Get Paid Without the Chase: The Practical Cash Flow Reset for Business Owners

This workshop will give you the tools and confidence to take control of your payment processes, reduce financial risk, and stop working for free - without losing clients or compromising service.

Unlike a theory-based session, this is grounded in real conversations with real businesses facing the same challenges every day. It’s direct, helpful, engaging, and empowering - and built to give attendees control over the part of the payment system they can influence in a marketplace that often feels stacked against them.

Workshop Outcomes

Understand where your current payment system might be failing you
Learn how to reduce the risk of not being paid
Know the exact tools and structures to implement for better protection
Feel more confident discussing deposits, payment terms, and credit risk
Walk away with practical scripts, real-life examples, and an actionable plan

You’ll leave knowing you can take on the right jobs with confidence, protect your margins, and finally stop feeling like you’re working for free.

Date: Tuesday 16 September 2025

Time: 10am - 12pm

Location: The Long Room, L1 Wintec House, Wintec City Campus, Hamilton

Cost: $49 per person

Who This Workshop Is For

This is for hands-on, skilled business owners who deliver work, materials, or services before they get paid - often absorbing the risk, cost, or liability upfront.

If you’ve ever waited weeks to get paid, been ghosted after a job, or felt like your business was carrying the risk while your customer reaped the benefits - this workshop is for you.

Even if you’ve never had a major non-payment, this workshop will help you protect what you’ve built so you don’t have to learn the hard way.

You’ll get the most out of this session if you:

Run a business with upfront labour or materials costs
Regularly do job-based or project work
Provide services before receiving full payment
Operate in industries with a high risk of late payment or disputes
Have ever been frustrated with a payment cycle that just drags on

Typical attendees include: Builders, electricians, plumbers, engineers, maintenance providers, rural/agri contractors, equipment suppliers, signage/custom fabrication businesses, cleaning teams, transport operators, and more.

But ultimately, it’s for any business that needs to tighten their cash flow structure and get paid without the chase.

About the Speaker
Mel Curwood is a business owner and a cheerleader for SME businesses and business owners. She works in partnership with one of New Zealand’s longest-standing credit management providers. With over seven years of hands-on experience supporting small and medium-sized businesses across the Waikato and wider Aotearoa, she specialises in helping business owners protect their cash flow, get paid on time, and build practical systems that reduce financial risk.

Mel brings a unique blend of frontline experience and financial insight, shaped by a career that spans both corporate finance - including time with BNZ, GE Finance, and Fonterra - and leadership roles within locally owned businesses here in the Waikato.

Each week, she works directly with business owners navigating the pressure of delayed payments, rising costs, and cash flow uncertainty. Her workshops are known for being clear, practical, and full of tools business owners can use straight away - delivered with empathy, encouragement, and a dash of humour.