What’s the name of the business owner(s)?
Simon Rowell

How many years has your business being operating?
3

What town(s) are you in?
Hamilton and Auckland

What do you love about your town?
Hamilton has a beautiful powerful river running through it, no traffic and a relaxed atmosphere.

Auckland is a great little city, making the most of its harbour treasures, and features one of my favourite places on the planet – Waiheke Island

What does your business do better then anyone else?
At the heart of Innovation Liberation Front is the famous quote from Victor Hugo “No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come”. Our purpose is to fight for good ideas to prosper. We help innovative businesses to protect, manage and commercialise their intangible assets.

The word “liberation” in the ILF brand is about freeing a good idea from whatever shackles prevent it from having impact and generating prosperity. Perhaps it’s overcoming a funding issue, reducing vulnerability through a clever intellectual property strategy, identifying a clear USP and target niche, or executing a great licensing strategy – whatever your commercialisation issue is, ILF will fight to free you from it.For our manifesto, Innovation Liberation Front has adopted a set of core values that we apply throughout our business.

Our core values set us apart from other providers:

Who dares wins – The famous motto of the SAS, meaning nothing ventured nothing gained. The best form of defence is attack. No guts, no glory. If you don’t try something, you’ll not succeed. Be cheeky and embrace surprise.

First win and then seek battle – one of Sun Tzu’s pillars from the Art of War. Establish your protection and defences, gather all available intelligence, plan to win from the outset. Approach everything with an appropriate state of mind.

Keep calm and carry on – credited to Churchill’s propaganda machine, for ILF it means be persistent, stick to the game plan, and overcome all adversity.

The truth shall set you free – Once the motto of the CIA, it takes a slightly different meaning for ILF. Strive to know all available facts. Be open and transparent. Retain integrity.

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
Founder – Simon Rowell.

Before starting Innovation Liberation Front, Simon practiced for seventeen years as a lawyer and patent attorney, spending 9 years as the partner heading the Commercialisation Team of James & Wells Intellectual Property. 75% of his work involved licensing intellectual property internationally.

In 2012 Simon was listed in Intangible Asset Management magazine’s IAM Strategy 300 – the World’s Leading IP Strategists and IAM Patent 1000 – Guide to the World’s Leading Patent Practitioners. He will also be included in the 2016 edition of this Guide.

Simon is well versed in the needs of entrepreneurial growth companies, and is himself involved as a co-founder of several startups, which are all executing international licensing strategies.

What’s your top tip for business success?
Validate your idea as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Get a first iteration of the product out to market and learn from the feedback. Then persist, persist, persist.

What’s the name of the business owner(s)?
Bruce Hopkins & Anthony Hurst

How many years has your business being operating?
4 1/2 yrs

What town(s) are you in?
We have personnel in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch & Dunedin

What do you love about your town?
The Waitemata harbour & Hauraki gulf, the 50+ volcanoes & the stunning wild west coast

What does your business do better then anyone else?
Offer clients talented temp staff at the same time as supporting the performing arts in NZ.

ActionActors provides temp workers who perform. Our 430+ database are all actors who are experienced in a wide range of sctors including live & character promotions, events – both management & staffing , role play, especially for management training, hospitality, admin & much more. ActionActors sources the ‘day jobs’ 95% of actors need to pay their bills & continue acting.

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
I manage the day to day business, fielding enquiries from clients, posting job offers to our database & general admin.

My business partner helps out with the overall financials along with our accounts person handling payroll.

What’s your top tip for business success?
If you know you are onto a good idea, hang in there, keep chipping away evolving systems as you need to. Don’t be scared of offering equity in the business to potential partners.

What’s the name of the business owner(s)?
Janet MacFarlane

How many years has your business being operating?
0

What town(s) are you in?
Auckland City, and everywhere

What do you love about your town?
Startup culture is awesome. Rich cultural diversity which brings a variety of language, food, commerce and knowledge.

What does your business do better then anyone else?
We uncover knowledge and skills among our peers that we didn’t know existed.
We make it possible for people to share their knowledge – professional or ‘un-professional’, everyone has valuable knowledge.

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
Janet MacFarlane – doing everything at the moment

What’s your top tip for business success?
Engage quality, well integrated systems.

What’s the name of the business owner(s)?
Greg Whyte & Ali Lawn

How many years has your business being operating?
11

What town(s) are you in?
Waihi Beach

What do you love about your town?
It’s very beachy and laid back – has a relaxed vibe to it. The Beach draws people to it both young and old and is a magnet all year round.The sight of 3 generations walking down to the beach is not uncommon as it is a very family beach.Winter walks along the beach are special.

The locals are very community minded and have a can do attitude.In recent times we have raised funds for Christchurch after the earthquake and for Vanuatu after their disaster

What does your business do better then anyone else?
We have a boutique bed & breakfast and we treat guests as we would like to be treated. We have received Excellence awards from Trip Advisor for the last 6 years in a row as voted by our guests and we have received similar recognition from guests for the last 2 years who came via Booking.com. It is very humbling but does suggest we may have the right recipe for hosting guests who are 95% international.

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
Ali my partner does the books and we share the cooking for breakfasts. Ali does home baking as well as making her own toasted muesli and provides fresh baked muffins daily when we have guests.We send recipes for Ali’s muffins, Afghans and toasted muesli all over the world. Ali also has other employment running a kiwifruit packhouse – this dovetails nicely with the Lodge as our business is seasonal and the kiwifruit comes on stream as our season winds down.

I do the marketing, handle trade relationships and take most of the bookings. I also look after the website admin and do a blog.

I also make jams and chutneys as well as the odd batch of lemoncello to share with our guests.

