We've Only Gone & Been Shortlisted...
We’ve got some properly lovely news, and yes, we did do that awkward thing where you read the email twice just to make sure it’s real, apart from anything, it came through relatively late in the evening, we'd had a busy day so I think we both thought we'd misread something!
You might have seen from our social media, but we're excited to say that we’re officially shortlisted as a finalist in the UK Small Business Awards in the category Best Family Business 2026.
That’s a sentence we’re going to enjoy saying for a while. If you bump into us in the next few weeks and we casually mention it while talking about the weather, please act surprised.
This means a lot to us because we’re not a family business in the existing business model passed down through generations sort of way. We’re a family business because the way we work is personal, full of care, and held together by people who know each other well enough to say, “that idea’s not your best,” without anyone needing a sit-down mediation! Which after working in many different environments, including council offices, that's really flipping refreshing! We're a husband and wife team creating a business that we hope supports our family for years, we're the start, and there's something pretty special about that. Evans & Moose is a family business in the truest sense, we’re a couple who have built a business around our shared values, creating a more sustainable way of life from our family smallholding all whilst turning our individual passions into complementary parts of the same distinctive brand.
We’ve built from the ground up with no financial start ups or support, it’s a true grass roots business built on grit, determination and a genuine belief in what we stand for. Being shortlisted for Best Family Business 2026 at the UK Small Business Awards feels like a big nod to that. Not because we’ve followed a tidy little rulebook, but because we’ve built something that works in our own slightly wonky, very human way.
Awards are funny things. On one hand, you don’t build a business just to win one. If you do, you’re probably questioning why you started a small business. The day-to-day reality is much less glamorous. It’s answering questions, it's being every role... all of the time as well as being a partner, care giver, individual, parent, which is tough at times. It's fixing problems, doing the jobs nobody sees, keeping promises, and occasionally realising you’ve been so busy that lunch has become three biscuits and a cold cup of tea... if you're lucky.
But on the other hand, recognition like this does matter.
It gives you a moment to stop and say, “actually, we’ve done alright here.” That’s easy to forget when your head is full of orders, customers, stock, deadlines, plans, repairs, invoices, and whether someone remembered to put the bins out and what's for dinner.
Being shortlisted has made us pause for a second. Not a long second, don’t worry, there’s still work to do. But long enough to appreciate the fact that what we’ve been building has been noticed, and I'm not going to lie, that feels brilliant. Growing our business without a large family/friend support network (we see those of you who are there consistently and it means the world) and without a financial pocket behind us... we launched in 2020 when the world shut down and we lost our work, so we literally had no money, living in an annex at my grandparents. We've met strangers who now support our business like we're friends, and that to us is a heart warming feeling, we're so grateful for the community we're creating around Evans & Moose.
It’s also a reminder that small businesses are often much bigger than they look from the outside. Behind the scenes there’s a lot going on. A lot of decision-making. A lot of learning by doing. A lot of “let’s try it and see” followed by “right, never doing that again.” For us, this shortlist spot isn’t about polishing up a perfect story. It’s about recognising the real one and isn't that what a small business, especially a family business is all about, the story behind the dream.
The family part gives us roots and gives us so much passion behind what we do. We care deeply because the business is close to us. It’s not a concept on a spreadsheet, although if you know me, you'll know I love a spreadsheet. It’s part of daily life, which can be messy, yes. It can mean conversations about work happen in places where conversations about work probably shouldn’t happen. Like Sunday dinner. Or while someone’s trying to watch telly. But it also means we don’t switch off from caring.
When something goes well, everyone feels it. When something goes wrong, everyone gets stuck in. There’s no hiding behind departments or passing the problem around until it gets bored and leaves. We take things personally in the best possible way.
From the outside, a small business can look neat. A product, a service, some happy customers, a few photos, a website that hopefully behaves itself. On the other hand, it can still look like a hobby to outsiders. We've been running (not always at full capacity thanks to bereavements, relocations etc) for six years, yet someone still asked us at a market the other week, 'what do you do full time'? Safe to say I chuckled, and replied 'this, it very much takes up all our time!'.
On the inside though, a small business can often resemble more like a cupboard where everything technically fits, as long as nobody opens the door too quickly. There are systems, yes. There are plans. There are proper processes too, despite what the biscuit-based lunch might suggest.
