A. No. A good advisor will quickly understand your current picture, assess the potential of your business and understand the opportunities. They will know how to get you and your team to see your business afresh from the ‘bridge’ of your business. This view will help you to separate out the things that are vital and other activities that are low priority and energy sapping.

A good advisor knows how to put your business up against world-class practices to identify the strengths and weaknesses within your plans, processes and people. Yes, this leads to new priorities, but it also means that some old work no longer needs to be done. The result of an advisor's input should be a new renewed focus and enthusiasm for the businesses future.

If I were a business owner/leader what would I do? Find a highly recommended business advisor and purchase two hours of their time. If you buy the advisors time you won't feel any obligation to involve them further. Over the first hour explain your history, your future aspirations and your current state. Over the second hour listen to what they have to say about the phase your businesses is in and what is needed for the next phase. If that advisor is Corporate River, you will receive some helpful business tools to move forward with.

A. Become incredibly curious about any market you wish to enter. Gather as much market research as early as you can. The Government will have a department that helps exporters with doing business in other countries and they can provide market research for free or for a small fee. They may be able to help in other ways such as group visits to the country of interest and perhaps funding assistance.

Learn to understand target customers from inside the new market by spending time there. The more you can view your business offering through the eyes of your new customers the more effective your entry into that market will be.

Travelling to new markets may seem costly, but you can't know what new things you will learn. The cost of travel must be compared with the cost of trying to launch a product in a new market without vital inside knowledge or trusted in-market relationships.

New Zealand is one of the easiest countries in the world for building prototype businesses capable of scaling. However a global business mind-set is important. Export business challenges should be worked through before starting to export because once operating offshore any business weaknesses will impact new relationships and be difficult to resolve.

Apart from that, go for it. Exporting is always exciting if you are prepared to learn and evolve the business.

If I were a business owner/leader what would I do? Contact NZTE and ask for market research on the country you are interested in. Next contact the overseas office of NZTE in that country and the other organisations mentioned in NZTE's research. This will lead to a collection of names that you can set up appointments with. Don't expect to sell anything on the first trip. This is a process of one door opening to a room with many doors, then to more rooms, each one getting closer to the valuable relationships that you need.

A. Good question. I have two observations.

1. I find that many businesses leaders unconsciously implant an early bias on their business that is hidden while the business is small, however it is often revealed as a weakness just at a critical time of growth.

Examples: A 'sales oriented´ leader may make promises in order to win customers before having the capability to deliver on the promises they are making. Others may prioritize the building of internal capability over the winning of new customers.

Experienced business people are careful to build a balanced business from the beginning. While any business can make a good start, unless any bias is uncovered and corrected early on it is probable that leaders will encounter unanticipated and unnecessary challenges later on.

2. Establish feedback loops early in the life of your business.

Many business people sit in their boardrooms and create customer strategies without ever obtaining the market's opinion.

To have a faster, higher chance of success, test your offering with your target audience as soon as you can – even at the prototype stage.

There have been many instances where potential customers have become enthusiastic after assessing prototype products and say “We'll place an order once you make these changes”.

If I were a business owner/leader what would I do?

On 1. I'd find a good business map or assessment and lay it over my business and identify the areas of strengths and weaknesses. If I see an area of weakness, I'd find a specialist in that area and challenge them to convince me that this area is important for my business. There are free on-line business assessments available though the business department of your local council, or you can ask Corporate River to carry out an assessment.

On 2. I'd identify several people out in the market who are typical of my target customer. Meet them and ask them for their honest opinion about your product and service. If they prove to be helpful, I'd ask permission to keep them involved adding their views to those of my senior team.

A. I understand your view. You'll no doubt be aware that there is a high rate of business failure and research carried out over many years by governments and universities puts the majority of business failure down to incomplete strategic business knowledge.

Perceptions of value change quickly according to circumstances. For example a business leader that is uncertain about the viability of their business will hesitate to invest in an advisor. However when faced with a new opportunity to grow, their mind set changes to one of “how do I do what is necessary to make this happen quickly?”

Sound business advice taken early will guide your company away from paths that look attractive but lead to unnecessary challenges. Good advice will help you put your company on the best path for your unique circumstances. The input provided by a good advisor may appear to have moderate value at first, however their advice becomes increasingly valued as business growth accelerates and strategic goals begin to be achieved.

If I were a business owner/leader what would I do? Some businesses don't need help – they just need the owners to get their ‘ducks in a row’. However if there is any uncertainty about business direction or priorities, one short session with a recommended business advisor can bring a huge lift in confidence and shine some light on an area of your organisation that needs attention. Effective coaching is a two way process that involves you answering questions. Books and speakers are good, but they can't understand your circumstances before giving you advice for your circumstances.

A. A big benefit of having any outside professional look at your organisation is that they can do what is difficult for anyone that is closely involved – that is, they can see your organisation with fresh eyes and are able to compare it to other successful organisations that they know intimately. After you meet an advisor you should quickly get the sense that the session is all about you and your business. At the initial meeting an advisor should seek to understand your business, your story and your future aspirations. They should want to know what is unique about your company, your offering and your customers before beginning to give their view.

If a business advisor tries to give you guidance or push you down a particular track before trying to understand your business, we recommend that you look elsewhere. If you feel pressured or obligated at the beginning of the relationship, it won't end well.

Always ask to talk to the advisor's existing clients before signing on and call clients who have been working with the advisor for at least three months or more. It's important that you choose a business advisor whom other successful business people respect.

If I were a business owner/leader what would I do? If an approach from an advisor leaves you interested in getting assistance, talk to two other advisors to get a comparison. Ask your local council. They probably have an office dedicated to assisting businesses and have seen the results of many advisors input. In addition they may be able to provide funding to assist with the advisors fee.

A. Successful transformation results from a number of critical elements dovetailing together. Of these, we consider the alignment of senior leadership as the most important element because senior managers will unite to ‘push’ until the other critical elements are in place. Unless senior management clearly understands WHAT the transformed company is going to look like and HOW they are going to make the journey, transformation will most certainly fail.

A successful transformational journey will begin with a) clear reasons for change, b) an expression of strategic aspirations and c) the creation of a plan with clear steps and goals. As the journey proceeds, transformational 'what and how' leadership gradually moves to transactional ‘make it happen’ leadership. This needs to be planned before beginning.

Corporate River has developed methodology for implementing steps through the whole transformation journey. We have methodology for managing people through the challenges encountered.

If I were a business owner/leader what would I do? There is a lot at stake here. I'd find an advisor who has guided businesses successfully through the transformation change process and spend a period of time listening carefully with an open mind. It is far better to invest in this time before beginning the transformation journey.