The Stevie® Awards, organizer of The American Business Awards®, announced today that the final entry deadline for the 23rd annual competition has been extended through April 3. No additional late fees will be charged. Entries submitted through the new deadline will not be penalized in any way in the judging process.

“We’ve received so many requests for individual deadline extensions that we’ve decided to extend the deadline for everyone,” said Stevie Awards President Maggie Miller. The original final deadline was March 5.

The American Business Awards are widely considered to be the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations— public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large, and small. The 2025 awards will honor achievements since the beginning of 2023. Entry details are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

The American Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Categories include:

• Achievement Categories
• App Categories
• Company / Organization Categories
• Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
• Customer Service Categories
• Entrepreneur Categories
• Event Categories
• Human Resources Categories
• Management Categories
• Marketing Categories
• New Product & Product Management Categories
• Podcast Categories (New for 2025)
• Publication Categories
• Social Media Categories
• Support Categories
• Sustainability Categories
• Technology Categories
• Thought Leadership Categories
• Video Categories
• Web Achievement Categories

More than 200 professionals nationwide will participate in the judging process through mid-April. The Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Award winners will be announced on April 24 and celebrated during a gala event in New York City on June 10.

Every new product or service nominated in The 2025 American Business Awards will automatically be included in voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, an annual feature of the ABAs in which the general public votes for their favorite new products. Voting will open on April 25.

The list of past Stevie Award winners in The American Business Awards reads like a who’s who of innovation and business success in the U.S.A. Explore the list of last year’s winners.

Sponsors of The 2025 American Business Awards include, HCLTech, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro.

Founded by Ankur and Aditi Daga, Angara Inc. is a family-started and family-run fine jewelry brand, committed to "helping the world celebrate with color." Their handcrafted jewelry is dressed in high-quality gemstones, diamonds, and pearls, and every piece is made to order.

Stevie-winner Ankur Daga, Founder and CEO of Angara, is a visionary entrepreneur whose journey is defined by a passion for gemstones and a commitment to transform the industry through a more personalized shopping experience. A Harvard graduate with a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) certification, Ankur's entrepreneurial spirit was evident even during his academic years when friends sought him out for customizing engagement rings, foreshadowing the path he would later embark upon.

A Journey Rooted in Passion
Ankur's personal journey, from combing the carpet for diamonds at the age of 5 to working in the family's wholesale gemstone business as a teen, reflects a deep connection to the industry. Despite initially choosing a different path through academia and consulting, he was driven to return to his roots by a unique combination of experiences.

Ankur's professional trajectory took an interesting turn at McKinsey & Company, where he worked as a consultant on a jewelry brand, making him realize the untapped potential of the market. Through online retail and customer-focused strategies, he set out to transform the fine jewelry industry with the power of customization.

In 2005, Ankur Daga founded Angara, combining generational expertise and cutting-edge technology. His long-term approach deliberately eschewed venture capital funding, ensuring alignment with his ambitious goals.

With features like gemstone quality, carat weight and metal choice, every jewelry piece comes in a minimum of 64 variants to suit every style and budget. Today, with its most recent "Create with Angara" (CWA) feature, Angara allows customers to design their own rings from scratch—from a plethora of gemstone options, styles, settings and precious metals–within minutes.

Ankur recognized the challenge of shifting customer mindsets towards buying fine jewelry online and strategically addressed it through this accessible, convenient, and highly personal approach, ensuring that what customers had in mind was precisely what they received.

Transforming the Industry With Color
Angara's manifesto which reads, "Color Changes Everything. For the Better," reflects Ankur's core belief. For this reason, he initiated the brand’s always-on campaign, "Celebrate with Color" to encourage people to celebrate life’s precious moments with color.

In an industry dominated by diamonds, Ankur's bold vision is to become the undisputed leader in colored gemstones, aiming to create a cultural shift, rekindling appreciation for the beauty and significance of colored gemstones that have been overshadowed for decades.

Overcoming Challenges and Vertical Integration
Ankur notably navigated challenges like lack of awareness about gemstones and customer perceptions about buying jewelry online through his vertical integration strategy. Spanning gemstone cutting, polishing, jewelry design, manufacturing, and eCommerce retail, he ensures that everything is handled by his in-house team, addressing challenges head-on.

In 2022, Ankur introduced a partnership program. In an effort to nurture entrepreneurship within the company, he is setting up smaller start-up units within Angara that are driven solely by individuals and contribute to overall success. Furthermore, he champions the empowerment of women in leadership roles, attributing the success of Angara in part to the contributions of his own mother and wife.

