A founder-first, NZ-specific guide to testing ideas, building traction, and skipping the admin you don’t need (yet).
The Start: From Overwhelm to Action
Most “Start a Business” checklists are structured by function (e.g., register a company, get a tax number, open a bank account), not by stage of business or readiness. That makes them:
- Overwhelming — everything is listed at once, with no prioritisation.
- Premature — they push admin steps before you’ve validated anything.
- Detached from reality — they assume you’ve already decided to “start a business,” not that you're still testing whether the idea is worth pursuing.
This is neither. This page exists to give you the permission, clarity, and confidence to just start — without burning time on admin, branding, or contractors you simply can’t afford.
Who This Page Is For:
- First-time founders, students, idea-stage doers
- Anyone who Googled "how to start a business in NZ" and ended up lost in tax advice
- Founders who know there's something broken but aren’t sure what to build yet
What You’ll Get:
- What to delay, skip, or ignore
- Tools and templates to help you do it (NZ-verified)
Quick Navigation
- What to Ignore (For Now)
- The Only Thing That Matters
- Kate’s 5-Step ‘Get Off the Ground’ Roadmap
- What to Do Early vs. What Can Wait
- Startup Actions: Do Now vs. Wait Until Triggered
- What Can Wait (If You’re Still Validating)
- Month One Wins, Summarised
- 60-Day Start a Startup Roadmap (NZ Edition)
- Kate’s Founder Notes (Full Start a Startup Case Study)
- Master List: Start a Startup Links, Tools, & Resources
This is the most fragile moment in your founder journey. And the worst time to waste time.
Most founders lose weeks setting up companies, building products, and fiddling with admin… before they’ve even validated a single thing.
This page clears the fog. It’s built for founders in the zero-to-one zone — the still-dripping-from-the-shower phase where the idea is raw and unproven, but the itch to build is real.
Kia ora, I’m Kate. COO and Co-Founder of LaunchBot alongside the incredible Maddy King.
I’m obsessed with making people money. Did that make you cringe? It shouldn’t. Helping founders grow revenue means more jobs, more security for families, and the freedom to create real impact.
From digital marketing account management to owning, growing and selling businesses, I kept seeing the same issues: overwhelm, disconnected tools, lack of innovation, and analytics no one has time to read — let alone act on.
That’s why we built LaunchBot — a platform that gives lean teams and marketers access to growth marketing strategy, discover their most valuable customers, and get an actionable plan in under two minutes.
What we do: Marketing made simple for owner-operators, micro teams, and anyone who can’t afford to waste time or money on the wrong moves.
Why this guide exists: Too many founders think marketing is about doing more. It’s not — it’s about doing the right things at the right time. This is one of many mistakes new founders make (been there, done that!) so let’s dive deeper into some common early mistakes.
It’s time to grow without burning out (or burning cash), join me!
1. What to Ignore (For Now)
Not all startup advice applies when you're just getting started. Here's what NZ founders can confidently ignore until real traction kicks in.
Here’s what you don’t need to do yet — even if it feels productive:
- Register a company
- Get a domain or logo
- Hire anyone
- Build a deck
- Spend money on branding
- Make a LinkedIn post
- Worry about investors
None of this helps if you haven’t validated that the problem is real.
2. The Only Thing That Matters
At the start, the only thing that truly matters is this:
Clearly define the problem and find the leanest way to build a solution that customers will pay for.
This sounds simple, but it’s the hardest part of building a startup.
Most of us start with a huge idea. Shaving it down to its core feels like an ego-buster and it’s confusing.
You don’t have to create a new product/service (this means more time educating customers), it’s easier to see what is currently solving the problem and do it better! But here’s the truth:
- Startups only have enough time and money to solve real pain. Your MVP will almost always have fewer features than your competitors. Remind yourself daily: the goal is to solve the pain better, not bigger.
- Better means direct, not incremental. If your only edge is “slightly better UX” than the next guy, you’ll struggle to win.
Before you write a single line of code, validate the pain. If you don’t, you risk building something nobody needs. Many founders skip this step because it’s uncomfortable to hear that people don’t like their idea. Or they think users “just can’t imagine the solution.” But here’s the reality:
- Customers rarely know the solution but they know their pain.
- Your job is to talk to as many potential customers as possible and listen for that pain.
- Do this authentically. The most successful business come from a place of problem solving for their customer. This purpose will drive you and help you to build community.
Bonus Tip 1: Don’t assume who your customer will be, find out who they actually are.
Eliminate confirmation bias and weigh up how niche you would like to go. Narrowing your market has pros - most founders like to think their product is for everyone - this is detrimental in many ways; where do you put your marketing budget, your targeting, who do you talk to etc…
Bonus Tip 2: If you build it they will not come.
