Last night we celebrated with the best of the best within small and medium businesses across Victoria and were honoured to be one of the 25 state finalists for the Telstra Best of Business Awards.
Congratulations to all the other finalists. We feel privileged and honoured to be among such unique businesses in the Building Communities category. It is rather overwhelming to consider that of the 20k+ nominees nationally (and roughly 3k per state or territory), within our category, the finalists numbered only 6 including ourselves.
Anywise started with simple aims - we focused on delivering value to our clients, team, and communities.
We are continuing to grow and keep learning. Anywise now employs 40 people working across Australia, in USA and UAE; it donates 20% profit to charity and has recently launched its philanthropic fund. As we grow, so does our impact.
Building a better business requires purpose. Without alignment around why a company exists, it will always be there simply to benefit the shareholders.
It takes courage to put that purpose into practice. The courage to take on challenging projects and to say no to projects or clients that do not align with our goal. To stand up and be part of the change for good, to challenge the norm and help with challenges facing the community, not just high fee-paying clients.
It also takes a lot of passion—following through on commitments and striving to improve. We simply can't leave it up to the Government or big business to be the moral compass and doers of good deeds.
And while not-for-profits all punch well above their weight - especially the micro, small and medium ones - we can't expect them to alone plug all the gaps.
All businesses can and must do more for our communities. By considering all stakeholders, not just shareholders, we can be a powerful force for good. We can balance purpose and profit by acting with purpose, courage, and passion.
This is the Anywise way.
Being in a room full of such inspiring stories is a rare and unique privilege we do not take for granted.
