BMNZ Platform Evolution — print view
Business Mentors New Zealand
PlatformEvolution
A Staged Roadmap
A practical, staged path forward
A staged path from BMNZ's HubSpot-centred model to a more intuitive, AI-native platform.
Prove the experience first, reduce HubSpot dependency progressively, then commercialise.
HubSpot and the new platform run side by side — each stage moves more data and workflow across until HubSpot can be retired.
Three horizons
Prove & build the foundation
Prototype registration → build registration → build the coordinator matching platform.
Progressively move BMNZ onto the platform
Business owners → mentors → administration and reporting → HubSpot exit.
Commercialise the proven platform
Turn BMNZ's operating platform into a white-label SaaS product.
Running underneath the whole roadmap: HubSpot and the new BMNZ platform operate together during the transition. Each stage progressively synchronises more data and workflow into the new platform, reducing BMNZ's dependency on HubSpot until it can ultimately be retired.
How we would approach the build
Every material stage is designed, approved, then built.
Understand
Workflow, users, data, success measures.
Prototype
Design the end-to-end experience before development.
Sign off
BMNZ approves the experience and the stage scope.
Build & validate
Develop, integrate, test with real users, refine.
Prototype before build
Each major journey is prototyped before any production development begins.
That gives the team something tangible to review, exposes edge cases early, and creates a clear approval point.
One prototype, one sign-off gate, before every build.
A team built for platform work
48 team members across strategy, digital marketing, UX/UI, design, development, project management, account leads and our AI practice.
48
Team members across the group
8
Disciplines under one roof
15 yrs
Building custom software
SaaS + Web
Product, platform and digital marketing
SmartSpace is one of our platforms. We have delivered SaaS onboarding and platform experiences for New Zealand software companies including LawVu and SwipedOn — the same problem shape as BMNZ's Stage 1A.
Growing a SaaS customer base
A SaaS visitor management portal — a health and safety registry for staff, contractors and visitors, sold to HR and administration leaders in offices of 100+ staff across the USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
- Our role: grow customers and subscribers within CPA targets
- Turnover up 100% in 12 months, across 39 countries
- ARR of approx NZ$1.7m, growing at +100% per annum
- Sold for a multi-million dollar price — marketing named a component of success
“Working alongside CreativeQ is a true relationship. One that is vested in mutual success that ultimately benefits both parties – I know it's been key in driving our growth in the last few years.”
Hadleigh Ford, CEO, SwipedOn.com
The AI engine already exists — the platform doesn't
SmartSpace already gives BMNZ the AI and orchestration layer. The investment is the platform around it: experience, interface, data and integration.
- UX and journey design for owners, mentors and staff
- Front end BMNZ can put in front of members
- Data model, permissions and roles
- Integration and migration with HubSpot
- Reporting and visibility for the BMNZ team
- A platform shaped to be commercialised later
Not a greenfield AI build — this is about surfacing what SmartSpace already does in a way people actually want to use.
Horizon 1
Fix the leaks
Solve the two most immediate pain points — business-owner registration and human-intensive matching — while HubSpot remains the system of record.
Business Owner Registration & Intake
Delivered in two priced parts — prototype first, then build what's signed off.
Prototype & architecture
NZ$6,000 – $8,000
- Prototype the full registration journey
- Define what matching actually needs captured
- Agree architecture and HubSpot integration
Build the signed-off journey
NZ$15,000 – $18,000
- Build the low-friction registration workflow
- AI structuring and summarising of intake
- Write back to HubSpot; funnel and drop-off visibility
Stage 1 total
NZ$21,000 – $26,000 + GST
1A is the first portion of Stage 1, not an extra cost.
Coordinator Matching Workspace
A purpose-built interface for matching, so coordinators no longer work inside HubSpot.
- Business-owner and matching queue
- SmartSpace mentor recommendations with fit reasoning
- Shortlist, review, approve and decline
- Mentor capacity and availability in context
- Invitation, acceptance and follow-up tracking
- Two-way HubSpot read and write
Prototyped end-to-end with the coordination team before build.
Stage 2 total
NZ$35,000 – $50,000 + GST
Horizon 1 indicative investment
Stage 1A · Prototype
NZ$6k – $8k
First commitment
Stage 1B · Build
NZ$15k – $18k
Stage 1 total NZ$21k – $26k
Stage 2 · Matching
NZ$35k – $50k
Coordinator experience
Horizon 1 total: NZ$56,000 – $76,000 + GST. Two useful experiences in production, with HubSpot still available underneath.
Horizon 2
Replace the operating platform
Move business owners, mentors and administrators into the new platform. HubSpot stays connected, but becomes less visible at each stage.
Business Owner Portal
One place for owners to see their mentoring relationship, sessions and goals.
- Owner home and profile
- Matching and relationship status
- Sessions and meeting history
- Goals and actions, AI-suggested where useful
- Digital Mentor and resources
- Notifications and self-service
Piloted with new business owners before wider migration.
Indicative investment
NZ$35,000 – $50,000
+ GST
Mentor Experience
A mentor workspace that removes manual admin around every session.
