James Dobson, designer of Jimmy D and co-founder of Children of Vision, a physical and online clothing boutique carrying a selection local and imported cult fashion labels such as Deadly Ponies, Bernhard Willhelm, Company of Strangers and Jimmy D.

Maree Glading and business partner, Jessie Stanley, are The lovely little food company, a boutique food business that produces a range of handmade gourmet pies called I Love Pies.

Rob Chemaly, General Manager, Retail, Foodstuffs on what kind of customer service he is looking for from small food businesses.

Of course every small business owner will wax lyrical about how important customer service is to them. I asked the companies featured this week to come up with some specifics so you could all compare it with what you do.

One of the biggest bugbears of management consultant Vivianne Bryant, owner of Auckland's Bare Waxing and Skin Centres, is over-familiarity by staff with clients.

Chef looks forward to busy summer, after fightback from breast cancer.

Benjamin Clark of Benjamin Black Goldsmiths has a contemporary jewellery design studio and workshop based in Nelson and an online business.

Angus Ogilvie, Managing Director, Generate Accounting Group on small businesses handling very fast growth.

Chris Pescott, CEO – Perceptive, a market research company that specializes in customer experience research for a NZ and Australian client base.

Making it doesn’t come easy in the changing world of fashion. With her business about to turn 10, designer Juliette Hogan talks to Zoe Walker about her complex relationship with the industry.

It seems the main concern for small businesses when they have a big growth spurt is cash flow.

Rapid growth for a new business is exciting and daunting at the same time.

Being set up from day one as if you were a big, replicable business, as espoused by Michael Gerber in The E-Myth, is a good way to start.

Starting a business always comes at a cost, and for Linley Butler it was her orange VW Beetle...

Brett Wells, director of Rockshop, a music business which has 30 stores in New Zealand.

Clare Parkes, CEO Clarian Human Resources which works with business owners and HR professionals to maximise their people resources through challenge, development and change.

A Wellington filmmaker has attracted $600,000 in start-up funding for his cloud-based video sharing software.

Paul Robinson, Director of recruitment and HR specialists, Randstad.

Terri Grace, shareholder and marketing manager of Global Beauty since 2002.

Shona Grundy, CEO and co-founder of Trigger Happy.