Across The Table With David Melse

EP231: High Steaks: The FUTURE of AI in NZ (Brad Fraser | Agentic Intelligence)

For episode 231, we sat down at Bessie Steakhouse with Brad Fraser, Co-Founder of Agentic Intelligence to catch up over some incredible food and dive into the future of tech. Brad shares exactly how his company managed to scale rapidly from just 4 staff 18 months ago, to 44 staff today. He walks us through his unorthodox fifteen minute hiring playbook that ditches resumes for pure trust, explains why high agency teams will absolutely chew up and spit out average performers, and warns why getting too comfortable is the quickest way to kill your creative edge.
Brad breaks down the biggest flaw of modern AI, which is the looming compute shortage. We also speak about what sovereign AI really means for the local industry, and we look closely at the painful reality that access to top tier tech is about to get way more expensive for businesses trying to keep pace.
We also dive into the rise of vibe coding and how the entire landscape of software development is being turned on its head. Brad explains how the barrier to entry for building tech is shifting rapidly, changing the way engineering teams function and forcing founders to completely rethink how they deploy software in a fast moving market.
We round things out by looking at how to solve massive business headaches by stripping away the corporate fluff and using first principles thinking. And then, towards the end things get completely off the rails and we talk about cars, travel, adventure, UFOs, and living to 100. Thank you to the incredible team at Bessie for the wonderful experience. 
Check out Agentic Intelligence here:
www.agenticintelligence.co.nz
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We’d like to thank Bessie steakhouse for hosting us for this episode.
Check them out here:www.bessie.co.nz
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Produced by Buddy Booth

EP230: The 20-Year Passion Project: How to Fund Your Ultimate Life Goal (Dr Tom Cawood | Dr Tom Nailcare )

For episode 230, we sat down with Dr Tom Cawood, a remarkable Christchurch based serial entrepreneur and medical specialist who is leveraging e commerce growth to fund a massive environmental rescue mission. In this episode, Dr. Tom reveals the fascinating journey behind his latest venture, a science based nail strengthening product born out of his own frustration as a classical guitarist needing durable fingernails. He shares the brilliant direct to consumer business strategy that allowed the company to completely bypass traditional retail pharmacy margins, keep operations entirely online, and achieve explosive month over month sales growth.
We dive deep into his incredibly diverse entrepreneurial background, exploring how he previously built and scaled prominent IT systems, managed medical conferences, and navigated complex financial advisory landscapes. Dr. Tom opens up about the harsh realities of doctor burnout, discussing his current search for ultimate career clarity inside and outside of hospital medicine to ensure long term longevity. He provides rare transparency into the mechanics of building highly profitable businesses not just for the sake of wealth, but as engines to fuel a much grander purpose.
The core of Dr. Tom's ultimate life mission is the "Didymo" passion project, a multi million dollar, 20 year environmental initiative aimed at eradicating the invasive "rock snot" alga suffocating New Zealand’s South Island rivers. Instead of using destructive chemical solutions, he explains his groundbreaking scientific approach to deploy targeted RNA based technology to safely deactivate the alga's sludge production. To wrap up, Dr. Tom lays out his bold, public one year accountability goals, challenging himself to scale his e commerce brand to 100 sales a day, publish a critical viral study, and dramatically drop his golf handicap
Check out Dr Tom Nailcare here:
www.drtomnailcare.com
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We’d like to thank our sponsor for this episode, Rosefern Homes. Check them out here:www.rosefernhomes.co.nz
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Produced by Buddy Booth

EP229: From farmers market to over 100,000 customers in 2 years (Curtis Fairweather / Primal Pantry)

