Origin/3AW Small Business Award winners
- September 2008 - Garden of Eden Plant Nursery
- August 2008 - Clay Natural Health & Beauty
- July 2008 - Unlimited Learning Adventures
- June 2008 - Hug Fundraising
- May 2008 - Ripple Products
- April 2008 - The Australian Wedding Company
- March 2008 - Pandahcare Pty Ltd
- February 2008 – Liberty Swing
- January 2008 – Raw Travel
- December 2007 - Scrapsadaisy
- November 2007 - The Sole Sisters
- October 2007 - Your Image Solutions
September 2008 – Garden of Eden Plant Nursery
Sean Dahan is a classic example of the adage that hard work pays off. He explored the market and developed slowly. He experienced knock-backs and challenges along the way but stood tall and developed a business that now employees 3 full time staff. Diversifying the business by adding a landscaping arm, café and gift shop was also key and he is now looking to expand even further. Congratulations Sean – your success story is certainly to be admired.
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August 2008 - Clay Natural Health & Beauty
With a strong passion for natural therapies, massage and beauty, Kate and Paula decided to roll up their sleeves and open their own boutique day spa in December 2006. Their strong vision and detailed business plan has underpinned their success, which has seen them grow their customer base and support 4 full-time and 3 part-time staff members. They embarked on this journey with no financial backing and have demonstrated that a business can still be successful through sheer hard work, dedication and a love for what you do.
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For more information about the treatments offered at Clay, visit clayspa.com.au
July 2008 - Unlimited Learning Adventures
Unlimited Learning Adventures , founded by Jacqui Mason in 1997, offers indoor and outdoor team building activities, leadership development and personal development programs. Their mission is to empower people to discover and maximise their potential and exceed their expectations by “learning through doing”. Through several years of sheer hard work and dedication, they have become a successful small business and it is this determination that has been recognised by the Origin/3AW Small Business Awards program.
Congratulations to Jacqui and the team at Unlimited Learning Adventures!
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June 2008 - Hug Fundraising
Hug Fundraising was born in 2006 when food industry executives, Bernadette Roach and Leila Sturt, decided to introduce healthier fundraising choices for schools and other community groups that match the profits returned by chocolate fundraising. Their range, including Apricot Delight, Banana Chips, Pretzels and Almonds amongst others, promotes the idea of healthy eating and has been well received by parents, teachers, government employees and the community. It is this innovation that has been recognised by the Origin/3AW Small Business Awards and we wish Hug Fundraising the very best in continuing their promotion of healthier fundraising choices.
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May 2008 - Ripple Products
Tracy Bialek – Managing Director of Ripple Products – has always had a passion for the environment and, in 2004 she embarked on a business adventure to promote the message of water conservation. Ripple Products was launched with the innovative Shower Timer and has since expanded to include digital shower timers, sand timers, water saving buckets and Enviro-tips. Her success in Australia has also caused a ripple effect in the international markets of the UK and USA – a great testament to her dedication and commitment to environmental behavioural change.
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Here are a few words from Ripple Products:
"What we do, what we say and how we act can cause a ripple in our community. Help yourself, teach a friend or educate your children. It will all make a difference. It will all create a ripple."
April 2008 - The Australian Wedding Company
From handmade ring pillows to a product range containing over 5,000 wedding related products – this is the story of highly determined and motivated business owner Catherine Bolt. Catherine founded The Australian Wedding Company at the turn of the millennium and has successfully expanded the business ever since. While the business was originally designed with weddings in mind, it has now become a resource for special occasions including anniversaries, the birth of new babies and milestone birthdays.
Congratulations to Catherine and the team at The Australian Wedding Company for helping to put the fun back into planning a special event!
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March 2008 - Pandahcare Pty Ltd
Geoffrey Foley of Personal Alert Night & Day At Home (Pandahcare ) was the successful winner of the March 2008 Origin/3AW Small Business Award. With a background in electronics engineering, Geoffrey Foley along with his colleague Tom Cryer founded PANDAH after recognising a strong need for a wireless Personal Alert Device without the necessity of a call centre.
Primarily designed for the elderly or disabled, PANDAH sends a notification in the form of an SMS message direct to the mobile phones of up to 8 nominated carers. Pre-programmed and connected via the home telephone, the alert device can be worn as a pendant or on a belt and will send out distress messages within 40 seconds of sounding the alert.
Congratulations to both Geoffrey and Tom for providing families with the reassurance that their loved ones can contact them quickly and easily if help is required.
February 2008 - Liberty Swing
Diane James of Liberty Swing – a revolutionary new concept in playground swing equipment for people with disabilities – was the successful winner of the February 2008 Origin/3AW Small Business Award.
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Through Diane’s persistence and design excellence of inventor Wayne Devine, there are now over 200 Liberty Swings across Australia and New Zealand, allowing people in wheelchairs to enjoy the fun and freedom of swinging.
Congratulations to both Diane and Wayne for putting smiles on many faces!
January 2008 - Raw Travel
David Reynolds – co-founder of Raw Travel (Real Adventures Worldwide) - was the successful winner of the January 2008 Origin/3AW Small Business Award.
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This inspirational business connects individuals, companies and charities through fundraising and extraordinary travel experiences to provide life changing trips. It was this philosophy that our judges wished to recognise through the Origin/3AW Small Business Awards program.
Congratulations to the team at Raw Travel – keep up the good work!
December 2007 - Scrapsadaisy
Linda Jones of Scrapsadaisy was the successful winner of the December 2007 Origin/3AW Small Business Award.
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Linda Jones founded 'Scrapsadaisy' - an online scrapbooking store for flowers and ribbons - in February 2007 and has experienced strong growth ever since. She started out with just 2 lines and, within 11 months, now has over 500 lines! The judges were particularly impressed with the innovative nature of Linda’s business, her strength in overcoming hardship, the quality of her website and success that she has achieved in such a short amount of time.
We wish Linda all the very best for the future.
November 2007 - The Sole Sisters
Irene and Veronica Kypros of The Sole Sisters were the successful winners of the November 2007 Origin/3AW Small Business Award.
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Sisters Irene and Veronica overcame adversity to build a successful Thai Foot Massage business, opening three outlets in just two and a half years! They have certainly shown what can be achieved with innovation and dedicated planning.
Should you wish to visit The Sole Sisters for an indulgent treatment, you can find them at the following locations:
143 Victoria St , Melbourne
Shop 7, 63 - 73 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
123 Acland Street, St Kilda
October 2007 - Your Image Solutions
James Lynch of Your Image Solutions was the successful winner of the October 2007 Origin/3AW Small Business Award.
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James’ story
James Lynch has been running his business since 2002 in the highly competitive skills training market and over this time has
implemented a series of innovative programs. One of his key achievements was the successful implementation of a program designed
to assist Year 12 students in gaining confidence and developing core skills, such as interview techniques.
Our esteemed panel of small business mentors selected James as the winner based on his success in addressing a core need and innovation in developing a solution tailored to these needs.
We congratulate James on his achievements to date and wish him all the very best in his future pursuits.
Got a success story to be proud of? Enter the awards today!