Paid Right NZ
You did the work. You carried the cost. But the money still isn’t back in your business.
0800 968 783
Monday to Friday, during normal business hours.
Perhaps money has stopped moving, a customer relationship has become difficult, or there is a contract or piece of work in front of you and something simply does not feel right.
A Paid Right Session is here for you when you have:
- an invoice that has stopped moving
- a customer who has gone into liquidation
- a payment dispute you did not see coming
- a difficult payment conversation you need to prepare for
- a customer, contract or job you want to think through before you proceed
You may be working through something that has already happened, noticing that a situation is beginning to shift, or simply wanting an experienced view before you make the next commitment.
A Paid Right Session is a focused session, centred on your business, your situation and where you are at right now, so you can understand what you are dealing with and decide what makes commercial sense from here.
I bring more than 25 years working across New Zealand business and nearly a decade of specialist frontline experience supporting business owners through non-payment, disputes, unexpected liquidations and those moments when everything was fine - until suddenly it wasn’t. I apply that experience, commercial judgement and pattern recognition to your situation and the wider business around it.
The stress, the firefighting, and the feeling that you are working for free. That is what a business looks like when it has started to own you. Seeing the situation clearly is how you get back in front of it.
I also know what this looks like from the inside. As business owners we have been through some extremely challenging times ourselves. I grew up in a family of hands-on business owners, watching my parents be very good at what they did while teaching themselves the commercial and financial side, and learning it the hard way. They also showed me you can own your own time and build something of your own.
Whether your business invoices $5,000, $50,000 or $500,000+ a month, revenue earned is not the same as money available. The scale changes, and so do the commercial realities, but money sitting outside the business is still money the business has earned and cannot use.
That money already has a job to do. It may be needed for wages, materials and overheads; to pay tax, fund equipment, reduce overdraft reliance or simply give the business more room to move.
Monday to Friday, during normal business hours.
The situation behind the money matters.
A late payment, genuine dispute and liquidation can have the same effect on the bank account, but they are not the same commercial situation.
What makes commercial sense may turn on what was agreed, how the work changed, what evidence exists, who holds authority and what is happening further up the contracting chain. That context helps us see whether to pursue, negotiate, escalate, protect the relationship or stop the exposure from growing.
Understanding the context cannot undo what has happened, but it can give you a clearer position from which to decide what to do next. Sometimes the position is stronger than it first appears; sometimes the options are genuinely limited. Either way, you can make the next decision with your eyes open.
What this can look like in practice.
One building-sector business I worked with was preparing to begin a $350,000 project with a company they had known for years. But the ownership had changed, protections had been removed from the Terms of Trade, the client application was incomplete and the credit check came back red.
The business paused. That brought the right decision-makers into the conversation, strengthened the terms, created a direct relationship with the top-tier project owner and secured a $125,000 prepayment towards materials. When the unstable middle layer later failed, the business was able to continue and be paid directly.
The insight was not simply to say no. It was to see the risk clearly enough to create safer terms on which to say yes.
Monday to Friday, during normal business hours.
What we do in a Paid Right Session.
You do not need to arrive with a perfect timeline, every document in order or all the right questions. Bring what you have and tell me what has happened.
Together we will:
clarify what is known, assumed or still missing
look at the people, documents and conversations shaping your position
weigh the practical options and their trade-offs
decide on the strongest next move and the order in which to act
identify any additional specialist advice the situation requires
After the session, you will receive a written summary of what we worked through and the next steps we identified. We will also have a follow-up call a few weeks later to see what has changed and help you keep moving.
“Having Mel in our corner has been pretty crucial. We’ve worked together for years now, and she’s been there as our business and life have evolved. Knowing there’s someone with the right expertise to help put strong systems and protections in place gives you real confidence. And if something does go wrong, you know you’ve got someone to call, someone who understands the space, and someone who’s helped make sure you’ve got a leg to stand on.”
Your investment: $1,495 + GST
This includes a focused half-day session with you and your key people, a written summary and next steps, and a follow-up call a few weeks later. Sessions are available online anywhere in New Zealand, or in person by arrangement.
The purpose is to help you see the wider commercial picture and make a sound decision while the situation is live - for the invoice, the relationship and the business around it.
A Paid Right Session provides specialist commercial support around a specific payment, dispute or risk situation. It is not legal or insolvency advice, and it is not a debt collection service.
Not sure whether a session is the right fit?
Fifteen minutes on the phone will tell you more about where you stand than an hour of reading.
When you are ready.
If you have a specific situation you want to understand and work through, you are welcome to book a Paid Right Session.
Monday to Friday, during normal business hours.
Or book a time now
Choose a time that suits you and confirm it online. Sessions run online anywhere in New Zealand, and payment is taken when you book. We will be in touch within one working day to hear what is happening and get what we need in front of us before the session.
Not ready for that, and want to understand what you are dealing with first? There is a longer piece on why this happens and what changes it: not being paid for work you have done.