Ottawa’s “Smallbiz” Awards Return with More Cash for Top Entrepreneurs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OTTAWA, ON, April 25, 2022 – Following its debut in 2021, the Zenbooks Smallbiz Awards of Ottawa are back, with applications now being accepted from local businesses. Mark Sutcliffe, veteran broadcaster and entrepreneur, will be returning as host of the celebration.

There are nine award categories that businesses can apply for, ranging from ecommerce to food service to Made-in-Ottawa Product of the Year. New this year is the introduction of a $500 cash prize for winners of all nine categories. The highest-rated amongst those winners – declared Ottawa Smallbiz of the Year in a dramatic reveal at the end of the show – will have their winnings increased tenfold to $5000, to be spent however they feel would make the most positive impact on their company.

Last year’s top winner was SINIX Media Group. They were recognized for how well they adapted to the pandemic, shifting to the manufacturing and sales of PPE, when orders for their print products dried up. Owner, Hamed Zadeh, was honoured for tripling the size of his team with the success of their new model.

“I love the energy this celebration brings to Ottawa,” said Karla Briones, a local entrepreneur and business coach, who is one of this year’s new judges. “Our city’s small business owners have succeeded despite another challenging year, and deserve to be acknowledged for that.”

All nine winners will also receive matching dollar amounts as credits to use towards services to Zenbooks, the local cloud accounting firm that created the event.

“Reading last year’s entries was genuinely exciting,” said Eric Saumure, Principal at Zenbooks. “It’s amazing how business owners tackle similar challenges in totally different ways.”

To apply, businesses simply answer five questions and a tie-breaker. Their responses are then rated by Zenbooks, with the five finalists of each category then scored by expert judges to determine the winners.

Interested businesses can apply until Friday, May 20, at 11:59 PM at zenbooks.ca/awards.

Zenbooks is a cloud-based accounting firm, headquartered in Ottawa, offering accounting, tax, and business advisory services to organizations of all sizes across Canada.

For media inquiries and interviews, please contact:

Jake Naylor, Whiskeyjack Media
Cell: 613-325-0555
Email: jake@wjack.ca