For owners of retail, online and product businesses

Where is your business losing money?

Business problems, solved.

I measure what's really happening with your customers, stock and spend, find where the money is, then build the fix and hand it over for you to run. I use AI where it earns its place, and I'll tell you where it doesn't.

Get a free 45-minute chat See how I work

We talk through your business, then I send you a one-page readback of where the money is most likely going. If I can't see anything worth fixing, I'll say so.

25+ yearsin senior commercial rolesGMBriscoe Group and EziBuy16×online revenue at Briscoe, $6m → $100mOne personfrom first chat to fix

With diagnosis & fixTypical pathIllustrative

01 — The problem

Most owners aren't short of effort. They're short of knowing where the money goes.

As a business grows, planning and buying get slower and more complicated, so decisions slow down too.

That's drag. And drag is expensive.

That usually means

Prices set once, then left alone
Promotions nobody has measured
Costs nobody has questioned in years
Stock that sits, tying up cash
Planning and buying that get slower as you grow

02 — The usual options

What most owners can do today.

Carry on and guess

Familiar, and it is where the leaks stay hidden.

Evolve: one person, your numbers

I was GM at Briscoe Group, where online revenue grew from $6m to $100m, and I now bring that thinking to your business. I find where the money is lost, then build the fix with you.

Buy a tool or hire a big firm

More dashboards, or more advice. Neither works through the fix with you.

03 — Where I look

Where I look for the money.

I start in six places. The chat tells us which one matters most in your business.

Hand-drawn shop owner on a unicycle, juggling a laptop, a shopping bag, a box, a gold price tag, a truck and a cog.

E-commerce

Growing online sales, and making sure they pay.

Online strategy, e-commerce platforms, online fulfilment, digital marketing

Part of the team that took Briscoe Group's online revenue from $6m to $100m. Has since built e-commerce channels for retail brands.

Customers

Finding more of the right customers, and keeping them.

Acquisition, retention, loyalty programmes, customer insights

GM Customer Insights at Briscoe Group, building the tools that put customer data in front of the board and executive team.

Stock and planning

Buying the right amount at the right time, so cash isn't sitting on a shelf.

Merchandise planning, demand planning, inventory management

Merchandise planning manager at EziBuy. Responsible for inventories of $30m.

Prices and promotions

Are you charging enough, and does your marketing pay for itself?

Pricing, promotions, marketing spend

Worked on pricing at Briscoe Group, using A/B tests, experiments and research. Ran a print tender for promotional mailers that cut costs by 18% and shortened lead times.

Supply chain

Getting product to where it needs to be for less, with service that holds up.

International supply chains, freight, distribution

GM Supply Chain at EziBuy and Briscoe Group. Optimised international supply chains, reducing cost while increasing service levels.

Systems and AI

Choosing the right system, getting it working, and using AI where it pays.

System selection, implementation, data and reporting, AI

IT Manager at EziBuy, then led e-commerce platform selection at Briscoe Group. Builds live planning systems for product businesses today.

Get a free 45-minute chat

04 — How I work

Four steps. Each earns the next.

Look

Free 45-minute chat

A 45-minute chat and a one-page readback of the leaks most likely in your business. If I can't see anything worth fixing, I'll say so.

Quick fix

One problem, sorted fast

A report you can't get or a number you don't trust, fixed in hours at a fixed price agreed first.

Plan

Growth Diagnostic

I measure where the money is going and give you a prioritised plan: the few fixes worth making, in order, with the first move named.

Build

The first fix

I build the first fix, put it into use, and hand it over for you to run. Often that uses AI, sometimes it does not.

scoped with you

You end up knowing where your money is going and what to do about it.

Proof

Where I've done the work.

05 — The record

25+

years in senior commercial roles, including GM at Briscoe Group and EziBuy.

16×

online revenue growth, $6m → $100m, Briscoe Group.

person accountable, from diagnosis to fix. You deal with me directly.

Insights tools at Briscoe Group supported millions of dollars in growth and cost-out, executed and measured.
Worked on EziBuy's acquisition of Max Fashions, and on its sale to Woolworths Australia in 2013, where customer data became a core selling point.
Responsible for sales budgets over $100m.
Led large teams across multiple sites. Lean, Kanban, Scrum and Agile practitioner.

Marion, owner of All About a Girl, in her shop — — Marion, Owner, All About a Girl

FAQ

Questions

Where is my business losing money?

Usually in pricing that has drifted, promotions that cost more than they return, stock that sits, and costs nobody has reviewed. I measure the leaks first, so we both know what's real, then build the fixes worth making.

Do you help with stock, supply chain and merchandise planning?

Yes. I've been GM Supply Chain at EziBuy and Briscoe Group, and merchandise planning manager at EziBuy. I look at what you buy, how much, when, and what it costs to get it to your customers.

What does it cost to get started?

The 45-minute chat and one-page readback are free. After that, the work is scoped with you before anything starts.

Is this for my kind of business?

If you sell products, most likely. My background is retail, e-commerce and product businesses, so that is where I'm strongest. I also take on other businesses where I can help. If you're not sure you fit, tell me about your business and I'll say so straight.

Will AI work for my business?

Not everywhere. The readback says where AI won't pay as clearly as where it will, so you only spend on the parts worth building.

What does an AI consultant do for a New Zealand business?

I start with a look at where money is being lost and where data and AI will help, ranked by value, effort and risk. Then a plan. Then I build the first fix, put it into use, and hand it over for you to run. Often that's AI. Sometimes it isn't.

Who will I work with?

Me, Dave Hughes, from the first chat to the fix. I've spent more than 25 years in senior commercial roles, including GM at EziBuy and Briscoe Group, where online revenue grew from $6m to $100m.