Keep The Change

Ryan breaks down his journey from employee to business owner: 12 years working for others, multiple failed attempts at partnerships, and finally finding a seller in Ashburton. We cover the 8-year vendor finance deal that made it possible, why his house losing $45K in value didn't stop him, and how he's now building the practice he always dreamed of.The reality? Most optometrists stay employees forever. Ryan refused to accept that path, even when deals fell through and relationships ended. He kept pushing until he found the right opportunity.From Specsavers pathway programs to independent practice owner, sometimes the long way around is the only way that works.We cover cash flow challenges, paying loans with after-tax income, building community connections, and why small town optometry beats city employment. Plus his next vision: owning a deer farm while running his practice.Twenty years from childhood dream to business reality. Persistence pays off.Find Ryan:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-o-connor-827a9562/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanoconnornz/ Website: https://www.asheye.co.nz/Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGet tickets to the 2nd annual in person 'keep the change unplugged' event: https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/keep-the-change-tickets/artist/3925924Generate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.

Most first home buyers think they need 20% deposit and will take 8-16 years to save it. Meanwhile, house prices keep rising faster than their wages.Jared from Tamaki Regeneration breaks down shared home ownership. We cover how it works with banks, why it's not a scam, and how families are getting keys to new homes in 2-3 years instead of waiting decades.There is hope. You just need to know where to look.Find JaredLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-partridge-21615694/Website: https://tamakiregeneration.co.nz/Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning.Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nzInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGet tickets to the 2nd annual in person 'keep the change unplugged' event: https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/keep-the-change-tickets/artist/3925924I believe 100,000 kiwi with better financial literacy will create a better New Zealand. The Generate KiwiSaver Scheme are helping me reach this goal. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.

Most employees think their boss is “making a killing.” In this episode, I break down the hidden costs of running a business, the real risks owners carry, and why comparing your hourly rate to what the client pays is a massive misunderstanding. Strap yourself in.Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/

"Survive to 25" was bullshit. We're halfway through 2025 and it still feels brutal. But the data is starting to tell a different story.Luke and Mikey break down what's really happening and why 2025 might be looked back on as the economic bottom. We cover the fatigue everyone's feeling, why people are leaving at record levels, and the regional differences across the country.The reality? Some are crushing it while others are struggling. The difference isn't luck, it's taking control of your income instead of waiting for someone else to save you.Find Mikey:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/officialmikeysmith/Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikey-smith-25999548/Website https://guardiansmith.co.nzAmy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGet tickets to the 2nd annual in person 'keep the change unplugged' event: https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/keep-the-change-tickets/artist/3925924Generate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.

We hit pause on the day-to-day noise and take a step back to ask ourselves the big questions. Where do we want to be in 12 months? What about in 5 years? What needs to happen this quarter to get us moving? We talk openly about what’s working, what isn’t, what work we want to do, and where we want to push ourselves. Summer and the end of a year is great time to do this. Take it seriously too! You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to get started. Take some time to dream. Make a plan. Share it. Act on it. Review the plan quarterly. Take more action on it.Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/

Someone once told me to focus on my strengths. I said how. They showed me the Gallup’s StrengthsFinder to figure out what I’m actually good at, and what to stop wasting time on. Then the maximiser in me wanted to go deeper on this so I linked up with an incredible human. In this episode, I’ve convinced my secret strengths coach, Suze Oh, to join me for a deep dive into how understanding your natural talents can change the way you work, lead, and live. It certainly did for me. We unpack my Top 10 strengths (yep, the real list), talk about how they show up in business and life, and how you can use your own strengths to make more progress with less burnout.If you’ve ever wondered why you’re wired the way you are, this one’s for you.Find Suze OhWebsite: https://www.thinkplando.co.nz Email: suze@thinkplando.co.nzChat: https://calendly.com/suzeoh/Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGet tickets to the 2nd annual in person 'keep the change unplugged' event: https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/keep-the-change-tickets/artist/3925924Generate are supporting my vision to improve the financial literacy of 100,000 kiwis by sponsoring Keep The Change. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.

Every week in NZ, people turn down overtime, stop pushing for bonuses, or refuse side work because they think it’s not worth it. Is that right? Some are even convinced they received less, for working more. The old accountant in me couldn’t help but step in and ask a few questions to try to help.Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/

For 12 months, 70,000 New Zealand citizens have left to live overseas. 60% went to Australia. That's the highest we've ever seen.Our most popular guest yet, Professor Paul Spoonley is back to break down what's really happening: we're losing young graduates, skilled workers, and even 30-somethings who've been in our workforce for years. Meanwhile, net migration has dropped to just 10,000, we've "emptied the coffers" on population growth.The economics are brutal, Australia's offering higher wages on top of relocation fees, while NZ graduates are unable to find jobs whilst sitting with massive debt, so why not move somewhere that pays more?We're facing a 250,000 worker shortage over the next 20 years, but we're losing our best people to countries that value them more.New Zealand has changed. The question is: are we adapting fast enough?Find Paul Spoonley on X: https://x.com/PSpoonley Amy from http://Levridge.co.nz has come on as a sponsor of Keep The Change to help people with their financial planning. Stuck? Find Amy : amy@levridge.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy.levridgeWebsite: https://www.levridge.co.nzGet tickets to the 2nd annual in person 'keep the change unplugged' event: https://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/keep-the-change-tickets/artist/3925924I believe 100,000 kiwi with better financial literacy will create a better New Zealand. The Generate KiwiSaver Scheme are helping me reach this goal. Cheers Generate. Head to https://www.generatewealth.co.nz/change/ to find out more.

Only 21% of people globally are engaged in their work. That means almost 4 out of 5 people are turning up each day to something that doesn’t really light them up. Crazy, right? Well, probably bloody normal based on the stats. But for me, that’s hard to relate to. So I asked the Keep The Change audience: “Why stay in work you’re not actually engaged in?"Hey thanks for listening! Please take some form of action from this content, don’t just be a consumer, become a producer! Make sure you’re subscribed to Money Mail via Keepthechange.co.nz to receive our weekly lesson on money and financial literacy. Stay close to us on social media and share this with someone that you think this content will help. Together we can collectively improve the financial literacy of New Zealand - let’s get on with it. Find us here:@keepthechange_nzhttps://www.keepthechange.co.nz/