Why I do this

I’m a technical founder who learned to sell the hard way.

In 2002 I co-founded Emendo, a healthcare analytics company that improved patient flow in hospitals around the world. I trained as an industrial engineer, not a salesperson.

Nick Burns

But someone had to sell, so it became me, from our very first deal through to multimillion dollar international contracts.

The truth? For a long time I was selling as if my life depended on it, learning entirely by doing. It was stressful and it was lonely. I made just about every mistake going.

Then I worked out a handful of simple fundamentals that changed everything. In late 2012 we sold Emendo to McKesson, then the 14th-largest company on the Fortune 500, delivering around 15x returns to our investors.

I stayed on with the acquirer until 2015. Since then I’ve helped 60+ tech companies across New Zealand and the wider world do the same: grow sales without burning out the founder.

I’m a former chair of The Clown Doctors NZ Charitable Trust, I sit on the board of Pillars (Ka Pou Whakahou), and I mentor founders through their own version of the climb. Giving back matters to me. It’s part of how I work.

What you can expect from me

  • I’ll bring the experience and the empathy
  • I’ll give you a clear plan, not a 90-page strategy deck
  • I’ll tell you the truth, even when it isn’t what you want to hear
  • And I’ll always aim to leave your team stronger than I found it
The short version

Twenty years, in five lines

2002

Co-founded Emendo, healthcare analytics used in hospitals worldwide. Built to $8M ARR.

2012

Exited to McKesson, then 14th on the Fortune 500. Around 15x returns to investors.

2015

Left the acquirer and began coaching and advising tech founders.

2019-23

Led commercial growth at Jade. Revenue from $31m to $46m.

Since

60+ tech companies helped grow, at home and offshore.

Along the way

Sold into Australia, the US, the UK, Canada and Asia. Lived and worked across Africa.

Experience

Examples of the work I’ve done

Founders usually want to know one thing before we talk: have I done the job they need doing? Here is the honest answer, grouped by the kind of work rather than the year.

7 engagements

Running the sales function

I take the sales leadership seat for a fixed period and run it day to day.

  • Led the sales function as the acting sales leader
  • Ran weekly pipeline reviews, forecasts and reporting
  • Qualified leads and worked live deals alongside the team
  • Wrote the business plan, budget and revenue targets
  • Defined the sales roles to hire next, and recruited into them

Urban Intelligence · inIT · SwalTech · myIQ Health · Builderscrack · Solvam · Hello IT

7 engagements

Taking a new product to market

A product that works, and no repeatable way to sell it yet.

  • Found the first real buyer for a pre-revenue product
  • Built go-to-market plans with named targets and 90-day sprints
  • Wrote sales plays, pitch decks, scripts and outreach sequences
  • Turned handshake deals into contracts, service catalogues and SLAs
  • Set up the reference customer that makes the second sale easier

CORDE · SwalTech · TIPU · myIQ Health · realtor.co.nz · MRM Infotech · Dark Matter

5 engagements

Pricing and packaging

What to charge, how to structure it, and how to move people onto it.

  • Built tiered pricing models, rate cards and packages
  • Rebased business cases on a market the company can actually reach
  • Designed free-to-paid conversion without losing the base
  • Priced hardware plus subscription bundles
  • Built pricing calculators, financial test models and transition plans

oVRcome · TIPU · SwalTech · CORDE · Streamliners

5 engagements

RevOps, CRM and outbound

The plumbing underneath the selling. Clean data and a pipeline you can trust.

  • Cleaned, merged and de-duplicated CRM databases
  • Designed deal stages, pipelines and lead routing
  • Set up HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho and Apollo
  • Built outbound sequences, mailbox warm-up and reply handling
  • Wrote the SOPs and handover docs so the team can run it

Xtracta · Enztec · oVRcome · SwalTech · Urban Intelligence

9 engagements

Positioning, messaging and marketing

Getting the company to say the thing that makes a buyer stop.

  • Ran value proposition and strategy canvas workshops
  • Built positioning from real customer interviews
  • Wrote segment and role-based messaging
  • Built marketing plans, campaigns and lead generation
  • Designed partner, referral and channel programmes

AFAM · SwalTech · inIT · myIQ Health · Johner Institute · Essential IT · Hello Better Digital · Prodigi · Xtracta

6 engagements

Market entry and international

A product that works at home and an ambition somewhere else.

  • Built entry plans for Australia, the UK and North America
  • Assessed and selected distributors and channel partners
  • Found and landed early adopter customers offshore
  • Worked through reimbursement, regulatory and logistics routes
  • Got on the plane and sat in the first meetings with founders

HT Systems · myIQ Health · Navenio · M2 Overland · SwalTech · oVRcome

10 engagements

Coaching and building capability

Sometimes the answer is one person getting better at a job nobody trained them for.

  • One-to-one coaching for founders, GMs and sales people
  • Live coaching on real calls, not just in the classroom
  • Sales capability assessments and development plans
  • Facilitated on-site revenue and growth workshops
  • Wrote the job descriptions for the sales roles that followed

Kilmarnock · SwalTech · Hello IT · iTOPS · RedSeed · dzynspace · TANZ eCampus · The Instillery · Enztec · M2 Overland

8 engagements

Board and advisory

The view from the table, and the papers that get taken seriously at it.

  • Sat on advisory boards through growth and funding rounds
  • Prepared board papers on revenue opportunities and priorities
  • Reported sales and marketing to boards and shareholders
  • Helped establish new boards and a proper meeting rhythm
  • Advised on funding needs, raises and investor conversations

HT Systems · 2iQ · myIQ Health · Webtools · FAB · Solvam · Kilmarnock · SwalTech

Companies appear under more than one heading where the engagement covered more than one kind of work. Tell me what you’re trying to fix and I’ll tell you straight whether it’s something I’ve done before.

Think we might be a fit?

Start with the scorecard, or book a free 30-minute call. No pitch, no pressure.