Three 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards National Winners share what they learned from the experience and how winning changed the way they saw their business.
Business award winner stories often focus on recognition and achievement. But when we asked three 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards National Winners what winning meant to them, their reflections went far beyond the award itself.
From acknowledging progress to discovering new opportunities and strengthening their purpose, these founders found that winning changed more than they expected.
Their experiences shed light on what it means at a personal level to win a Telstra Best of Business Award.
Winning a business award is often viewed as a business milestone. But for many founders it can also have a significant personal impact. It can be a moment to really recognise what you’ve built, reinforce your confidence to go further, and reconnect with the purpose that drives you.
We spoke with three 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards National Winners to hear what the experience meant for them.
Small business owners spend much of their time focused on day-to-day tasks and what needs to be done next. It can be hard to find a moment to take a step back and appreciate the progress you’ve made.
Shane Britten built Social Protect to help protect people against online abuse after witnessing the damage it could do to loved ones. It’s a personal mission that fuels Shane’s efforts and hard work to grow the business.
Winning the 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards National Building Communities Award reinforced to Shane that his effort is well worth it. It didn’t change what Shane had built. It changed his ability to recognise it.
I've never paused to reflect on what we've done. I've been in the survival mode of let's keep growing. But the awards were a chance to stop and say geez, we're actually doing okay.
Shane Britten – Founder, Social Protect
The scale of the cyber bullying problem is massive, but Shane is tackling it with dogged determination. Thanks to the hard work of Shane and his team, last year Social Protect blocked 14 million abusive messages.
Explore how focus and trust are helping Social Protect scale.
While the Social Protect team focuses on moving the business forward day-to-day, their award win serves as a powerful reminder of how far they’ve come. For Shane, it's a welcome sign that his work makes a big difference.
Founder takeaway: Business awards can create something many business owners rarely give themselves: space to truly recognise the impact you’re making.
While Shane’s experience was introspective, other founders described more external impacts.
For some founders, winning changes the way other people see the business. Many winners say their award has changed how potential customers, partners, investors and even employees see them.
It can also change the way the founder sees what's possible.
Craig Doran of Comtrac sells investigation solutions to government agencies. In a sector where trust is everything, independent validation carries weight.
Comtrac’s recognition as the 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards National Embracing Innovation Award Winner helped boost Craig’s confidence to open doors with new clients.
What the Telstra Best of Business Awards has done for us is give us extra credibility. As a business that sells to government it makes a massive difference when I sit down with them and explain how we can help them.
Craig Doran – Founder and CEO, Comtrac
This impact has extended beyond customer conversations.
Comtrac’s profile as an award winner has also helped attract specialist AI talent at a time when competition for talent is intense.
Explore how a clear customer value proposition and AI helped Comtrac grow.
You might enter business awards with a focus on customers, but winning can also influence how you can attract talent, partnerships and growth in ways you may not anticipate.
Founder takeaway: Sometimes recognition creates opportunities you never expected.
An award win can help you build stronger connections to people and your purpose.
For many founders, business success is measured by more than commercial results and growth.
Dr Naba Alfayadh set up Rahma Health to close a gap in Australia's health system. Rahma Health creates health resources for Arabic-speaking parents that can be life-changing. People may use them to improve their health, care for their baby, or leave a violent situation.
Rahma Health was named 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards Business of the Year, as well as National Winner in the Accelerating Women and Championing Health categories.
The more people who know about the resources Rahma Health offers, the more people can benefit. Winning the Telstra Best of Business Awards provided an opportunity to extend the reach of their mission.
Winning is changing the trajectory of Rahma's journey forever and it will truly accelerate our progress and accelerate our ability to reach our community — it's amazing.
Dr Naba Alfayadh – CEO and Director, Rahma Health
For Naba, winning was less about validation and more about confirming that the mission could reach further than she had imagined.
Explore how Rahma Health sees growth as a social responsibility.
Beyond expanding reach into the communities Rahma Health serves, Naba was also able to extend her reach within the small business community.
Founder takeaway: Winning an award can strengthen belief in your purpose and help you connect with others who share your mission.
While every founder describes different outcomes, there’s a common thread across their experience of the Telstra Best of Business Awards. The value of the experience did not stop after the event was over.
Many participants talk about the relationships they build along the way and the sense of community they find among other business leaders.
We've benefitted and grown so much through the awards process, both as a business and personally. I've gained so many new mentors and we have formed partnerships with three other businesses just from being part of these awards.
Dr Naba Alfayadh – CEO and Director, Rahma Health
None of the founders described the awards as a one-night event. Instead, they described becoming part of a broader community of business owners who continue learning from one another long after the winners are announced.
The Awards experience introduced all three founders to new perspectives, new ideas and people who understood the challenges of running a business.
The stories of Shane, Craig and Naba show that there’s no single definition of success.
Whether it was perspective, confidence, purpose or unexpected opportunities, each founder describes the Telstra Best of Business Awards as an experience that changed how they saw their business.
That change in perspective may ultimately prove as valuable as the award itself.
Winning a Telstra Best of Business Award can provide founders with a valuable opportunity to reflect on their journey and recognise achievements they may not have stopped to acknowledge.
Winning, or even simply progressing in the awards process, can help business leaders gain a clearer perspective on their progress, increase confidence in their direction and recognise the impact their business is having.
Independent recognition can help founders see their business through a different lens.
Some winners describe feeling more confident about their future plans, while others say the experience helped them recognise opportunities they hadn’t previously considered.
Many Telstra Best of Business Award winners describe the awards experience as more than a single event.
Relationships formed during the awards journey can continue long after the winners are announced, creating opportunities to connect with peers, share ideas and learn from other business leaders.
Celebrating the people, purpose and bold moves behind Australia’s best of business.
Whether it's your own business or one you admire, now's your chance to celebrate the most extraordinary of Australian small and medium-sized businesses.
Nominations close 5pm AEST Friday, 31 July 2026.
