Kevin D’Ambros-SmithKeynote speaker. Entrepreneur. Investor. Business coach.Send your room home with a plan,
not a pep talk.
An inspiring talk that changes nothing wastes your audience’s day. Your owners get 30+ years in business, 60+ global brands and 9 companies founded or co-founded, turned into a plan they can act on the next morning.
Keynotes, workshops and coaching for SME owners across the USA and New Zealand. In person or live online.
- Companies founded or co-founded
- 9
- Businesses coached one-on-one
- 200+
- Client NPS
- +72*
- Global brands worked on
- 60+
* Net Promoter Score from coaching clients surveyed through The Icehouse (New Zealand).
“Kevin D'Ambros-Smith presented on the Icehouse Owner Manager Programme and he was brilliant… it was the most notes I have ever taken from any speaker.”
Over 30 years in business, including DDB, Ogilvy and Saatchi & Saatchi. Approved Regional Business Partners Network provider and partner of The Icehouse in New Zealand.
Kevin’s signature keynote
The old rule said bigger wins. That rule is breaking.
The enemy isn’t a competitor. It’s the belief that you have to get bigger before you can win.
“I want you to operate like a hard-working pirate ship.”
Don’t wear Saul’s armor. Pick your stones. It’s the oldest underdog story there is: the young shepherd who wouldn’t fight in the giant’s armor.
Scale wins. Get big first, then you’re allowed to compete. So owners wait, overspend and second-guess themselves while they try to catch up.
Systems that once took a large team now fit a small one, and AI handles the repeatable work. What no giant can buy is your local knowledge of your customers.
Your owners leave knowing the one thing to fix first, and how to use big-brand systems and AI to do it.
The idea behind the keynote: where you, Kevin and AI meet.
Your vision. Kevin’s corporate knowledge and systems. The power of AI. Where they meet is the sweet spot.
your local knowledge,
your customers
and systems, distilled
for SME owners
to work, now
for your business
scaled
automated
OF THE
OWNER
Keynotes, presentations and workshops
Talks that change what owners do on Monday.
Eight topics, each plain-English, story-led and practical, and each built around your audience, your market and the one decision you want them to make.
The Age of the Owner (Local knowledge. Big-brand systems.)
Why the advantage is moving to owners, and how to take it. Kevin’s signature keynote.
Grow It Yourself – Marketing Made Simple with AI
Plan, create and run your own marketing with AI tools, with no agency retainer needed.
Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working (and what to do about it)
Why marketing spend falls flat, and the fixes to make before you spend another dollar.
Truly Understand Your Customer
Who really buys, why they choose you and what they say about you, and how to use what you learn.
Find Your Secret Sauce
What makes your business different and worth choosing, in words your customers will repeat.
Powering Up Your Sales
Sales conversations and habits that win more of the business you already attract.
Know Your Future
Picture the business and the life you want from it, then work backward to the moves that get you there.
Making It Happen (Strategy In Action)
The plan turned into weekly actions with owners, dates and measures, so it gets done.
Who books Kevin.
The Icehouse Owner Manager Programme
Growth Presentations for BNZ clients across New Zealand
MahiTahi / Colab food and beverage workshop
New Zealand Blood Service
In person across New Zealand and the USA, or live online anywhere.
The room tells it best.
Owners, program leaders and industry bodies on what happens when Kevin takes the stage.
NikkiMahiTahi / Colab“…New Zealand’s leading growth facilitator, The Icehouse and the powerhouse that is Kevin D’Ambros-Smith [worked] with 11 Food and Beverage companies from the region… to scale up their businesses. Feedback has been off the charts… Kevin, you distilled business, marketing and sales strategy into powerful simple concepts and actions with real life stories of your start-up business and corporate life.”
Liz WotherspoonDirector, The Icehouse“One of [the] highlight presentations during [The Icehouse Owner Manager Programme]. Really enjoyed your wisdom and insight thanks Kevin!”
Angus & CameronThe Flatpack Co“Talking with Kevin the first time was so valuable and we were learning so much. Within an hour Kevin had us thinking about our business and our goals in a totally different way. In fact we were supposed to be catching a flight but we decided it was more important that we continued the meeting with Kevin.”
Scott PearceNew Zealand Blood Service“We were hanging on every word.”
Micheal NyProperty & Hospitality Owner, Developer, Investor“I could have listened to you for hours.”
Client feedback shared with permission. Results are specific to each business and are not typical.
Kevin has worked with 60+ global brands, including:
Agency years at DDB, Ogilvy and Saatchi & Saatchi
- McDonald’s
- BMW
- General Mills
- IBM
- GSK
- Heineken
- Unilever
- Telecom
- Kimberly-Clark
- Daewoo
- Woolworths
- Lion Breweries
- NZ Dairy Foods
- Monsanto
- NZI
Clients and brand partners from Kevin’s own businesses
- Samsung
- Nestlé
- Johnson & Johnson
- Westpac
- Mattel
- BNZ
- Fonterra
- Colgate
- Hasbro
- Purina
- Heinz
- Reckitt
- Procter & Gamble
- Clarins
- Fujifilm
Meet Kevin D’Ambros-Smith.