Looking Ahead
As colored gemstones gain a larger share of the market, Ankur envisions Angara as a name synonymous with color. The company has experienced significant growth and now has a team of around 500 members spread across 10 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Angara Inc. CEO Ankur Daga won a Gold Stevie for Best Entrepreneur in Retail, and Angora Inc. earned an additional Gold and two Silver Stevies for Retail Marketing Campaign of the Year, Fastest Growing Company of the Year, and Achievement in Customer Satisfaction, respectively, in The 2024 American Business Awards^®.

Interested in entering for 2025?

Stevie-winner MahaloHub is focused on creating mobile applications and marketing strategies designed to help businesses effectively connect with their audiences. Founded to meet the growing need for targeted and user-friendly mobile solutions, MahaloHub combines technology, analytics, and creative design to help brands reach their goals in a mobile-first world.

Demand for marketing video content continues to grow. At the same time, the recommendation of a real person continues to carry more impact than any marketing campaign. MahaloHub is a self-service web-based application that makes it easy for companies of all sizes to invite, capture, and edit a steady stream of authentic customer and employee testimonial videos and easily share them across their digital landscape.

While the demand for video is growing, traditional video testimonials are expensive and time-consuming and cannot scale to meet the growing demand. MahaloHub eliminates the cost and time requirements of capturing, editing, and sharing customer and employee stories with a budget-friendly, user-friendly, and fully guided process that companies and their customers love.

Designed to augment expensive yet beautifully produced, traditional videos, companies can now capture authentic stories that resonate far more than slick promotional videos. The innovative editing suite makes it simple for organizations of any size to add their logo, text overlay, call-to-action, closed-captioning, image enhancements, timing, intro/outro, and more. Videos can be shared with one click across all social media sites, to a website, pre-built microsites, downloaded, and shared with a link or QR code.

MahaloHub provides services that range from developing custom mobile applications to crafting data-driven mobile marketing campaigns. Their approach involves understanding each client’s specific audience and business objectives and then tailoring solutions that align with those needs. By utilizing tools such as advanced analytics and AI-driven personalization, MahaloHub ensures that the mobile experiences they create are both engaging and functional. 

The company places a strong emphasis on collaboration throughout the project lifecycle. From initial consultations to post-launch support, MahaloHub works closely with clients to ensure the delivered products and strategies meet both immediate needs and long-term growth plans.

MahaloHub's focus on combining user-centric design with robust functionality has made them a reliable partner for companies looking to leverage mobile technology to drive engagement and growth. 

MahaloHub won a Silver Stevie Award for Best Mobile App Marketing in The 2024 American Business Awards^®.

Interested in entering for 2025?

Founded in 2020, Stevie-winner Founderz is an online business school dedicated to upskilling individuals for the jobs of the future. With over 9,000 learners in 20 countries, the platform is trusted by more than 200 companies, including Deloitte, HP, and EY, for team training.

The collaborative learning platform leverages online training programs, artificial intelligence (AI), and metaverse technology to deliver an interactive, online learning experience. Users can learn at any time and from anywhere through short video lessons, live events, masterclasses, and forum debates within a community of global students.

They also developed the first online AI & Innovation learning program in collaboration with Microsoft. In its first week, the program attracted 1,500 new registrants and has since grown to over 5,000 students, making it the largest AI training program in Europe.

In December 2023, they introduced the first online AI in Sports learning program in collaboration with theGlobal Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC). This program prepares professionals for AI applications in sports, featuring insights from Microsoft’s AI General Manager and case studies from leading organizations at the forefront of this transformation, such as LaLiga and Real Madrid.

Founderz’s learning ecosystem redefines online education by combining cutting-edge training programs with a collaborative platform, an AI Study Buddy, and a virtual campus. The collaborative education platform organizes each program into accessible modules, allowing students to navigate through bite-sized, cinema-quality video lessons, assignments, and progress tracking, all of which enhance accessibility.

The virtual campus offers an immersive and interactive learning environment. Here, students can engage in real-time interactions with peers and attend online events and masterclasses. They can also join the Founderz Discord channel to stay updated on the latest trends and share current news, fostering a global community that transcends traditional online education boundaries enabling students to learn from and with each other.

A feature called AI Study Buddy, powered by GPT-4, provides personalized assistance as a virtual companion. This tool not only addresses specific program queries but also tailors the learning experience to individual student needs, enhancing the effectiveness of their educational journey.

