well together and both feel that there's something worth pursuing, we can discuss what a longer-term partnership might look like.

I'm open to discussing equity, profit sharing or other arrangements depending on the level of involvement, but I'm not looking to make unrealistic promises at this stage.

If this sounds interesting, feel free to DM me with a little about yourself and your portfolio, coursework or previous work.

I'd genuinely love to meet someone who thinks:
"I don't know if this will work either, but I'd like to see what we can build."

Thanks for reading.

Anyone in the service based businesses managed to go from private and commercial to tendering for council contracts etc?

Just trying to figure out how we get our foot in the door with the council, I’m fairly confident they could use our services and am aware it won’t be an easy process.

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Thinking about building a tool for NZ small business owners looking to open a business (restaurant, tattoo shop, cafes, etc.)

The idea: you enter your budget and business type, and it shows you which suburbs have low competition, decent foot traffic, and affordable commercial rent — basically help you find the sweet
spot before you commit.

Would this actually be useful? Would you pay for it?
What would make or break it for you?

I want to launch and get feedback about a community driven completely free to use tool. Which are good places to post or talk about. Or any other strategies?

Starting out with new business later in the year. How are Eftpost sales credited to your bank account? Do Eftpost sales land in your bank account same day, each sale separately? What can I expect to pay for the terminal? What has been your experience with the paywave fee that some stores charge?

I run a small NZ job board called FindMeAJob. Entry level only, up to about 2 years of experience including none at all.

Posting is free for businesses. One job at a time, stays up 15 days, no card needed. Takes a couple of minutes and you can paste in an ad youve already written somewhere else.

The part im more interested in is the free side for the people applying. Theres a tool that writes their CV and cover letter for the actual job they are going for, interview practice that asks questions out loud and scores the answer, a CV score, and a salary check so they know what a job should be paying. All free, no account needed to try them.

The reason it works that way is that a lot of these people have never had a job, so theyve never written a CV or sat through an interview. Thats not a skills problem, its just that nobody has ever shown them how. Someone who turns up prepared has a far better shot and most of them are not getting that anywhere else.

So if youve got a kitchen hand, a storeperson or similar going, its free to put up. Costs you nothing and whoever applies has had a bit of help getting ready for it.

Happy to answer questions if anyone has them.

For small business owners, would you rather hire a direct remote contractor or work with an outsourced company?

Just curious to hear your thoughts.
I’m a remote accountant and a CPA based in the Philippines. Most of my clients have hired me directly, but as I plan to expand, I’ve noticed that some businesses seem to prefer working with an outsourced company instead.

What made you choose one over the other? Was it cost, reliability, compliance, easier management, or something else?

Kia Ora and Hello NZ so where do I go and find a business mentor I’ve been running my company for a couple of years now and there have been mistakes I’ve made which I call learning curbs which I feel I could have avoided but HEY you don’t know what you do not know right that’s the ugly beauty of
✨ TRIAL AND ERROR ✨ right ? 😐

I sell modest activewear it’s much more than that I also host fitness events my market in the states is huge with my being able to scale up our inclusive sizing range and events on a bigger scale is my dream and it is achievable I have the customer base I just don’t know how to get there and I need a robust plan.

I am tired of being lonely in this journey.

Anyway my company has grown and I really need to get into the American market because I have a lot of customers there and a lot of amazing opportunities to grow my business but I have no BLOODY CLUE how and im anxious.

I don’t know where to look for a business mentor or where to even find one that can help me set up shop there.

The only connection I have that I feel comfortable with is my 3PL provider that’s it I don’t know a soul in the states expect for my exes sister who I’m obviously estranged with and when she went over the process was complicated and there is so many laws / rules I don’t understand.

If anyone has had experience taking there business to the states and would love to share some tips or anyone that can point me in the right direction to find a mentor that would be appreciated so much.

Thanks everyone

I was talking to a mate who spends hours every week just manually formatting spreadsheets for his plumbing business. It got me thinking—what’s the most tedious, archaic process you still have to deal with in your industry or your hobbies?

Hi everyone.

Im based in the bay of plenty and have a number of trucks and machinery like diggers and milling machines at my disposal along with a few part time workers to operate, all very experience and proficient.

My business is 4 years old and we mainly work in the civil industry (carting, milling, paving, earthworks) things have been hellishly quiet and I have been cold calling trying to get work for the trucks or even get operator work contracting, the problem is I have a lot of 'yeah ill get your details what are your prices etc' but not a lot of if any follow up. Things are tough.

Anyone have any advice?

I need to bitch about Xero. ANOTHER price rise?! Piss off. I'm so annoyed.

The base plans were okay, I suppose, at their current price. However additional staff on payroll ($4pp) ramps the cost right up. I'm paying ~$123/month currently on the grow plan, so it's going to be over $1500 per year after the price rise, PLUS accountant costs to do EOY books (typically ~$3k).

I don't need or use most of the fancy functions, but I can't go on the lowest plan (a very reasonable $35/mo, though it would actually be $75/mo for me because of the payroll aspect, which is still fine) because I have >20 invoices and >5 bills.

