What’s a Pause Awards breakthrough?

In the competitive world of business, the term “breakthrough” often conjures images of groundbreaking inventions or once-in-a-lifetime achievements. However, at the Pause Awards, we define a breakthrough differently.

It’s about those clever, often simple ideas that spark significant change and create lasting impact. These moments, when you discover a better, more effective way to operate, are what we celebrate. Our aim is to encourage businesses of all sizes and shapes to share their stories, highlighting that a breakthrough doesn’t have to be monumental—it just needs to be a well-executed strategy that delivers outstanding results.

We believe that every company has the potential to experience breakthrough moments. Whether it’s a small startup finding a unique way to engage customers or a large corporation implementing a new process that significantly improves efficiency, we want to hear your stories.

Don’t be intimidated by the term “breakthrough”—it’s about the impact of your strategy, not the scale of your innovation.

To inspire your entry, let’s look at some past winners who have exemplified what a breakthrough means at the Pause Awards. You can also read full stories of all 2023 winners in our newsroom.

Tanck: Empowering Self-Advocacy in the Social Sector
Tanck’s breakthrough came when founders Neil and Angus developed a strategy to help organisations shift from relying on external lobbyists to building internal capabilities for direct government advocacy. This simple yet effective idea enabled a client organisation to secure $1 million in federal funding for mental health videos, demonstrating the power of internal advocacy and validating Tanck’s approach.

Kollektive: Adapting to Market Challenges
Kollektive faced challenging economic conditions, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Retailers were struggling with cash flow, and it became clear that merely having in-demand products and brands was not enough. In response, Kollektive swiftly implemented an initiative to reduce the minimum order quantity by over 50%, giving retailers more flexibility to adapt to market fluctuations. This agile strategy not only helped retailers manage their inventory better but also strengthened their trust and partnership with Kollektive. The result was a lucrative return and a deeper sense of collaboration with their retail network.

InvestorHub: Redefining Investor Engagement
InvestorHub’s defining moment was in December 2021 when they helped a medtech company raise $29.7 million from retail shareholders, far exceeding expectations. This success, driven by a rudimentary model later integrated into their product, highlighted the effectiveness of their strategic approach and propelled them to focus on optimising investor engagement, resulting in repeated successes with new clients.

Whether your breakthrough is a new way to engage customers, a process improvement, or a strategic pivot or completely new business model or product line, we want to hear about it! We know that every business has a story and at Pause Awards we celebrate your breakthrough stories.

Join us in celebrating the innovative spirit that drives business success. Let Pause Awards tell your story. Enter today.