We've been in the coaching business for the last 5 years, and have developed a deep understanding of what works and why.
Dr Mike Ashby was Director at the Entrepreneurs Success Programme from 2003 to 2007, working with hundreds of owners of small businesses. He founded his own highly successful company, National Business Coaching, in 2007. Mike works extensively with groups of business owners as well as 1:1, and the concepts he has developed for BizTime come directly from what works with business owners off-line.
As the coaching industry matured, Mike saw that a great deal of people who could benefit from business coaching were missing out because of the time and cost involved. A new model was called for, one that built on the best of coaching but worked on different economics.
Mike is uniquely well-equipped to develop a new model. He was Chief Operating Officer at Southern Cross Health Insurance, one of NZ's largest companies and took the company from a $40M loss to a $30M profit in just two years.
Prior to that he was a partner at Ernst & Young Consulting, leading the Strategy & Transformation practice. He's been a consultant and a senior manager for his entire professional career, and is a gifted speaker and writer. Read what business owners say about Mike's programmes.
Maria Robins has launched and run several successful small businesses, primarily in the health and beauty industry including the manufacturing and exporting of health products targeted to the European markets. Since 2001 Maria has been Director of MRA Consulting which specialises in event management, branding and media placement. MRA have an active database of 5000 businesses and provide PR and marketing assistance to many of NZ's major suppliers to the market. Her primary business has been the NZ Beauty Expo and the NZ Beauty Industry Awards, two highly successful events drawing thousands of people from the industry.
Maria is a freelance journalist and has had dozens of articles published in some of NZ's most well known publications. She advises numerous large and small clients on PR and marketing, helping them achieve maximum promotional value and brand growth.
Stewart Fraser has owned a number of highly successful businesses over the last 15 years, previously active in the Engineering, Printing, Advertising and Photography industries.
Stewart is now forging a boutique winery with experimental varietals on the Kerikeri Inlet. He is involved in many small businesses with his own strategic insight and mentoring company.