Practical application of knowledge is key. Students demonstrate their understanding with video-recorded assignments, which are then shared for peer review. This process not only reinforces learning but also cultivates communication and feedback skills. Upon completing these modules, students receive certifications, showcasing their expertise within the Founderz network.

Founderz collaborations with industry leaders like Microsoft elevate the learning experience. The AI & Innovation course, for example, offers firsthand insights from industry experts, including the creators of Microsoft's RAI framework. These partnerships offer a robust platform for the professional advancement of individuals and the training of company employees. 

The benefits of choosing Founderz are multifaceted. They emphasize active, collaborative learning over passive video consumption, utilizing AI for deep student profiling. This approach not only enhances the learning process but also provides insights into individual learning styles. Their rapid program deployment, facilitated by an in-house production team, ensures timely and relevant content delivery. Additionally, their graduates emerge as upskilled evangelists for their partners' products, underscoring its impact on market leadership.

The advancements in cloud and AI have ushered in a new wave of required skills for work. According to Deloitte, 70% of professionals believe their job skills will change significantly in the coming year. With confidence in higher education also falling, about 48% of university students have considered dropping out due to a lack of suitable courses. These statistics highlight a need for upskilling and reskilling which Founderz provides as an alternative education option.

Founderz is not just a platform for gaining knowledge; it's a dynamic, technology-driven community that empowers students through collaborative and interactive learning experiences.

Founderz won a Gold Stevie Award for Best Use of Artificial Intelligence in EdTech in The 2024 American Business Awards^®.

Interested in entering for 2025?

Chicago-based Help at Home has a 50-year history of providing care for vulnerable populations, enabling clients to age in place at home with independence and dignity. The company has grown into a leading national provider of high-quality, relationship-based home care services for Medicaid-eligible seniors and people living with disabilities, now in 11 states.

In 2022, a new leadership team of healthcare executives with the vision to transform in-home personal care services set out to connect the healthcare ecosystem through innovation. In pursuit of this, Help at Home launched the Care Coordination program, which is built from a unique vantage point on caregiver-client relationships. Caregivers are in the home more than 20 hours per week on average, enabling ongoing client observations. The program capitalized on these relationships, implementing a tech-savvy data analytics program, AI, and a clinical team and creating a first-of-its-kind Care Coordination program connecting home care to health care.

Caregiver observations provide insights into serious health conditions or events like household fall hazards through digitized survey tools. Through AI predictive analytics, a clinical support team is alerted, and interventions are triggered that mitigate adverse events, keeping clients out of the hospital or nursing home.

In 2023, Care Coordination from the Help at Home program brought on nearly 2,000 clients and has demonstrated the ability to engage clients at scale, reduce the cost of care, improve care quality, increase caregiver and client satisfaction, and address health-related social needs that improve health equity.

Through partnerships with Medicaid state agencies and health plans, they have seen reductions in the cost of care, optimized health benefits, and positive impacts from social services partnerships, like better access to community housing and food assistance, etc. The program’s first year captured more than a million caregiver observations that sparked analysis leading to 1,300 proactive interventions to connect clients to their healthcare network, social services organizations, or community resources.

For Medicaid and dual-eligible individuals, about 80% of the impact on their health outcomes and cost of care comes from non-medical barriers such as social determinants of health and lifestyle. Help at Home designed the Care Coordination program with a health-equity forward approach to address these health disparities. The company employs community health workers who are in the communities and work with the team that includes the caregiver and other clinicians to intervene, make connections that address health-related social needs, and influence quality of life and health outcomes. In this manner, Help at Home is improving the quality of care provided to a largely underserved Medicaid population. This creates value for provider partners and payers seeking value-based care arrangements, and, over time, will drive down national healthcare spending.

As this skilled team of healthcare-savvy leaders continues to drive growth, resulting in increased scale, density, and operational efficiency, Help at Home is ready to meet the growing demand for home and community-based care for seniors and people living with disabilities utilizing Medicaid or dually eligible supports.

Help At Home won a Gold and two Silver Stevie Awards for Achievement in Product Innovation, Achievement in Growth Status, and Healthcare Communications or PR Campaign of the Year, respectively, in The 2024 American Business Awards^®.

Interested in entering for 2025?

Stevie-winner Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles (KCLA) is a ketamine clinic specializing in intravenous (IV) infusions of ketamine for various mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicidality, and other mood disorders.

Cofounded by Dr. Steven L. Mandel and his son Sam Mandel in 2014, KCLA emerged as one of the pioneering ketamine clinics in the United States. With a strong focus on reshaping and redefining mental health care, the Mandels have been at the forefront of utilizing Ketamine Infusion Therapy, delivering more than 30,000 infusions with an 83% success rate over 10 years. KCLA is the first and only ketamine clinic accredited by Quad A, upholding the gold standard in safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction.

