WA-based health startup Noisy Guts, founded by Dr Josephine Muir and Dr Mary Webberley with Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall as medical advisor, has been named as a finalist in the 2022 Australian Small Business Champions.
This year, the program saw over 3,500 entries from businesses across various sectors.
“You don’t have to be an expert to know that running a small business is tough business,” co-founder Dr Josephine Muir told Startup News.
“In the past 12 months, we’ve seen ingredient prices rise by up to 40% and ongoing supply chain disruptions,”
“Becoming a finalist in the 2022 Australian Small Business Champions Awards is a huge boost to our team. It recognises our commitment to get up each day and put our hearts on the line in the name of entrepreneurship.
Jospehine Muir
“At Noisy Guts, we love what we do. And every now and then, it’s nice to be reminded that other people love what we do. We are delighted to be selected as a finalist and to use this opportunity to shine a spotlight on the amazing startups in WA.”
Noisy Guts’s signature gut health product, Supeflora, continues to grow, with it now being available on shelves across select IGA’s and pharmacies.
“We’ve expanded our range, and will be launching a new plant-based protein, fibre and probiotic product this month.”
The news comes Noisy Guts was a recipient of the state government’s Innovation Vouchers program last year.
In light of becoming a finalist, Josephine has kindly provided seven lessons she has learned from preparing award applications…
Seven tips for award applications
1. Provide proof. Use statistics, facts and figures to substantiate claims in your application.
2. More is not necessarily better. If you’re asked to “describe the products and/or services your business provides” then do so in the least amount of words sufficient to provide a good description. You don’t get bonus marks for exhausting the word limit. In fact, take pity on the judges. They’re scouring 3,500+ applications. Be succinct.
3. Use quotes. Reinforce your key messages in your application by using direct quotes from customers, suppliers and mentors.
4. Write offline. While many applications have their own online platforms, prepare your draft offline and cut & paste in your answers afterwards. This avoids (most) technical hiccups and enables you to draft and craft in an application you’re familiar with.
5. File for later. Cut and paste your submission into a searchable document for easy access for the next application. While every award application is different, there are typically questions about your products, history, achievements, etc. that are common to all.
6. But why? Even if the application doesn’t ask directly, always provide a reason WHY you want to win this particular award. This helps the judging panel work out your motivations for applying.
7. Shop it around. Get feedback from colleagues. Not only will this force you to complete your draft application early, but it will ensure a fresh set of eyes is cast over the application. Plus, someone who hasn’t scoured over it a hundred times might see the spelling error hiding right in front of your nose!
