Organic skincare brand GAIA Skin Naturals has been honoured with the small business of the year trophy at the Premier Regional Business Awards in Victoria.
It was a big night for the label – which was also a finalist for the Corporate and Social Responsibility Award – as Academy Award winning animator Adam Elliot presented their award and gave an unexpected testimonial about his use and love for GAIA products.
Michelle Vogrinec, managing director, says the win was an acknowledgement of her team’s hard work.
“It is very humbling to win an award,” she says. “It is nice to be recognised for all the blood, sweat and tears that have been put into GAIA not only by myself and my husband, but by my staff, and it is nice to be able to publicly thank those who assist me.”
She thinks winning the award came down to GAIA’s well-rounded approach to business. “It is not just about having a wonderful product, it is about combining all the different facets of a business and ensuring the infrastructure works enabling GAIA to stay grounded, flourish and grow.
“Simon [my husband and general manager of GAIA] and I are very strategic about how we plan and sustain our business for the future, not just for the now. We are conscious about catering for our staff needs, the environment and giving back to the community, which I believe are important elements to any successful business,” she adds.
After starting out small 10 years ago, Vogrinec is thrilled to be able to share GAIA’s success with a larger team.
“Now my team is getting bigger and this year I believe I have the best team I have ever had so it was wonderful to be able to celebrate this with so many people, all of whom play a part of our continued success… it is such a nice feeling to be able to say ‘thanks – you helped achieve this’, especially to the staff that have been with me for a long time, and there are now a few of them.”
