The meth testing and decontamination sector has a lot of uncertainty around organisational quality.
Miles and Nicky Stratford smile with relief after the pitch.
Wanting to stand out from the crowd, MethSolutions made the decision to enter the Westpac Growth Grant Awards.
Doing so, provides additional focus for our business and confidence to our clients that an independent party has taken a good look at our business and made an assessment as to the quality of our operation.
It also provided us with the goal to win more than $50,000. This prize includes cash of $40,000 as well as advertising, professional advice and a trip to Nurture Change in Fiji!
This year, out of more than 400 applicants from around the country, MethSolutions made the top 6 finalists.
All the finalists (including us) will be going to Fiji. When pitching for the top slot, we were pipped for the
Miles wearing full decontamination suit during the pitch
grand prize by the Ecoware team. Good guys and a great business. Our congratulations go to them.
While we were disappointed at not taking out the top prize, we know that the exercise was really worthwhile. For organisations looking to develop and grow, we strongly recommend entering the Westpac Growth Grant competition.
Here’s a video of all the finalists in the presentation room – we are the first company featured.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnC1FquqfMI
MethSolutions celebrate Westpac Growth Award Finalists
To give you more of an insight into the competition, we’ve taken the opportunity to ask Grant Robinson, Westpac National Manager, Professional Services and coordinator of the Westpac Growth Grant Competition, some questions that will give you context around the competition and the impression we made on Westpac and the judges.
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What are the reasons Westpac has established the Growth Grant competition?
Thanks Miles. Westpac has been running the Growth Grants for 3 years now, and it’s proving very popular for businesses who are focussed on growth, particularly those who are ambitious about the future, a focus on sustainability, and who have a clear plan to get there. Westpac is proud to have established the programme to support New Zealand businesses and help their communities prosper and grow.
What restrictions are there on entry?
The programme is open to any kiwi business with an annual turnover of less than $10m and has been operating for at least 2 years. If you have ideas and a clear plan to grow your business, then we want to help. It doesn’t matter where you are based, which sector or industry you’re in, or even if you’re a Westpac customer.
What do you believe are the benefits for entrants to the Growth Grants competition?
The benefits in going through the application process is really about taking stock of where your business is at, thinking about what help you need to grow it and what direction it should take in the future.
We want business owners to be supported in their journey so the programme has an amazing prize package focussed on expert advice including time at the business retreat known as Nurture Change in Fiji for the Top 6 Finalists and of course the $50,000 Growth Grant for the winner to assist the business to execute its growth plan.
What were the things about the MethSolutions proposal that saw us selected for the top 6 finalists?
MethSolutions was both a finalist and in the top 1% of applicants nationwide.
MethSolutions impressed the judging panel due to the very strong sales growth year on year it has experienced, it has a financially viable business model and had a vision which supports the community in improving social outcomes.
The business plan that was presented was clear and concise and the growth goal was very well articulated.
The competition is closed for this year, what are the key dates organisations interested in entering in 2018 should look out for?
The dates haven’t yet been set for 2018, but every year we have opened entries during the month of June with the application period closing in late July or early August. You should keep an eye on our website www.westpac.co.nz/growthgrant for more information.