Three businesses, three different results.
Money brought back in, a risky job turned into a safe one, and a change of wording that moved payment to completion.
By Mel Curwood. More than 25 years working across New Zealand business, and nearly a decade helping trades, contractors and blue-collar businesses get paid in full, on time, every time. Over 350 of them.
Each of these shows a different kind of result, because getting paid in full and on time looks different in every business. For one it was hundreds of thousands of dollars coming back in. For another it was the confidence to say no to a job until it was safe to say yes. For a third it was three sentences. All three are anonymised, and every figure is exactly as it happened.
01 · Money brought back in
A heavy diesel and mechanical workshop
The owner had stepped back from the tools to grow the business, and every invoice, approval and dispute still ran through him. Three days before the first session, $425,000 was outstanding and overdue. The business was financing its own completed work, and it was costing sleep.
The work traced where the delay started, well before the invoice, and rebuilt how jobs were agreed, priced, invoiced and followed up.
$425,000 outstanding, down to under $50,000 by September 2026, with one complex account still being resolved.
Read the full case study, including what was still open at the end
02 · A risky job turned into a safe one
A New Zealand building industry specialist
A $350,000 project carrying significant risk. A long-standing relationship could no longer be relied upon after the other company changed ownership. Important protections had been crossed out of the terms of trade, the client application was incomplete, and proper credit checks returned a red result.
Rather than proceeding on the strength of history, pressure or hope, the business refused to take on the project under those conditions.
That refusal forced the issue to be escalated to the people with real authority. It opened the way for stronger protections, direct engagement with the top-tier project owner, and a $125,000 prepayment toward materials. The business was then able to proceed from a substantially stronger position.
The judgment was later proven right. The new ownership structure did become unstable, and slow payment and non-payment emerged within the project chain. Because the business had done its due diligence, held its boundaries and built a strong relationship with the top-tier project owner, the unstable middle layer could be removed and the business was paid directly.
Strong credit control is not simply chasing an overdue invoice. It is having the information, structure and confidence to say no before taking on unacceptable risk, and using that position to create safer terms on which to say yes.
03 · A change of wording
A property care operator
He was not struggling to win work. He walked into a home and had instant rapport, listened deeply, and understood what people were trying to achieve, across everything from car cleaning to lawns, gardens and full property care. People genuinely loved him, and he could land almost any job.
He would finish the work, send the invoice, and then wait. When he first learned that payment in New Zealand often meant “the 20th of the following month”, he could not believe that was the norm, and yet he quietly adjusted to it. Sales, quality and relationships were all strong. The problem was 100% cash flow.
He saw payment conversations as a barrier, something that might disrupt the vibe, damage the relationship or break the warmth he had just built. So payment discussion happened after the work was done. He was brilliant at clarifying outcomes and walking through what people wanted, and he was not setting expectations about what happens next, how payment works, or when it happens. So clients defaulted to delay as normal.
We inserted one additional step into the client journey: after building the relationship, after scoping the job, after agreement. He practised saying:
“From here, one of my team will send you through a summary of what we’ve discussed, including pricing. Have a read and let me know if there’s anything that needs adjusting. Once the work is completed and we’ve walked through it together and you’re happy, it’s payment on completion.”
That’s it. When payment is presented as part of the natural workflow, clients rarely resist, because resistance usually comes from surprise, unclear expectations and emotional awkwardness. Those three sentences remove all three.
In their own words
Good credit control and having the right infrastructure in place is essential for protecting the lifeblood of our business. In our industry, cash flow is everything. A lot of Kiwi customers don’t always understand the importance of prompt payment or the impact delayed payment has on small businesses, especially for one-man bands and smaller operators who are just trying to keep things moving. With high costs and tight margins, keeping money moving really does mean everything.
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.
We’re a small interior joinery business and trade with some large companies in the construction industry. Having robust and transparent credit control systems ensures clients know the procedure for payment and debt collection. Mel helped us implement our system. Mel was approachable, thorough, and helped me grow in confidence to apply the terms of trade when required. What really stands out to me is how much Mel cares about us and our specific business and industry. We have really appreciated Mel’s advice and expertise over the last 9 years. Maintaining strong cash flow is an important aspect of helping me sleep at night!
From day one, Mel has had everything at her fingertips, keeping everything relevant and letting us know of any legal changes and ensuring we’re always covered. The difference she’s made is undeniable - our cash flow has improved, and we can now cover business costs with ease.
Working regularly with Mel has provided us with steady, consistent growth. Every time we go to Mel, she has great suggestions on how we can improve things. She helps us see where we need to be and what steps to take to get there. Having the right advice and tools in place has been a game-changer.
Mel and the team have worked with more than 350 New Zealand businesses.
Every one of these started with a conversation about what was actually happening in the business. Work with us sets out the ways in, from a single session to six weeks of structured work.