With a commitment to comprehensive, evidence-based care, KCLA expanded its services to include Psychiatric Medication Management and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), with plans for further advancements soon. They are excited about the healing potential of other psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin, aiming to integrate these medicines and others into the practice when they become legally available.

With the expansion of their services, they have collaborated with 10 of the largest payers in California, including Medicare, again increasing access to those in need. Known for its concierge-level service at affordable prices and with insurance coverage options, KCLA is changing the way mental healthcare is provided in the United States.

Stevie-winning Co-Founder Sam Mandel
A lifelong mental health advocate and entrepreneur, Sam co-founded KCLA with his father, Dr. Steven L. Mandel, in 2014. He serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic direction of KCLA, managing its growing staff of executives, physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, and administrative staff.

Sam oversees patient satisfaction, human resources, vendors, marketing, public relations, technology, compliance, legal, and finance. Sam is also a professional actor with over 40 principal credits in Film, TV, Commercials, Theatre, and Voiceover, and he is a rapper and freestyle artist. Sam enjoys weightlifting, traveling, snowboarding, and spending time with his friends and dog Banksy outside of the clinic.

Sam has been instrumental in bringing ketamine infusion therapy into the mainstream over the last decade, with significant headway in the last year. Sam has been interviewed by and quoted in numerous major media outlets in film, TV, podcasts, radio, and print, such as the Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, US Weekly, FOX News, NPR, and many others for his leadership at KCLA and leadership of the field of ketamine therapy for mental health.

Sam Mandel won Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards for Best Health Products & Services Entrepreneur and Consumer Services Thought Leader of the Year; and Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles earned two Silver Stevies for Achievement in Customer Satisfaction and Health Products & Services Company of the Year in The 2024 American Business Awards^®.

Interested in entering for 2025?

Stevie-winner Herat Joshi, Data Science Lead at Great River Health, has made significant strides in transforming healthcare informatics by providing free, accessible training to healthcare professionals worldwide. With the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, Joshi has established a comprehensive training platform that addresses essential aspects of healthcare informatics and technology management.

His dedication to democratizing education in healthcare technology has led to the creation of a user-friendly website, Coursya, that offers a range of free training modules. These courses aim to empower healthcare professionals by covering foundational knowledge in healthcare data and technology, ultimately enhancing patient care and fostering industry innovation.

To date, Joshi has developed over 100 specialized training modules utilized by more than 20,000 professionals across more than 60 countries. Topics include AI-driven healthcare informatics, electronic health record (EHR) project management, data security and HIPAA compliance, healthcare interoperability (FHIR/HL7). These modules are invaluable resources for healthcare professionals at some of the world’s most esteemed institutions, including the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The impact of the platform extends internationally, reaching healthcare systems such as Toronto General Hospital in Canada, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany, and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. His training initiatives not only equip healthcare professionals with essential skills but also prepare them to leverage data analytics to enhance patient-centered care and operational efficiency.

Joshi’s approach to education is characterized by its accessibility. By offering these training courses for free, he effectively dismantles barriers that may prevent healthcare professionals from accessing formal training, thereby creating opportunities for a range of individuals in the industry. This commitment to democratizing education reflects Joshi's vision of improving healthcare outcomes for all, not just a select few.

Herat Joshi's initiatives pave the way for the future of healthcare education, equipping professionals to effectively integrate advanced technologies into their practices.

Herat Joshi won a Silver Stevie Award for Achievement in Online Training in The 2024 American Business Awards^®.

Interested in entering for 2025?

Developed to address the evolving needs of today’s workforce, Stevie-winner Confirm is reshaping the landscape of employee evaluations by identifying the real drivers of impact and pinpointing areas for improvement in a data-driven and efficient way.

Confirm, a cutting-edge platform designed for the modern world of remote and network-based work, is transforming how companies evaluate employee performance. As the first platform to harness Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) in performance reviews, Confirm offers a groundbreaking way for organizations to measure performance not just through traditional means, but by examining the intricate networks within a company.

Confirm’s platform works by asking employees four simple questions about their colleagues, such as who they turn to for advice and who they believe is underperforming. Using this network data, Confirm analyzes trends and correlations, providing leaders with crucial insights into which employees are high performers and which may need additional support. The platform’s insights help companies prevent costly turnover by retaining top talent and swiftly addressing underperformance.

