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Winner of the 2011 Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) National Awards for Best Home-Based Business.
Posted on Friday, 11 November 2011 | Permalink
Balancing business and family wins award.
From L - R : John Brown (Business & Employment) and Raylene Taylor (Proud-Aid)
A love for horses and sheer perseverance in overcoming challenges has resulted in a nationally-recognised business award for a north-east Tasmanian family.
Proud-Aid is a specialist service business to treat chronic tissue injuries in horses – and the recent winner of the 2011 Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) National Awards for Best Home-Based Business.
Business owners and operators Michael and Raylene Taylor, of Bridport, said the process to formulate and eventually register the product did not come without its immediate challenges. It took five years of clinical trials and a major investment before reaching the consumer market.
“When we initially sought recommendations from scientific bodies we were told it was ‘too technical’ or ‘too expensive’ for us to achieve,” Raylene said.
“With four kids and all the horses back at home, it was a bit of a gamble, but we knew the product worked and we were committed, so we just went for it.”
And now, Proud-Aid is the only known fully registered product with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) that is available for sale to the general public in Australia.
Raylene said the ongoing assistance and support provided by Business & Employment, part of the O group, was fundamental to the growth of Proud-Aid.
“I worked closely alongside John Brown (Launceston BEC Manager) to establish and develop the business from the ground up,” she said.
“John helped us devise a business plan, guided us through the launch stage and provided us with a solid contact base for access mentoring.
She said the series of workshops she attended focused on strategies to effectively manage the marketing and advertising aspects of retail operation.
With the direction of Business & Employment, Raylene also sought the advice of leading entrepreneurs to create the business’s online platform and help promote traffic to the website.
“Seeking out professional guidance made me realise how important it is to have knowledge of the industry and properly research the market,” she said.
“While I might not have a business degree, I have discovered that simple is always best.”
State Manager for Business & Employment Thom Lloyd said the Proud-Aid product was an “Australia first” and may soon be exported overseas.
“Critical to their success has been the extraordinary belief and commitment that Raylene and Michael have shown towards the development of their business,” he said.
“Combined with their innovative use of modern technology, the Taylors’ have developed a unique business that will continue to grow in the future.”
For Raylene, success is even sweeter from a home-based business which means “we are able to work the hours we want in an environment that suits our family life.”
Business & Employment provides information and advice to small business around Tasmania at no cost, and is a member of the BEC network that represents some 100 small business help organisations across Australia.
