"Small business heroes show courage and ingenuity"

Two Rotorua businesses have been named as national finalists in The David Awards for 2015.

Ros Morshead, of Morshead Law is a finalist in the ‘Most Outstanding Lifestyle Business’ for her work in epitomising the ability to use technology to integrate business and lifestyle.

Dr Julia Charity who founded Look After Me – an online market place for accommodation, is a finalist for ‘The Solo Meo Award’ which recognises a business owner who runs their business single-handedly.

Look After Me is also a finalist for the ‘Most Outstanding Triumph over Adversity’ in recognition for success in spite of challenges beyond the usual.

For the past eight years, 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.

The number of entries increased by 27% this year. The David Award’s Founder Heather Douglas said “it’s not just the number of entries, though, which is gratifying, it’s the variety and quality of those entries”.

In response to the announcement, finalist, Ros said “I am both thrilled and shocked. It shows once again that there are small businesses in Rotorua quietly getting on with achieving great things and making their own contributions to our community.”

Judges Glenn Smith, Glenn Baker, Pam Martin, Sandra Crosby and Brian Meredith were impressed with this year’s entries. A standout attribute of the majority of the entrants is the courage and persistence they show, especially when facing challenges. They said it was heartening to see previous entrants who had not been successful entering again and beinnamed finalists, along with first-time submissions.

Look After Me Ltd was also recently named as finalist in the New Zealand Innovation Awards in the Marketing and Communications Category.

Dr Charity, who is Pioneering the Sharing Economy in New Zealand, said it was humbling to be recognised in the forefront of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in New Zealand. “It’s taken every ounce of courage, persistence and determination I can muster. The personal sacrifices have been measurable but national recognition fuels inspiration. It’s the wind in my sails,” she said.

Ros and Julia have more work to do before the winners are announced, with each needing to put together a presentation for the judges showcasing their businesses.

Winners of The David Awards 2015 will be announced on 8 October 2015.

Finalists for the 2015 David Awards 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:
Heat Pumps NOW Limited
My tuition
Paint 'n' Sip Studio
Peak for Life

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:
Easyforms
GoFi8ure
Heart Saver NZ Limited
Recruit NZ 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:
Adaptive Technology Solutions Ltd
Brandwagon Ltd
Look After Me Ltd - Accommodation on-line
OKU - NZ Native Herbal Products Ltd

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:
Morshead Law
Physiofamily
Recruit NZ Limited
YummyMummy Fitness

The NZBusiness Most innovative business 
Sponsored by NZBusiness

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:
200 Square Limited
Easyforms
HoneyLab
My tuition
Sorbet

Most inspired use of marketing

Sponsored by .nz

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:
The judges have chosen not to name any finalists in this category this year.

The Bizbuzz Most community-minded business

Sponsored by Bizzbuzz

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:
Heat Pumps NOW Limited
Sorbet

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:
Biz Support Solutions Ltd
doggytreats
Isatrin Limited
Look After Me Ltd - Accommodation on-line
Martygirl Skinfood

The People's Choice Award
This category is based on votes. All entries in this category submit a publicly-available profile. Businesses entering this Award will be provided with banners and links, and encouraged to persuade customers, staff, colleagues, family, friends and others to vote for them. This category is intended to be a bit of fun, and to provide a way for businesses to draw attention to themselves, their brand and their product, and to leverage their networks.

To be announced. (This category has no finalists, only one winner).