How we work
Part of your team. With a whole team behind us.
Most owners carry the big calls alone, and most advisors arrive with a report and leave. We are built the other way round. Our key business advisor, Anita Menzies, oversees every engagement. Depending on what your business needs, she leads the work herself or appoints an associate to look after you under her direction. Behind them sits a small team, each person chosen for a part of the business we will not guess at: the numbers, the message, the systems and the structure.
Prefer to see where you stand first? Take the ten-minute Business Health Check.
Who looks after you
Our key business advisor, Anita Menzies, oversees every engagement. She is your first conversation, and she stays accountable for the outcome. Depending on what your business needs, she leads the work herself or appoints an associate to look after you day to day, always under her direction. We work as part of your team, you always know who we are, and you are never just another number on a list.
Four phases. You always know what comes next.
1
The first conversation
Short, confidential, no obligation. An honest view of whether we can help.
2
The Diagnostic
Two to four weeks. A clear, prioritised read of the business.
3
The path you choose together
Growth or Transformation, decided with you after the Diagnostic.
4
Keeping it that way
Ongoing. A monthly and quarterly rhythm so gains do not slip.
The scope and deliverables for each phase are agreed in writing before that phase starts.
Phase 1
The first conversation
A short, confidential conversation with Anita Menzies. You tell us what you are facing, and she tells you plainly whether we can help.
What happens
- You tell us what is going on, in your own words.
- Anita tells you honestly whether we can help, and whether the Diagnostic is the right place to start.
- If it fits, we explain what the next step involves, including the fee.
What you receive
- An honest view, whether or not we end up working together
- A written scope, if it fits
- If we are not the right fit, a pointer to someone better placed, where we can
Phase 2
The Diagnostic
Two to four weeks, built around four questions: where the money actually goes, what only works because you are in the room, what is still running on a handshake, and what decision is coming that the business is not ready for. A fixed fee, agreed in writing before it starts.
What happens
- Scoping: a short conversation and a list of what we need to see.
- Review: a focused look at the numbers and agreements that matter. A working diagnosis, not a full audit.
- Conversations: structured interviews with you and the people who know the business best.
- The read: a written report organised around the four questions, with a prioritised plan.
- The findings session: we go through it together, in person or by video, with time to ask what you want.
What you receive
- A clear answer to each of the four questions
- A written findings report you can use with your advisers, lender or partners
- A prioritised plan for the next 90 days and the next 12 months
- One structured findings session, not a report left in an inbox
Phase 3
The path you choose, together
Every engagement starts with the Diagnostic. Once you have the read, we sit down with you and decide together what your business needs. There are two paths, and the Diagnostic tells us which one fits, so you do not have to guess.
Growth & Scale-Up
This is for you if the business works but has outgrown how it runs.
What we do
- Build a phased plan with you, from what the Diagnostic found
- Build the reporting, delegation and decision rights the business is missing
- Regular working sessions with you and your team
- The month-one checkpoint: at day 30 we agree in writing what the next 90 days need to achieve
- Bring in our specialist team as gaps surface
What you receive
- A business that runs on what is written down, supported by business process improvement systems
- Your attention back for the work only you can do
- A close-out checklist of what now runs without you
Three to six months, phased, then a short review every quarter, or sooner if you need us.
Transformation & Turnaround
This is for you if something in the business is not working and needs fixing, not just building.
What we do
- Change governance and structure where the Diagnostic shows it is needed
- Correct decision rights and put in writing what has been informal
- Tackle the weak area head-on, with us working in the business alongside you
- The same month-one checkpoint, so you agree in writing what the next 90 days need to achieve
- Faster response when it matters, with our specialist team behind the work
What you receive
- Structure and governance the business can stand on
- Business process improvement systems in place, so the fixes hold
- A close-out checklist of what now runs without you
Three to six months, phased, then a short review every quarter, or sooner if you need us.
