The Alternative Board Gordon

06/05/2026

One of our members summed up what happens in the room the other day and it just stuck with me.

"We're out there wrestling with ourselves and our clients, then we come in here, talk about our stuff, and our challenges just spin around."

Because it's exactly what happens and I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone describe it so perfectly. You walk in with something that's been sitting on your chest and you're not even sure how to explain it. But you start talking, people around the table nod, someone shares something similar that happened to them, someone else asks you a question you hadn't thought to ask yourself. And somewhere in that conversation the thing that felt so stuck just... moves.

Nobody fixed it for you. You just finally said it out loud to people who actually get it.

30/04/2026

You've got a decision to make and you're not quite sure which way to go, so you research it. Then you second guess the research. Then you try one approach, it doesn't quite work, so you try another. And before you know it weeks have gone by and you're still not where you need to be. Sound familiar?

Not because they're lazy or disorganised. But because figuring everything out on your own is slow. Really slow.

That's just the reality of running an SME. There are so many moving parts and so many decisions, and most of them you're making without anyone who's actually been there before sitting next to you.

This is the thing nobody talks about when it comes to getting different perspectives in the room. It's about the time you save. When someone around the table has already navigated what you're going through, you don't have to start from scratch. You get the shortcut. The honest version of what worked, what didn't, and what they wish they'd known earlier.

That hour sitting with the right people can save you weeks of going around in circles on your own.That's not just valuable. That's everything.

27/04/2026

When you're running a business, you spend a lot of time in your own head. Dealing with the same challenges, seeing things from the same angle, drawing on the same experiences you've always had. After a while that becomes its own kind of limitation, even if you don't realise it's happening.

What changes everything is sitting in a room with people who've been where you haven't been yet. Who've already made the mistake you're about to make, or found the way through the problem you're stuck on. Not consultants, not people selling you something, just other business owners being genuinely honest about what they know and what they've lived.

That's what our TAB boards are. Every person around that table brings a different level of experience, a different industry, a different perspective. And because it's a space where people actually feel comfortable, where there's no judgement and no agenda, people share things they wouldn't say anywhere else. The stuff that's really going on. The decisions they're wrestling with. The things they got wrong.

And when you leave the meeting, you're walking out with information. You've heard something that shifted how you were thinking. Someone asked you a question you hadn't thought to ask yourself. That's the thing you can't replicate on your own, no matter how experienced you are.

There's something quietly powerful about knowing you don't have to figure it all out alone. Interested in coming along? Call me on 0400 165 828 and come along to our next meeting.

- Andrew

22/04/2026

Are they actually the right clients for you?

It's a question most business owners don't let themselves ask often enough. You're busy, the work is coming in, and on the surface everything looks fine. But there's this low level drain that's hard to explain. Certain clients take more than they give. The work feels heavy instead of energising. You find yourself dreading the calls you used to look forward to.

That's usually a sign worth paying attention to.

The right clients don't just pay your invoices. They value what you do, they trust your thinking, they make the work feel worth it. And when you're working with people like that, something shifts. You show up differently. You do better work. The energy comes back.

So how do you actually figure out who that is? Start by looking at who you already have. Think about the clients that light you up versus the ones that wear you down, and get really honest about the difference. What do the good ones have in common?

The you shift your focus. What kind of work do you actually want to be doing more of, who needs exactly that and here do those people show up? Critically, are you presenting yourself in a way that attracts them or are you keeping things so broad that you're attracting everyone - and no one at the same time?

Simply remember, You don't have to take every client that comes your way.

Have you ever worked with a client and known pretty early it wasn't the right fit? What did you do?

18/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/content/insights/?content_id=UzpfSTExMTkxOTUzODE6MTAyMzk5MjYzNzg2MzM1NDU6MTAyMzk5MjYzNzg2MzM1NDU%3D&entry_point=ProdashCometContentLibraryTable

06/03/2026

I left our TAB Gordon board meeting recently with one word rattling around in my head.

Clarity.

Not in a "write it on a whiteboard and move on" kind of way. More like the kind that stops you mid conversation and makes you go quiet for a second, while you consider it. We spent real time talking about what it actually means to know where you are right now and where you genuinely want to be in 12 months.

The word that came up was "anchor." Use clarity as an anchor, something you come back to, not just something you set and forget.

And then the practical side of it: do you actually have the systems in place to check in against that clarity?
Daily.
Weekly.
Monthly.
Or are you just hoping the feeling sticks?

If you're a business owner and you're reading this thinking "I know I need more of that" come join us, that's exactly why these our board exist and we love seeing the results of peer support, focused direction and accountable actions.

- Andrew

10/02/2026

It’s so simple to do but most SME owners don’t!

The best part of my role with The Alternative Board is helping business owners align their personal vision with their business goals. When those two things are in sync, that’s where the magic happens! Let’s make your business work for you, not the other way round!

10/02/2026

Where strategy meets ex*****on.

If that’s for you and your senior leadership team send me a DM.

Many New Zealand business owners often invest significant time and energy into building thoughtful growth strategies, only to watch them stall out in the ex*****on phase.
This usually isn't for lack of effort by the leader or the team, but rather a slow corrosion due to misalignment, unclear communication, and everyone seeming to pull in different directions.

This article explores what it really takes to move from strategy to ex*****on, why alignment matters more than most leaders realise, and how leadership development is how strategy ultimately turns into action.

Read "Where Strategy Meets Ex*****on" at The Alternative Board NZ.

https://thealternativeboard.co.nz/blog/transform-strategy-into-results-with-the-power-of-alignment/

Many New Zealand business owners often invest significant time and energy into building thoughtful growth strategies, only to watch them stall out in the ex*****on phase.
This usually isn't for lack of effort by the leader or the team, but rather a slow corrosion due to misalignment, unclear communication, and everyone seeming to pull in different directions.

This article explores what it really takes to move from strategy to ex*****on, why alignment matters more than most leaders realise, and how leadership development is how strategy ultimately turns into action.

Read "Where Strategy Meets Ex*****on" at The Alternative Board NZ.

https://thealternativeboard.co.nz/blog/transform-strategy-into-results-with-the-power-of-alignment/

09/02/2026

Can't make it to the meeting room? No problem.

We run TAB meetings however they need to work – fully online, or a mix of people in the room and others dialling in.

The beginning of the year is a good reminder of this. Things are still ramping up, people are away, schedules are all over the place. But the meeting still happened. Because consistency matters more than location.

Showing up month after month, even if it's from your desk or your car – keeps you accountable. It keeps momentum going. And it's often the difference between a goal you talked about and one you actually completed.

So if your schedule's tight or you're not local, don't let that be the reason you miss out. We'll make it work.

04/02/2026

We did something at a recent TAB meeting that sounds simple, but it shifted how people were thinking about their year ahead.

It's called the placemat process.

You grab a blank page. Write your biggest goal or challenge in the middle. Then around it, you map out the handful of things that actually matter – your real priorities, the risks you can't ignore, maybe a couple of opportunities worth chasing.

That's it. One page. Everything visible.

The interesting bit? It wasn't what people added. It was what they removed.
When you see your whole business laid out like that, you can't hide from where your attention's been going. You start to notice you're probably overthinking some things, or chasing three goals when one would do.

January has a strange energy. Everyone has motivation, a long list of ideas, and a bit of pressure to make the year a good one. But energy without direction just burns you out faster.

So if you're heading into the new year with a head full of plans, maybe try this: if you could only focus on one thing in your business right now, what would it be?

Not three things. One.

That's exactly where the actual progress starts.