The Somerset Business Awards, which is organised by the Somerset Chamber of Commerce, is now in its 19^th year and is the county’s largest annual ceremony that celebrates and recognises companies around Somerset.

This year the Somerset Business Awards had an impressive 14 categories to choose from. Gather wanted to be part of such a prestigious ceremony and decided the Small Business of the Year category was a great fit and became a sponsor.

Once admissions opened, we received an incredible number of entries from across Somerset; 17 in total! Our head judge, Najeeb Sughayer, had the difficult task of selecting his shortlisted nominees and after much deliberation he chose:

The next stage of the shortlisting process saw Najeeb head to the shortlisted nominees’ offices to gain a deeper understanding of their business and, in particular, he wanted to dig deeper into the following topics:

Business planning : What does the next year or two look like? This can include people, service/ product offerings and growth.
Financials: Revenue and profitability to date and in the future - how does this correlate to the business plan?
Vision : What is your vision for the business?
Differentiator : Do you have a wow factor that makes you stand out from the crowd?
Typical day : What does a typical day look like for your business?
Success story : Can you share an event or achievement that made you proud of the business?

Najeeb thoroughly enjoyed meeting with each of the shortlisted nominees and was impressed with the presentations he received. Now came the difficult choice of choosing the final 3 finalists.

Gather are delighted to announce our  3 finalists for the Small Business of the Year category are:

ARK at Egwood:

Judge’s comment: Their reach across the community continues to spread with more people from every demographic benefitting from their fantastic support.

Little Kickers, North & Mid Somerset:

Judge’s comment: Their client testimonials and photos were a fantastic, providing clear evidence of the impact that Andy and the team have on 500+ young children.

Talking Stick Digital:

Judge’s comment: Their ability to engender strong relationships with clients and employees through transparency, while maintaining a commercial focus for the business is to be highly commended.

Huge congratulations to ARK at Egwood, Little Kickers & Talking Stick Digial , your applications were excellent and really showcased why small businesses are pivotal in providing opportunities for entrepreneurs and creating meaningful jobs within the local community.

We wish you all the very best of luck and look forward to announcing the winner of the Small Business of the Year at the awards ceremony in Weston-Super-Mare on the 22^nd March!