Heidi and I won the Most Influential Role Model at the Bloom Her Business Woman of the Year Awards on Wednesday night. It's still sinking in actually but it's fair to say we are absolutely stoked.
Looks like it's getting into the media too, we've made the front page of Infonews in the Business section no less - now that's where we want to be headlining!
PRESS RELEASE
Mums Know Best; Belly Beyond Wins Most Inspirational Role Model at the 2010 Bloom Her Business Awards
It’s been a bumper year for Belly Beyond, as the online business and its founders Louisa Currie and Heidi Riley go from strength to strength. Last year they were finalists in the Bloom Her Businesses Awards but in 2010 Louisa and Heidi have taken out one of the most highly regarded and respected categories; Most Inspirational Role Model.
The winners were announced at an awards ceremony held on 23rd June at the Heritage Hotel, Auckland, organised and promoted by Her Business magazine and attended by over 120 guests.
Organisers of the Bloom Awards describe the category as seeking true role models who possess aspirational qualities and have affected others in a way that encourages them to better themselves; overcoming trials and challenges while displaying a level of commitment to business that is truly inspiring. And it was clear to the judges that Louisa and Heidi have achieved just that.
Says Louisa of the their recent Bloom award, “becoming finalists last year was amazing but to win this category in particular is the best pat on the back from our peers we could hope for. To be labelled as an inspiration and role model to others is a very high achievement and something we will continue to aim for.”
The judges viewed the Belly Beyond co-founders as having successfully blended the businesses world with having a family, inspiring others, and “proving, once again, that women really can do anything, [Louisa and Heidi] have demonstrated they can multitask at the very highest level.”
Belly Beyond’s win in this category comes after a very successful year; growing the online company internationally as well as increasing sales by over 400% and even finding the time to advocate for womens’ issues. It’s the desire to inspire and promote motherhood that has taken Louisa and Heidi to where they are today, using their extensive networks to convey topical messages and causes relating to motherhood.
One of Belly Beyond’s campaigns over the past year was an email message sent virally far and wide aiming to take the stigma out of the breast feeding in public. And another more recent and highly publicised campaign was the ‘Search for Real Mums’ model competition. This has just finished with four women chosen from around New Zealand now selected to be the Australasian faces – and bellies – of Cake Maternity Lingerie; promoting healthy pregnant bodies to the world.
Two years after its conception Belly Beyond is becoming a multi-award winning company, driven by the passion and enthusiasm of the dynamic pair behind it, and proving you can mix business with pleasure; even maintaining a close friendship along the way.
The Bloom Her Businesswoman of the Year Awards recognise outstanding New Zealand women in business; celebrating the achievements of women who run successful operations, inspire and support their peers and make extraordinary contributions to their communities and the environment.
www.bellybeyond.co.nz
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