But there’s also instinct, there’s memory, there’s that one person who knows exactly where the thing is, even though it’s in a box labelled something completely unhelpful. There’s the shared history of what worked, what didn’t, and what we promised we’d never repeat.
I genuinely think that’s one of the strengths of being family-run. You build a kind of shorthand. And for us, as best friends as well as husband and wife, that's pretty special and translates to what we do.
You know who’s best at calming a tricky situation. You know who spots details before anyone else. You know who says, “I’ve had an idea,” and whether that means genius or mild chaos. Sometimes both. This is the part of the business we’re especially proud of because it’s hard to fake. You can’t buy it in. You can’t download it as a template, or financially invest in it. It grows over time, through the everyday stuff and everyday life, we then bring this into how we work. It makes us unique, it makes our business unique and it's a massive part of why we've been recognised! It’s the stuff that keeps people coming back, and it’s the stuff that makes this nomination feel so meaningful.
The Best Family Business category feels like the right place for us, but not because we fit a neat old mould.
It means a lot because family businesses carry a certain pressure because you’re not just representing a faceless company. We’re representing each other, we're representing our animals, and our lifestyle. That’s beautiful, occasionally intimidating but most of the time beautiful. There’s pride in it but there’s also accountability. We're really proud of what we're creating, it might not be where we want it financially at the moment, but someone told us to shout from the rooftops about our achievement so that's what we're doing. When your name, your relationships, and your reputation are woven into the business, you can’t be casual about the experience people have with you.
You feel the good reviews right in your chest. You feel the problems there too. You remember the customers who supported you early on. You remember the moments that nearly flattened you, and the people who helped you keep going.
I know, it sounds cheesy but it’s true. Running a family business means the wins are shared and the hard bits are shared too. The shortlist recognises more than the visible result for us, it recognises the decisions behind it, the effort behind the decisions, and the people behind the effort. So I guess that’s why this category matters to us.
One of the nicest parts of being shortlisted has been telling people who’ve been part of the journey, although the imposter syndrome did kick in, and it took us a few days to actually share the news with anyone!
Customers, friends, family, even one of the lads that works at the local Tesco (who was so happy for us, if you're reading this, thank you for spreading the word and supporting us!), the people who ask how things are going and genuinely wait for the answer, they all matter. I think one of the things that make small businesses so great is never just the people inside it, t’s also the people who choose to support it. So, thank you.
Thank you if you’ve bought from us, recommended us, reviewed us, returned to us, cheered us on, or quietly willed us forward from the side lines (although don't do it too quietly, likes, comments, shares on social media, all boost businesses more than a lot of people realise), it all counts. More than you probably know.
We’re also grateful to the UK Small Business Awards for recognising businesses like ours. Small businesses come in all shapes, if you think about, it's amazing really! Some are tidy and traditional but some are bold and noisy. Some are built at kitchen tables, in workshops, vans, spare rooms, studios, sheds, and places where the Wi-Fi only works if you stand near the window... that last one might have come from experience! That mix is what makes the small business world so good.
So what happens next, well for now, we’ll keep doing what we do.
We’ll keep serving customers properly, networking, and helping others find a beautiful balance between the modern world and a more seasonal life. We're going to keep creating art and shouting about heritage crafts. We’ll keep improving the bits that need improving. We’ll keep trying new things without losing the heart of the business. We’ll keep celebrating the little wins as well as the big ones, because sometimes the little wins are what get you through the week.
The awards process will carry on, and we’ll share more when we can. The entry requirements this year were a lot tougher so we're so proud to have made it this far. We’re excited, nervous, and trying very hard not to overthink. No promises... I'm a professional overthinker.
Whatever happens next, being shortlisted already means a great deal to us. It’s a moment we’ll remember because it reflects years of work, family (even if that is small but perfectly formed) effort, customer trust, and a fair amount of tea.
So here’s the short version.
We’ve been shortlisted for Best Family Business 2026 at the UK Small Business Awards, and we’re over the moon. Thank you for being part of it. We wouldn’t be here without the people who keep choosing us, encouraging us, and reminding us that doing things differently is worth it.
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