God I wish all customers were just sitting there waiting, wallets at the ready, to mind read and invest in new innovation - but they are not. You business model and GTM (go to market) are SO important to think through.
Model | If you build an app, you’re likely to starve to death before getting enough paying customers to afford your startup.
Can your startup survive / be successful without external capital?
What if you never raise money? |
Go to Market (GTM) | You can’t afford marketing spend in the beginning. You have to think through no-spend ways to approach and convert customers. |
3. Kate’s 5-Step Get-Off-the-Ground Roadmap
Kate’s no-nonsense, five step process for testing your idea and validating demand, all while avoiding admin overload. A start a startup roadmap grounded in the NZ ecosystem.
Step 1:
Notice the Problem | Startups don’t begin with code. They begin with friction.
What’s something annoying, slow, broken, outdated, or inefficient? That’s your clue.
Write it down.
Ask:
• Who else feels this pain?
• Why does it matter?
• What are they using today?
You're not building a product. You're building a reason. |
Step 2:
Talk to 10 Humans | Talk to real people who experience the problem. Until you’ve heard them rant about it, don’t assume your solution matters.
Ask:
• How often does this happen?
• What’s the impact?
• What have they already tried?
• Would they pay to solve it? |
Step 3:
Test Without Building | |
Step 4:
Start Selling (Before You Scale | Revenue is the best validation.
Ways to test monetisation:
• Charge for a pilot
• Pre-sell a workshop
• Offer a 1:1 version of the future product
• Manually invoice
You don’t need Stripe automation. Just send a PDF invoice: Invoice Generator |
Step 5:
Delay the Admin | Revenue or incoming payments → Open a business bank account
Public activity or liability → Register a company (NZ Ltd)
Bringing on a co-founder → Issue shares + sign agreement
Otherwise? Skip it. You’re not behind. You’re early. |
How We Noticed the Problem
How We Sold Before We Scaled
4. What To Do Early and What Can Wait
A NZ-specific startup checklist showing exactly which tasks to tackle first—and which ones can wait until your startup is actually real.
Startup Actions: Do Now vs. Wait Until Triggered
Task | Do Now | Wait Until... | Tool / Link |
Interview users | Yes | — | |
Build MVP or waitlist | Yes | Carrd, Tally | |
Try to sell manually | Yes | Invoice Generator | |
Open bank account | You're taking in money | Hnry, Xero | |
Register company (NZ Ltd) | You’re co-founding, selling, or public-facing | ||
Register for GST | Revenue > $60K/year | ||
Cap table & shares | You’re issuing equity | ||
Founders agreement | You’re working with someone else |
What Can Wait (If You’re Still Validating)
Task | Wait If… |
Company registration | No co-founders, no revenue, no liability |
GST | Under $60K/year |
Bank account | No money coming in |
Branding and domain | Still validating demand |
Trademarks | Not exposed publicly |
Month One Wins, Summarised
Week | Focus | Goal |
1 | Problem validation | Talk to 10 people |
2 | MVP or waitlist | Get first 20 signups |
3 | Monetisation | Try to earn your first $1 |
4 | Evaluate admin | Trigger hit? Register. If not, pause. |
What We Built
What We Skipped
What We Got Right
What We Learned- The Hard Way
Personal Notes on Emotional Management
On Hiring and Co-Founders
5. 60-Day Start a Startup Roadmap (NZ Edition)
A founder-first checklist to help you build what matters—without wasting time on the wrong admin at the wrong time.
This is not theory. It’s what actually works. Kate built this guide for real founders starting from scratch in New Zealand.
If your startup feels messy, that doesn’t mean you’re behind. It means you’re in the middle of building. That’s exactly where you’re meant to be. Keep going!
Timeline / Stage | Execution Tasks | Admin + Kate’s Reality Check |
Day 0 – You have an idea
Traditional Advice: Register your company, open a bank account, trademark everything. | Write down what feels broken. Clarify friction.
Ask: Who else feels this? Why does it matter?
Start documenting ideas. | ❌ Too early for admin. You’re not building a business yet, you’re diagnosing a problem.
Kate’s Take:
• Feel frustrated enough to email a business idea to yourself at 3am.
• Ask your friend if it annoys them too.
• Choose a business name (it’s fun!) |
Week 1 – Validate the problem
Traditional Advice: Set up GST and tax accounts immediately or go to jail. | Talk to 10 people who experience it.
Ask: How often? What’s the impact? What have they tried?
Use: customer interview template. | ❌ Too early for admin. Don’t open a bank account yet — no legal entity needed until real demand.
Kate’s Take:
• Start reaching out with a Calendly link.
• Curate questions using BANT, SPIN, and The Mom Test.
• Personalised messages > spammy LinkedIn DMs. |
Week 2 – Validate demand
Traditional Advice: Build a full website, hire an accountant, register for GST, pay for branding. | Draft solution hypothesis.
