Think2Be Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist in Moreton Bay Business and Innovation Awards

Entering its sixth year in 2023, the Moreton Bay Business & Innovation Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of Moreton Bay businesses and individuals.

Moreton Bay Business & Innovation Awards are the region’s leading and premier awards program. The awards acknowledge the contribution of businesses and individuals to Moreton Bay’s economy and the region’s profile as a vibrant centre of innovation and enterprise, providing a pathway to national and international award programs.

Barbara has again been selected as a top 5 finalist in the Think2Be Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the second year in a row! We’d like to take this time to congratulate her on her recent accolade achievements in business and wish her the best in her judging panel interview.

This award recognises and celebrates an enterprising individual, either a founder or owner of a business, who adopts new or innovative ideas to generate a new product, service, business process or enter a new market.

Growth for the Organisation

In September 2022, I received a full scholarship to attend the QCOSS Conference in Brisbane where I met with organisation leaders and members of government who have a strong interest in improving social services in Australia. I have gained insight into connections and am now encouraging more conversation about the work of Sweet Peanuts in regional and rural areas of Australia such as Emerald, Rockhampton, and the Cape. This has expanded our overall reach and brand awareness with healthcare connected agencies and community centres around Queensland.

We have found success in building awareness from our TradeMutt collaboration pre-orders that were launched on the 31st January this year. Since we opened the pre-order, we’ve had support from all over the country including regional, rural, and remote communities. 

Success in Business

In 2022, Barbara was awarded with a full scholarship into the Women’s Business Schools Accelerator and Ignite programs to gain further knowledge of running her own enterprise and utilising a number of skills to create a positive impact. A module about marketing in this program is what inspired her to nominate Sweet Peanuts for various business and leadership awards throughout 2022, the intention was not to win but to introduce herself to a panel of judges and receive meaningful feedback about her entrepreneurship journey so that she may improve and further benefit the success of the organisation. 

In 2022, she invested in her first ‘business’ trip to Sydney where she attended the AusMumpreneur Conference, AusMumpreneur Awards, and The Third Sector Awards. The conference allowed her to connect with other female founders and leaders and has expanded her network into other states. She quickly realised how much she had underestimated her own achievements and was selected as a finalist in 10 business awards across a number of Awards programs in Australia and Internationally for the 2022 calendar year.

Barbara was also a successful applicant into the Impact Boom Elevate+ Accelerator cohort for 2022. The Elevate+ Accelerator is an 18-week program to encourage entrepreneurs to build sustainable and successful social enterprises. It was an opportunity to connect, network, and stay accountable to achieve progress in their respective enterprises and they finished the program by hosting a showcase that included pitching in front of an audience at The Triffid in Brisbane. This pitch gave Barbara a platform to announce an upcoming collaboration between Sweet Peanuts and the colourful, eye-catching workwear brand, TradeMutt.

Core Focus and How Sweet Peanuts stands out

This year, Sweet Peanuts is expected to support over 200 bereaved parents and families by July and expand its network of hospital connections into other Australian states. This month, Sweet Peanuts is a bronze sponsor and trade exhibitor at the 6th Australian Nursing and Midwifery Conference held in Newcastle. We expect to connect and network with healthcare providers and staff from hospitals and clinics from other states at this conference and build on our vision to build a national network of hospital partnerships. 

In 2023, Sweet Peanuts will be developing a new range of hampers and packages that are suitable for corporate gifting. We are currently in conversation with a number of businesses we wish to support through this initiative.  The high-value hampers would bring a large level of brand awareness for Sweet Peanuts to whoever receives them but also a valuable social impact aspect to the partnered business. The new range will highlight locally sourced produce that is high quality and supports indigenous-owned businesses. 

We look forward to the possibility of taking Sweet Peanuts to an international level through communities in New Zealand (Aotearoa) and the surrounding Pacific islands. We will be applying for specific grants to fund International travel. This will allow for research with communities in these regions to ensure appropriate and respectful development of suitable packages for needs identified by community leaders.

The Awards Gala

Celebrate the achievements of businesses throughout the Moreton Bay Region at the Gala Awards Event alongside like-minded businesses, leaders, and fellow award entrants.

This is a night not to be missed and the event will sell out quickly (just like it did in 2022!). We strongly recommend booking your seats as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.