Image
Sport has always played a major role in the lives of the Price family, with a strong pedigree in football. That history of teamwork led to the family owning one of Perth’s leading trophy companies.
Twenty years ago, Craige Price was heavily involved in local sporting organisations, managing teams and being the president of various clubs. In his club leadership position, he noticed that all the trophies and awards were sourced from out of state or overseas, which led to him to identify a gap in the market for a home-grown award and trophy provider.
In 2004, Craige founded Prime Trophies, and has spent the past two decades building strong relationships with wholesalers to position the business at the forefront of the industry.
Despite the name, Prime Trophies doesn’t stop at just trophies, stocking a huge range of awards including medals, shields, sashes, ribbons, giftware and merchandise, as well as an in-store engraving service.
The business footprint extends from a giant showroom in Malaga to a pick-up point in Ascot, with Australia-wide delivery from their online store.
The dream team
After 10 years of operating the business, Craige’s wife Katya joined the team full-time as Co-Director, bringing with her more than 30 years of project management experience. She was no stranger to sport, with lifelong involvement in hockey, netball, soccer and more. Katya’s extensive background in the corporate sector and Craige’s unique expertise in trophy and award design make them a great team.
“I love working with my husband,” Katya smiled. “He has such a different skillset to me, so between the two of us we work really well together.”
Active pursuits and entrepreneurship definitely run in the family, with their daughter owning a local dance studio.
Katya and Craige Price say that owning a small business allows them to work to their individual strengths.
Gold medal SBDC services
No matter how long you’ve been in business, the small business journey is one of lifelong learning. The Small Business Development Corporation’s business advisory service is available to all small business owners, for help with problems big or small.
Katya and Craige first connected with the SBDC when they came across an HR issue that they hadn’t faced before.
“Like every small business, it's a challenge trying to be experts in every field from accounts and marketing to taxation, law and HR, as well as doing what you do well,” Katya explained.
“We needed a bit of guidance with those areas that we weren’t experts in, just to make sure we were doing everything correctly and it has been super valuable.”
Since then, the team has participated in a range of SBDC workshops, helping them enhance their skills in a variety of areas.
“We'd like to thank the SBDC for their support, guidance and mentoring along the way to keep us continuously up skilled, updated and ahead of the pack,” Katya said.
Navigating industry changes
Like many small business owners, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a lot of change for Katya and Craige. With lockdowns, supply chain disruptions and social distancing, they had to adapt their business.
“It really changed the whole industry, people started purchasing different products in different ways,” Katya explained.
The business kept abreast of all the changes by purchasing new equipment and producing different products better suited to the evolving industry landscape.
“How we dealt with the pandemic was a major accomplishment for us - we're now leaders in the field and we're really proud of the custom-made items we can make with our new technology,” Katya revealed.
More information
- Connect with an SBDC business adviser to help on your small business journey
Read about obligations for employers
- Learn what questions you should ask to find the right suppliers
- Explore our range of business workshops
Would you like to share your small business journey?
Complete this form to tell us about your business, and experience accessing the SBDC’s services, to be considered for a small business story.
