WINNER :
Sponsored by px Group
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
WINNER :
THE PETITE AGENCY
The lucky charms she has on her phone are clearly working for the Petite Agency founder Sophia Gowland .
For not only has the marketing agency she started four years ago just taken on some of its biggest ever clients , she ’ s now the proud holder of the Small Business of the Year trophy .
Sophia ’ s no stranger to winning awards – her firm won Best New Creative Business and Standout Achievement trophies at the Best New Tees Business Awards in 2022 and the Newcomer of the Year prize at the 2023 Tees Tech Awards .
But she admits her triumph in the 2024 Tees Businesswomen Awards felt extra special because it was validation of an established business , rather than rewarding a new kid on the block .
And perhaps those phone charms had something to do with it !
She smiled : “ Genuinely , these past four weeks have been the busiest we ’ ve ever had and this award feels different .
“ I ’ ve been lucky enough to win three others but they were more about being ‘ new ’ – so this one feels extra special . “ I have some lucky charms on my phone and I swear they ’ re working – in the past four weeks , we ’ ve got in three of the biggest clients we ’ ve ever had .” Renowned for its forward-thinking approach to digital marketing and social media management , the Petite Agency is based in Fusion Hive in Stockton .
And Sophia was quick to pay tribute to the rest of the team , with social media account manager Maddy Howe and content creator apprentice Molly Wilson joining in the celebrations .
She said : “ The girls are amazing , they work so hard .
“ You know when people say no one will ever care about your business as much as you do ? Well , I ’ m so lucky to have a team that genuinely cares as much as I do about the clients and about the business .”
Joy – px Group chief people officer Katie Woods-Ruddick presents the Small Business of the Year trophy to Petite Agency managing director Sophia Gowland .
FINALIST : FINALIST :
Fourteen Drops
A wine bar , bottle shop and deli specialising in natural and low intervention wines , Yarm-based Fourteen Drops works closely with importers and vineyards to offer to quality produce .
Championing organic products and artisan producers , its all-female team of two full-time and 10 part-time employees serves the very best food and drink sourced locally and abroad .
FINALIST :
ThroughFilm
A WORD FROM THE SPONSOR
My Brow Expert
Since starting up in 2021 , founder Jo Coates has dedicated herself to redefining beauty experiences through personalised , accessible brow services .
The firm ’ s Darlington salon is more than just a beauty destination – it ’ s a place where women of all ages and backgrounds find the confidence to get through the daily grind and feel good about themselves . In three years , the business has grown and now has a threestrong team of aspiring young women .
A video production community interest company , ThroughFilm amplifies the level of video quality that charities can access .
This female-run business makes high-quality storytelling more accessible and affordable for the voluntary and community sector , using each corporate and public sector commission as a force for good .
And every project worked on has had a community benefit within its own right – for example , its work with the NHS has focused on a programme that promotes signposting to better health and wellbeing for the community .
Katie Woods-Ruddick , chief people officer , px Group The small business community adds so much value , bringing services and products into the area and creating jobs , so it ’ s really important for us to back this award . And the quality of finalists was amazing – there was such diversity , with different businesses and backgrounds , but all really encouraging . The quality year on year is just so high .
148 | Tees Business