For episode 229, we sat down with Curtis Fairweather, founder of Primal Pantry, to map out an absolute masterclass in online business scaling and relentless execution. We chart the incredible journey Curtis took from a single bone broth stall at local markets in late 2024 to a massive direct to consumer brand serving over 100,000 customers by Q2 2026. He shares the raw reality of walking away from a six year full time career to go all in on his business, revealing the exact frameworks that allowed him to quickly scale from a single rough product to a diverse lineup of 40 separate items, including a newly launched premium face care line.
We unpack the high speed testing grounds of physical markets and Facebook Marketplace, showing how early customer conversations can help you perfectly nail your pricing and offer before spending massive capital. Curtis explains how he watched people interact with his products in real time, noting their hesitation over prices or their specific reasons for buying. This direct feedback loop is what allowed him to realize his market wanted a solution for dry or irritated skin rather than a standard beauty product, fundamentally shifting his entire business strategy before he ever built a massive website.
Curtis details how he systematically aligned digital advertising with high impact email campaigns to create deep brand trust and predictable revenue spikes. He breaks down the fascinating mechanics of how an email blast can actually drive customer engagement and comments on active social media ads, boosting the overall efficiency of his marketing ecosystem. We also dive into the economics of managing 40 separate product variations, discussing how core winning products can subsidize the exploration of new ideas and how a business can maintain an affordable price point for its community while continuing to grow rapidly.
Finally, we discuss the mental barriers that hold most entrepreneurs back from scaling. Curtis emphasizes the importance of taking volume action rather than trying to perfect a business model in a vacuum. He also explains his mission driven framework, illustrating how establishing a clear north star goal to help as many people as possible with skin conditions acts as the ultimate filter for making major corporate decisions.
Check out Primal Pantry here:
www.Primalpantry.co.nz
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We’d like to thank our sponsor for this episode, Rosefern Homes. Check them out here:www.rosefernhomes.co.nz
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Produced by Buddy Booth

EP228: Important Podcast Update! Mid year recap | David Melse

For episode 228, David and Buddy go to the pub!

EP227: The Future of NZ Finance: The insurance Trifecta (Lucas Yeung / Invicta financial)

For episode 227, we sit down with Lucas Yeung, the co-founder of Invicta Financial, for a deep dive into his journey from being "young, dumb, and broke" to leading one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing financial services firms. Recorded on-site at their Christchurch office, this conversation marks Lucas’s first appearance on the podcast and explores the story of his career.
Lucas recounts the humble beginnings of Invicta, which he started alongside his co-founder Tom just five years ago. Operating from a kitchen table in a small townhouse, the pair built the foundation of what has now become a multi-city operation. The business has since expanded rapidly into Auckland and Wellington, with Lucas sharing exciting updates on their brand new Queen Street office currently under renovation to accommodate their growing team.
A major theme of the episode is Lucas’s vision for a "one-stop shop" in the financial sector. He explains why Invicta is moving away from the traditional niche model of financial advice to create a seamless experience where clients can manage mortgages, insurance, and KiwiSaver all under one roof. He provides a fascinating breakdown of the synergy between insurance and KiwiSaver, detailing how they use insurance for immediate protection while building a client's KiwiSaver balance to a point where it can eventually "take over" the risk as premiums naturally rise with age.
The conversation also touches on the realities of scaling a service-based business. Lucas reflects on the pivotal decision to grow beyond a two-man operation, highlighting the success of their first employee, Jared, who joined at age 20 and has since become a cornerstone of their management team. Looking toward the future, Lucas doesn't hold back on his ambitions, discussing the goal of dominating the New Zealand "trifecta" of major cities and the long-term dream of potentially taking the company public—a rare feat in the local financial industry.
Finally, Lucas pulls back the curtain on the world of lead generation and marketing. He describes the mechanics of buying leads for insurance comparisons and why Invicta is shifting its strategy this year to focus on building a household brand name. Whether you're interested in the inner workings of the New Zealand financial landscape or the grit required to scale a startup from a kitchen table to a national presence, this episode offers a transparent and inspiring look at modern entrepreneurship. 
Check out Invicta Financial here:
www.invictafinancial.co.nz
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We’d like to thank our sponsor for this episode, Rosefern Homes. Check them out here:www.rosefernhomes.co.nz
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Produced by Buddy Booth

EP226: Redefining Quality in Modern Townhouse Design (Paul Szybiak / ROSEFERN)

For episode 226, we met up with Paul Szybiak to check out 3 different building sites across Christchurch, documenting each stage of the building process for a ROSEFERN home. We see a freshly demolished site, to a construction site, to a newly completed townhouse. At each new location we get to hear about the challenges and wins of developing during the Christchurch development boom, and what the future of ROSEFERN HOMES looks like. 
We’d like to thank our sponsor for this episode, Rosefern Homes. Check them out here:https://www.rosefernhomes.co.nz/
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Produced by Buddy Booth

EP225: Why Private Credit is the Ultimate "Boring" Wealth Builder (Simon Rolland/ZURIX)

