Business gains from entering state award
Just entering the Telstra Business Awards was a win in itself for a business founded in Warragul three years ago.
Gippsland Cosmetic Laser Clinic established by Daniel Calabro and Anita Turner didn't take out a major award but the bonus for it was in the process of nominating and then being chosen as a finalist in the Victorian new business category.
Their attendance at the State award announcements and presentations held recently provided another boost, mingling and exchanging experiences with owners of a wide range of businesses.
Mr Calabro and Ms Turner expanded their business last year, opening a second clinic in Traralgon and now employ a total of nine nurses at their two locations.
Mr Calabro said it took about 40 hours for him to complete the entry submission. But it was time well spent. He said it required him and Ms Turner to look at their business much more deeply than its financial performance.
The way we deal with clients and staff, our business ethics, social awareness of the place the business has in the community, environmental as well as financial sustainability and innovation all had to be considered and explained, Mr Calabro said.
It was a process he said he'd recommend to any business in the region, for their own sake and to promote business opportunity in Gippsland.
"Once we had entered we received a detailed review of the business and advice on how to go forward," he added.
He said selection as a state finalist also helped put Gippsland on the map, judges seeking them out to tell them how pleased they were to see a Gippsland business in the spotlight and many people approaching them to say they'd been born or lived in the region for a time.
Mr Calabro said Gippsland Cosmetic Laser Clinic provided treatment primarily from a health care approach and was the only business in the field in Gippsland that gave nurses the opportunity to join the industry without having to move to Melbourne.
Entries for next year's Telstra Business Awards are already open with details available at the award website.