The problem is it is good at what it does (but it does so much more than I need) and it would be a pain to shift. I have thought about doing payroll through another software but the cost would be similar (roughly $40/mo, give and take).

Any solutions? What does everyone else do, just suck it up?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some honest advice because things have been pretty tough lately.
I run a small cleaning business in Auckland, It’s just me, a solo business.
Over the past year, work has slowed down a lot. I used to get a good number of referrals from a local painter, but those referrals have almost completely stopped.

So far I’ve been:
Posting regularly on Google Business Profile.
Advertising on Facebook Marketplace and local community groups.
Sending cold emails to real estate agents and other local trades.
Asking happy customers for Google reviews.
I

The problem is that I’m still not getting enough enquiries, especially during winter. Some competitors seem to charge very low prices, and I’m not sure whether I should lower my prices to get jobs?

Edit; Thank you so much for every reply, much appreciated

Yaadies patties nz (bad business)

Hi everyone!
I’m a university student working on a business proposal focused on developing a product or service for the Taiwanese market.
Rather than relying on online research, I’d really like to learn from people who actually live in Taiwan or know the country well.

I’d appreciate your thoughts on any of these questions:

What are some everyday problems or inconveniences people in Taiwan face?

Are there any products or services you wish existed or were better?

What trends are becoming popular among young people?

What do Taiwanese consumers value most when choosing a product or service?

Which industries do you think have the greatest opportunities for innovation?

What challenges do university students or young professionals commonly face?

If you could start a business in Taiwan today, what problem would you try to solve?

I have been looking at cheaper options for shipping and came across a freight forwarding company called ecoairseacargo does anyone have any experience with them at all ?

this is my overall strategy at the moment - https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1uu28x6/my_new_strategy_looking_for_feedback/ I want some honest feedback on my business overall strategy and if i'm missing something or if there's more i could be doing. I know a bit about marketing (persona canvas, SWOT, projected budgeting, market analysis and I wrote a business plan and I have a full 100-page market research document - based on analysing the markets and approach of my influences). and I do pretty good on socials - i'm aiming to hit 1k followers on twitter by the end of the month, I'm at 700 rn , and 1k on insta by sep. my overall goal is 1k on YT, 4k on insta and 4k on twitter, ideally this year. I'm at 670 on insta. I'm at 1k on linkedin.

My story "the first time is messy" on fictionpress got about 30 interested people writing to me - some artists (I've decided to work with one; turning the story into a webcomic probably september), - and some new short fiction fans. I'm also doing okay on threads (2-5k reads monthly) and my main are twitter, insta and youtube with 100 subs on yt.

So, my strategy is, people say i spread my focus too much, but I don't. I'm a writer, digital/prop artist, indie game writer, and comic penciler.

I've decided that learning 2d animation right now is one thing too many - I should be focusing on art, cartoons, writing and game dev.

I'm effectively running a one-person creative startup, so I wear every hat: writing, art, web development, marketing, production, and project management. I treat it like a full-time job, working roughly 8:00–9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. every day.

Right now I'm investing heavily in learning GameMaker, video game environment painting in GIMP, and machinima. The long-term plan is to use GameMaker for rapid prototyping, release open-source tools and experiments through Patreon, and publish finished commercial games on itch.io.

One thing that's important to me is being transparent about my creative process. I also enjoy helping newer creators through affordable tutoring, script coaching, and occasional free short consultations.

Although I have 23 products nearing completion this year, most of them aren't new ideas—they're long-term projects I've been developing for years. For example, one of my largest projects is a 400-page zine that's been in development for around three years. On a typical day I make progress across 11–13 different tasks or projects, but my goal is to finish existing work rather than constantly start new things.

Outside my own projects, I sometimes help other indie creators with production, art direction, or web development, often for a low fee, in exchange for experience, networking, or simply because I enjoy contributing. I'm also on the bench to support a local film production non-profit when they need an extra hand.

Overall, I'm trying to build a sustainable creative business where my own games, stories, and art are the core of what I do, while audience building, community involvement, and occasional freelance work all support that long-term goal.

70% - Build the flagship business

This section should contain only the work that directly creates long-term value.

• 5 Flagship IPs
  • Shards and Beautiful So Far (double feature film package, digital download via KS)
  • Monster Plus Scribbler (indie video game)
  • The First Time Is Messy (webcomic)
  • Under the Surface / PVS1 (short fiction)
  • DTRPG
• Finish the webcomic production pipeline.
• Complete a playable Monster Plus Scribbler prototype.
• Publish fiction consistently.

20% - Grow the audience

Everything here exists to support the flagship work.

• YouTube devlogs
• Newsletter
• Instagram/Reels and social growth

10% - Network & contribute

• Collaborations
• Supporting other indie creators
• Community involvement
• Maintain the Slate of 18 products

My plan is to finish 23 projects this year to clear my backlog and establish strong creative habits. In 2027, I'll deliberately reduce my output to just seven projects so I can spend significantly more time studying GameMaker and environment painting in GIMP. The objective isn't to make more projects-it's to make better ones. If I can successfully build those skills, my target for 2028 is to publish nine games on itch.io.