We also have our own honey which we use for breakfasts and Ali uses it in her toasted muesli.

What’s your top tip for business success?
Sharing our little piece of paradise here at Waihi Beach with our guests and showing them great Kiwi hospitality. We are often the travel guide providing guests with ideas of where to go and what to see, where to eat etc along with travelling times.Guests get the benefit of our local knowledge by staying with us at the Lodge.overseas guests stay at places like ours as they want to interact with locals and find out what makes us Kiwis how we are and in many instances are envious of us living in New Zealand and Waihi Beach. In comparison many hotels are sterile and there is very little interaction.

What’s the name of the business owner(s)?
Lillybeth Melmoth

How many years has your business being operating?
Eight

What town(s) are you in?
Exclusively mobile service, but based in Tauranga
Mainly serving brides and customers in Tauranga, Rotorua, Waihi Beach etc.

What do you love about your town?
Tauranga is my home town so I have many memories of growing up here, lots of nostalgia for this palce, as well as hope for a thriving future. Tauranga has so much potential and is the fastest growing city in NZ. It’s a good mix of relaxed holiday feel + creative arts communities + business smarts.

It’s a perfect size for my business – not too big, not too small. Also, in relation to my wedding makeup offering, our beaches attract many engaged couples from NZ and all over the world, and getting married here is less expensive than Auckland for example, so the customers come to me, and for that I’m very grateful.

What does your business do better then anyone else?
Customised wedding makeup with hassle-free communication. Lots of brides complain about suppliers being slow to answer emails or having bad communication in general. I aim to be upfront with what’s involved in terms of costs and the booking process, so brides know what to expect from me and what I need fomr them in the months or years leading up to their wedding day.

Unbiased beauty advice. Unlike most makeup consultations in departments stores or at makeup counters, my makeup lessons are hands-on so the customer has the brushes and tool in her hands, plus there’s no expectation or pressure to purchase products. And I’m not brand-exclusive.

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
I’m the sole makeup consultant (for lessons) but for makeup application there are 6 other makeup artists in my team, who brides can book individuually through me for their wedding makeup when I’m not available. The customer chooses their makeup artist from the profiles of my team I send them, so they know who they are booking and who they’ll be meeting at their trial-run beforehand.

What’s your top tip for business success?
Focus on the ideas you can execute. Ideas count for nothing if you don’t take massive action.

Who’s the business owner(s)?
Sharon Albrechtsen

How many years has your business being operating?
One

What town(s) are you in?
Eltham. South Taranaki

What do you love about your town?
My town is small and friendly, it is a quirky township with wonderful people.

What does your business do better then anyone else?
One off creations

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
I am the team… I do everything

What’s your top tip for business success?
Perserverance

How many years has your business being operating?
One year.

What town(s) are you in?
Opunake

What do you love about your town?
Everything, we have the best wee town in the world. We have sun sea surf and sand. The people are all community style folk who look out for each other.

What does your business do better then anyone else?
We are the one-stop shop of health and social services for Coastal Taranaki. We provide a professional modern, purpose built space and necessary equipment to deliver these services. We work hard to attract and retain these services for all our local people. We currently have 12 health related and 8 social related operations.

We aim to create strong partnerships within the community and wider health professionals and Taranaki region.

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
The Trust is governed by a Board of 8 Trustees. CoastalCare is managed by an Independent contractor manager who reports directly to the Trust and is responsible for all facility operations.

What’s your top tip for business success?
Communication, communication, communication – you can never communicate too much

Andrea Mulligan

What’s the name of your business?
PsycInsght NZ Ltd

What’s the name of the business owner(s)?
Andrea Mulligan
Mike McKinney

How many years has your business being operating?
Seven

What town(s) are you in?
Christchurch

What do you love about your town?
New energy after the earthquakes
Beautiful surroundings
Proximity to the outdoors
Ease of travel and ability to achieve good work-life balance’

What does your business do better then anyone else?
Our business is very person orientated so people come to see us in particular – difficult to replicate this.
Offer flexible therapy options’
Reasonably priced for level of experience offered to clients

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
Our team consists of myself (Andrea Mulligan) and Mike McKinney

We each specialise in different areas so taken together cover most bases for clients.

Visit out website for more details (www.psycinsight.co.nz)

What’s your top tip for business success?
Provide quality product and service
Good communication

Hometown:  Eltham

What’s the name of the business owner(s)?  Noeline Thorne

Years in operation: 24 total (Australia originally), 18mths in New  Zealand

What do you love about Eltham? 
Peaceful. Not a great distance from many major centres.

What does your business do better then anyone else?
Work on the care of self, and look for valuable ingredients to use in my hand made soaps and skin care products.

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
I do it all!

What’s your top tip for business success?
Be genuine, ethical, professional & passionate!

What’s the name of the business owner(s)?  Awhina Downs

Years in operation: 18 months

What do you love about the Rangitikei? 
Rural
Small
Friendly
A little bit alternative
Close to main centres
Beaches close by
Ruahines
Mount Ruapehu
Mount Taranaki
Tramping

What does your business do better then anyone else?
Awesome Fresh Food That’s On Trend Served By Friendly Staff
Café Garden That’s Relaxing To Sit In On A Lovely Summers Day
Masses Of Parking
Havana Coffee That’s Tastes Great
Opposite Beautiful Marton Park Home To Marton Rugby *Go The Stinger Bees*

Tell us about your team. Who does what?
Awhina – owner and cook extradair’e
Bernadine – 2IC and fastest moving Front of House ever!
Nicki and the girls – wouldn’t be without them.

What’s your top tip for business success?
Nothing is a problem, just ask away!