The ICEHOUSE - business growth centre
ICE Bridge (Education for Owner Managers) and Alumni News
ICE Accelerator (Incubation for start-up businesses) and graduate news
ICE Angels
ICE Network Events and news
From our partners
The ICEHOUSE - business growth centre
From the CEO - Andy Hamilton: It was great to see real recognition for entrepreneurship in New Zealand and the contribution to the community that comes from wealth creation through growing businesses in the Queen’s Birthday honours. It is fantastic news that Mad Butcher Peter Leitch and Levene Founder David Levene have both been knighted. What a great advance to give our country’s highest accolades to business owners, the people our founding Chairman David Irving describes as the “understated heroes” of the New Zealand economy. Sir Peter is described in the media as a “one-man hurricane” with a “heart of gold.” He is the archetypal business owner that we see every day at The ICEHOUSE and together we all acknowledge his achievements and contributions.
Also this weekend, New Zealand’s Ernst& Young entrepreneur of the Year, Diane Forman competed with 49 other global finalists in Monaco. The Chief Executive Officer of Emerald Group has done great things for getting the word “New Zealand” into so many countries. The New Zealand Natural brand is represented through 700 outlets around the world and dishes up more than 90 million scoops of ice cream annually. In fact, a new outlet opens every nine days somewhere across the globe.
Other recognition this month included our own Chairman Greg Cross’ well-deserved win of the 2010 TechNZ Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual of the Year. The team at The ICEHOUSE receives enormous benefit from Greg’s experience and leadership and we are thrilled to see him receiving recognition for his “outstanding contribution to the New Zealand hi tech sector”.
After winning a couple of last year’s Vero Excellence in Business Support awards ourselves, it was excellent to see more wins this year within the ICE Network – I want to say congratulations to Uniservices (CEO Peter Lee is on the ICEHOUSE Board) and Rod Oram, presenter at many of our Owner Manager Programmes over the years.
I would finally like to express thanks and farewell to Tiffany Leeder who after 5 years at the ICEHOUSE has moved onto the Trans-Tasman Netball League heading up sponsorship and partnerships. Tiffany started as PA, moved to operations manager, undertook an MBA and executed like anything while she was with us. A great person for building the ICEHOUSE systems and processes into a ‘grown up’ organisation. As all of our entrepreneurs and owner managers know, there reaches a time when you need to get serious about your building blocks for growth – and Tiffany leaves us with a great base to leverage off – thanks mate.
Cheers
Andy
P.S. The budget! These days it is a long way from years’ gone by when we were forced by our parents to sit there at night listening to the live radio broadcast. From my perspective, Budget 2010 seemed to stack up pretty well, you have to love a budget that gives business 5c more in the dollar. The opportunity is for you to make more money and then re-invest those extra earnings to take you to the next level.
P.P.S Hope to see you at the first “First Wednesday” event on 7 July, here at the ICEHOUSE – find out more and register online.
Andy’s Picks this month
Greg Cross wins award for Inspiring Individual - High Tech Awards
Greg carved out an early successful career as an executive, gained offshore experience, spent time in the investment community and has used all that experience to assist NZ companies to grow.
Inspiring Individual - High Tech Awards>
Sir Peter Blake Leaders’ Forum – Tuesday 29th June
Aspiring leaders are invited to be part of this inspirational Leadership Week event. Come and hear some fresh opinions and insights on developing effective, action-based leadership from recipients of the prestigious Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards.
Sir Peter Blake Leaders Forum>
Registration>
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Owner Manager Programme
The ICEHOUSE’ award winning Owner Manager Programme begins its 21st programme this July. The programme will take experienced business owners of small to medium sized businesses on a journey to help unlock the true potential of their businesses. The dates for our next programme are as follows:
Owner Manager Programme 21 2010
Block 1 (Auckland) July 22 – 24
Block 2 (Wellington) August 26 – 28
Block 3 (Christchurch) September 23 – 25
Block 4 (Christchurch) October 28 – 30
Block 5 (Auckland) November 25 – 28
For more information on the Owner Manager Programme>
Leading & Managing for Growth programme
Many of you will know that we have shortened our Leading and Managing for Growth Programme. Following a successful programme with the new format we will continue with the shortened time period. Without compromising the objectives and outcomes of this proven programme, we condensed our Leading and Managing for Growth programme to 6 days over two residential blocks of three days. This ensures that your key staff get maximum value and spend minimum time out of the business.
