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From the CEO - Andy Hamilton
Getting Ready for New Growth
Doesn’t everything just seem more upbeat than this time last year? Everyone I’ve been talking to in the last couple of weeks is putting 2009 behind them and really getting stuck in to actions that will drive business growth. Here at The ICEHOUSE getting ready for new growth is what we are all about. We have lots of opportunities for you to put some energy into your business over the next couple of months – there’s our big 2010 ICE Network Event, the start of our 20th Owner Manager Programme, the Leading and Managing for Growth programme and the return of 2009’s successful Strategy Bootcamp. In addition, check out our monthly free “Demystifying” workshops to show you how incubation can Accelerate new innovations to market.
Bringing new energy into The ICEHOUSE is Bill Payne, the BNZ University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneur-in-Residence 2010. Bill is an experienced Angel investor and has previously been an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Kauffman Foundation in the US. An engineer by training, he sold the company he built to Du Pont and has been investing in and educating start-up companies ever since. Bill is spending 5 months in New Zealand to share his experience around the country. Catch some of Bill’s wisdom by following his blog at www.theicehouse.co.nz/billpayne.
We also recently had a superb event for selected ICEHOUSE graduates hosted by Owen Glenn on board his phenomenal boat “Ubiquitous”. A wonderful Sunday afternoon was spent cruising Auckland Harbour, experiencing waterskiing, jetskiing and fine hospitality. This was part of an exciting new ICEHOUSE Alumni initiative that we will be launching at our 2010 ICE Network Event. We really appreciate Owen Glenn’s support of The ICEHOUSE and the experience he shares with us about growing a successful global business from New Zealand. On 8 March ICE Network members have the opportunity to sit down and talk to him over dinner in the private room at Vinnie’s Restaurant in Auckland. Places are very limited so contact Raewyn Goodwin for all the details.
You can hear Bill Payne speak and find out more about our new Alumni initiative at our ICE Network event at the Floating Pavillion on 16 March. Also speaking are celebrated New Zealand Entrepreneur Rod Drury of Xero and Tony Alexander, BNZ’s plain-speaking and entertaining Chief Economist. This must-attend event will bring together our whole ICEHOUSE community to celebrate new business energy in New Zealand. You can re-connect with old friends, meet a wide group of like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs and hear challenging new ideas from experts about building and growing your business in 2010 . I look forward to finding out how you are injecting energy into your business this year when I see you there.
Cheers
Andy
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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 have responded to the challenge of having key staff out of the business by condensing our Leading and Managing for Growth programme to 6 days over two residential blocks of three days.
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:
Leading and Managing for Growth 8
Block 1 February 17 – 19, 2010
Block 2 March 17 – 19, 2010
Leading and Managing for Growth 9
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.
Click here for more information.
Puma Dart - Peter McCormick's latest innovation:
"Throughout its history as a specialist darts manufacturer, Puma Darts has always been regarded as a pioneer and a leader; a company that pursues excellence and a company for others to watch and follow.
Innovation continues to be the focus for Puma Darts, with a number of new announcements signalling that this is a company that won’t stand still or wait for others to catch up."
Forty years of darting innovation>
Insight Creative - Mike Tisdall's latest news
"We are delighted to announce we have purchased leading Wellington design consultancy Origin Design.
Origin Design shares many distinctive qualities with Insight Creative, including a passion for intelligent, innovative and strategically-driven creative, design and implementation excellence and a genuine desire to work in partnership with our clients."
Press Release>
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What has been happening the in incubator?
The ICE Accelerator team and residents wrapped up 2009 with a few drinks and a lot of stories of the battles that were fought (and won) over the previous 12 months.
From the ICE Accelerator’s perspective, 2009 may be the most memorable to date. To begin with, Ken Erskine joined the team as the Director of Start-Ups. Credit to Ken for managing to “hang on” in his initial year’s busy launch of initiatives and events including the Market Validation Programme, the first annual OPENHOUSE event, the University of Auckland Business School’s Entrepreneurs’ Challenge, and the five-month visit by Bill Payne, the BNZ University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneur in Residence. It did not take long for Ken to see why we’re called the ICE Accelerator.
From the residents’ perspective, the year was good and the end of it was great- and that’s not because they took summer holidays. (A few didn’t.) After months of market research to determine what changes could help its web business grow, Browniepoints.co.nz saw its broadened selection of gifts fly off the shelves of its newly designed website. Congratulations to Marilou Decena for Browniepoint’s highest Christmas sales in eight years.
The second resident guilty of skipping the summer holidays, Gordon Hain of Nova Eco-Tech, has an acceptable excuse. Gordon and his team have begun trials of their latest modular fuel conversion system. In collaboration with an organization that has a 40-vehicle fleet, the Nova team is honing its system that has automotive applications across the globe. Positive results from this trial will make 2010 a ground-breaking year for Nova Eco-Tech. Keep up the hard work, Nova!
