About Us

Our People

ToHo principals Mark Collins and Les Probert are two very experienced business consultants who have complementary skills. They have both owned and operated successful businesses of their own in a variety of sectors. They are supported by a range of associates with specialist niche skills.

Meet Mark Collins 

Mark has spent his working life directly linked to food and hospitality and has a comprehensive combination of technical, management and business skills.

Now operating as a business consultant, he is a respected expert in food and service based businesses. His primary belief is that any business success is rooted in the customer’s experience. Working with clients to develop their businesses around this basic premise means his advice is always real and relevant. By offering the right support, he helps his SME clients build simple and practical ways to deliver the day to day business process.

Using his technical knowledge, creativity and outcome focused advice, Mark can work with people with a variety of skill sets to achieve transformational change.

Great sales with great profits are something every business owner wants and should be achieving. A review of your sales growth and profit status, along with what your customers experience, will tell you whether you need some help.

Business should be fun, and is when things are going well, but because Mark has owned restaurants, other food businesses and worked at executive level of international hospitality companies, he knows what it feels like when they are not fun.

The discipline to manage the financials and consistently measure the outputs, can be easier with someone keeping you accountable and supporting your focus. Mark also realizes how challenging a business is, and can provide first hand experience on how to outsource the things that you just aren’t good at. Often - just this will help you get your passion back.

Mark advocates that you just have to think differently at times, and to help you master this, he has written a book. “Thinking Differently” is full of practical, thought provoking prompts, suggestions and brain stimulation, written to help you think differently.

Mark also writes a business coaching article for M2 magazine and blogs twice a week.

The formation of ToHo has created the opportunity for Les Probert and Mark Collins, along with trusted associates in specialist areas, to combine their skills under one umbrella. In this modern world, business has fragmented into many sub disciplines, at times making it hard for SME’s to coordinate advice. ToHo has tackled this problem to give you access to as much, or as little, other support as you require.

ToHo offer the first two hours of consulting time absolutely free, so as a business owner you have nothing to lose and, potentially, lots to gain - and even better - the coffee for the first meeting is on us !

Download Mark’s book “Thinking Differently” at http://www.ebooksnzonline.com/think/ or visit his website at http://markcollinsnzltd.co.nz/

Meet Les Probert 

Les has a long career in business management and ownership with a strong focus on the tourism and online sector.

Today, as a specialist business consultant, he is a leading expert in partnering with and teaching SME business owners to really “walk the talk, versus talk the talk” while holding them truly accountable. This process creates real business transformation. This helps generate the income necessary to enjoy the lifestyle for themselves and their families that they really desire. Too many business owners tolerate not earning what they want to be earning and in Les’ book, this is not OK!

As an experienced business owner who has had long practical experience in both corporate senior management and personally owning and building a wide range of businesses, Les has the grey hair and has already made the mistakes to help ensure you don’t!

His past career has included ownership of Viking’s of London, a European youth tour operator, followed by senior management roles within Thomas Cook Travel in Australasia. He developed Travel Arrangements Ltd into a major Pacific based wholesaler and helped found Pacific Destinations, a leading inbound operator, as well as TRIPS Ltd, a successful travel loyalty program, before selling his interests to a global group. He also founded one of NZ’s first web development companies. He has sat on the Travel Agents Association board, chaired the Outbound Tour operators group and served two terms on the board of Enterprise North Shore, so has had strong governance experience.

This practical business experience, when coupled with internationally proven management consulting systems and process, makes for a very powerful combination working for and with you to improve your business.

Les strongly believes business should be enjoyable and profitable but recognises that, as a business owner, it can at times be lonely and stressful. Having his personal long term help, practical business advice and mentoring available, without having to give up any equity in your business, can be powerful step in taking your business to a whole new level. His business philosophy is summed up in his book “What I didn’t know I didn’t know” (downloadable below) - billed as common sense business advice in a world when sense isn’t very common.

As a pioneer of online business and web development coupled with a strong background in sales and marketing (key missing elements in many SME businesses today) plus board and governance experience, Les is uniquely positioned to partner with you in improving and growing your business performance.

ToHo brings together the complimentary skills and experience of both Les Probert and Mark Collins, along with their specialist associates, making for a very powerful combination to help you and your business.

ToHo offer the first two hours of consulting time absolutely free, so as a business owner you have nothing to lose and potentially lots to gain and even better - the coffee for the first meeting is on us!

Download Les’s book “What I didn’t know I didn't know” at www.ebooksnzonline.com/lesbook or visit his website at http://www.epromotionz.co.nz/