This programme has been designed to support our owner-managers by empowering your senior business managers to drive your business forward.
The next programme dates are as follows:
Block 1 September 1 - 3, 2010
Block 2 October 13 - 15, 2010
This is a great programme for developing your managers for the busy times ahead.
More information>
Taupo’s Waipapa 9 trust wins 2010 Ahuwhenua Trophy for dairying excellence
Dawson Haa, Chairman of the Waipapa 9 Trust (and Alumnus of the ICEHOUSE Agribusiness Owner Manager Programme 4) won the 2010 Ahuwhenua Trophy at the Bank of New Zealand Maori Excellence in Farming Awards last Friday. Maria Taylor from The ICEHOUSE was there at the Awards dinner in Taupo to cheer him on, as was Steven Bignall, Dawson’s accountant (and Alumnus of the ICEHOUSE Agribusiness Owner Manager Programme 3). Dawson says the award is recognition of the increasing sophistication and strength of the Maori farming sector. From the whole team at The ICEHOUSE, congratulations Dawson. Read the full story and see Dawson receiving his award
Scoop Business Press Release>
Keith Sumner from Gilpin Travel visiting Middle East
ICEHOUSE OMP Alumni, Keith Sumner, recently returned from the Trade Mission to the Middle East headed by Trade Minister Tim Groser. Keith’s company Gilpin Travel provided travel services for nearly half of the 100 strong delegation so there was an element of managing his own clients combined with the potential the region has for inbound travel at the high end.
“Huge potential” is how Keith describes the opportunities for his company and NZ companies generally. In addition to developing new relationships with dynamic companies on the Mission he has returned with a much greater understanding of the travel challenges the region poses and how to solve them (starting with Visas!).
See attached picture for Keith slogging it out in the Middle East..!!!! Poor sod!
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Gordon Hain, our cover boy
The Incubator has been buzzing this month after an array of media coverage citing the ICEHOUSE’s recognition by Forbes Magazine. A number of the ICEHOUSE’s residents and alumni have been featured in media including our “cover boy”, Gordon Hain of Nova Eco-Tech on NZBusiness. We’re yet to see the centrefold!
Emma Fitzgerald wins $1000
Two ICEHOUSE start-ups and one of Bill Payne’s interns found themselves $1000 richer after last week’s Spark Ideas Challenge, which awarded winners “$1000 for 1000 words.” Congratulations to Emma Fitzgerald, Logan Wait of Eco Portal, and Reza Fuard of Points2Change.
ICE Accelerator Alumni Performance Data at 31March 2010
Results of annual survey with ICEHOUSE graduate companies for NZTE reveals some very encouraging results for those organizations. According to information received by Alumni companies the following key highlights stand out:
• Annual revenues of the survey respondents ( 17 companies) was $34.5 Million
• Exports accounted for over 79% of revenues of the companies
• Combined the companies had raised funding/ capital of over $16Million
• Had created a total of 388 full time jobs
These results are a positive affirmation of the quality of ICEHOUSE program and the work done by those companies on a global stage.
First Wednesday
On the First Wednesday of every month, The ICEHOUSE opens up to ambitious entrepreneurs who are hungry to understand the steps to start-up business success. Spend a free afternoon in Parnell with the experts at The ICEHOUSE Business Growth Centre, recognised by Forbes.com as one of the world’s Top 10 Technology Incubators. Access our knowledge, tools and contacts to discover how to turn your idea into a business success.
Attend a seminar to learn the Five Rules for Successful Start-Ups. These key lessons from 10 years of working alongside entrepreneurs will be presented by Ken Erskine, Director of Start Ups at The ICEHOUSE.
Meet Andrew Hamilton, CEO of The ICEHOUSE and our Executives in Residence. Stay and network - get matched up with ICEHOUSE experts and angel investors. Talk over a beer with current and past ICEHOUSE incubator residents and other members of the ICEHOUSE network.
Date: 7 July
Time: 3.00pm - 6.00pm
Where: The ICEHOUSE
Jason Roberts - ICE Accelerator Resident
Charge Communications expands and rebrands to LiveLinkConnect
Charge Communications has recently secured a new investor , added new customers (including The Icehouses’ newsletter solution - to be released in July). We have also added new product solutions and will be launching the new LiveLinkConnect brand at the end of this month. This will now be the public face of the business. Please see our new website here (www.livelinkconnect.com).
