1. Hunting Efficiency - The Missing Profit

A series about business efficiency, finding profit and how to get there.

It’s no secret that the New Zealand economy has been in a holding pattern for some time. Flat growth, rising costs and increasing uncertainty have become the new normal. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the lifeblood of our economy, are feeling the squeeze from all sides.

Traditionally, the answer to profitability challenges has been simple - sell more, find new customers, expand into new markets. But what happens when that’s no longer a realistic option? What if your market is saturated, your customer base is tightening their belts, and price increases are either impossible or too risky?

This is the question many SME owners across Aotearoa are quietly grappling with.

But here’s the good news - there is a powerful, often untapped lever that exists within your business. One that doesn’t rely on market expansion or sales gimmicks. It’s called efficiency and in the current climate, it may be the most cost-effective, reliable path to increased profitability.

This series - Hunting Efficiency: The Missing Profit - will guide you on a journey to uncover the profit that is already hiding in your business.

Efficiency is Not a Euphemism

Let’s be clear from the outset - when we talk about efficiency, we’re not talking about cutting jobs for the sake of margins or running your team into the ground. Efficiency is about clarity, alignment, and intention. It’s about asking -

• Are we doing the right things?

• Are we doing them the right way?

• Are we doing them for the right reasons?

The reality is that almost no business is operating at full efficiency. There are habits, legacy processes, duplicated tasks, underutilised people, and missed opportunities in nearly every SME. That’s not a criticism, it’s an invitation.

Where to Hunt for Efficiency

In this series, we will explore every corner of a typical SME, regardless of industry, and show you where hidden profit often resides. Here’s a brief glimpse of the territory we’ll be covering -

• Leadership and mindset – How your own approach may be setting the tone for waste or clarity.

• Financial efficiency – Not just cutting costs but understanding the value equation - what you're really getting for what you’re spending.

• People and performance – Getting the most from your team by aligning talent with need, not just tradition.

• Processes and technology – Streamlining what you do and how you do it, often with small changes that have big results.

• Customer and market focus – Serving the right customers, in the right way, for the right return.

• Supply chain and inventory – Managing what comes in and what sits on shelves with sharper eyes.

• Governance and sustainability – Running a business that is not just lean, but future-fit.

Why This Matters Now

In times of economic uncertainty, the businesses that survive and thrive are not always the biggest or the flashiest. They are the ones that adapt and that adaptation starts with honesty. Efficiency requires us to reflect on how we’ve been operating and ask - “Is this still fit for purpose?”

That kind of inquiry takes courage. It’s far easier to chase the next sale than to look under the bonnet. But it's under the bonnet where the missing profit lives.

You’re Not Alone - A Coaching Programme to Support You

We know this kind of internal audit and transformation can feel overwhelming. That’s why this series is supported by a dedicated coaching programme designed specifically for New Zealand SMEs. This isn’t a cookie-cutter course. It’s a tailored journey that meets you where you are and walks beside you.

With practical tools, one-on-one support, and a highly experienced coach committed to building leaner, more resilient businesses, this programme will help turn insight into action and action into margin.

In Closing

Efficiency is not a second-best strategy. In fact, in today’s economy, it may be the smartest one. It doesn’t require a change in the market, it requires a change in focus.

In Hunting Efficiency – The Missing Profit, we’ll uncover, challenge and reframe what it means to run a “tight ship”, not for its own sake, but because it frees up time, energy, and profit that you can reinvest in what matters most - your people, your customers and your future.

This is about building a business that is not just surviving - but built to last.

If you’d like to know whether this programme might be what your business needs, email me at john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz or call/txt me at +64 285 665 682 and I’ll send you a set of questions for you to ponder and set the stage for a free, no obligation and confidential conversation.