A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of announcing the ‘New Business of the Year’ for the Brighton & Hove Business Awards. My ‘30 words of fame’ moment took place halfway through the ceremony, when I took to the podium at St Peter’s Church and revealed the winner.
The few hundred attendees cheered, the winners thanked their team, and the photographer choreographed a symbolic photograph to mark the occasion. A perfect Platinum-style bowtie to complete my first BAHBAs experience.
But behind that bowtie moment was weeks of researching and interviewing some of the city’s most exciting new businesses. I went through turnover figures, growth plans, mission statements, and founders’ stories to whittle down the entrants into a shortlist. My chosen winner was then presented to the judges from other categories at DMH Stallard’s Brighton Office in a “mini Dragons’ Den meets courtroom debate” four-hour session.
The businesses I judged were vastly different, ranging from solo founders to expanding teams, from bars and wellness clinics to AI consultancies, garden designers, and seafront leisure centres. Some were start-ups still finding their feet, while others were already turning over six figures. Yet despite the variety in industry, size and scale, four qualities shone through that every business can learn from.
1. Bravery
The first thing that struck me was the sheer bravery of these founders. Even applying for an award like this takes courage, as it puts your young business under the spotlight and invites judges to scrutinise your story.
Beyond that, many had taken leaps that most of us would hesitate to make. One turned a neglected patch of seafront into a national swimming centre. Another carved out an entirely new niche in accessible design, with no blueprint to follow. There was a garden designer launching her own studio at 27, and a wellness business evolved a mobile service into a holistic clinic. These founders didn’t just dip a toe into entrepreneurship; they jumped in headfirst.
2. Resilience
If bravery gets you started, resilience is what keeps you going. Every business faced its fair share of setbacks and sacrifices, including funding hurdles, long hours, or the challenge of building a reputation from scratch.
Some grew from deeply personal experiences, like a social enterprise founded after a friend’s homophobic attack, determined to build safer spaces for others. Others weathered scepticism, like a meat-box scheme tied to biodiversity goals. Another had lost their first clinic when the landlord decided to sell the property. Their stories reminded me that resilience isn’t glamorous, but it is essential.
3. Agility
The businesses that stood out were also agile, able to adapt quickly to shifting markets and customer needs. The aforementioned clinic, which lost its first physical space, quickly found a home in a collaborative community space, developing new offerings to reach new audiences.
A wine bar didn’t just serve drinks; it spun out beekeeping experiences, pop-ups, and wholesale products to strengthen its brand. An AI consultancy, in a sector full of hype, positioned itself as a translator between business leaders and technical experts, packaging its services to make them more accessible.
Time and again, I saw founders listening, learning, and tweaking. That openness to evolve felt like a hallmark of Brighton’s entrepreneurial spirit.
4. Focus
Ultimately, the strongest entries showed real focus. Not just in what they do today, but in their clarity about what comes next.
Some spoke about scaling sustainably, others about mentoring the next generation or achieving environmental accreditations. What united them was a sense of direction. That forward-looking focus is what gives a young business momentum. It keeps decisions grounded in a bigger picture and shows customers, investors, and teams alike that the future is being taken seriously.
Choosing the Winner
After hours of reading, interviewing and reflecting, one business captured all four of these qualities in a way that felt truly transformative: Sea Lanes Brighton. They built more than a brilliant open-air pool; they created a hub that brought together 19 local fitness, health, food and wellbeing businesses under one roof. In doing so, they proved that success isn’t just about growth or profit, but about creating opportunities for others to thrive too.
Sea Lanes showed bravery in tackling a complex, high-risk project, resilience in overcoming years of planning and funding challenges, agility in starting with a pop-up model before scaling, and focus in their long-term vision of building a healthier, more connected community.
They truly personified the power that new businesses have to grow the communities around them and inspire the next generation, who I hope to be back judging next year.