- Mentor dashboard and relationships
- Session history and meeting prep
- AI meeting summaries and suggested actions
- Confirm AI-captured notes instead of re-entering them
- Profile, capacity and availability
- Communication and scheduling
Mentors onboard progressively once the workflow is proven.
Indicative investment
NZ$50,000 – $75,000
+ GST
Administration, Reporting & HubSpot Exit
The point BMNZ can operate — and report — without HubSpot underneath.
- Users, roles and regions
- Programme health and oversight
- Business Pulse and reporting automation
- Survey and qualitative insight
- Data management and auditability
- Migration of required HubSpot data
HubSpot is only decommissioned once BMNZ confirms nothing material is lost.
Indicative investment
NZ$30,000 – $45,000
+ GST. Horizon 2 total NZ$115,000 – $170,000 + GST.
How the HubSpot transition works
No big-bang migration. HubSpot moves from workplace, to background layer, to no longer required.
| Stage | What changes | Role of HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owners register through the new experience. | System of record; intake written back. |
| 2 | Coordinators match in the new workspace. | Holds data, much less visible. |
| 3 | Owners use the new portal. | Background data layer. |
| 4 | Mentors work in the new platform. | Most activity now outside HubSpot. |
| 5 | Admin, reporting and migration complete. | Retired once BMNZ confirms coverage. |
| 6 | Platform productised for other organisations. | No dependency in the core product. |
BMNZ may stop using HubSpot for key workflows well before it stops paying for it.
Horizon 3
Commercialise
Once proven through BMNZ's own programme, add what is needed to offer the platform to other mentoring and support organisations.
Multi-tenant / White-label Product
Turning the proven BMNZ platform into a configurable product.
- Tenant creation and management
- Tenant branding and configuration
- Permissions and data separation
- Organisation onboarding and migration
- Plans, licences and subscriptions
- Platform-owner administration and provisioning
Isolated enterprise deployments stay architecturally possible, but are only built when a customer funds them.
Indicative investment
NZ$60,000 – $90,000
+ GST
Indicative programme investment
1. Fix the leaks
Registration + coordinator matching
NZ$56k – $76k
2. Replace the platform
Owner, mentor, admin, HubSpot exit
NZ$115k – $170k
3. Commercialise
Multi-tenant / white-label
NZ$60k – $90k
Full staged programme
NZ$231k – $336k + GST
Indicative planning bands, not fixed quotations. Each stage is scoped and priced after its prototype is signed off.
AMI Roadside Rescue
A smooth signup journey for new and existing customers, combining Shopify with vehicle data capture.
- Challenge: one clear signup journey across new and existing customers
- Approach: agency-led strategy, CreativeQ delivered UX + custom Shopify integration
- Result: higher conversions and a simplified customer journey
“The simplified customer journey made accessing roadside assistance straightforward and stress-free, reinforcing customer satisfaction.”
Chemistry — Agency partner, AMI digital strategy
Bespoke booking platform
Currently in developmentReplacing an aged platform so the organisation can scale — a ministry schools contract is set to triple its size.
- Kit availability, allocation and regional logistics
- Branch and volunteer administration at national scale
- Reporting for funders, ministry and stakeholders
Alberts.nz
An elegant, conversion-focused landing page for a premium workspace campaign.
- Challenge: a premium campaign page built to convert
- Approach: partnered with the agency on UX, design and reliable delivery
- Result: full website rebuild plus a custom booking system, now a long-term partnership
In their words
“Creative Q have been great to work with. Nothing is a problem and their expertise in the digital space has been invaluable and delivered upwards of a 20% increase in merch sales. They've integrated seamlessly into our daily processes and continually go above and beyond a typical website provider.”
Gallagher Chiefs — Commercial team
“We switched over to CreativeQ after they were recommended to us. We were instantly impressed as they did a lot of background research, understood our needs straight away and really hit the ground running. They spoke our language which really helped and have been very accommodating. We are super stoked with what we have seen by the entire team.”
Brydon Heller — Hellers
Two complementary capabilities
SmartSpace brings the AI and orchestration layer. CreativeQ brings the product design and custom software capability that turns it into a complete application.
Each stage creates a BMNZ-owned software asset — without requiring an immediate platform replacement decision.
The question isn't HubSpot versus custom software. It's which path supports BMNZ's long-term operating model.
What we'd like to validate
- Are registration and matching the right two places to begin?
- Which pain points matter most commercially?
- Which HubSpot workflows must stay unchanged in Horizon 1?
- What must registration capture for better matching?
- What would make matching materially better day-to-day?
- What reporting is required before HubSpot can retire?
- How much flexibility versus standardisation in the journey?
- Which white-label needs are architectural decisions now?
Stage 1A — prototype and architecture
A signed-off onboarding prototype, agreed architecture, defined HubSpot integration requirements, success measures and a production-ready Stage 1B scope.
Stage 1A: NZ$6,000 – $8,000 + GST, included within the Stage 1 investment.
We'd love to work with you
Thank you.