Business in all seasons

Let’s be honest — it’s a challenging time to be in business right now.

Costs are up, margins are squeezed, and many owners are feeling the weight of it. For a lot of Kiwi businesses, this is what we’d call winter. The phone might still ring, but cashflow’s tighter, decisions take longer, and growth can feel out of reach.

But here’s the thing: winter is where clarity happens.

It’s where you strip things back, face the facts, and get honest about what’s working and what’s not. It’s not the easiest season, but it’s the one that sets you up best for whatever comes next.

What’s happening out there

The latest move from the Reserve Bank cutting the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points to 2.5% says a lot. The economy has softened more than expected, with GDP contracting 0.9% last quarter and key sectors like construction and manufacturing feeling the chill.

The rate cut is welcome news, but it won’t flip things overnight. It takes time for that relief to flow through to lending and spending. For now, most businesses are still working hard to maintain profitability and protect their people.

So, if things feel tough — they are. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck.

Winter: The season for clarity

Winter has a way of showing you what’s real.

It’s when you see the cracks in systems, pricing, or cashflow that summer’s busyness tends to hide. It’s when the numbers tell you the truth and when facing them, not fearing them, makes all the difference.

This is the season to:

• Get close to your numbers. Daily, weekly or fortnightly cashflow forecasts, not just monthly reports. Know your runway.
• Talk early to your bank. The OCR drop will be a welcome sight to those on floating rates, however for those on fixed there is no immediate change. However, it might open doors to better terms but only if you can clearly show your stable position.
• Revisit your pricing and margins. Costs have moved. Have your prices kept up?
• Simplify. Tighten up your structure, cut waste, and refocus energy on the parts of the business that actually make money.
• Run scenarios. Ask the hard “what ifs” and use that knowledge to plan, not panic.

Winter can be confronting, but it’s also the season where the best decisions get made. It’s when strong businesses reset, reframe, and prepare to come out sharper than before.

Spring: Momentum with meaning

Not everyone’s in winter. Some businesses are feeling more like spring right now — busy, confident, and seeing fresh opportunities.

If that’s you, that’s fantastic but it’s still a season to be intentional.

Spring brings momentum, but it also brings new challenges: more staff, more stock, more moving parts. Growth needs structure.

This is the season to:

• Strengthen your foundations. Keep your reporting, systems, and processes tight. Don’t let growth out pace discipline.
• Forecast forward. Busy seasons eat cash. Make sure you’re planning for working capital, not just profit.
• Protect your people. Growth can burn out good teams. Lead well, communicate often, and make sure your pace is sustainable.
• Invest smartly. If you’re in a position to expand, do it with purpose not because everyone else is.

Spring feels energising, and rightly so. But if winter gives you clarity, spring gives you the chance to build something stronger from it.

No matter the season

Whether you’re in the middle of winter or enjoying the first warmth of spring, one thing stays constant: you shouldn’t have to navigate it alone.

Your accounting advisers shouldn’t just show up at the endof the financial year. They should be there in the thick of it helping you see what’s really going on, plan for what’s ahead, and make confident, informed decisions.

Because business will always have seasons. You can’t control the weather but you can control how you prepare for it.

And clarity? That’s what keeps you moving, whatever the forecast.

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