Blog

Being the boss isn’t just about getting the strategy and financial management of your business right. It’s also about becoming a good leader who can get the best from your workforce. With the right leadership style, you keep your people engaged, happy and motivated to get the job done – and that’s good news for […]

It’s that time of year again when most of us are winding down and heading off for a well-deserved break. Here’s our daily top 10 things to help you maximise your holiday! Every day strive for:1 hour of exercise.2 litres of water.3 cups of tea (may be substituted for wine or beer).4 colours on the […]

Christmas holiday breaks are a time to spend with family, friends & have a chance to recharge for the year ahead. We look forward to warmer weather and finally setting up an out-of-office email for the break. However, for business owners, this time can be stressful without careful cash-flow planning. Even if you do continue […]

Seasonal dips in income can be highly challenging when you’re a small business. But there are proactive ways to predict, plan for and overcome these dips in revenue. The key to dealing with seasonal dips is to know when they’re most likely to occur, and to have measures in place to spread your income and […]

How long do your customers take to pay you? A Xero Small Business Insights report showed that late payments to small businesses are improving. But overall, payments often still arrive after due date. Keeping on top of overdue accounts is vital for cashflow. There are some easy things you can put in place today to […]

Your company culture is founded on the norms, values and working environment you create within your business – and a positive culture can directly drive your bottom line. Companies with an effective culture perform 20-30% better than ‘culturally unremarkable’ competitors, according to research by Harvard Business School professor and writer, James Hecket. Why? Because in […]

A ‘she’ll be right’ attitude towards health and safety won’t cut it. You’ve got to make a conscious decision to be safe and get everyone in your team thinking about health and safety every step of the way. Here are a few ways to do this effectively: Get real. Sit down as a team (including […]

Top tips for working ON your business in 2019 When you’re head down in the day-to-day running of your business, it’s hard to know what needs to be done behind the scenes to ensure future success. You don’t have to set aside an entire day to get all your planning, accounting and networking done. Do […]

A Q&A with Mike Stephens, General Manager, Primary ITO Struggling to recruit ambitious workers? Find out how two new apprenticeships, developed by Primary ITO and Federated Farmers, could help you tackle your skill shortage. How does the Federated Farmers Apprenticeship Dairy work?We match apprentices to relevant farms where they can ‘earn while they learn’, develop their skills on-job and grow their […]

Sustainable business practices are good for the planet and its people, but can you make money from it? Here are three of the 2019 Ballance Farm Environment Award winners, who say – yes you can. For Dannevirke’s Simon and Trudy Hales, being sustainable is about future-proofing their 970ha beef and sheep farm near Weber. As the fourth generation […]

In an increasingly disrupted world, the laws surrounding consumer processes sometimes need to play catch up. From 1 December 2019, overseas businesses selling low-value goods to consumers in New Zealand may need to register for, collect and return NZ Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 15% on goods valued at or below $1,000. Low-value goods […]

Once your business is incorporated and becomes a limited company, you’ll need to have a ‘board of directors’ in place to provide your core leadership and run the business. But why do you need a company board? And what are the different roles and functions that each member of the board supplies? Leading the business […]

Balance teamed up with the Whanganui Cancer Society to design their 2020 calendar. Featuring the works from local photographers, this calendar would be perfect for family and friends overseas. $10 each, numbers are limited so get your calendar now and support your local Cancer Society.

As many of our readers and clients will be aware, over the last few years Balance has been expanding its capabilities to be able to offer our clients complete solutions. This started with the merger with Zenith Solutions Limited in 2015 and added strategy, risk management and consulting services to our menu – this also […]

Further developments with digital services tax and collection of the International Visitor Levy were announced and the Government remains committed to modernising and simplifying the tax system. Pre-Budget The major announcement pre-Budget was that Capital Gains Tax is now off the table and that has pretty much overshadowed any tax announcement since. The Government also […]

Whanganui ChronicleRussell Bell There are few things better in my world than helping a new business get off the launching pad. It is exciting to see entrepreneurs young and old turn their passions into viable businesses – particularly when it is easy to see that the business founders have developed something special. Such is the […]

Preparing for your return You’ll need to ensure that your business accounts for the 2019 tax year have been settled before you file your return. We can provide a guide to preparing for your income tax return, or contact us today for more information. Filing your return When you file your return, you will need […]

Overwhelmed with paperwork? Wading through administrative tasks? or needing more time for key staff communications? As life gets more frenetic, it’s worth looking at utilising the tools to help improve workflows and productivity. In an ‘always on’ digital world, it’s time to get the technology working for you. But with so many out there, which […]

On the global stage, New Zealand’s economy has obvious vulnerabilities: its reliance on export, uncertainties affecting major markets and political instability across many regions, complicated by a lack of coherent global action on climate change. This Budget has focused on climate change, land use and national infrastructure. With a capital boost of over $3b, the […]

Innovation is seen as the key to assist New Zealand industries in the transition to an economy high in productivity but low in emissions. The challenge is for businesses to be more innovative and New Zealanders to adapt to changing job markets. The R & D legislation born out of last year’s budget has passed […]