BIZ SHORTS
Hailing small business's biggest battlers
3 November 2009
NZ Business Magazine
The David Awards honour the often gutsy and tenacious nature of
the tens of thousands of Kiwi small business owners. NZBusiness
congratulates the category winners and supreme winner for
2009.
The David Awards recognise the unsung heroes in home and small
businesses throughout New Zealand, whose tenacity, courage and
ingenuity place them firmly at the forefront of entrepreneurship in
this country. Just as David, an ordinary, unassuming young man,
used shrewdness and a simple slingshot to conquer the giant
Goliath, so these entrepreneurial Davids often punch well above
their weight.
"The judges felt there was a strong and varied field of entrants
this year," says the organizer of the Awards, Heather Douglas of
HomeBizBuzz. "These finalists are inspiring, courageous business
people with a passion for what they do and the determination to
make it work. Some have overcome considerable adversity in order to
reach the success they now enjoy."
The Category winners and the Supreme Award were announced during
a live webcast on The David Awards website
(www.thedavidawards.co.nz) on the 7th of October and a podcast of
the event is available from the site as a download.
This year's Supreme Award winner Breastmates is an excellent
example of a 'Zero to Hero' business. Owner Frances McInnes has
grown the online business from scratch into a company with a
significant turnover, a recognisable brand, and one that makes
great utilisation of technology and social networking sites. The
business also won the award for The Most Inspired Use of Marketing
for its social media and traditional marketing strategy.
NZBusiness editor, and one of the five judges of the David
Awards, Glenn Baker, views Frances as a great example of Kiwi DIY
attitude. "Being a one-man band she has pretty much had to take on
every role within the business, which is a big ask for anyone.
Fortunately she is extremely competent at all of the disciplines.
As a result she has built herself a very successful business."
Fellow judge Pam Martin agrees that Breastmates exemplifies what
the David Awards are all about - tenacity, courage and ingenuity.
"She started as so many before her, with a passion to do something
differently. Her passion was to provide better options for mums
who're coping with the challenges of breast feeding their babies.
Breastmates is now recognised as a vital resource for mothers,
providing both products and sound, practical advice. Her videos on
YouTube have a keen following - learning to use
social media effectively to drive traffic to her website has
created a solid, sustainable business."
Judge Glenn Smith was impressed by Breastmates' involvement in
the 'Bras
for Africa' drive.
"It was inspirational and a perfect fit for the business and its
marketplace - by which I mean that it clearly was a charitable
endeavour, but it was connected to the very narrow demographic she
is chasing as a business."
This year's Supreme winner takes away a whole new office valued
at $1600, courtesy of Warehouse Stationery: a desk, chair, mobile
drawer, credenza, filing cabinet and bookshelf, as well as $200 of
stationery vouchers; a 16-week 'virtual' 80-20 Multi-Million
Business Boot Camp worth about $4500 from iconic business
strategist Tom Poland; and a year's subscription to 'the world's
simplest cashbook', iCashbook, worth $300.
Details of all the finalists can be found at
www.thedavidawards.co.nz