28th October has been one of the better days of 2020 for me and my business.
As a small business owner, I was recognised and awarded in the Top 50 Small Business Leaders 2020. Annually, Inside Small Business releases the Top 50 Small Business Leaders Report celebrating success, resilience and agility of extraordinary small business owners.
I am proud to stand with some amazing and talented business owners. The Editor of Inside Small Business made a very good point in his opening statement – “2020 celebrates the resilience and innovation displayed by the Australian small-business community”.
Small business and family enterprise in Australia accounts for almost 98 per cent of businesses. Small businesses account for 35 per cent of Australia’s gross domestic profit and employ 44 per cent of Australia’s workforce. Of the 877,744 total employing businesses,
93.8 per cent are small businesses. A healthy small-business sector is a prerequisite for a
growing economy with high employment opportunities. In a very real sense, small
business counts.*
Small-business owners have spent 2020 pivoting aspects of their business, to continue to not only survive but thrive through a global pandemic and economic crisis.
Here is an insight into what Inside Small Business wrote about me…
After years of extensive experience in the hospitality industry, Emma Fraser set out to establish a marketing firm in 2016 to help hotel and travel brands in their marketing efforts. Emma took this on while raising her daughter as a single parent.
The struggles early on paid off as Fraser Marketing International has grown exponentially thanks to its expertise in providing global brand marketing to its hotel clients, while also taking into account the local audience. “The solution is to create ‘glocal’ content,” Emma explains.
In the face of the double-whammy of bushfires and COVID-19 that severely affected the hotel and tourism industry in her region, Emma was one of the first people to reach out and created campaigns to help the industry get back on its feet.
Emma also takes time to mentor other small-business owners, a role that has increased in the wake of the crises. She ensures that the rest of her team imbibe the same brand values and ethos she lives by. “My belief is that team members will only embrace change if they go on the journey, so get them engaged in the brand story early on,” Emma advises.
These Awards for 2020, show not only a celebration of the success of small businesses, but also the resilience and agility of these small-business owners, who have rapidly adapted to this new world we live in.
If the events of this year have taught us anything, it’s that the future is digital and we can’t continue to rely on outdated business models, digitisation is essential for a small business to be truly competitive.
The Buy from the Bush campaign is an excellent example – in just four months the 275 regional businesses profiled saw an average revenue increase of 300 per cent. The campaign delivered $5 million to those featured small businesses – all of which had an online presence.
From a tourism perspective, the social media campaigns Empty Esky was a great way to get people travelling their local area, along with the Tourism Australia Holiday Here This Year campaign.
This personal win recognises my team of freelancers and agency partners, and my clients, I wouldn’t be in this fortunate position without them. *Source: The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman.