Facing pandemic lockdown challenges, entrepreneurs find new opportunities
- : Inka Bands
- :
Founder of ‘Inka Bands™’ in Auckland recently launched a new online store featuring stylish exercise accessories to meet rising demand for at-home fitness gear
Auckland, New Zealand — Oct. 12th, 2020 — The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a mountain of challenges to entrepreneurs everywhere.
But any ambitious visionary knows in challenges there are often opportunities.
Many entrepreneurs have used the pandemic as a chance to rebrand, pivot, and activate new ideas for these new and unusual times.
For Auckland entrepreneur Wayne Bowater, the pandemic presented him with an opportunity to launch a new brand to meet a new need.
Bowater is the managing director of McKenzie Group, a global distributor of quality health and wellness products sourced in New Zealand, and Mckenzie Distribution for its New Zealand distribution requirements. Recognizing a spike in at-home fitness due to the pandemic, he launched Inka Bands™ to introduce stylish and fashionable wrist weights and ankle weights for fitness enthusiasts in New Zealand and Australia.
“Though many entrepreneurs have taken a big hit during the pandemic, some of us have tried to stay alive by looking for new opportunities during the coronavirus lockdown,” Bowater said. “With so many people now working out at home, I came up with a fun new idea to power their workouts with great-looking hands-free weights to go along with their great-looking workout gear.”
The name INKA is a nod to a slang term referring to “the best friend you could ever ask for.” Inka Bands offer a comfortable way to add resistance to a home workout with attractive wrist and ankle weights manufactured from the highest quality fitness materials. Every Inka Band is waterproof. They come in a range of contemporary colours.
“Whether exercising along with a virtual workout at home, running, biking, hiking, rehab, yoga outdoors, or heading back to the gym for a Pilates session, we’ve got you covered with Inka Bands,” Bowater said. “Our beautiful weighted bands are perfect for boosting the muscle-building and fat-burning power of any workout. Best of all, you can wear them down to the cafe afterwards due to their stylish design sensibility.”
Learn more about Inka Bands and shop online at https://inkabands.co.nz.
- Inka Bands model pic
- : Wayne Bowater
- : Director
- : wayne@mckenziegroup.co.nz
- : 094485830
- : https://inkabands.co.nz
‘Kiwi invasion’ – Flintfox wins big on global stage with Microsoft.
- : Flintfox International
- : 28/07/2020
Flintfox honoured by Microsoft for outstanding sales achievement and innovation.
(Auckland, New Zealand, July 28, 2020) – Flintfox International, a disruptive innovator in pricing and rebate management and Gold Microsoft partner in the development and implementation of Supply chain solutions , are honoured to receive the 2020 MSUS Partner Award for Retail.
Flintfox is also proud to have achieved prestigious 2020/2021 Inner Circle status. Membership in this elite group is based on sales achievements that rank Flintfox in the top echelon of the Microsoft Business Applications global network of partners. Inner Circle members have performed to a high standard of excellence by delivering valuable solutions that help organisations achieve increased success. For the 4th time, Flintfox has been selected out of thousands of partners for this elite membership.
“Each year we recognise Microsoft Business Applications partners from around the world for delivering innovation and driving unsurpassed customer success,” said Cecilia Flombaum, Microsoft Business Applications Ecosystem Lead. “Our Inner Circle members are chosen based on their business performance as well as capabilities as an organisation, whether that’s creating IP, developing solutions, or having an industry leading focus on digital transformation. Microsoft is honoured to recognise Flintfox for their achievements this past year, their dedication to our customers, and their innovation around the Microsoft Cloud.”
2020/2021 Inner Circle members are invited to the Inner Circle Virtual Summits, taking place quarterly between July 2020 and June 2021, where they will have a unique opportunity to share strategy and network with Microsoft senior leaders and fellow partners.
The Microsoft US (MSUS) Award program was developed to recognise outstanding achievement by their US partners. Flintfox was up against a competitive nomination pool and rose to the top amongst hundreds of other partners and ISV’s.
