Weldable Alloys is a New Plymouth-based fabrication workshop delivering custom metalwork - from concept design and CAD modelling through to precision welding, certified repairs, and bespoke fabrication. The team works across a mix of transport, architectural, and industrial projects, where quality, accuracy, and reliability matter.
Like all businesses with aspirations to expand, the work on the tools is only part of the job. Behind the scenes, owners Beauden and Helen Mullin were juggling the day-to-day demands of running a workshop while trying to make confident decisions about the future direction of the business.
That’s when they connected with the Business Mentoring Programme, facilitated locally by Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki in partnership with Business Mentors New Zealand. The programme matches businesses with experienced mentors who provide independent, impartial guidance and a practical sounding board for decisions around growth and sustainability.
Practical support, delivered in simple steps
Beauden and Helen were matched with Wayne Brunton, a Taranaki-based mentor of 15 years and a background in corporate management and small business ownership. Drawing on his years as a business coach and mentor, Wayne helps clients systemise their operations and turn ideas into practical, sustainable improvements. For Beauden and Helen, the value has been how quickly mentoring translates into action, taking new business concepts and turning them into steps they can apply in the real world.
“We are really enjoying working with Wayne. He has been able to explain business concepts and put them into simple steps that we can follow and implement,” they said.
“He is taking the guess work out of business decisions and showing us practical tools to make informed decisions.”
For Weldable Alloys, that combination of clarity plus practical tools has helped to embed a more structured approach to decision-making.
Building confidence and longevity
Having an experienced mentor in their corner has helped Beauden and Helen build confidence as owners, while also strengthening the foundations of the business.
“Wayne has been instrumental in both our personal confidence and the company's ability to expand,” they said. “He has provided ongoing feedback and tips to improve day to day running of the business and advice to improve the longevity of the company as well.”
They’ve also appreciated the consistency and commitment Wayne brings to the relationship, along with his sense of humour.
“He’s been a knowledgeable, patient, and humorous mentor, whose memorable anecdotes effortlessly showcase his depth of business experience.”