■ A fortnightly business advice column by Whakatāne accountant and business adviser Jason Lougher

I was interviewing Matt, one of the founders of Parrotdog Brewery in Wellington, about how he first went into business. He wasn’t describing a perfectly mapped-out strategy or some overnight success story. It sounded far more familiar than that.

They started small. They figured things out as they went. Over time, it became something significant.

Listening to him, I was reminded how similar that beginning is to many businesses here in the Eastern Bay.

Most don’t start with a polished business plan. They start with someone being good at what they do.

A tradie picks up weekend jobs that turn into full weeks.

A professional leaves employment and takes a handful of clients with them.

A couple buy a local operation because the opportunity feels right.

There’s usually no dramatic launch. Just a quiet decision: let’s give this a go. But here’s what I’ve noticed over the years working alongside business owners across our region: The way you go into business shapes the kind of pressure you carry later.

Because there isn’t just one path. The most common is what I’d call the organic start.

Work builds gradually. Demand increases. At some point you realise you’re not just doing the job, you’re responsible for everything around it. GST. Wages. ACC. Cashflow. Compliance. Reputation.

Pricing is often based on what feels fair rather than what’s required for long-term profit. Systems exist in your head. Decisions are reactive because there’s no time to be proactive. There’s nothing wrong with starting this way.

Many strong local businesses have. But at some point, the owner has to shift from simply doing the work to designing the business.

That shift is where things change.

Then there are those who start deliberately.

They build savings first. They test demand. They think about margins before committing full time. They might move slower in the beginning but steadier. The key difference isn’t intelligence. It’s intention.

They ask early: what am I actually trying to build?

Is this a well-paid job that gives me independence?

Is it something my family can rely on long term?

Is it an asset I may one day sell?

Those questions quietly influence everything that follows, pricing, debt, hiring, reinvestment.

Another common path is partnership. Two people back themselves together. Shared risk. Shared energy. Complementary skills. In a small community, that can be powerful. Networks overlap and trust matters.

But partnerships only work well long term only when expectations are clear.

Who makes which decisions?

How are profits split?

What happens if one person wants out?

Avoiding those conversations early doesn’t protect the relationship. It usually strains it later.

Then there’s buying an existing business.

Instead of starting from zero, you step into something already operating. Customers exist. Revenue exists. Systems good or bad already run.

In regions like ours, where businesses often carry decades of goodwill, that continuity matters.

But ownership alone doesn’t improve performance. Leadership does.

You inherit habits and culture. The opportunity lies in refining them, not just maintaining them.

Across all these paths, one pattern repeats.

The issue isn’t how someone starts.

It’s drifting without deciding what they’re building.

I’ve worked with owners who began organically, but now want freedom, yet they’re still pricing like a sole operator. I’ve seen partnerships formed on enthusiasm but never revisited as the business evolved. I’ve met founders who planned carefully but never adjusted when reality shifted.

Business ownership in the Eastern Bay carries its own weight. Your customers are often your neighbours. Your staff might be family friends. Reputation travels quickly. There’s pride in independence but also quiet pressure to keep everything afloat.

That’s why clarity matters.

If you’re in business, whether six months in or fifteen years deep, it’s worth pausing to ask:

Why did I start this?

What am I actually running today?

And does that match what I want five years from now?

Are you building income?

An asset?

Flexibility?

Scale?

Each outcome requires different decisions around pricing, structure, debt, and reinvestment.

There’s no single right way to go into business. Our region needs builders, operators, professionals, growers and innovators.

But what it doesn’t need is business owners carrying unnecessary pressure because they never stopped to choose their direction.

Starting is brave.

Choosing deliberately what you build from here; that’s where the real leadership begins.

n Jason Lougher is the owner of Calc Business Advisers & Chartered Accountants. Our team advise businesses throughout the Eastern Bay of Plenty – and across New Zealand. Like this article or want to chat? Feel free to send me an email: [email protected]