The finalists have been announced for the Small Business of the Year award at the Eastern Daily Press Business Awards 2023.
This category recognises companies with turnover of up to £1m that demonstrate all-round excellence in business.
Tom and Toto
Established in 2013 as a one-woman dog walking business, Tom and Toto has grown into an award-winning Norwich pet care company that supports dog owners with a range of services and products to make their lives easier and their dogs’ lives more fun.
The company’s luxury doggy day care centre in Sprowston caters for 33 dogs per day, and it runs group dog walks for over 200 dogs per week.
Founder Sarah Wright impressed the judges with her “fantastic business”. They said “she has clearly demonstrated her ability to nurture and inspire her team to provide an exceptional service to their clients” and recognised Tom and Toto’s clear mission of ‘kindness to dogs’.
Azure Outdoor Living
Trading as Azure Outdoor Living since September 2020 but with experience far beyond that, this business in Dereham is a national creator of outdoor living areas and architectural aluminium and glazing.
Azure helps customers with a range of outdoor living spaces including pergolas, glass rooms, glass verandas, pool and spa enclosures, carports and more.
As the business has a bespoke glazing background, it can also install doors, glass partitions, windows and roofs, and different forms of external shading.
The judges said that it was a “delight” to visit this “fantastic” company. They appreciated Azure’s “refreshing approach to the home improvement sector” and praised the “passion and knowledge” of the founders.
Chadwicks
Chadwicks is a wealth management firm specialising in advising business leaders and helping them make better financial and business decisions.
Based at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, this business has close links to the UEA School of Economics and the Norwich Business School and runs a unique resource called The Sounding Board, which brings together experts to provide guidance and support to business owners.
The judges commended Chadwicks’ Sounding Board as “a great initiative” that is “really bringing people together to share their experience”. They added that Chadwicks’ focus on personal development “really demonstrates a commitment to its people.”
LY Copywriting
Based in Hoveton, Norwich, LY Copywriting is solely dedicated to delivering content marketing services to businesses and agencies in Norfolk and beyond.
Established in 2013, it provides copywriting, blogging, social media management services and more to brands across the UK and worldwide and has worked with some of the biggest names in the business alongside long-established East Anglian brands.
The judges said that LY Copywriting has “delivered impressive growth over the last 12 months and has a clear strategy for continued growth”.
They also said that founder Lauren Yaxley is “clear about where she wants the business to get to and knows how she is going to get there”.
The winner of the Small Business of the Year award will be revealed at the EDP Business Awards celebration event on Thursday, November 23. For more information or to buy tickets, visit edpbusinessawards.co.uk
To see the finalists in all categories, click here.
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