Up against businesses with thousands more followers than her own, Jennifer Smith had no idea she would win not one but two national awards.
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Little Messy Learners won the Best Local Franchisee Pre-Schooler Activity/Class 3-5 Years in the judged category and the Best Kids Party Provider in the people's choice category in the What's On 4 Kids Awards.
The business, which is the first of it's kind in Mandurah, engages children in pre-writing skills by increasing hand, finger and arm strength through messy play.
"I feel passionately about helping kids through their sensory experiences. My eldest has some sensory problems so it's been an exploration for me as well," Ms Smith said.
"I make sure everything I do is inclusive. I have wet play, and dry play to work on all of those fine motor skills.
"Messy play classes mean children can truly play exactly how they want."
Ms Smith said she was thrilled to have particularly won the people's choice category at a national level.
"Having my business acknowledged nationally is just unbelievable. A lot of the other businesses have thousands and thousands of followers so I was over the moon to win based on people's choice," she said.
"I'm up against some big national companies so it must've been a lot of people that voted for me, which is amazing.
"Even with my small customer base, people have made the effort to vote for me. It just means so much to me."
Winning two national awards made Ms Smith feel like all her "hard work paid off".
"I put my life and soul into my business. I'm up until midnight some nights because I have such a passion for it and I want everyone to have the best experience when they come to class or when I run birthday parties," she said.
"The support I've been getting on my social media after I announced I won the award is just amazing as well.
"I have a beautiful, supportive customer base. That's what I love about my classes it does feel like a community."
