If you’re entering the 2025 Unison Great Lake Taupō Business Awards, getting your strategy and planning right is essential — especially if you’re aiming for the Excellence in Strategy & Planning or Best Emerging Business categories.
To help entrants prepare, Awards Convenor Michelle Caldwell recently hosted an on-demand webinar with special guests Michelle Barnett and Dan Britten from Strettons, one of Taupō’s most respected business advisory firms. Together, they shared practical advice on how businesses can confidently present their strategy, growth, and future sustainability — key areas judges will be assessing.
Here are some of the key takeaways from their conversation.
Why Strategy Matters
This year, the Excellence in Strategy & Planning category is compulsory — meaning every entrant must demonstrate their strategic thinking and planning process.
Michelle Caldwell explained that judges are looking for more than just good ideas. They want to see a documented plan that outlines where your business is heading and how you intend to get there. It’s important to show how your day-to-day actions connect back to your long-term goals.
Michelle Barnett and Dan Briton emphasised that even a simple, one-page plan is a powerful tool. It should identify:
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Where your business is now
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Where you want to be (in one year, five years)
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Your key priorities for getting there
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Specific actions and timelines to keep progress on track
Dan encouraged businesses to break down bigger strategies into 90-day action plans, revisit them quarterly, and involve their wider teams to create ownership and alignment.
How to Demonstrate Growth
When completing your awards entry, it’s important to back up your story with measurable results.
Michelle B suggested focusing on metrics that are relevant to your business — whether that’s revenue growth, increased customer numbers, repeat business rates, or customer satisfaction scores.
Dan added that simple visuals, like timelines or growth graphs, can be an effective way to showcase your progress. For example, showing how your team has expanded or how customer numbers have increased over time.
Both Michelle and Dan cautioned against overwhelming judges with raw data. Instead, entrants should connect the numbers to the journey — explaining the challenges faced, the actions taken, and the learnings along the way.
Standing Out as an Emerging Business
If your business is less than three years old, you might be entering the Best Emerging Business category.
To stand out, Michelle B said entrants need to show they are not just a “flash in the pan.” Judges are looking for:
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A clear value proposition
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Strong early foundations
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Evidence of resilience and adaptability
Dan noted that great entries don’t just highlight wins — they also tell the story of the lessons learned from early challenges. Judges want to see businesses that are thinking ahead, not just reflecting on the past.
Future Sustainability is Key
The Awards aren’t just about what you’ve achieved so far — they’re about setting up for long-term success.
Michelle B encouraged businesses to demonstrate how they’re building strong foundations through reinvestment, technology adoption, team development, and strong customer relationships.
Dan highlighted the importance of succession planning and diversification, even for emerging businesses. Having a plan for future leadership or expanding into new markets shows that you’re thinking beyond today’s success.
Businesses that show a willingness to evolve, learn, and improve are the ones that judges will see as having real long-term potential.
Final Tips
Michelle Caldwell wrapped up the session with three critical reminders:
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Document your strategy clearly and make it future-focused
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Show real, measurable growth through relevant metrics and examples
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Demonstrate your future sustainability, not just current success
If you haven’t already, make sure you access the Awards Entry Resources to help you complete your entry confidently.
A huge thank you to Michelle Barnett and Dan Britten from Strettons for generously sharing their expertise.
If you have any follow-up questions after watching the webinar, the Awards team is here to support you.
Good luck — we can’t wait to celebrate your success!
