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The Little Pig Consulting Business Excellence Awards 2025 assessment process consists of 3 parts:

• written application – 40% of the assessment;
• judges’ site visit and presentation from the applicant – 50% of the assessment; and
• 30 second to 1-minute video of the business – 10% of the assessment. (Note: all finalists will be given the opportunity to resubmit a 1 minute video for the gala dinner and for the Toowoomba Chamber  to promote your business.)

Note:  Judges will be advised that they should reduce applicant scores who exceed word and video limits length limits.  The site visit will give you the opportunity to showcase your business. During the site visit, judges will want to see evidence of your strategy, vision, and values coming to life in the applicant’s business. All judges are to visit each applicant together to reduce disruption to the business.

Business strategy is key to success. This section is about demonstrating a sound understanding of business goals and objectives including evidence of strategic direction, goal setting and the processes you have in place to achieve them.

In this section of the application describe how you work ‘on’ your business. Focus on planning methods, including when you plan, how you plan, frequency of reviews and who is involved.

Did you:

In your application:

• attach a summary of your strategic plan or business plan (maximum two pages); or
• attached your one-page strategic plan; or
• write a summary of your strategic plan (300 words or less); or
• a combination of the above; and
• write or attach a graphic representation on how your business strategy was developed.

PRO TIP: During the site visit, judges will want to see evidence of your strategy, vision and values coming to life in your business.

During the site visit, judges will ask questions like:

• How do you link your strategic plan or business strategy to day-to-day operations?
• How are your vision and values embedded in the organisation and communicated to the team?
• Describe what benefit your business has received from strategic planning and business planning?

Successful businesses know what drives their economic engine and what they need to measure to ensure they are building a long-term sustainable and profitable business.   Metrics are important to a business.  It helps track how a business is performing and how it benchmarks itself.

In your application, in 300 words or less:

• outline the key financial indicators on how your business measures financial performance;
• outline how you measure customer relationships, customer retention, customer growth;
• outline other tools and measures you use to monitor performance;
• state what quality assurance processes and procedures you have in place; and
• outline how your business focuses on continuous improvement.

During the site visit, judges may ask questions like:

• Detail the financial management practices you have in place.
• Show us a graphical representation of financial performance which demonstrates profitability, liquidity, and sustainability of the business.
• Provide examples to demonstrate how you measure customer relationships, customer retention, customer growth.
• Show us how your quality assurance processes work in practice.
• How does your continuous improvement process integrate into your day-to-day operations?

Note: In the past, some businesses have provided a letter from their accountant about financial performance and sustainability.

People are the central component of all businesses. How businesses manage this important resource and the initiatives they put in place to ensure the development and professional progression of their staff is a critical component of excellence in business.

In your application, in 300 words or less:

• describe people practices your business has in place for the life span of an employee – from hire until they leave the business;
• outline key elements of your attraction and retention strategies;
• illustrate how you onboard new employees;
• describe your training and development programs;
• highlight your inclusion and diversity policies and practices;
• outline how you focus on workplace culture and staff engagement and staff wellbeing; and
• explain your leadership model and leadership investment.

During the site visit, judges may ask questions like:

• Demonstrate how your attraction and retention strategies work.
• Walk me through how you would onboard me to your business.
• How to develop individual training and development programs for employees?
• How do you actively seek to achieve your inclusion and diversity policy outcomes?
• How are you developing your workforce culture?
• How do you engage with your staff?
• How is your workplace wellness program implemented?
• What does your investment in your leaders and team include?

Note:  Sole Traders who choose not to complete this section will receive an automatic 3/5 score.

Businesses need to understand who their customers are, how to attract them, what their needs are and how to retain/create loyal customers from them.

In your application, in less than 300 words:

• attach a summary of your marketing/promotional strategy (maximum two pages); or
• write a summary of your marketing/promotional strategy (300 words or less); and
• attached a summary of your customer service strategy (maximum two pages);
• outline your approach to attracting and retaining customers; and
• identify how you identify your targets market and customer needs.

During the site visit, judges may ask questions like:

• Demonstrate how you implement your marketing/promotional strategy across your business?
• What gives you, your competitive advantage?
• What is unique value proposition that makes customers need your product and/or service?
• Show us how your customer service strategy works in practice?

How do you keep abreast of your target market and customer needs and levels of satisfaction.

A key component of excellence is engagement with and support of the broader Toowoomba community.  The Toowoomba business community has a legacy of engaging and giving back to the community including volunteering, sponsoring local charities and interest groups, and holding events to support and contribute to the development of the local community.

In your application, in 300 words or less:

• describe how your business engages with and helps to support the broader community;
• identify what local community support (in-kind, financial etc.) your provide; and
• outline how you are involved in developing the local community.

During the site visit, judges may ask questions like:

• How does the business engage with and helps the broader community?
• How did you go about choosing where and who to give back to?
• What types of specific activities are you in?

Innovation, entrepreneurship, and resilience enable businesses to respond to challenges, capitalise on opportunities, adapt quickly, create efficiencies, and lead to long term growth and sustainability.  Excellence in business does not necessarily mean being immune to the impact of the business environment, rather it is about the business’ ability to face and recover from adversity and the agility to change and adapt when needed.

In your application, in 300 words or less:

• outline your innovative practices implemented to drive success;
• outline your entrepreneurship applied to your business; and
• outline the measures your business has in place to be resilient in the changing business environment.

During the site visit, judges may ask questions like:

• Show us an innovation that drove business success?
• Show us how you face challenges, learn from failures, and adapt to changing market conditions, to achieve a goal.
• Describe a challenge(s) your business has faced that resulted in developing new or applying measures to make your business more resilient.
• Outline your expected businesses changes in the medium to long-term and what you have in place to limit impact on operations and achieve overall net benefits.
• Talk us through any unintended outcomes from the changes – positive and negative?

Applicants are afforded the opportunity to sell their ‘business excellence’ by highlighting how their business displays and delivers excellence. 

In your one-minute video pitch, did you describe:

• who you are;
• what your business does; and
• why you believe you are an EXCELLENT and an award-winning business?

Note:  All finalists will be offered the opportunity to complete a new video for the Business Excellence Awards 2025 Gala Awards Dinner.