Tools / checklists / practical decisions

Useful thinking before you invest in a build or a growth channel.

Practical resources for planning software, improving your website and SEO, and using FiveStar Loyalty to attract customers and encourage repeat visits.

01 / Software development

Plan the operational problem before paying to build.

Briefs, calculators and decision guides for teams replacing manual work or shaping a software product.

01 / Interactive calculator

Manual workflow cost calculator

Use staffing, time and tool costs to estimate the annual size of a repetitive workflow problem.

02 / Downloadable template

Software project brief template

Capture the problem, users, workflows, constraints and success measures before discussing a build.

03 / Decision guide

Custom software or off-the-shelf?

Compare fit, lifetime cost, operational risk and the value of a workflow that is genuinely different.

04 / Founder guide

From idea to a useful SaaS MVP

Plan a first release around the riskiest assumption and one complete customer journey.

02 / Websites & SEO

Make better decisions about search, websites and paid reach.

Practical checklists and comparisons grounded in official platform guidance, with the limits and trade-offs made visible.

01 / Websites & growth / Local visibility

A Google Business Profile checklist built for real local businesses.

Work through the profile, proof, website and measurement tasks that help customers understand what you do and whether you serve them—without keyword stuffing or ranking guarantees.

02 / Websites & growth / AI search

SEO, AEO and GEO: three labels, one discoverability system.

A practical guide to what changes when customers search through Google, AI Overviews and answer tools—and what remains ordinary, disciplined SEO.

03 / Websites & growth / Buying guide

What should a business website cost in New Zealand? Start with the scope, not a magic number.

A quote-comparison guide for small businesses that want to understand where the money goes, which costs recur and how to avoid buying either too little or unnecessary complexity.

04 / Websites & growth / Paid acquisition

Google Ads or Meta Ads? Choose around the customer moment, not the platform logo.

A practical comparison for businesses deciding where to test paid acquisition, what must be ready before launch and why neither channel can rescue a weak offer or unclear landing page.

05 / Fact-check & practical checklist

Did Google change LCP to two seconds?

Check the current Google guidance, understand what slow pages mean and work through the improvements that matter.

03 / FiveStar Loyalty

See how customer rewards work.

Explore actual product settings and the customer journey before choosing a plan.

Loyalty reward-cost calculator

Model programme costs, reward fulfilment and the additional purchases needed to cover your budget.

Referral rewards and Online Gift Vouchers

See when each voucher is issued and how merchant-chosen rewards work.

From joining to the next visit

Walk through signup, staff-confirmed purchases and Wallet rewards with product demo screens.

Referral programmes for Christchurch businesses

Choose affordable rewards, make introductions easy and measure the customers who return.