Congrats to our Gusto Impact Award Winners
Hey Atlanta, Austin, and Orlando! Small businesses all around you benefit their communities—and it’s time they got some recognition. That’s why we kicked off the Gusto Impact Awards: to celebrate small businesses powering cities like yours. This year’s competition is closed, but you can see more about our winners further down the page. Stay tuned for next year and you could be our big winner!
3 cities.
3 impactful businesses.
3 grand prizes over $60k each.
$50,000 in local advertising
We’ll help create and place an advertisement that spotlights your business around your city and online.
$10,000 cash
In addition to the advertising, each grand prize winner will get a check in their name to grow their business.
Free Gusto payroll service for a year
Whether you work with Gusto already or not, your next 12-month payroll subscription is on us!
Your 2024 Gusto Impact Award Winners are…
Tankproof
According to USA Swimming, 64% of minority children don’t know how to swim, and black children are 5.5 times more likely to drown than white children. Galvanized by these shocking statistics, in 2014 brothers Thurman and Torrence Thomas created Tankproof: an Austin organization providing swim lessons and food security to kids in need. Since then, Tankproof has helped thousands of kids across 9 states learn to swim—and thanks to partnerships with local grocers and restaurants, they’ve served thousands of meals to disadvantaged children along the way.
tankproof.org
Xocolatl
Xocolatl’s story begins in 2012, when founders Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt quit their jobs and moved their family to the jungles of Costa Rica. There they discovered the magic of craft single-origin chocolate, and started a worldwide journey to bring it back stateside. Xocolatl’s award-winning chocolate uses beans sourced directly from small farmers in Peru, Tanzania, Uganda, and more. As one of the only Carbon Neutral Certified chocolate companies in America, every piece they make is ethical, sustainable, and of course, delectable.
xocolatlchocolate.com
boxthecity
Having spent her career in corporate events, Sarah Welsh got fed up with generic, uninspired gifts. So, in 2019 she founded boxthecity to bring local flavor and authenticity into the sometimes bland corporate world. boxthecity curates one-of-a-kind gifts that capture the spirit of a city, celebrating the small businesses behind it. Based in Orlando, they specialize in diverse, locally crafted products that actively support community causes and uplift marginalized voices across America.
boxthecity.com
Important contest dates.
The Gusto Impact Awards are closed as of March 14, 2024. Here are important dates to keep an eye on as we get rolling.
Submission deadline
March 14, 2024
Winners notified
Week of March 25, 2024
Celebration & grand prize
April 2024
FAQs
The Gusto Impact Awards are Gusto’s effort to celebrate and support small businesses and the communities they serve. Enter for a chance to win up to $60,000 in prizes to help your business grow.
As of March 14, 2024, we’re no longer accepting submissions.
Small businesses located and operating in the greater metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; and Orlando, Florida, as defined by the specific Metro Areas/Zip Codes described in the official contest rules. The small business can have no more than 75 employees, annual gross revenue of less than $7 million in fiscal year 2023, and must have been an incorporated and active business for the previous year (2023). Additionally, the business must have an active website, valid email, and internet access. Additional terms and conditions apply. All other persons (i.e., members of the general public) are NOT eligible.
No, these business types are not eligible to apply. Examples of direct seller businesses are Mary Kay, Rodan and Fields, Doterra, BeautyCounter, Young Living, Color Street, etc. Examples of franchised businesses are any businesses where you are not the creator of the brand (McDonald’s, Budget Blinds, etc).
No, you do not need to be a Gusto customer to enter, but we’d love to work with you if you’re not yet!
The past few years have been extremely tough for business owners in the U.S. due to the pandemic, a tight labor market, and high inflation and interest rates. And yet, we saw a surge in entrepreneurship not seen in a decade and a half. According to US Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics, there were 4.3 million applications for new business in 2020, 5.3 million in 2021, and 5 million in 2022—consistently around one million more than in 2019. Among the top metros leading the charge? Atlanta, Austin, and Orlando. Gusto is celebrating these highly entrepreneurial cities by recognizing and rewarding the small businesses that power them.
Three grand prize winners (one per eligible metro) will receive a total of $60,000 in prizes comprised of $50,000 in advertising, $10,000 in cash, and one year of free Gusto payroll. For the $50,000 advertising buy, grand prize winners will receive a free initial consultation with the Gusto creative team to design one advertisement featuring your small business, with up to two rounds of revisions. Gusto has ultimate discretion on the final design and distribution of the advertising. In addition, ninety bonus winners (30 per eligible metro) will receive $500 in Visa gift cards.
All entries will be considered by a panel of sponsor-selected judges. The judges will weigh each submission based on the following: the mission of the business, strength of story, community impact, and the impact of winning on the business and its employees. For a full breakdown of judging criteria, see the official rules here.
The 2024 entry period opens February 13, 2024 at 8am PT and closes March 14, 2024 at 4pm PT.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED. Contest open
only to legal residents of the zip codes provided here (“Eligibility Area”)
who as of date of entry are 18 or older and the sole or majority owner of a small business located within the
Eligibility Area and with a specific limit of seventy five (75) or less full or part-time employees. Contest entry
starts on/about 8:00am PST on 2/13/24 and ends on/about 4:00 pm PST on 3/14/23.
See Official Rules for complete details including how to enter, eligibility, winner determination and prizing.
Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Gusto, Inc., 525 20th Street San Francisco, CA 94107.