Build no-code MVP: Carrd page, Typeform, waitlist.
Tools: Carrd, Tally, Stripe (test mode).
Launch waitlist or survey. | ❌ Too early for admin. Don’t open a bank account yet — no legal entity needed until real demand.
Kate’s Take:
• Make a Google Form. Record everything.
• Add a newsletter opt-in at the end of interviews.
• Start a free Substack.
• Do competitive analysis with ChatGPT.
• Test small – iterate fast. |
Week 3 – Test with money
Traditional Advice: Write a 52-page business plan, launch marketing campaigns, start full financial setup. | Try to sell and invoice manually.
Formats: 1:1 consult, pilot, workshop.
Use: PDF invoice generator.
Track who paid, how much, and why. | ⚠️ If you're getting paid → Open a business bank account.
Kate’s Take:
• Only register your company after traction.
• Use tools like Lovable & AI — no dev needed.
• Build a free 1-page website. Speak to customer pain. |
Week 4 – Evaluate readiness
Traditional Advice: Apply for grants, formalise strategy. | Have you earned anything? Are you going public?
If a co-founder is involved, define equity and roles.
Re-interview users. Iterate offer. | ⚠️ If selling publicly → Register NZ Ltd company.
⚠️ If splitting equity → Issue shares & sign founders agreement.
❌ Still don’t need a 52-page business plan.
Kate’s Take:
• Follow traction triggers, not tradition.
• Use templates for shareholder agreements.
• Track time and money investment.
• Keep talking to users. Adjust based on signal. |
Optional – Admin triggers | Check what stage you're at. | ⚠️ If revenue > $60K/year → Register for GST.
⚠️ If hiring → Register for PAYE & KiwiSaver.
⚠️ If going public → Check ONECheck & register trademarks.
⚠️ If non-NZ citizen → Check Entrepreneur Visa pathways.
Kate’s Take:
• Pitch deck doesn’t need to be perfect.
• Publicly share the journey (LinkedIn).
• Don’t change your name just because one person doesn’t like it.
• Change it only if legally required or the domains are taken. |
Month 2+ – Build on what works
Traditional Advice: Register IP, join an accelerator. | Think about raising money.
Build a pitch deck.
Talk to more customers.
Keep iterating MVP. Kill what’s not working. | ⚠️ If hiring → Register PAYE & KiwiSaver.
⚠️ If going public → ONECheck trademark.
⚠️ If non-resident → Check visa requirements.
⚠️ If high revenue → Register for GST.
Kate’s Take:
• Build in public.
• Double down on what works.
• Spend money where it makes money.
• Find founder-aligned accelerators (like Ministry of Awesome). |
6. Kate’s Founder Notes (Full Start a Startup Case Study)
Hard-won insights on co-founders, early customer conversations, emotional resilience, and building something real as a solo NZ founder.
How We Noticed the Problem & Talked to Potential Customers
How We Started Selling Before We Scaled
What We Built
What We Skipped
What We Got Right
What We Learned- The Hard Way
Personal Notes on Emotional Management
On Hiring and Co-Founders
7. Master List: Start a Startup Links, Tools, & Resources
Click-by-click links to NZ-ready tools, templates, and software for MVPs, marketing, banking, legal setup, and community building.
Foundational Setup
Site | What You Will Get | URL |
Companies Office (NZ) | NZ company registration: incorporation, filing, name reservation, annual returns | |
Emerge Banking | NZ business banking and payment setup | |
Stripe | Online payment processing for NZ and international businesses | |
Xero | NZ-based accounting software for startups | |
M.G Hadfield Accounting (Kellie Hadfield) | Accounting support for founders and small business operators | |
Duncan Cotterill (Rachel Triplow) | Legal support for IP, trademarks, and startup law |
Customer Discovery
Site | What You Will Get | URL |
Google Forms | Free survey tool for customer discovery and validation | |
Calendly | Automated calendar booking to schedule interviews | |
The Mom Test (Book) | Guide to asking better customer questions | |
BANT (Sales Methodology) | Sales qualification framework: Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline | |
SPIN Selling (Methodology) | Sales framework: Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff | |
ChatGPT | AI tool to prep interview scripts, personas, ideas |
MVP + First Experiments
Site | What You Will Get | URL |
Lovable (No-Code Builder) | No-code platform to prototype and validate startup ideas | |
Canva | Visual design tool for pitch decks, social posts, branding | |
Plan on a Page | Simple, visual business planning tool |
Marketing + Community
Site | What You Will Get | URL |
Substack | Email newsletter platform to build early audience | |
LinkedIn | Professional network to share progress and attract early users | |
LaunchBot | Marketing strategy platform for lean teams and founders |
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