Winners of the 2024 Australian Small Business Champion Awards have been crowned.
More than 100 small businesses were honoured on 12-13 April 2024 at Sydney’s The Star, where the culmination of the Champion Awards’ most successful program in more than a quarter of a century saw more than 2000 small business people converge for the red-carpet two-night gala event.
The awards program celebrates the achievements and considerable economic, social and cultural contribution of today’s 2.5 million small business operators from right across the country, the Australian Small Business Champion Awards specifically highlight the finest small businesses in the retail, services, and manufacturing industries.
The 2024 Australian Small Business Champions include:
- New Retail Business: Billy Stitch Distillery of Kwinana Beach in WA.
- Retail Sole Operator: Sandy Aslett Milliner who has decades of experience from Mountain Creek in Queensland.
- 2024 Specialised Retail Small Business Champion: Vtackle Fishing Shop at Derrimut in Victoria.
Additionally:
- Florist: Vanessa Pringle Floral Designs of Bathurst, NSW.
- Beauty and Lifestyle Product award: GlindaWand of Darlinghurst in NSW.
- Bakery: Farrar & Sons Bakehouse based in Mayfield, NSW.
- Butcher: Christians Premium Meats of Helensburgh, NSW.
- Cake Shop / Patisserie: Pasticceria Massimo Papa based at Fairy Meadow, NSW.
- Fast Food/Takeaway Shop: OMG! Decadent Donuts at Ascot in Queensland.
- Fresh Food: Ripe Cheese based in Melbourne.
- Health Food Business: One Minute SNAXX from Yarrabilba in Queensland.
- Home Specialty Cakes: Creations by Tink of Gledswood Hills, NSW.
Each of this year’s Champions received a customised statuette trophy and certificate and gained invaluable kudos as a nationally recognised industry leader.
In a recent independent survey commissioned by Precedent Productions, which coordinates the Australian Small Business Champion Awards, more than half (57%) of Australian small business owners indicated that they have a second job or additional ventures primarily for financial reasons. The survey also unveiled 46% of small businesses cite large and medium businesses as their most pressing competition.
“This year’s Awards saw more than 5,500 small business submissions from cities as well as rural, regional and suburban towns in every Australian state and territory,” says Precedent Productions Awards Founder and Managing Director Steve Loe.
“We’ve been running the Champion Awards programme since 1999 and I must say, this year’s submissions spoke volumes of the resilience of these small business operators during tough times.
“Operating a small business today requires steadfast commitment, leadership, savviness, creativity, people skills, vision, social consciousness and a spirited drive – all elements of success that our independent judging panel pinpointed as among the key reasons for their selections of this year’s Champions.
“I am blown away by the growth of this programme and its intensifying spotlight on the most deserving small business operators, who valiantly serve their communities and encourage us all to strive for success with ample drive, determination and fortitude,” Mr Loe said.
Hosted by Nine presenter and journalist Jayne Azzopardi, the 2024 National Presentation Gala featured star-studded entertainment fitting to the Champion Awards’ biggest year yet. Dami Im, Harrison Craig, Johnny Manuel and Stefanie Jones were among the red-carpet event’s headline stage acts.
The Awards were supported by Presenting Partner the Commonwealth Bank, and Major Partners Nine Ad Manager, NOVA Employment, Castaway Forecasting, Big Clean, Xcllusive Business Sales and Boa.
