WHAT WE DO

Our mission is simply to grow New Zealand business – and for over ten years now, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. We’ve developed a strong track record for delivering quality strategic advice and driving significant value in the outcomes for our clients.

We focus specifically on high growth potential and expansion stage companies. Our speciality is the technology sector and we have strong expertise in strategy, governance, raising capital, market entry and commercial transactions. We’ve been there and we understand the challenges that you are facing.

We have the business growth and international experience to support you to achieve your vision. In a nutshell, we want to provide you with the practical advice needed to assist you in taking your organisation to the next level, whatever that may be.

A ‘hands on’, integrated engagement with your business

A commitment to achieving the best possible, tangible outcomes

Transparent accountability throughout the engagement

Service delivery focused on teamwork

Extensive networks within the technology and telecommunication markets

GOVERNANCE

We all sit on boards in the role of Chairman or Director and have the knowledge coupled with experience to lead around the board table.

We provide guidance and support for the CEO.

Good governance helps a company:

Improve performance
Have a defined vision for the future of the company
Take a big picture view of the business separate from the operations
Ensure there is accountability and oversight of operations
Manage risk
Find the right balance between making short-term gains and building long-term wealth

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Whether buying or selling an entire business, a division of the business or an equity stake, our team will comprehensively assess the value of the business to determine its potential for success in the market.

We systematically execute our processes to manage potential buyers whilst evaluating offers with the business owner.

We will guide you through every stage of the sale process with tight, professional engagement to ensure that your company avoids major operational distraction.

Is your organisation faced with the challenge of determining ‘when’ and ‘if’ to bring in external capital? Are you considering when is the best time to exit your enterprise to achieve maximum value?

Questions to trigger this kind of discussion are:

Having reached a certain scale is the investment in the next stage going to provide the returns within the desire timeframe? Or will maximum value be achieved by exiting to a player with an established global presence?
Can your company sustain its competitive advantage in the short, medium and long term?
Do the shareholders / investors / stakeholders possess the courage and appetite to go to the next stage?

Identifying the best time to exit an enterprise requires a high degree of self-awareness and market knowledge. Our team’s extensive professional experience and market understanding enables us to provide you with an in-depth, yet impartial view as to your options, timing and critical success factors.

DISRUPTION & INNOVATION

The Howard & Company Disruption Advisory Service consists of a unique strategic framework designed to assist established organisations who have a high-level realisation that technology-led innovation has the potential to disrupt their incumbent position, but have no detailed assessment of the new risk and opportunity landscape, nor a strategy for how to organise their response.

This framework is built to guide a company through five critical areas in a simple, clear and practical manner. It recognises that new and different skills are required at each stage of the process, and that a key dimension is managing the inherent tension of innovating at the same time as you run a successful business.

The response strategy is also a catalyst to quickly begin the process of building your company’s future in the face of a competitive landscape that is being significantly altered by new disruptive technologies.

The strategy recognises that innovation is a continuous process, not an idea, and that a response strategy is based on leadership, not a project. The process that is followed provides the discipline to ensure that your response is enabled by the scarcest of corporate resources – time and focus.

STRATEGY

A business strategy may take a number of forms, such as:

Strategic business analysis and business strategy execution
Reshape or refine value proposition
Define and prioritise market segment needs and market launch
Strategic and tactical response to competitive activities
Seeking opportunities for fund and investment companies
Deal flow for corporate business development

Clear strategy plans are essential to your business’ success at every stage of its growth and development.We have developed effective strategic planning processes, designed to add value to your organisation from day one.

INTERNATIONAL MARKET ENTRY

If you are a fast growing, mid-market Kiwi organisation wanting to enter new geographies then we can provide you with expert advisory assistance around market validation, entry, set-up and development; rapid market growth and the globalisation of your business.

Our services include:

Market research & validation
Entry options (direct/indirect), partnership & networks
Global distribution programmes
Localisation & governance
Go to market planning & execution
Strategic selling & pitching

Our market entry services are designed to provide you with access to the right experience at the right time, to ensure that value for your organisation is achieved as efficiently as possible.

INVESTMENT READINESS

No matter how strong the business case, raising equity remains a key challenge when you want to grow and becoming ‘investment-ready’ is often underestimated.

The entire process can be demanding and highly distracting to business operations if not well managed.

We can offer you support throughout the process. Howard & Company has a demonstrable track record in raising capital for medium sized companies, and we maintain strong relationships with private equity and venture capital companies both locally and internationally.

Practical processes with key checks and balances are implemented during the project to ensure that no time is wasted in trying to raise capital before your business is ‘investment-ready’.

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT TOOL

It is our view that successful companies are built on business discipline, teamwork and leadership. It is not enough to simply have a great idea. The idea needs to be validated, the vision created, the business model developed, the appropriate capability engaged, and the team aligned.

iAssess was created from capturing the knowledge and experience of the Howard & Company directors. Having worked with growing companies over 30 years, we have real clarity as to understanding and applying the critical success factors needed for a company to grow and flourish in a competitive market. The power of the tool comes from the way in which it measures and determines the alignment within an organisation, across all levels of staff. Without alignment on the status of the company, its market opportunity and the company’s capability, the ability to successfully execute its strategy will be significantly compromised.