Tony Small, Decent Packaging

When I started working with Zac, I was just two years into my sustainable packaging business and we were still in start-up mode. That was eight years ago. Today we have 27 staff, three offices around NZ and one in the UK that’s experiencing strong growth. This year coming out of Covid we managed to grow just over 55% as a business.

Zac’s been a guiding force and keen ear for me throughout those eight years. Initially he and I would have monthly meetings over coffee which turned into ad hoc catch ups as my business grew. Today, he’s chair of our board, and in monthly contact with our CEO Sam.

The same things that drew me to Zac as a coach initially are still true today. I admire people that have been in business or done something that I wanted to achieve. There are lots of mentors out there who have never owned a business so I’ve always really appreciated that Zac has run his own businesses — like the Nurture Group – because it means he’s in the trenches with us, walking the talk. He’s had so much experience and been there before, which I appreciate more than taking advice from someone who hasn’t given business a go themselves.

Zac is calm, rational, and always comes from a kind place. That’s really important to me because sometimes your judgement can get a bit clouded but he always has our team’s best interests at heart. The way he leads with the best intentions for the people in the company has really driven my leadership and how I want to run this business.

There’s been a few stages where I’ve really leaned on his expertise. At one point we were considering moving away from 3PL and opening our own warehouse in Penrose. The rent was $100k which felt insane, but Zac calmly worked through it, did the numbers, made sure we weren’t heading in the wrong direction and not starving the business. It turned out to be the right decision at that point — it meant faster turnaround and better service, which led to growth.

It feels good to be able to ask someone impartial for their considered opinion; it takes the ego and emotion out of the decision. Parents or family or friends are often vested emotionally whereas Zac can look at the bigger picture without being clouded by emotion.

There’s so many benefits you get from working with Zac. His network is insane — he always knows someone. Then there’s his experience, the emotional intelligence, the kindness and the lack of ego. I’d really struggle to find another mentor as well suited for me as Zac.