Business Owner Wealth
Business owners face financial complexity that most individuals never encounter. Your personal and business finances are intertwined, your wealth is often concentrated in a single asset, and your eventual exit is one of the biggest financial events of your life.
Business Insurance
Building personal wealth that does not depend entirely on your business
When your business is doing well, it is easy to put off personal financial planning. But the entrepreneurs who build lasting wealth are those who work on their personal finances with the same discipline they apply to their business.
Are you too heavily concentrated in your business? Have you built meaningful personal wealth that is independent of your company? Do you have a clear plan for what happens to your wealth when you eventually exit?
With over 30 years’ experience working with business owners across New Zealand, we understand the unique financial challenges and opportunities that come with running your own business. We take a whole-of-life view of your finances — business and personal together.
What's Included
Business owners need financial advice that understands the complexity of their situation — not generic investment recommendations that ignore the reality of running a company alongside building personal wealth.
We work with you on both dimensions simultaneously: building and protecting your personal wealth while helping you think clearly about your business succession and exit strategy.
Personal wealth building alongside your business
We help you build a personal investment portfolio that grows independently of your business — so your financial security does not depend entirely on the performance of one enterprise.
Business succession and exit planning
Whether you plan to sell, transfer to family, or wind down, we help you prepare your personal finances for the transition and develop a strategy for deploying the proceeds effectively.
Tax-efficient remuneration structuring
We work with your accountant to assess your drawings, salary, and dividend structure to ensure you are extracting value from your business in the most tax-efficient way possible.
KiwiSaver and retirement integration
Many business owners neglect KiwiSaver and retirement planning during their working years. We make sure these are properly addressed as part of your overall wealth strategy.
What people say about Collaborative Consulting
“I got to know John whilst working with him in developing his company’s brand principles to strengthen the emotional connectedness with his clients. During this period, I gained a deep understanding of John’s ethics and strong desire to help people both through the good times and the bad times.
His strongest desire is to make a tangible difference for his clients and future generations of their family. John has a strong sense of family, he believes strongly in wanting to contribute back to the community.
I can honestly say I have not met a financial adviser where money is not the financial driver for him, it’s much more personal, it’s about making a difference. I’d recommend anyone who wants certainty in their financial investments talk to John.”
Michael Major BA (Hons) MDM
Property Development Consultant, Future Proofing Strategist
“John is the consummate professional in the Financial Planning and Investment sector. He has walked the talk, having successfully grown and lead businesses to achieve dramatic results. Through it all, he has helped people reach their personal and professional goals and engages with them comprehensively to ensure they achieve what they need to.
There’s no nonsense with John – if you want to succeed, he will help you do it and in doing so, you will meet and be assisted by one of the nicest and most professional people I know, who also lives by a set of principles steeped in integrity. A hard thing to find these days!
I strongly recommend you contact John and get to know him. You won’t regret it.”
Warren Cummins
Managing Director, Dale Carnegie Auckland and BRS Management
“Choosing someone to look after your money is an important decision especially if you are like me and have no idea about investments.
When I left my marriage I had money from the sale of the house. As I was now on my own financially I understood that I needed to ensure that not only was my money going to be safe but would also be working for my future.
I met with a few financial advisers but none of them really instilled me with confidence. I was feeling a bit lost and frightened about making the wrong decision.
Pam Martin
Arbonne Independent Consultant
“We are all specialists in our own area of business. We love referring our clients to an equally dedicated specialist, John Milner of Collaborative Consulting Ltd.
John has been able to help our clients leverage and re-invest their hard-won gains, made both personally, and in business. John has been working in his area of Investment Expertise for a long- time, so has ridden all of those waves in the marketplace. He is committed to helping clients mitigate their investment risk, and in these days and times, his level-head and thorough but relatable approach to Investment are exactly what we all need.
He makes investing simple, effective and takes the worry away.”
James Kelso
CPA, Director, Kelso Marsh Consulting Ltd
“I have known for some time now as part of my business networking group. From the start I have been impressed by John’s professionalism and his knowledge base. John takes what he does seriously and is quite clearly very dedicated to serving his clients well.
I have no trouble recommending him to anyone in need of sound financial advice.”
Rory Laubscher
Corporate Photography Specialist Firefly Photography
Our Process
When you work with us, we use our proven 3-step system. By understanding your situation and the goals you want to achieve, we work out a unique plan to help you get there smoothly.
Helping business owners build wealth that lasts beyond the business
Years of experience working with business owners across New Zealand on personal wealth, succession, and investment strategy.
The most successful business owners we work with are those who treat their personal financial plan with the same seriousness as their business plan. We help you build that plan and keep it on track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question about wealth management for business owners? Get in touch — we’re happy to discuss your situation.
Why do business owners need specialist financial advice?
Business owners face financial complexity that most individuals do not — their personal and business finances are often closely intertwined, their wealth is frequently concentrated in a single asset, and their exit from the business is often the single biggest financial event of their life. Generic advice rarely meets these needs.
How do you help business owners diversify away from their business?
We work with you to gradually build personal wealth that is independent of your business, so that your financial security is not entirely dependent on the performance of one enterprise. This typically involves a combination of investment management, KiwiSaver strategy, and structured savings.
Can you help me plan for selling my business?
Yes. We work with business owners in the years leading up to a sale to ensure their personal financial plan is ready to absorb and deploy the proceeds effectively. This includes investment strategy, tax considerations, and retirement planning.
How do you handle the overlap between business and personal finances?
We take a whole-of-life view of your finances, looking at both your business and personal balance sheet together. This allows us to identify opportunities and risks that a purely personal adviser or a purely business adviser would miss.
What is business succession planning?
Business succession planning involves deciding in advance what will happen to your business — whether that is a sale, a family transfer, a management buyout, or a wind-down. We help you think through the financial implications of each option and build a plan that protects your personal wealth through the transition.
Do you work with business owners across New Zealand?
Yes. We work with business owners throughout New Zealand via video call and phone. Many of our business owner clients are based outside Auckland.
What is the first step?
An initial conversation where we discuss your business, your personal financial situation, and what you are trying to achieve. There is no obligation and no cost for that first meeting.
Related financial advice and wealth management services
With Collaborative Consulting by your side, we can help across a broad range of financial planning needs.
Build a more resilient personal asset mix that reduces your dependence on a single business or asset class.
A comprehensive financial plan that addresses the unique complexity of running a business alongside building personal wealth.
Plan how your business and personal assets will be protected and passed on to the next generation.