The circle of life: the SME/ government relationship 

Brigid Withers is Redvespa's Wellington Client Relationship Manager, putting her in a unique position between SMEs and government which continues a life-long connection across childhood moves and movies.‍

As a child of parents who owned and operated one of New Zealand’s many, many small businesses (currently estimated to make up 97% of all Aotearoa businesses and a quarter of our GDP), I have always been acutely aware of the intrinsic link between the Government and our country's SMEs. 

The type of work my parent’s company did meant they were often working on things that were, in one way or another, initiated by government decisions. I often heard discussions centered on what the government was (or wasn’t) doing and how that was helping or hindering my parent’s business goals. 

Of course, what impacted their lives also impacted mine. 

I remember one summer we had to relocate to the Hawkes Bay because all the work in Wellington dried up. I rather enjoyed it if I am honest because I got to spend a lot of time swimming, but I also recall it being tinged by the worry that I would have to live away from my friends, local park, and favourite teacher until I was unimaginably old. Well, older than 10 at least. Happily the work returned to Wellington and so did we, before the hands of time aged me too much.

Many years on (where I am a bit older than 10), I’m working as Redvespa’s Wellington-based Client Relationship Manager. For Redvespa, how well, or not well, we are doing is often influenced by what is happening in the Beehive. My concerns are less about proximity to friends and more akin to those my parents had.

Thankfully, I have a bit more insight now into the symbiotic relationship between government and SME’s. Redvespa is the latter, but the client base I support in Wellington is mostly the former. I spend a lot of time listening to the challenges our public servants face, and see firsthand the huge amount of hard work that goes into delivering projects that aim to make New Zealand a better place to live. I also spend a lot of time dealing with Government procurement - writing RFP responses, managing contracts and keeping abreast of where they need help and how they spend their money. 

Government procurement, and how they are choosing to spend taxpayers money is often something I hear grumblings about, alongside nearly everything else the government does. Working in the public sector is not a job for the thin-skinned. Neither is being a small business owner. Someone, somewhere is nearly always unhappy with you. Although the public and private sector are two different industries, their relationship is a symbiotic one, or the financial circle of life for money in New Zealand.

I view it a bit like this:

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Obviously, this is a simplistic version, an economist would likely shudder (and don't tell Di$ney), but you understand the point I'm trying to make. 

Having a foot in each camp has given me a unique perspective: I understand the challenges that most participants in the cycle face, and can empathise with them all. If one category isn’t doing well, the rest struggle, that is the nature of symbiosis (or obligate symbiosis, according to the internet). 

So, when I am annoyed about the amount of tax I pay, the finickyness of procurement rules, or a lack of public understanding about how difficult it is to run a country, I remind myself that we all contribute at some point in the cycle, and it is in our interest to ensure all organisms are set up to succeed. 

Whether it’s procurement processes, regulatory changes, or economic shifts, understanding the interdependence between government and SMEs helps us navigate the challenges of both spaces. 

At Redvespa, we are able to bring the best thinking from across both sectors, and use them to everyone’s advantage to help decode these complexities, providing the insights and strategies needed to adapt and thrive - our small contribution to improving the cycle for all concerned.

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