Special Icehouse offer. For those unfamiliar with our enterprise email tracking software and new email marketing technologies, we invite you to visit our website. If you simply want to get a bit of firsthand experience of the value of email tracking (you are informed the instant your email is opened), try the free trial offer on our D2C public website here ( www.livelinklite.com). The ‘self destruct’ emails are fun as well!
For more info contact Jason Roberts 021 2227624 (Jason@livelinkconnect.com)
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ICE Angels overview
The ICE Angels continue to leverage Bill Payne’s knowledge and feedback to cultivate a more active and impactful angel network. A number of initiatives have sprung up through Bill’s feedback and subsequent meetings between the ICE Angels, the ICE Angels board, and the managers of New Zealand’s various angel networks. These initiatives include the creation of member-led Screening and Due Diligence committees and greater syndication efforts between NZ angel groups. A recent article shared by Bill highlights the potential that investment syndication offers for NZ Angel groups
In similar news, Phil McCaw of Movac, has shared with us some great feedback from his trip to the American Angel Capital Association Conference. He also highlights the increased potential to for greater investment syndication.
Finally, check out the recent coverage on Optima Corporation, one of the ICEHOUSE’s original start-ups and ICE Angel investments, in Florida, USA.
Bill Payne - BNZ University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneur in Residence 2010
Bill is wrapping up May with a well-deserved round of golf at Cape Kidnappers. He’s ended up in the Hawkes Bay region after a successful 14-day road trip that included visits to Hamilton, Rotorua, and Tauranga. In each location, he met with angels, entrepreneurs, and other local influencers and, similar to the other visits, his depth of knowledge and savvy advice left the hosts in awe and wanting him back for more. Highlights of this road trip include an energized Power of Angels seminar in Tauranga, a review of the UniComm Pre Seed fund, and a 20” Rainbow trout, caught under the watch of his great Rotorua hosts.
Much of June will see Bill finalizing projects and collaborations that will have an impact long after he’s returned to the US. The challenge is finding time to complete them when so many opportunities are just being unveiled. Like the ICEHOUSE, Bill’s not very good at saying ‘no’ to interesting new projects and initiatives. Bill’s most notable projects include supporting the launch of a new angel investment network in Whangarei and a delivering a comprehensive report to NZ Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF) and other organizations that highlights his observations of New Zealand’s entrepreneurial and angel ecosystems. This report will be a vital resource for NZVIF and others to identify new opportunities to further support the New Zealand’s entrepreneurial prosperity.
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Business Growth Essentials
ICEHOUSE workshops for Owner Managers. Access a knowledge toolkit to make your 2010 business goals a reality. Last chance to register.
- Pay and Performance 14 June (Auckland)
- People Management 22 June (Auckland)
- Finance 28 June (Auckland)
- Accelerated Strategic Planning 27 July (Auckland)
Governance 12 October (Auckland)
Find out more information>
League member news
The ICEHOUSE League is an exclusive business owners’ club that gives you direct and ongoing access to ICEHOUSE knowledge, tools and contacts. It is designed for you to celebrate, connect and learn alongside your peers, continuing your experience with The ICEHOUSE. The League begins officially on 1 April 2010. We invite you to get involved early, join our 28 Foundation Members and get free registration to our Power Up for Growth workshops in May.
Membership is exclusive to business owners who have graduated from one of the ICEHOUSE journey programmes. If you are eligible, this is a brilliant opportunity to get in league with a powerful group of business owners with common aspirations - to grow themselves, their networks and their businesses. www.theicehouse.co.nz/league
Lindsay Aitken, OMP 3
Jalcon Homes – Weather tight assurance built into every new home
As winter bears down and most of us cozy up in the warm glow of dry homes with family and friends, spare a thought for those who can’t. There are families all over New Zealand who bought or built in good faith and have been left as good as homeless this winter due to extensive water damage in their homes. Through no fault of their own, these people face up to hundreds of thousands of dollars of repair work. Some have even been advised to bulldoze their homes and start again. We do not like that.
If you own a Jalcon Home however, you’ll see winter through with the double assurance of a 7 or 10 year Master Builders’ Guarantee plus Jalcon’s very own 15 year weather tight warranty. And whether you build with Jalcon or bought a Jalcon Home it won’t matter. Our warrantees are transferrable and stay with the home. When you buy a Jalcon home, you buy the Jalcon promise that goes with it. And if you happen to be selling a Jalcon Home, it’s a well sought after add-on!
We opened the doors at Jalcon Homes almost twenty years ago, with the mission to build top quality designer homes for great family living. We wanted to build the kind of home that we dreamed about living in ourselves. And that’s what we’ve become known for.
