Simon Hendery, Author at The Profit

Simon Hendery

Attracting high tech talent to the Bay

You’d be hard pressed to describe Hawke’s Bay as New Zealand’s Silicon Valley but Tom Wallace, the founder and CEO of fast-growing local software company Re-Leased, can’t see why it couldn’t be. Re-Leased is on a mission to double the size of its current team of 60 staff, and that involves doing all it can to attract software developers to...

Leaving FAWCland for Auckland

Since it began in 2012, F.A.W .C! has become such a drawcard for locals and visitors alike that it’s hard to imagine Hawke’s Bay’s event calendar without it. But now the woman who established the Food and Wine Challenge – and has nurtured the growth of the twice-a-year celebration of great eating and drinking – has left town. After more...

Finding a niche in a large global market

Global and national interest in hemp seed products may be growing but when Kanapu launched into the market, its founders knew they needed to establish a unique selling proposition to ensure success. At that point, the market was focused on hemp seed oil as a nutraceutical and it was commonly found on the shelves of health stores, particularly in pill...

Growing a market for hemp foods

Having to ramp up your target production because product demand significantly exceeds initial forecasts is one of those business headaches it can be nice to have. It’s the situation Isaac Beach and Simon White of Otane-based Kanapu Hemp Foods found themselves in this year. Kanapu has been growing hemp on Otane’s Ludlow Estate, Simon’s family’s farm, and the cold-pressed hemp...

Art Deco Beer – combining a quality brew with a local identity

When Hawke’s Bay-based beverage company Parkers decided to add a craft beer to its portfolio, it started with a simple objective. “Our aim was to produce best-in-class beer,” says Parkers founder Doug Speedy. “Before we considered the branding, our starting point was that the beer had to be good.” Doug spent about six months researching pilsners and IPAs – the...

Business angels at the ready

Much-needed ‘angel’ funding is beginning to flow into local start-up businesses thanks to a new group that brings entrepreneurs and investors together. Deals are being done between Hawke’s Bay entrepreneurs and members of a new group established to bring together local investors willing to provide venture capital to early- stage and growth businesses in the region. The Hawke’s Bay Angel...

Katie Nimon takes the wheel

Katie Nimon has been working in her family business – Nimon Luxury Passenger Transport – since she was 14. Now she’s been recognised as a leading influencer for Hawke’s Bay tourism. When this year’s Hawke’s Bay Tourism Awards were announced in September, Katie Nimon was honoured with a special individual accolade that seems very appropriate: Ambassador for Tourism in Hawke’s...

Growing a market for hemp foods in HB

Chefs and foodies have been quick to develop a taste for Otane-based Kanapu’s premium cold-pressed hemp seed oil. But that’s just the beginning. The company’s founders want to put Hawke’s Bay on the map as a global supplier of top-end hemp foods. Having to ramp up your target production because product demand significantly exceeds initial forecasts is one of those...

How YES crosses the business boundaries

Today’s high school students face a world where technological change makes it much harder to plot out a career path. That’s one reason Woodford House has embraced the Young Enterprise Scheme. Woodford House is one of 15 schools across Hawke’s Bay participating in the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) this year and has five teams competing in the challenge. Woodford’s head...

Teens building a business from behind bars – Young enterprise

As the Young Enterprise Scheme grows in popularity across Hawke’s Bay, a team with a difference has taken up the challenge of learning to run a business from inside the region’s prison. The walls of the training room inside the youth unit at Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison are plastered with colourful sketches and handwritten rap lyrics. Notes and business strategies...