Phase 4
Keeping it that way
Gains tend to slip once an advisor leaves, so after every engagement we hold a short review every quarter, or sooner if you need us. Some owners choose to keep us closer still, with an ongoing monthly rhythm. Your business is looked after by someone who knows it, under Anita’s direct oversight.
What happens
- A monthly review of the numbers that matter.
- A quarterly strategy session, led by Anita.
- Your questions answered within two business days.
- The Business Health Check re-run at day 90, to show what has moved.
What you receive
- A monthly KPI review
- A quarterly strategy session with Anita
- Answers within two business days
- A day-90 re-run of the Business Health Check
When the business needs more than advice
Some businesses need something built, not just something recommended. Where the Diagnostic shows it will genuinely help, we also put these in place.
Data analytics
So the numbers show what is driving the result, not only the total.
Systems
So how the business runs is written down and repeatable, not held in one person’s head.
AI automation
So repetitive work runs itself and your team’s time goes to what needs a person.
We only recommend technology that solves a problem the Diagnostic has found. What gets built is agreed in writing first, and handed over so your team can run it without us.
The team behind every engagement.
Anita Menzies
PRINCIPAL
BARRISTER & SOLICITOR | LAW & ARCHITECTURE (UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND)
Oversees every engagement and, depending on what you need, either leads it or appoints an associate to look after you under her direction. A management consultant and business transformation specialist who has founded and run her own business and led businesses through hard turnarounds. She decides what the work needs, who on the team is part of it, and stays accountable for the outcome.
Charles Seneviratne
CLIENT-SIDE FINANCE CONSULTANT
FCMA (UK) | CIMA DIP MARKETING | MBA (NZ)
A Chartered Management Accountant who has advised organisations across a wide range of sectors. He brings cost clarity, financial transparency and funding strategy, so decisions rest on numbers you can trust.
Georgia Waugh
ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT
ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES (UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND)
Works under Anita’s direction, supporting the team with structured analysis, documentation and delivery, so work moves forward between conversations.
Anna Gates
MARKETING CONSULTANT
MASTER’S IN MEDIA ART (KARLSRUHE, GERMANY) · NZ DIGITAL ART AWARDS FINALIST
Leads visual communication and marketing, with a background in film, media and graphic storytelling across Europe and North America. She turns complex information into clear, precise communication, so your story reaches the people who need to hear it.
Vaibhav Kannan
ASSOCIATE, DATA AND SYSTEMS
BACHELOR OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Works on data systems and AI, including machine learning in Python and SQL analysis of public data sets, and has researched the customer relationship problems small businesses face. He helps owners see what their own data is already telling them.
Questions owners ask
Will you really be part of my team?
Yes. We work inside the business, with you and the people who run it. Whether Anita or an associate looks after your business day to day, Anita briefs the team, reviews their work and stays accountable to you.
Do I have to start with the Diagnostic?
Yes. Every engagement starts there. It is a fixed-scope piece of work that stands on its own, and what comes next is decided together, based on what it finds.
Will I know exactly what I am getting?
Yes. The scope and deliverables for each phase are agreed in writing before that phase starts, so there are no surprises.
Do I have to go through every phase?
No. The Diagnostic stands on its own, and you keep the written findings whether or not you continue. Each later phase is a separate decision.
Can you build the systems, dashboards or automations, or only recommend them?
Where the Diagnostic shows they will help, we can build and put them in place: data analytics, systems and AI automation. We only recommend technology that solves a problem we have found, and we hand it over so your team can run it.
Is everything confidential?
Yes. Everything stays confidential, and everyone on the team works under the same confidentiality terms.
Is legal advice part of this?
No. Legal advice is always a separate engagement and is not provided through Nellum Partners.
What if the timing is not right?
The team takes on a small number of engagements at a time, so each gets proper attention. If the timing is not right, we will say so on the first call.
When do I find out the fee?
Fees are agreed in writing before work starts. Ask on your first conversation.
See what working with us would look like for your business
A confidential conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.