Kevin D’Ambros-Smith is a keynote speaker, entrepreneur and investor who turns big-brand thinking into plans owners can act on the next morning.
He began in advertising at DDB, Ogilvy and Saatchi & Saatchi and has worked on 60+ global brands. He has founded or co-founded 9 companies across eCommerce, digital media, engineering and healthcare logistics. Nine businesses, some very successful and some failures. Those scars are what make his talks practical.
Since 2017 he has coached 200+ businesses one-on-one across 30+ industries. Coaching clients surveyed through The Icehouse return a Net Promoter Score of +72.
He has presented on The Icehouse Owner Manager Programme and led Growth Presentations for BNZ clients across New Zealand.
“Working with Kevin D'Ambros-Smith has given us the space to pause and reflect — on where we are now, where we want to be and how we get there.”
Gabby Kirk, Papier HQKevin’s full storyCoaching clients
What changes for you when you work with Kevin.
Owners across industries on what Kevin's coaching did for their business.
RichardChem Suppliers“I have grown my business 5x since working with Kevin. … Everything Kevin told me to do was the complete opposite of what I had been doing.”
Curtis HaconGive A Sh!t“Kevin is an absolute powerhouse! He doubled our business’s profits in the first month alone…”
John RobertsCo-owner & COO, Oragene“I catch up with Kevin once a week and it is definitely the highlight of my week. Kevin being from a creative, advertising agency background, he just sees different opportunities so clearly. I would not have considered the B2C market as an opportunity before working with Kevin and now it is a major focus for us. He has opened up so many new opportunities for us.”
Simon KeepaPhysioACTION“Kevin worked with us at PhysioACTION to develop a positioning that sets us apart, 'PhysioACTION - A better experience', then helped us build the experience to match. In every part of the business we ask how to make it better for our customers and our team, and that's now the standard we hold ourselves to.”
Heidi JohnstonWindowmakers“Kevin understood a manufacturing and trades business from day one. No jargon, no theory, just clear advice on where to focus so that we had clear targets and ideas we could act on straight away to improve our customer acquisition and engagement.”
+72
Net Promoter Score from coaching clients surveyed through The Icehouse (New Zealand)
Client feedback shared with permission. Results are specific to each business and are not typical.
Formats
Built around your event.
- Conference keynote
- Workshop including Grow It Yourself – Marketing Made Simple with AI
- Program session
- Live online
- Bespoke presentation
Work with Kevin
Two ways to start building the business you pictured.
Close the laptop at midday on Friday, with the business still running. Start at the level that fits where your business is right now.
From $97
Simple-Growth Online Courses
Quick Wins, Make It Happen and Know Your Future. Learn the Simple-Growth System at your own pace.
Show me the coursesOne-on-one
Simple-Growth Ultimate
Kevin coaches a limited number of owners one-on-one. Apply to see whether there is a place for you.
Apply for my placeLooking for something else?
The talk is the start.
Want one-on-one coaching or advisory?
Simple-Growth coaching and advisory turn the talk into a plan for your business.
See how Simple-Growth worksWant AI to take the admin first?
ME4SME is building AI helpers for small-business owners. Start with the 2-minute audit.
Take the 2-minute auditQuestions owners ask.
Who is Kevin D’Ambros-Smith?
Kevin D’Ambros-Smith is a New Zealand business coach who has coached 200+ companies one-on-one across 30+ industries. He is also a keynote speaker, entrepreneur and investor, has worked on 60+ global brands at DDB, Ogilvy and Saatchi & Saatchi and in his own businesses, and has founded or co-founded 9 companies.
What does Kevin speak about?
Kevin presents eight topics: The Age of the Owner (Local knowledge. Big-brand systems.); Grow It Yourself – Marketing Made Simple with AI; Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working (and what to do about it); Truly Understand Your Customer; Find Your Secret Sauce; Powering Up Your Sales; Know Your Future; and Making It Happen (Strategy In Action). Each can run as a keynote, presentation or workshop, built around your audience.
Can I book Kevin for an event in the USA?
Send the details on the speaker page: your audience, date, location or online format, and the outcome you want. Kevin replies personally. Keynotes and workshops can run in person or live online.
Can I work with Kevin from the USA?
Yes. Kevin coaches owners in the USA and New Zealand, with online sessions on Google Meet. Start with a free 30-minute call to see whether there is a fit.
What is the Simple-Growth System?
A practical growth system for SME owners, built on four pillars: business strategy, marketing and communications, sales, and productivity and implementation. It turns Kevin’s 30+ years across global agencies and 9 companies founded or co-founded into step-by-step plans, templates, training and coaching you can apply straight away.