This summer offers a great snapshot of life in the Accelerator: exciting initiatives continue to be launched, the team and its opportunities grow and evolve, holidays come and go, and, no matter what, the residents keep on working.
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Investment Evening
Our first Investment evening for the year will be hosted by the BNZ on February 24th 2010. Education Session Prior - Power of Angel Investing Seminar with Bill Payne. Bill Payne is the BNZ University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneur in Residence. Any enquiries regarding attendance or becoming an angel contact Amanda Monks a.monks@iceangels.co.nz.
Bill Payne - BNZ University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneur in Residence 2010
Scroll through Andy Hamilton’s roll-o-decks and it’s unlikely you’ll find a person or organization Bill Payne will not meet over his five month visit from February to July. The ICEHOUSE is excited to see Bill’s visit materialize and is appreciative of BNZ’s support to bring Bill to New Zealand and to make the most of his time. Bill will spend February expanding his New Zealand network, reconnecting with old colleagues, and kick-starting collaboration with the organizations that have supported his visit: BNZ, Foundation for Research, Science & Technology, Investment New Zealand, New Zealand Venture Investment Fund, the University of Auckland Business School, Air New Zealand, and Jucy Rentals. Bill’s visit will no doubt have a fantastic impact on New Zealand entrepreneurs and those that work with entrepreneurs: investors, universities, the government, and large organisations.
Bill Payne will be the BNZ University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneur in Residence. For more information on Bill Payne and his time in New Zealand please visit www.theicehouse.co.nz/billpayne. To arrange time with Bill Payne please contact Robbie Paul, R.Paul@theicehouse.co.nz
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ICE Network 2010 Event
People across the whole ICEHOUSE community are coming together to celebrate the start of a new phase of business in New Zealand. We have navigated turbulent times and we are ready for a new focus on business growth.
The 2010 ICE Network Event will give you the opportunity to re-connect with old friends, meet a wide group of like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs and hear challenging new ideas from experts about building and growing your business in 2010.
For the perfect mix of listening and talking, serious and social at a stunning location, surrounded by friends and graduates of The ICEHOUSE, join us for lunch and a full afternoon at Auckland’s Floating Pavillion.
Tuesday, 16 March
The Floating Pavillion
161 Halsey Street
Viaduct Harbour
Auckland
For more information please contact Tania Hart t.hard@theicehouse.co.nz or (09) 308 6203
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Want to help shape how BNZ can better serve the needs of business customers?
BNZ is expanding it's business research panel. As a business owner/operator, if you wish to share your views with them on different topics, you can sign up via the link below.
Panel members receive survey invites not more than once every 3 months to complete surveys and voice their opinions, with the chance to win prizes or earn some great rewards.
If you are interested in becoming a business panel member, please click on the link below to register – it’s a brief introductory questionnaire to get started.
Leadership key to growth in 2010
As business owners and leaders within your organisation and industry sector, no doubt you have your focus for 2010 on sustainable growth and maximisation of performance within your organisation. One of the most effective ways of achieving this is through maximisation of the performance of your people, especially your leadership team. This can be achieved through several steps including close assessment of the strengths of the individual members and the leadership team as a whole, leading to the creation of a team who work closely together, communicate exceptionally, lead with energy and achieve beyond expectations.
NextWindow is an example of an organisation that is investing significant resource in learning how to maximise performance at the highest levels. Recently lauded in the press as one of the most successful companies in the New Zealand technology sector, the NextWindow executive team with assistance from Icehouse partner Grafton Consulting Group, have committed time to building trust, honesty, open feedback and strong communication within the team. NextWindow CEO Al Monro acknowledges that whilst time is tight, “the importance of having a highly effective team working together in unison towards the same vision and communicating effectively by far outweighed any concerns regarding time and financial commitment”.....
Read more>
Cloud Services
There is a lot of hype around the value that Cloud computing brings to business. The technology behind Cloud is actually nothing new but the recent recession has helped to propel Cloud to the top of many business agendas worldwide.
Cloud offers greater financial agility, business efficiency and better market responsiveness, and for many years Gen-i has been delivering these outcomes for its clients.
We believe the ‘pay as you use’ model for Cloud has enormous potential for New Zealand business as it will allow our typically smaller companies to get affordable and reliable access to solutions only large multinationals or enterprises have had access to in the past.
We see Cloud as an increasingly important part of the broad spectrum of ICT capability that our clients can choose to leverage. We have great local people who can help you work through the options available and develop the solution that is right for your business.
Cloud Services>
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