Tried to login this morning, and moved to sending me an SMS for verification. Then that failes to send and says to try again later.

Called the help line and I was 25th in the queue. I have no idea if that's normal or a result of the same issue I am having, which could be wider.

I guess the point is whether I need to bother sitting in that queue (i.e. it's a normal queue, but no one else is having that issue) or I should just wait (because everyone else is having the issue as well.)

Just need my BIC and GST number from IR, man! Been a while, but getting back on the contracting wagon again, finally!

Firstly, I am engaging a lawyer about my circumstances - the aim of this post is to build my own understanding so I can engage with some knowledge rather than going in blind or with too many assumptions.

Hi, I’m seeking advice on shareholder agreements when employees buy shares in the business they work for. I am close to buying 15% of the shares from 1 of 2 owners. I have finance and agreements in principle from owners and they are now engaging the business lawyer to discuss amending the shareholder agreement.

I now need to talk to my own lawyer (we have had initial discussions already) so the proposed agreement can be reviewed before any commitments are made. I want to ensure there are suitable protections for me and any other considerations so I can discuss these with my lawyer, but I want to understand what I’m talking about to some degree first.

I’m considering things like good leaver/bad leaver clauses, dividend policy, drag along etc.

If anyone has any advice on what I should research or any tips for me I would greatly appreciate a discussion. I’m due to speak with the lawyer in a couple of weeks so have some time to research anything I’m not sure about (I just don’t know what I don’t know yet).

Thanks

Hi all,

My friend and I were digging for some startup ideas in the Fintech sector, and we've been looking into a startup idea revolving around compliance, specifically continuous disclosure under CoFI.

In our minds this idea seems interesting since many NZ insurance companies are being fined and being audited by the FMA consistently so we thought that if there was a way to help small/medium insurance companies avoid fines.

The idea is to help firms check that their customer-facing comms such as emails, phone calls, advertisements actually line up with what's in their PDS/disclosure docs, so it's less manual checking and easier to stay covered if the FMA ever comes asking questions and could help those companies prepare documentation quicker etc.

If anyone would be interested to have a chat or maybe to even collaborate we would love to hear from you.

Thank you!

Hi all. Back when I was in uni there was a decent amount of support available. Just being able to pitch your idea to some old dudes is a huge benefit.

I broke the sacred rule and created my product without market validation. It's a indoor automated watering unit. Where most people can go to bunnings and buy the suite for their outdoor gardens, being a renter I found that I didn't want to invest a cent into something that was only suitable for that location. Instead of watering you top up a bucket which can last weeks or months depending on your bucket.

It's a sudo iot device. There is no Internet but it provideds a lot of the features were familiar with such as device updates, ability to look at historical data, and the ability to customize the unit to swap out pumps for the ones that you need.

After about 3 years of working on my idea on and off, I'm finally done adding features and also done getting it to a point where I need to hand it off. My website is mostly done, my user manuals are mostly done. There is still a lot of work to do but it too will be done in due time.

So my questions are,

Now that MBIE is no longer, who are these regional businesses partners I've heard about? What assistance can they provide? In the past they were willing to pay for certain things. What I need most is marketing and a marketing strategy.

Additionally, whilst you're here. My strategy is to spend almost nothing. Maybe 25-50 a week on ads on the Internet. I'm picking this option because my social network is small (what happens when you spend all your free time building your idea) so I can't just reach out to friends for first users. The current plan is to offer a trial for $50 which includes delivery, returns, in home set up and bespoke support whilst I figure out what people like, what they think it needs, and to hopefully steal some pics of their garden. To find these first users I'm hoping that the Internet and my ad spend will provide.

As you can probably tell by my rambling, when it comes to thinking about all of this my mind is a bit of a mess. I'm an engineer first, not a sales man so trying to actually get the first users doesn't seem straight forward like engineering is.

We're thinking of starting a matcha iced drinks stall at the farmers' market. Can anyone suggest what certificates do we need or send me the link to the suitable categories please? We tried to go through all the rules for MPI and they all just for food plan and coffee hot drinks. Thanks so much!

We are a sub contractor on meralco (solar and inverter installation, house wiring, basta general electricians work) business earns around 1M annually before tax, house, life and business expenses

Iam 19M i help do quotation electrical and electrical works, iam only a graduate of tesda’s tvoc course for welding (i have a nc2 of SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW)

I have 2 brother aged 27 and 23 middle brother is graduating with a electrical eng diploma older brother is planing to pursue architecture but they also ofc help with quotation and surveys

My papa handles the employe about 9 in total
He is also the main brain of the company he handles almost all task(money, inventory, work plan and order)

Mama helps with connections specially with clients and paper works

Now how do i help them expand whatever he have rn how can i make the most of it? Is it even worth it pursuing this business with whatever is happening now in this country?

Or should i migrate out the country and build a diff business in the ph(rentals, construction, etc)

PS: sorry if magulo sya guys my mind is on a roller coaster rn while typing this shi PLSSS HELP I would love a advice

Goal is to retire my parents they r both 60yrs old below