Reward for the small business heroes

TOP entrepreneurs from Yorkshire will find out this week whether they will be recognised at a national level.

This year’s Yorkshire and Humber winners in the Federation of Small Businesses’ Celebrating Small Business Awards 2024 will be heading to Blackpool on Thursday for the national grand final.

Now in its 50th year, FSB is the UK’s largest membership organisation for small businesses and the self-employed, and these awards help highlight the invaluable contributions made by these businesses to the UK economy and champions their journey as entrepreneurs.

The regional Innovation Award was won by Trustist Limited. Sales manager, Chris Benson, said: “It feels fantastic to gain the recognition from FSB that we’ve built an amazing product that is disrupting several industries.

“Trustist started as a review management company but has grown to be much more than that. Everything we do is designed to push traffic to our clients’ websites, helping many small businesses, like ourselves, succeed. We have 15,000 clients who are delighted with what we do.

“A lot of blood, sweat, and tears go into designing and developing our product by our team back at our York head office. They work so hard and often don’t get enough credit.”

Barney Mynott, FSB’s development manager, added: “Every business has a unique and inspiring story to share, whether that’s the way they have overcome hard times, or the innovative and impactful nature of their offering.

“These small businesses and others like them are, in truth, more than just businesses. They support our towns right across Yorkshire and The Humber, generating not just employment and economic growth but thriving, dynamic communities. That’s why we must celebrate them, and why the awards are so important.”