The finalists in The David Awards 2017 have been named

The finalists in The David Awards 2017 have been named.

“If these Awards are any indication of the state of New Zealand’s small business sector, then we certainly have every reason to be optimistic about the future!”, enthuses Judge Glenn Baker. “The judges were inspired and impressed by the stories, the passion and the stand-out results being achieved by the finalists.”

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.

“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,” says Glenn. “The Established, Innovation, Solo Meo and Adversity categories were particularly strong this year .”

Winners of The David Awards 2017 will be announced onwww.thedavidawards.co.nz at 11 a.m. on 4 October.

Finalists 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.

Finalists:
Establish
Craft Smoothie
Broadband Compare
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.

Finalists:
BB Distillers Limited
Doll Face Mineral Makeup Ltd
Firefly
Heart Saver NZ Limited
Waglands Dogs' Holiday Retreat Limited

Most outstanding triumph over adversity
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.

Finalists:
NZ Sign Solutions
Mana Property Law Ltd
Waglands Dogs' Holiday Retreat Limited
Craft Smoothie

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.

Finalists:
Kate The Gardener Ltd
Imagine Box

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.

Finalists:
Excio
Doll Face Mineral Makeup Ltd
Verifi Identity Services Limited
Urban Dogs

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.

Finalists:
Heart Saver NZ Limited
Urban Dogs
Broadband Compare

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.

Finalists:
Kate The Gardener Ltd
Nest Consulting
The Dubliner
Bay Learning Academy

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.

Finalists:
BB Distillers Limited
Burton Security
Frankie Apothecary
Craft Smoothie

ENDS

© Scoop Media