Flintfox, with their best of breed solutions for managing supply chain revenue, together with Microsoft, enable companies to achieve more in the US and beyond. With Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management and the Flintfox pricing and rebate management solution, there has never been such a complete and powerful tool available for Supply Chain companies. Flintfox are proud to have had their achievements recognised by Microsoft.
Many clients have trusted Flintfox to implement Dynamics 365 along with their Revenue Management suite of products.
“Supply chains are complex these days and managing pricing and incentives accurately for companies can be the difference between profit and loss. With Microsoft’s commitment to ERP innovation, breadth of functionality, and ease of use, Flintfox complex pricing and rebate management provides a true competitive advantage. With our Dynamics 365 offerings and our deep domain expertise along with our revenue management software, we are not just competing, we are winning. To be selected as a top partner for the prestigious Inner Circle Award is another indicator of the success of Flintfox in sales and innovative, industry-leading supply chain software.
We are proud that our outstanding achievements globally have been recognised by Microsoft US. All the more extraordinary is the size and scale of North America and thinking back to our humble beginnings in New Zealand. This is a fantastic reflection of the leading Dynamics implementation expertise we have in North America and is a great testament to our company as we continue to grow in scale and influence. Looking forward to achieving even more wins with Flintfox and Microsoft – we make an incredible team.” says Flintfox CEO and Chairman, Mike Ridgway.
Flintfox has over 15 years of leading collaborations with Microsoft as an ISV, resulting in dozens of happy Dynamics AX and Dynamics 365 ERP clients getting the solutions they need to succeed and grow. As well as bringing extended functionality to D365, Flintfox has recently developed the RMx hyper-speed pricing engine in the Azure cloud, that works with any ERP, to complement the Trade Revenue Management (TRM) Suite for Dynamics. RMx delivers 5,000 complex prices calculated per second in Azure. There is currently no other solution like it in the world.
-ENDS-
About Flintfox
Flintfox provides best of breed Trade Revenue Management (TRM) solutions for resolving revenue challenges across the supply chain. They have over 30 years of expertise delivering TRM solutions to over 125,000 users across 25 countries within the manufacturing, wholesale distribution and retail industries. Their TRM software, for both buy and sell-side operations, integrates with any ERP and enables accurate, real-time calculations for complex revenue activities including price management, promotions pricing, rebate management, claims and deductions. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Inner Circle Member and one of only 10 software developers managed globally, Flintfox also provides consulting and implementation services for Microsoft Dynamics applications. Flintfox operates across North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific, with headquarters located in New Zealand.
- : Chris Spence
- : Chief Marketing Officer
- : cspence@flintfox.com
- : 6421899595
- : https://flintfox.com
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/flintfox/ | https://twitter.com/FlintfoxIntl | https://www.facebook.com/flintfoxintl/
Advent Partners invests in global software leader – Flintfox International.
- : Flintfox International
- : 17/06/2020
Flintfox International poised for rapid global expansion and innovation of next generation technologies.
(JUNE 2020, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND) Flintfox International (Flintfox), a disruptive innovator and global leader in delivering supply chain management solutions, announced today that Advent Partners (Advent) has invested in the company.
The partnership with Advent will allow Flintfox to further fast-track growth and enhance its leading Revenue Management and Optimization product portfolio. All of Flintfox’s existing shareholders retained a shareholding.
“Advent Partners’ investment approach provides strong alignment with our strategy and offered us a strategic partnership to capitalize even further on our global presence as we begin to enter our next and very exciting phase of growth.” said Mike Ridgway, CEO and Chairman of Flintfox.
“Our partnership will allow us to invest further into research and development, particularly in the areas of revenue optimization, pricing performance, and rebate management, extending our competitive advantage and ensuring our global team of Microsoft Dynamics implementation consultants have the tools they need to deliver the best solution stack available on the market today.”
Despite being headquartered in New Zealand, Flintfox has, over the last decade, become recognized as one of the most influential Microsoft Global Independent Software Vendors (ISV) in the world and has cemented its position as experts in trade revenue management, and supply chain solution delivery.
This was further accelerated by the phenomenal success of the Company’s RMx Suite launched in 2017. With its hyper-speed pricing engine designed to leverage the most advanced technology available, Flintfox has quickly become a global leader in the Trade Revenue Management space, earning multiple accolades for Excellence in Innovation and ensuring its customers maintain competitive advantage.
