The 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards shortlist features a record number of more than 800 female small business trailblazers, now in the running for a coveted ‘Champions’ trophy across more than 60 industry categories.
The nation’s biggest celebration of women in small business will see all winners announced at a glittering gala event, to be hosted by Nine journalist, Jayne Azzopardi, at Sydney’s The Star on Saturday 24 August 2024.
This year marks the third consecutive year of the Women’s Awards programme, created specifically to celebrate the vital economic and social contributions of female-led small businesses across retail, services and manufacturing industries.
Spanning all capital cities as well as rural, regional and suburban towns, the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards is comprehensively judged according to stringent criteria by an independent expert panel and over several judging rounds.
Among this year’s most competitive categories: Business Services features 23 finalists; Business Coaching includes 15 finalists; and eight have made the Women’s Organisation 2024 shortlist.
“We received thousands upon thousands of submissions this year and the overall quality of entries is exceptionally high, so the creation of our 2024 shortlist has been no easy feat,” explains Steve Loe, Awards Founder and Managing Director of Precedent Productions, which coordinates the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards.
“When the Champion Judges evaluate entries, they consider all aspects of a business: its strategies, growth, eco-friendliness, innovation, customer service and community support – to name but some of the criteria.
“Being selected as a finalist of this prestigious event from a national entrant pool of thousands speaks volumes of the tenacity and leadership at each of these female-led small businesses.
“The following rounds of judging will be just as intense as we continue to evaluate the achievements of this year’s record number of finalists to reach just one winner per category,” adds Mr Loe.
The 23 Business Services category finalists are:
CSmart Consulting (NSW), Dream Admin Services (NSW), Samu Test (NSW), BackBone (NSW), Pinnacle People Solutions (NSW), Growth Collective Hub (NSW), BizCubed (NSW), Small Business Hub (NSW), The Foundry Cowork (NSW), Martha Travis People Innovators (NSW), Insync Workplace Solutions & The Centre for Human-Centred Leadership (NSW), Optimum Operating Procedures and Services (NSW), Mint Business Centre (NSW), DanicaB PR (NSW), Empower House (QLD), Deborah Anne Kurikka (QLD), Kwik Kopy Eagle Farm (QLD), Accent HR (QLD), Kx2 Management Group (QLD), BNI Gold Coast and Tweed (QLD), King Virtual Services (SA), The People & Culture Office (WA) and Whitney Consulting (WA).
The 15 Business Coaching category finalists are:
The Reluctant Coach (QLD), Emma McQueen (QLD), Caroline Brunne (QLD), Rachel Carey (QLD), The Deeply Satisfied Woman (QLD), The Alternative Board Northern Beaches (WA), Freedom is Within (VIC), S38 Business Management (VIC), Cathy Smith Coaching (SA), Socially Piper (NSW), Little Country Study (NSW), Lunaria Gaia (NSW), Elements 4 Success (NSW), The Alternative Board (NSW) and Be The Impossible (NSW).
The eight Women’s Organisation category finalists are:
SHE Talks (VIC), She’s The Boss Group (VIC), Love Worthy (QLD), Hen Pen Australia (QLD), Get It Girl Networking (NSW), The Evolve Academy (NSW), Wollondilly Women in Business (NSW) and Women in Business Connect (NSW).
According to Australian Government data, women account for around one-third of the nation’s small business owners and that number is rising more than three times the growth of their male counterparts. Furthermore, research from the Commonwealth Bank shows that women opened almost half (43.2 per cent) of all new business transaction accounts during the 2023 financial year.
For more information and the full list of 2024 finalists, visit championawards.com.au/womens.
The 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards programme is sponsored by Castaway Forecasting, Big Clean, Xcllusive Business Sales and NOVA Employment.
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