What a weekend it was for Ellacott Morris’s co-founder and director Michelle Morris… Michelle won not one, but two awards for her business success at the NewsQuest Countywide Essex Business Awards, winning Entrepreneur of the Year and Businessperson of the Year.
Up against some tough competition including Essex Air Ambulance’s CEO Jane Gurney for Businessperson of the Year and other incredible examples of entrepreneurship, Michelle celebrated with a double win in categories that celebrate her refreshing and unique approach to accountancy.
The prestigious ceremony, held at Braxted Park Estate, was attended by sponsors and finalists. This competition is well known and well respected by businesses across the county with the 2023 awards marking the NewsQuest’s 27th year. With over 40 entrants per category, Michelle’s daring ‘Accounticorn’ branding clearly resonated with the judges, who commended her for her business bravery and success.
Michelle paid tribute to her business partner, Anjuli Symonds, and her loyal team, when accepting the awards in true Michelle style. Michelle posted on her social media platforms the following day: “Last night, at the Essex Business Awards, we won two awards… Entrepreneur of the Year and Businessperson of the Year! I’d love to tell you I accepted the awards graciously, but I screamed, danced my way to the stage, hugged the judges intensely, danced some more and then screamed some more. You see I might not be classy, sophisticated and gracious, but I am unapologetically ME! These awards recognise that you don’t need to pretend to be someone to achieve success, so I am proud beyond belief. They shouldn’t really be in my name, because every success that Ellacott Morris has had, wouldn’t have been achieved without Anjuli Symonds, and the hard work of our fantastic team. Keep being true to yourself and good things will come. THANK YOU to all the wonderful people involved. Last night was brilliant, and not just because we won two awards! What an event! Well done to all of the winners, and to everyone who made it to the finals. Keep shining bright.”
As a successful, growing business in its 12th year, the team at Ellacott Morris chose 2023 to try their hand and some business awards. Having created a very unique accountancy practice in what is a highly populated and very conventional sector, they wanted to share their refreshing approach to accountancy, and its undeniable success, with a wider audience.
In addition to October’s success, Ellacott Morris also selected some local and industry specific awards to enter. Starting with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) awards at the start of this year, Ellacott Morris proudly made it to the finals in two of the three categories they entered. As finalists in Family Business of the Year and Business & Product Innovation, the team closed the office early (an unheard-of event) to attend the awards ceremony at Newmarket Racecourse. Although they were pipped at the post on this occasion, it was a wonderful start to their awards journey and a great night out for their team.
Ellacott Morris proceeded to enter the prestigious Accounting Excellence Awards, submitting entries for five categories, as well as the Tendring Business Awards, joining fellow local businesses celebrating their success in their local area. As finalists in Client Transformation category in the Accounting Excellence Awards and in the Digital & Technology category in the Tendring Business Awards, the firm have high hopes for this October’s other award ceremonies.
Michelle’s recent success at the NewsQuest Awards will be celebrated by the whole team at Ellacott Morris for many days to come.
