Resilience, innovation and community on show: Lessons from the 2022 Smart50

A few common themes ran through the success stories and merrymaking at last night’s Smart50 Awards, sponsored by Employment Hero. 

The first and most obvious, after three difficult years, was resilience. Some of the biggest winners on the night could have easily been COVID-19 casualties. Luggage company July (head of product design and innovation Alan Kirszner pictured above), which claimed the top spot, watched its revenue decrease by 90% over two years. So its $21 million revenue over the last financial year, 640% growth, is an amazing feat that would not have been possible without the resilience to weather out those difficult years. 

Now July’s riding a wave of success as Australians return to tourism and airline travel.

Likewise was Resilience Award winner Untitled Group (below), which manages events and festivals Australiawide — output reduced to pretty much zero, with large-scale festivals “pretty much the first to close and the last to reopen” a team member reminded on stage when accepting the Resilience Award. The work Untitled did to thrive and grow was a perfect example of innovation, as it chased new opportunities and, to dust off a tired 2020 buzzword, pivoted.

Its move into the New Zealand and Asia markets let Untitled keep the wheels turning while its future at home was in doubt. Other innovative moves it was driven to make were the launch of  the Undersc_ore creative marketing agency, and ‘ugly’ vodka, its venture into liquor with the “world’s first sustainable vodka”.

“Through pivoting the business, Untitled not only survived but prospered,” said the brand’s Smart50 entry. Untitled grew its revenue by 363% over the last financial year with a haul of $30.96 million. An achievement that makes the team even more proud, though, was how it avoided having to cut staff.

“We retained all staff and were ready to hit the ground running as soon as we could run events again.”

Other brands that could innovate with new ideas, and find opportunities in those interesting times, came to the fore. Mad Paws, which started as a platform to pair pet owners with pet sitters, is riding a wave of success now as owners, many of whom purchased animals for a bit of fun during lockdowns no doubt, are now out and travelling again. Since launching, it has expanded its offering to include pet health care, pet food subscriptions, toy and treat subscriptions, beds, accessories, and a partnership with Qantas that offers travellers on the airline’s booking platforms the option of adding seamless pet-sitter bookings — a massive endorsement from a big brand.

And finally, community.

Plenty of Award Winners and members of the 50 finalists were representatives of the great Australian business community. Community Hero Award winner Code Like a Girl (managing director Marcellina Mardian and founder and CEO Ally Watson pictured below) is nurturing a community right now, but also ensuring the business and tech landscape of the future is a more equitable place and in turn, a more competitive, skilled industry on the global level.

Winners of the Sustainability Award, River Stone Aquaculture Innovations, also ensured the perfect community feel of the night itself and another great part of Australian business: family. Proud daughters Montana and Isabella Ayoub (pictured below) — R&D coordinator and COO respectively — accepted the award and beamed about working with their father, founder Joseph Ayoub, speaking of his passion and solution that has enabled fish farming communities the world over to work in more sustainable ways, and their own. The speech was a highlight of an evening peppered with highlights.

But aside from celebrating the work of the last year, community was also on show on the night itself. Guests, winners, judges and sponsors alike remarked on the joy and importance of returning to an end-of-year event that was once a regular entry on the calendar.