“The adoption of Flintfox as a best of breed software solution is accelerating as global businesses seek better visibility and tools to exert control over trade revenue management and pricing strategies,” said Symon Vegter, Partner at Advent.
“Mike and his team have built an impressive business and an innovative portfolio of products that empower global customers to manage, track, and reconcile trade promotion and rebate expenditure, and execute multi-channel pricing strategies.”
Brad Lynch, Partner at Advent added “We are pleased to be partnering with Flintfox and its experienced senior leadership to support customer growth against a large global opportunity, and also continued product innovation. Flintfox has built an emerging global footprint to date. We see scope to support the team in accelerating international expansion in the large and rapidly expanding TRM market.”
-ENDS-
About Flintfox
Flintfox provides best of breed Trade Revenue Management (TRM) solutions for resolving revenue challenges across the supply chain. They have over 30 years of expertise delivering TRM solutions to over 125,000 users across 25 countries within the manufacturing, wholesale distribution and retail industries. Their TRM software, for both buy and sell-side operations, integrates with any ERP and enables accurate, real time calculations for complex revenue activities including price management, promotions pricing, rebate management, claims and deductions. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Inner Circle Member and one of only 10 software developers managed globally, Flintfox also provides consulting and implementation services for Microsoft Dynamics applications. Flintfox operates across North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific, with headquarters located in New Zealand. www.flintfox.com
About Advent Partners
Advent Partners is one of Australia’s most experienced private investment firms. Since its founding over 35 years ago, Advent has invested in over 90 businesses. Adopting a team-driven, partnership approach, Advent brings more than just capital to the table. It provides founders with real world experience to build market-leading businesses. https://www.advent.com.au/
- : Chris Spence
- : Chief Marketing Officer
- : cspence@flintfox.com
- : 6421899595
- : https://www.flintfox.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/flintfox?trk=public-post_share-update_actor-text | https://twitter.com/FlintfoxIntl | https://www.facebook.com/flintfoxintl/
NewzEngine extends service to cover media in Australia and the Pacific
- : NewzEngine
- :
NewzEngine.com, an online service that enables companies, organisations and individuals to write and distribute press releases, is extending its reach to include media in Australia and the Pacific Region, as well as New Zealand.
NewzEngine CEO Sarah Putt says the ability to distribute releases to media outlets outside New Zealand is an exciting milestone for the company.
“As with the New Zealand service, the media outlets are segmented, to ensure that press releases are distributed to the most appropriate outlet. We actively encourage our clients to think carefully about what region/sector to select to ensure their information goes to the most relevant media.”
In Australia, locations are divided into the five states and two mainland territories, with clients also able to choose media in the business, education, politics and technology sectors. Two areas of the Pacific Region are also covered – Melanesia (Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and West Papua), and Polynesia (Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu).
NewzEngine is also a great way for Australian and Pacific-based newsmakers to reach New Zealand media.
The purpose of NewzEngine is to provide companies, organisations, and individuals with the ability to send professional communications about their activities, products and services in a way that is easy, effective and cost-efficient.
Cin7, a technology company that is a pioneer in cloud-based inventory management software (IMS) and point of sale (POS) solutions, is a regular user of the NewzEngine service.
“We have found NewzEngine to be extremely helpful in getting our message out to relevant media and, by extension, the wider market. From major investment announcements to new senior appointments in our business, it’s proving to be a very useful service,” says Cin7 CEO David Leach.
Press releases are created through NewzEngine’s platform, then quality-checked by an experienced editor before being distributed to a network of journalists and editors. In addition, press releases are sent to global newswires via the MIL-OSI network (a New Zealand-based open source intelligence company), which include Dow Jones Factiva, LexisNexis, Contify, Thomson Reuters, Newscycle, NewsBank USA, Comtex News Network, Emes, and Gale.
Organisations can subscribe to NewzEngine.com as a monthly or annual service or send a one-off press release. For more details, visit NewzEngine.com.
- : Sarah Putt
- : CEO
- : sarah@newzengine.com
- : 0276177235
- : https://newzengine.com