Winners and finalists defy a tough year

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Winners and finalists defy a tough year

Small business entrepreneurs are bucking trends and shrugging off the Global Financial Crisis if the 2009 ActionCOACH My Business Awards are any sort of yardstick, as Nicola Card reports.

Winners from the 2009 ActionCOACH My Business Awards

Small business entrepreneurs are a determined and resilient bunch based on the results of this year's ActionCOACH My Business Awards. More than 500 businesses – just about the highest number in the nine year history of the Awards – entered their businesses in this year’s search for business excellence.

The nine Award categories attracted entries from across the spectrum of businesses and across the breadth of the nation. In the end it came down to 30 finalists who gathered at Doltone House  for the Gala Dinner on Jones Bay Wharf to hear the judges’ decisions.

It was a night of fun - and inspiration - as the winners related their accounts of how they had built their businesses, usually from scratch, with little in the way of financial backing. Starting the business from the garage of the bedroom was a common theme that weaved through their accounts of how passion and self-belief had driven them to create highly successful enterprises which collectively now employ hundreds of people.

The winners included technology communications businesses, internet sites, manufacturing businesses, pizza retailers – and businesses which aimed to assist young people to successfully navigate the challenges of life.

The National Commercial Manager for My Business, Tony May, told the 300 guests at the Gala Dinner that the winners and finalists has “demonstrated that faith in their products and services can transcend the immediate business environment, and really does show that businesses can suceeed even in tough conditions”.

Tony May thanked the 2009 sponsors for their great support – ActionCOACH,  QuickBooks, Cisco, Salesforce.com, St George, ADT Security Australia, the National Institute of Accountants, Travelscene Corporate, Optus and GIO.

Speaking at the Awards Dinner, Paul Tobin – who is CEO of Aussie Farmers Direct, and last year’s ActionCOACH My Business Outstanding Excellence winner – said: "For us winning an award like this gave us belief that we were doing something right and heading in the right direction".

Each week Aussie Farmers now delivers 150 tonnes of Australian fresh produce to customers.

"[Winning this award] is absolutely amazing publicity. Things like this just snowball. My Business magazine is read by your customers, your bankers, your investors, your suppliers and your competitors. It's incredible how many people mention it to you," said Tobin.

Chief Executive Officer of ActionCOACH  Asia Pacific, Vic Ciuffetelli  presented the 2009 ActionCOACH My Business Award for Outstanding Excellence to Costa Anastasiadis of Crust Gourmet Pizza Bars.

Gourmet Pizza Bars also won the QuickBooks Award for Best Retailer. In 2001, aged 22, Costa Anastasiadis established Crust Gourmet Pizza Bars in Sydney. With his cousin Michael Logos, the two men have established a national franchise chain of 33 outlets across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Newcastle. Last year’s launch of the Heart Foundation Tick of Approval pizzas have helped sales to soar.

Accepting the Award, Costa Anastasiadis, spoke of the early days of the business and how the support of his family, and the belief in the quality of what they were doing, keep motivating him to succeed commenting that "When we opened our first store in Annandale in Sydney it was a real family business. We're a big Greek family and everyone was in there."

View company profiles of all the Winners and Finalists