"A little bit like Dragons Den" was how Martin van Rooyen described the first of his mentoring sessions with high-profile businessman Stefan Lepionka.
Mr van Rooyen and his wife Vicki own Perreaux Industries Ltd, a Mosgiel-based firm which designs and manufactures niche audio equipment.
From an unassuming upstairs premises, the company exports about "80% plus" of its equipment, predominantly to Europe, North America and Asia.
The company is one of 10 small businesses throughout New Zealand to benefit from the knowledge, experience and success of six high-profile business people, as part of the ASB Business Futures mentor programme.
The diverse range of businesses - from a sausage-maker to fashion designer - will work with their mentors over four sessions in 12 months.
Mr van Rooyen likened being ushered into the boardroom at ASB Tower in Auckland and meeting Mr Lepionka as a little like the television series Dragons Den.
In that show, up-and-coming entrepreneurs pitched their ideas to a panel of multi-millionaires and business leaders.
Mr Lepionka was one of the founders of West Auckland-based juice maker Charlie's which was sold in July to Japanese brewing giant Asahi for $129.3 million. He stayed on as chief executive.
Mr van Rooyen jumped at the opportunity to utilise Mr Lepionka's business acumen.
The company had never previously enlisted the help of a mentor.
"What a mentor does is they force you to think about and to work on your business as opposed to getting caught up in your business," he said.
From Perreaux's perspective, it was a tiny little company trying to keep its "head above the water" and they ended up finding themselves being more reactionary than proactive.
Coupled with having six children and a busy family life, it was easy to slip into the mode of "just surviving" and "not thinking about the big picture".The business, which was founded in Napier in 1974, was bought by Mr and Mrs van Rooyen 12 years ago.
It manufactures hi fi audio amplifiers, preamplifers, CD players, home theatre systems and other hi fi audio equipment.
The family moved from Auckland to Otago six years ago after deciding to head south for a lifestyle change.
From a small niche exporting perspective, it made no difference if the company was based in Auckland or Dunedin.
The domestic market was not primarily the focus.
The business has four staff, including Mr van Rooyen, and they shared ideas between themselves, often over "a cup of tea at lunchtime". They then agreed fairly informally to do something new and exciting.
While very small, it had a good reputation internationally and was known for making things using original engineering principles, he said.
Mr Lepionka's first question was what the company's 10-year plan was - something that Mr van Rooyen did not have.
He also cemented the idea that Mr van Rooyen had of forming a board of governance.
Along with that, he wanted to see plans in place about where the van Rooyens wanted to go with their company and their lives.
"You actually have to do something, you have to step up and have to do something now," Mr van Rooyen said.