For episode 225, we sat down with Simon Rolland for an exclusive interview about the new secret brand he has been building, ZURIX.CO.NZ. In his most personal conversation yet, Simon explains how this business aligns with a childhood dream of his, how his own son inspired the company name, and how mountaineering in his 20s shaped the new logo. After starting, scaling, and selling multiple businesses, Simon has a new approach to running this business, with a key focus on NOT scaling, and instead building for the next 30 years.
Simon talks about his shift away from the high-velocity startup environment toward a more stable and sustainable legacy. He explains his philosophy of finding value in companies that are often overlooked because they appear analog or outdated, and he shares the specific steps he took to rebrand Fifo Capital into Zurix. This process wasn't just about a name change though, it was about modernizing systems to unlock hidden potential and turn a standard business into a high-yielding machine.
Simon warns listeners about the dangers of buying into an industry where you don't possess the fundamental skills to step in and ‘save the day’ if things go wrong. He also details a pivotal moment in his career involving a private credit deal that generated $23,000 a month with minimal maintenance, which completely reshaped his view on how to effectively place capital.
Finally, Simon and David discuss the importance of finding a growth sweet spot rather than chasing scale for its own sake. Simon explains his goal of a balanced business model that maximizes both professional profit and personal freedom, rather than scaling and changing the company completely. Whether you are interested in private credit, looking to acquire your first company, or simply want to learn how to move from working for your business to making your capital work for you, this episode provides a masterclass in strategic thinking.
 
Check out ZURIX here:
www.ZURIX.co.nz
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We’d like to thank our sponsor for this episode, Rosefern Homes. Check them out here:https://www.rosefernhomes.co.nz/
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Produced by Buddy Booth

EP224: The Green Gold Rush: How Puro is Scaling NZ’s Cannabis Industry (Tim Aldridge)

For episode 224, we met up with Tim Aldridge in Marlborough to tour PURO, the biggest cannabis farm in New Zealand. With over 60,000 plants, it’s something you have to see (and smell) to believe! In this mini episode of the podcast we hear the story of how Tim, Sank and Tom founded PURO, how it broke the NZ crowdfunding record on PledgeMe, how difficult it’s been to get started, and how fast the operation has been scaling. Tim predicts that Marlborough could be one of the best places in the world to grow medicinal cannabis, and explains how despite their massive success in markets such as Australia, Germany and the UK, how kiwis are unable to buy the product for themselves. This is a really unique business story that you won't find anywhere else! 
 
Check out PURO here:
www.puro.nz
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We’d like to thank our sponsor for this episode, Rosefern Homes. Check them out here:https://www.rosefernhomes.co.nz/
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Produced by Buddy Booth

EP223: Making a Mini-Golf business from NOTHING (Lucas Devotion)

For episode 223, we met up with Lucas Devotion at the newly completed ‘Fillin Holes’ mini golf course. 11 months ago, Lucas was on the podcast explaining his plan to turn an abandoned Christchurch city lot into a construction themed mini golf course. Now, less than 1 year later, the vision has come to life! David and Lucas hit it off with an all new format. 18 questions over 18 holes. The questions cover all topics from the initial idea, building in public, sponsorships, ram raids, support from the community, future projects and the lasting legacy of iconic projects. This was a super fun episode to film, and covers a really unique business story. Who will win the game of mini golf? Listen to find out! (This episode was filmed and recorded outside, and may contain some ambient background noise)
 
Check out Fillin Holes here:
www.fillinholes.co.nz
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We’d like to thank our sponsor for this episode, Rosefern Homes. Check them out here:https://www.rosefernhomes.co.nz/
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Produced by Buddy Booth

EP222: Saying goodbye to the podcast (David Melse)

For episode 222, David and Buddy sat down for the first new podcast episode of the year, announcing the end of the previous podcast format, and announcing an all new style for 2026. Rather than continuing the studio format, we are spicing things up and taking the podcast on the road, with a new style that combines free form documentary and educational content. David lays out his goals for the new year, as well as recapping some of the big events from 2025.
This is just a short one as we test out the new format, but we are hyped to bring you the next episode! Stay tuned for more!
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We’d like to thank our sponsor for this episode, Rosefern Homes. Check them out here:https://www.rosefernhomes.co.nz/
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Produced by Buddy Booth