WHO WE ARE

I am Susanna. I help organisations run better.

After years inside operations, I kept seeing good people working around broken systems.


Ember Growth is how I help leaders get the clarity and structure to focus on what matters.


People ask me about the name – Ember Growth




So let me tell you the story

I’m Susanna Szekely. I run Ember Growth.

I wanted a name that stands for what I actually do. The behind the scenes stuff. The operations. Improvements. The systems.

The things that quietly keep an organisation running.

Ember means two things:

  • In English, it’s the glow, the quiet strength and resilience of the business, that becomes a flame with air and intention as it takes off.
  • I also wanted to celebrate my heritage, in Hungarian, “ember” means human. A person. Anybody.

97% of New Zealand businesses are small businesses. Behind that number aren’t spreadsheets. They’re people. That’s who I started Ember Growth for, to take the operational weight off their shoulders, so they can stop firefighting and start building.



And this is Buddy. He sits in on most of my working days, a good reminder of how I like to work: calmly, and with someone steady beside you.

You bring the spark. I’ll help build the structure that lets it become a flame. Because human is always first.

A partnership, not a drop in

We work alongside you, in the real day to day, not from a distance.

Calm, not chaos

Improving things shouldn’t turn everything upside down.

Plain language, always

No jargon. If we can’t explain it simply, I don’t understand it well enough yet

Client Testimonials

Work delivered through Your Local Admin and Ember Growth

I reached a point in my bakery business where I felt stuck, full of ideas but lacking a clear strategy for growth. That’s when I engaged with Susanna. She approached the process with genuine interest and professionalism, asking the right questions and offering thoughtful guidance.

It quickly became clear this was more than just consultancy, it was a collaborative partnership.
The business health check identified areas for improvement, and she delivered a tailored strategy, implementation plan, and pricing calculator aligned with my goals.

I now have a clear roadmap and the confidence to take my business forward.


Irina Kydyrbaeva

Managing Director

Ember Growth has been a valuable operational partner for Koru Electrical, helping bring greater structure, visibility and consistency across the business. Their support across workflow coordination, invoicing, reporting and day-to-day operational processes has improved efficiency and reduced administrative pressure on the team.

What stands out is their ability to understand how businesses actually operate and implement practical systems that support growth, delivery and decision-making. Their involvement has allowed us to focus more on clients and project delivery while improving the way the business runs behind the scenes.

Krisztian Banfalvi

Managing Director

The team at Ember Growth have supported us across payroll, operational systems and website improvements.

They helped us implement a new timekeeping system, improve parts of our document management processes, and continue to support updates to our website and SEO.

What we appreciate most is that they understand how businesses actually operate day to day. Their support has helped create better structure and taken pressure off the team, allowing us to stay focused on delivery while continuing to improve how the business runs behind the scenes.


Campbell Batts

Managing Director

“Zsuzsa is a highly valued contractor to NZDSN, providing administration, finance, and accounting support for our national not-for-profit organisation. She is reliable, friendly, and extremely capable, consistently delivering high-quality work with care and professionalism. Zsuzsa brings strong technical skill and a calm, solutions-focused approach, helping keep our operations running smoothly and giving me confidence that the organisation is well supported. Zsuzsa is a trusted asset to NZDSN.”


Debbie Hughes

Chief Executive

Contact Susanna by filling out the form below ↴

“No fuss, no formalities, just a straightforward chat to see how I can support your business.”

Susanna