PennyWise Solutions is an outcome-driven management consultancy with a real understanding of the Papua New Guinean context and a true desire to implement positive and sustainable change.

  • Practical & Personal

  • Connected & Accessible

  • Pragmatic & Direct

  • Commercial Approach

  • Passionate

About

Launched in 2019, PennyWise Solutions offers a bespoke and straightforward consultancy service that efficiently optimises your business for success.

With a wealth of commercial experience, local knowledge and an extensive network, PennyWise Solutions provides cost-effective, practical approaches and methods to deliver on your consultancy requirements and can be relied upon to develop SMEs / smallholders in your supply chain or project.  For new businesses to PNG, PennyWise Solutions will fast-track you through the noise and fortify your business for launch and for the long-term.

PennyWise also offers short term / interim management solutions for businesses who need to keep projects or departments moving, whilst undertaking a formal recruitment process for permanent staff.  Similarly PennyWise Solutions can provide oversight for projects or short term deliverables where a full time engagement of an employee isn’t possible.

The PennyWise approach is personal, direct and involved. Whether in the village or the boardroom, we work alongside you both as an intermediary advisor and as a strategic consultant to pragmatically assist and guide you in reaching your goals and optimally structure your business for success.

For businesses that are ready for scaling, who are supporting SMEs as part of their supply chain inclusion or are simply new to the country, PennyWise Solutions is the brand partner to trust in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.


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CEO, Penny Burns,

has lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for 13 years. She has extensive senior management experience in public & private sectors at all levels “from the village to the boardroom” both in Port Moresby and provincially throughout PNG across:

  • Agriculture

  • SME

  • Construction

  • FMCG

  • Mining

  • Oil & Gas

  • Technology

  • Tourism

  • Training

  • Creative Industries

 
 

 Approach


Connected

 

PennyWise has an extensive international and local network, both in Port Moresby and provincially in Papua New Guinea, that can dramatically accelerate business development.


Practical & Personal

 

PennyWise plays an active participatory role alongside clients as a ‘hands-on’ consultant who likes to be ‘present’ and contribute personally to the strategic direction and ultimate success of your business. PennyWise grows your business with you.


Passion & Understanding

 

PennyWise has a deep knowledge and love of Papua New Guinea, speaks Tok Pisin and understands the complexities of community and local cultures. PennyWise delivers a dedicated, personal and relatable service from the village to the boardroom.


Accessible

 

PennyWise delivers cost-effective solutions relevant to your business needs. The collaborative PennyWise approach enables the rapid discovery of the most efficient avenues for sustainable growth without the inflated price-tag.

 

Services

PennyWise Solutions’ consultancy input is specifically tailored to each business’ needs.

Agreement to a scope of works is obtained either through initial discussions and provision of basic documentation from your business, or via an initial short engagement to scope what might be needed in instances where you, as the business owner, know you need something but find it difficult or time consuming to articulate. Either approach ensures a painless journey towards providing you with a quote and a subsequent productive and cost effective engagement.


What?

  • Holistic business overview with an end-to-end approach.

  • Equip you with the structures, resources and understanding to bolster your business for sustainable growth and mentor you for positive change

  • Business start-up advisory for efficient launching of businesses or new projects

  • Connect you to the relevant people and services thereby cutting through the lengthy processes and fast-track your business for efficient results

  • SME / Smallholder advisory providing realistic and practical strategies for strengthening and diversification. Applied learning approach, including mentoring for growth and sustainability

  • Assist with short term project delivery where increase in headcount isn’t viable or provide Senior Management leadership for business continuity during delays in recruitment

How?

  • Strategy, planning & stress testing

  • Organisational review & design

  • Inclusive supply chain development

  • Budgeting & project costing

  • Feasibility studies

  • SME Advisory & Smallholder / Informal sector economic sustainability input

  • Programme implementation, monitoring & evaluation

  • Performance improvement

  • Recruitment advisory, training & mentoring (fostering local talent)

  • Marketing & communications

  • Interim Executive placements / Short term project management

 

 

Clients

PennyWise Solutions has worked with clients across the whole of Papua New Guinea providing consultancy inputs into large businesses, medium sized / family owned businesses as well as smaller scale SMEs and those new to business. Most work with the informal sector has fallen under the larger client consultancy engagements.

"We were impressed with Penny's open and engaging approach and delighted with her results. Penny quickly engendered trust and secured productive relationships both within the Ok Tedi team and within the village communities with whom we work. Her commercial yet relatable perspective meant she provided context-relevant and achievable income-generating ideas for community-based business owners and women's association leaders alike. We strongly recommend PennyWise Solutions for Papua New Guinean business advisory."

— Ok Tedi Development Foundation

“Penny Burns goes above and beyond. "Beyond" in this instance, took Penny right down the Fly River to remote regions of Western Province PNG, as we collaborated to design a project aimed at promoting market access and inclusive economic opportunities for women. Penny drew on her relationships and connections to make this happen. Her consultations and detailed documentation was invaluable to understanding local realities and developing a strategy.  Working with Penny was a positive experience for all involved.”

— Dr Luke Bearup, Australian Business Volunteers

“Penny Burns is a trusted, hardworking and kind person.  It was a pleasure working with her from 2017 to now. She taught me many great things about business and new ideas for new products. She has helped me in many ways in my business and she brought me to Real Impact and showed me many ways to be successful in the future.  I appreciate her spending time with us trying her best for our business to be the best and to also bring my product to the world. Therefore, Penny Burns is a lady in good standing and she is kind, caring and the best business advisor I thank you God for knowing Penny Burns.”

— MAS Apma Carvers

 

“Thank you for assisting our group of companies in allowing us to see who we are and where we should be heading. Your strategic plan for our business will no doubt give us the road map to target potential market share that previously seemed difficult to ascertain and deliver, especially in today's competitive space.”

— Bill Sweet, Digara Construction Services Limited

“Penny’s deep experience and understanding of the country, matched with her unique, personal approach to business consultancy makes her an unparalleled expert in the field of business advisory in Papua New Guinea.

— Business Startup

“During the last APEC 2018 summit here in PNG, you completely changed my mind and my small business aspects. Still working on, you have not left me vacant with my new partner Real Impact. You are still working on for the changes of small SMEs like me to do better today and tomorrow.”

— Jiji Signs & Arts

 

 

Contact Us

For enquiries, please fill out the form or email us on penny.burns@pennywisesolutions.com.au


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Artist – Mr Ilamanuwale Amini

Ila was working for Niugini Native Ltd as part of the APEC 2018 SME Expos.  To fill time between customers he started to sketch, when Penny spotted this piece she was captivated by the raw creativity.  It wasn’t usual for Ila to sell his sketches but Penny negotiated to procure the piece whilst encouraging him to sketch additional pieces for sale as original Papua New Guinean souvenirs to APEC visitors generating a new income for himself. 

For Penny the sketch represents Nation Building as it touches on her passion for Papua New Guinea as a whole, given many different parts of the country are blended together in Ila’s artistic expression.  In addition it isn’t symmetrical and doesn’t fit a box. The images move and blend as they need but still hold a structure, aligning with Penny’s approach to her clients.   It had to become part of PennyWise branding.