Article contributed by Heather Douglas.
From fledgling to flying high
A business which is focused on saving lives – Heart Saver NZ – has taken out the top spot in this year’s David Awards. This business has been a previous category winner in several other years, starting its David Awards history being named the fledgling business of the year in 2013.
The judges commented that Heart Saver NZ’s marketing had been superb, and that had been reflected in the extraordinary growth of the business.
Overall, this year’s Awards attracted some great entries. “There were several categories where the competition was fierce this year, among them the Most Outstanding Fledgling Business category!”, says Judge Glenn Baker. “There were a number of really great entries and innovation and smart thinking were evident with a number of businesses offering unique products and services. This is a very healthy sign for the New Zealand business sector. The Established, Innovation, Solo Meo and Adversity categories were particularly strong this year.”
For the past decade, The David Awards have been recognising the unsung heroes in home and small businesses throughout New Zealand – the Kiwi Davids taking on the Goliaths of the New Zealand business landscape.
Judge Glenn Smith commented that with a record number of entries this year in the Triumph over Adversity Category, it was a particularly challenging category to judge. “Many of the stories of triumph were harrowing. However, a small number stood out to the judges as truly inspiring,” he enthuses.“There were several stand-out entries that captured perfectly the essence of what the David Awards are all about – small businesses punching way above their weight in the face of real adversity,” adds Glenn Baker.
Winners for 2017 are:
Most outstanding fledgling business
A young or start-up business which is under two years old. The owner will be passionate about their business, and the business itself will be smart, quirky, or just very professionally set up.
Winner:
Other finalists:
Broadband Compare
Craft Smoothie
Frankie Apothecary
Most outstanding established business
A business which has moved beyond the start-up phase and is two or more years old, which has a proven track record and some or all of the plans/people/systems/processes in place to make a long-term or well-above-average future a reality. This Award seeks to recognise a business planning for and/or coping with the changes required to take a business through expansion and significant growth, or which has achieved a level of security and maturity. This business will be able to demonstrate proven financial success.
Winner:
Other finalists:
BB Distillers Limited
Doll Face Mineral Makeup Ltd
Firefly
Waglands Dogs’ Holiday Retreat Limited
Most outstanding triumph over adversity
Sponsored by:
A business which has succeeded in spite of challenges beyond the usual. This may be due to due to personal issues the owner has had to deal with, circumstances beyond their control, or unexpected setbacks.
Winner:
Other finalists:
Craft Smoothie
Mana Property Law Ltd
Waglands Dogs’ Holiday Retreat Limited
Most outstanding lifestyle business
A business which epitomises the ability to integrate business and lifestyle, with the owner(s) taking advantage of its flexibility to fit income generation around spending time on family or leisure activities or other pursuits. While lifestyle is an important judging criterion, this business must still demonstrate its economic viability.
Winner:
Finalists:
The NZBusiness Most innovative business
Sponsored by
This is a business which demonstrates a new or clever way of going about things, or which is conceptually innovative, or a business which develops and harnesses technology to help it punch above its weight. A new product or service developed by the business owner may be the prime focus of an entry in this category, or something like enhanced mobility or efficiency gained through bespoke software development or the entry may revolve around a new or different use for existing technology. This category also suits and entry which demonstrates the inspired use of readily-available technology at a level above and beyond what most other businesses in their field are doing.
Winner:
Other finalists:
Doll Face Mineral Makeup Ltd
Urban Dogs
Verifi Identity Services Limited
Most inspired use of marketing
A business which punches above its weight in terms of getting the word out, achieving profile and attracting business. Typically, this Award recognises a business which knows how to find potential customers using a variety of media effectively and which understands how to communicate with members of its target audience and get them to take the next step towards a purchase.
Winner:
Other finalists:
The Bizbuzz Most community-minded business
Sponsored by
A business which gives back to its community, e.g. local, regional or industry sector, in ways, shapes or forms which benefit the community significantly. This Award is intended to highlight a business where the community involvement is not what the business is about, but part of how it goes about doing whatever its core business is. Businesses whose main objective is to benefit the community should consider entering other categories, and if they enter this one, will need to clarify what part of what they do is not their core business in order to meet the criteria for this Award.
Winner:
Other finalists:
The Solo Meo Award
This Award celebrates a solo business owner who runs their business single-handedly. It recognises all-round business excellence, from concept through to execution. Entrants in this category must be sole owners of their business, and cannot employ anyone else in a dedicated, ongoing capacity for over 10 hours a week (e.g. virtual assistant, sales rep) but can employ others to undertake specific tasks for the business from time to time (e.g. an accountant, web designer, copywriter or product demonstrators). Distributor-type relationships are excluded provided they work from independent premises.
Winner:
Other finalists:
BB Distillers Limited
Frankie Apothecary
Craft Smoothie
The People’s Choice Award
This category is based on votes. All entries in this category submit a publicly-available profile. Businesses are encouraged to persuade customers, staff, colleagues, family, friends and others to vote for them. This category is intended to be a bit of fun, and to provide a way for businesses to draw attention to themselves, their brand and their product, and to leverage their networks.
Winner:
View the video at www.thedavidawards.co.nz for more information about the categories and winners, and some comments from the Judges.
The David Awards is proudly supported by:
nzbusiness.co.nz
www.bni.co.nz
www.bizbuzz.co.nz
For more information:
Heather Douglas
Founder of The David Awards: heroes in small business
info@thedavidawards.co.nz
021 6991369
