Being nominated as a finalist in the Gippsland Business Awards is the silver lining of a difficult year for Jo Viney of Brinnie T Design.

“It’s huge for the self-confidence,” admitted Jo, who found out she was a finalist just as Victoria went into lockdown number five.

“It was beautifully well timed.”

Brinnie T Design is one of five finalists in the Business and Professional Services category of the awards. The design studio, which offers interior solutions and accessible design services is co-located with a retail store that stocks a curated selection of beautiful gifts, body products and homewares.

Making it to the finals validates the leap of faith and the hard work that has gone into setting up the Thompson Avenue store.

“When I was operating from home, no matter what advertising I did, a lot of people didn’t know I was there. Part of bringing my business to the main street was to have that presence.”

The awards entry almost didn’t happen, after Jo heard some business submissions were professionally written.

“I said to myself the whole way along with this business, I will only ever be myself. So, I wrote it from the heart, rather than putting in a submission that was not necessarily true to who I was.”

The decision paid off, with the judges clearly impressed by Jo’s passion for what she does.

Her submission highlighted all aspects of the business, as well as explaining her focus on access and inclusion and initiatives to support other women, particularly women in business.

All the awards finalists are personally interviewed by a member of the awards judging panel, a nerve-wracking experience. Then there’s the media interviews, including a spot on the local TV news and the upcoming gala presentation night on August 27.

“It is a bigger deal than I thought it was,” Jo said.

“It’s exciting. Even if I don’t win, just being part of this is huge.”

She’s looking forward to celebrating the big night with her team – Suzie, Kelly and Nadine – and said the recognition from the awards has been a huge bonus.

She is also grateful for the support and encouragement she received from her fellow traders.

“I really want to thank Lois from Turn the Page, Nic from Sarsparilla, Mandy from Front Room, Deb from Deborucci and Leonie from Hair Dwyer.

“That first lockdown was really hard. I hadn’t done retail before and I had no background to understand the implications that the pandemic was having in terms of tourism and customers.”

Like all business owners, Jo continues to grapple with the challenges of Covid – “it’s not like it’s going to stop and we’re going to go back to how we were” – but for now she’s enjoying the silver lining of her nomination.

“Part of me would love to win, but I don’t want to think about it too much. I’m happy and proud of myself just being a finalist.”