When we saw that leaky homes were going to become a huge problem we made the promise that we would not be contributing to it. We stepped up with a 15 year weather-tight warranty as a personally signed assurance. If any home built by us shows signs of a leak within 15 years, we fix it at our expense.
Some people may wonder what’s to stop us from doing the same as the “fly-by-nighters”, taking the money, building bad and doing a runner? Well, quite simply we don’t want to. We’ve never been interested in running or hiding from our work. We’re far too pleased with our homes and so our customers. And just like our customers’ homes, our company is family owned. Standing by our work means standing by our good name.
In almost twenty years Jalcon Homes has never a single claim against our Masters Builders’ guarantee. At Jalcon Homes we guarantee that every care is taken to keep the dry on the inside and the winter wet on the outside.
Whether you’re building or buying, make sure you do the same!
You can start by clicking here
Kevin Carberry, LAMFG 6
Accredo helps Barkers dress for success
When Andy Thorne became Financial Controller of iconic New Zealand retail clothing brand Barkers in 2008, he set himself the immediate task of improving the company’s financial reporting procedures.
Case study - Bakers>
Our favorite league member photo this month
James Madelin from enlight photo, using this globally successful product the orbis
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From our partners
Ernst & Young Briefing for Owner Managers on the new R&D regime
In a pre-budget release, Prime Minister John Key announced the details of a total $321 million spend on research, science and technology, spread over four years. The research, science and technology initiatives are intended to replace the scrapped R&D Tax Credit Regime and provide more targeted incentives.
The Government has announced that this funding will be allocated to the following initiatives:
- $189.5 million over four years for technology development grants;
- $20.0 million over four years for trial transfer vouchers;
- $11.0 million over four years to help technology transfer from research organisations to businesses and commercialisation of new products;
- $13.7 million over four years in contingency funding for initiatives to improve the transfer of technology from research organisations to the private sector; and
$78.3 million for other initiatives including fellowships for researchers, funds to attract top science talent to NZ and contingency funding for large-scale infrastructure.
Only limited details are currently available of how these initiatives will be applied. It is expected that the Government will work with interested parties to develop the initiatives further.
Technology Development Grants - might these grants apply to you?
The technology development grants are targeted at medium-to-large, research intensive firms, which can show that their activities result in wider benefits to New Zealand.
It is the Government's intention that funding through technology development grants will assist eligible firms to invest in longer-term R&D initiatives, enabling them to increase the amount of research they are currently undertaking.
The Government will contribute grant funding equal to 20% of the firm's expected R&D expenditure for a period of three years, up to a maximum grant of $2.4 million per annum.
High level eligibility criteria have been announced by the Government. Eligible claimants must have:
- An R&D intensity level of 5% (measured as a ratio of R&D expenditure to revenue) over a 3 year period;
- Revenues of at least $3 million per annum;
- Been able to demonstrate strong R&D management capabilities; and
An R&D programme likely to generate significant benefits for the community via high-value products and services.
The launch of the technology grant initiative is planned for October 2010.
Technology Transfer Vouchers - Might these apply to you?
The Government recognises that many smaller firms do not have the resources or capability to undertake in-house R&D. The technology transfer voucher is aimed at assisting firms by giving them a voucher for up to 50% of an eligible R&D project's costs which they can redeem at an accredited research organisation, such as a university or CRI.
Although technology transfer vouchers are targeted at firms with emerging R&D capabilities, the eligibility criteria have not yet been announced.
The launch of the technology transfer voucher initiative is planned for November 2010.
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“Pssst! NZ is great! Pass It On”
“This is the best bloody trip you will ever have ... ever, ever... in your life ... ever.” That’s the promise of one of the major prizes to be awarded in June as part of Kea New Zealand’s “Pass It On” campaign, launched this month.
Four lucky Kiwis living offshore will get a free week in New Zealand with a non-Kiwi mate – a money-can’t-buy travel experience that includes return air fares, luxury resort accommodation and experiences, plus two All Black test matches (including special access to the team).
Almost NZ$300,000 in prizes are on offer. To win, join Pass It On and earn points for getting your mates to sign up, too.
More importantly, Pass It On helps ordinary Kiwis promote the best of New Zealand to the world, as global interest in the country peaks in the lead up to Rugby World Cup 2011.
Visit http://www.passiton.co.nz/ to start sharing the best of New Zealand with the rest of the world.
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