More than $30,000 worth of prizes were handed out at the inaugural Australian Home-based Business Awards recently. Samea Maakrun from NSW-based aromatherapy and lifestyle business Sasy‘n’Savy took home the merchandising award as well as being named overall best performing home-based business. “To tell the truth I didn’t think I’d be one of the finalists because there’s so much talent out there in home businesses alone,” says Maakrun. “Probably one in every five householders is running a business out there, so I was quite stunned that we actually won it.”
Other winners were JV Support Services (business services category) and vegetarian magazine Aduki (food, hospitality, farming) from Victoria, and online magazine Single Parent Bible (personal services) and Twenty20 Building Inspections (trade) from Queensland.
The awards, which are presented by the Victorian Small Business Networking Forum, aim to increase recognition for home-based businesses, as well as boosting the confidence of those in the industry. Winners were required to show innovation in their category, says awards organiser John Gannan.
“Quite a lot of people are embarrassed running a home-based business,” says Maakrun, who takes potential export clients on a mini tour of Sydney for meetings as a creative alternative to not having a boardroom. “But I say if you can make the money and keep your overheads low, do it.” Further details of the awards can be found at www.homebasedbusinessawards.com.au