According to Confirm’s analysis, only 15% of employees contribute to 50% of an organization's overall impact, while 5% create 50% of the problems. By identifying this uneven distribution of performance, the platform enables companies to save substantial costs and make informed decisions about employee management, bypassing the outdated notion of a bell curve.

Since April 2022, Confirm has made several notable updates to its platform:

Auto-Calibration Feature. The platform now includes an auto-calibration feature that has significantly streamlined the lengthy process of comparing and reconciling employee ratings. What once took months now takes only days, thanks to advanced checks on each manager’s ratings. The system pinpoints the employees who should be the focus of calibration discussions, helping businesses reduce time spent on manual adjustments while increasing the accuracy of performance evaluations.

Performance OKRs and Career Goals. With this new addition, companies can benchmark employee development over time, monitor progress, and gain real-time visibility into goal achievement. By utilizing data-driven insights, the OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) feature simplifies progress tracking, empowering organizations to focus on long-term growth for both the company and individual employees.

Employee Engagement Surveys. Employee engagement is a key indicator of company success, and Confirm now offers surveys to help businesses better understand their workforce’s needs. Leveraging GPT-4 technology, the platform surfaces valuable insights in minutes, highlighting potential issues and providing actionable takeaways. The feature also includes filters by team and department, allowing for a more granular understanding of employee sentiment across different areas of the organization.

ChatGPT-4 Integration. To make performance reviews more efficient without sacrificing quality, Confirm has integrated ChatGPT-4 into its platform. This tool assists managers in summarizing and writing feedback for employee reviews, allowing them to complete reviews quickly while maintaining thoughtful and thorough feedback for employees.

Performance Profile. A significant advancement in employee empowerment, the Performance Profile feature provides employees with a network-driven view of their own performance. This transparency allows workers to see how they compare to their peers and track their progress over time. Not only do leaders benefit from this feature, but employees can also take charge of their development by understanding their strengths and areas for growth.

Confirm’s approach to performance reviews offers a fresh, data-driven alternative to traditional methods, helping organizations better understand employee contributions and drive meaningful improvements. By continuously evolving its platform with new features, Confirm enables businesses to make smarter, more informed decisions that enhance both individual and organizational success in today’s dynamic work environment.

Confirm won a Silver Stevie Award for Best Human Capital Management or Talent Management Solution in The 2024 American Business Awards^®.

Interested in entering for 2025?

Launched just a week before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the country into lockdown, Stevie-winner Bluegrass Bottling started with only two employees and a single client. Despite the rough timing, the company has grown steadily, now serving over 75 brands and employing 22 people. Their customer-first mentality has allowed them to concentrate on meeting the needs of small craft producers, helping them bring their products to market.

A Challenging Beginning
Opening its doors just days before the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company faced immediate challenges. With the country in lockdown, their initial plan to bottle spirits was put on hold. However, holding a distilled spirits permit (DSP) provided an unexpected opportunity. As businesses were asked to pivot and help with public health efforts, the bottler was instructed to begin producing hand sanitizer.

Without hesitation, they shifted gears and began producing sanitizer at an unprecedented scale. Despite the crisis and rising costs of supplies, the company chose not to increase prices. Their ability to quickly adapt—finding suppliers, shippers, and additional staff with minimal contacts—was a testament to their flexibility and resourcefulness. As a result, they successfully navigated the pandemic's uncertainties and even managed to establish crucial relationships with bottle suppliers, label printers, and box makers—partners they still work with today.

A Return to Spirits
As the country began reopening and the demand for hand sanitizer waned, the company was quick to return to its original focus: bottling bourbon whiskey. They quickly expanded their services beyond bourbon, adding vodka, gin, rum, liqueurs, and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages to their portfolio. With no minimum case requirements, the company offers even the smallest craft distillers a chance to bottle their products and bring their unique spirits to market.

Their services now include bottling a wide range of spirits and packaging sizes, from 50ml to 1.75L. In addition to their DSP, they also hold a wine permit, allowing them to offer bottling services in the wine industry. This diversity has helped them build a strong reputation in a competitive field while maintaining a commitment to their original mission—focusing entirely on their clients' success.

By eliminating minimum requirements, they give even the smallest distillers a chance to shine, helping their clients create standout products with exceptional packaging and great taste.

A Woman-Owned Business in a Male-Dominated Industry
As one of the few women-owned businesses in the spirits industry, this bottler stands out not just for their service, but for the leadership and vision of their founder. With deep respect for the bourbon industry and a desire to contribute to its growth, the founder has created a company culture focused on teamwork, research, and development. Every employee is encouraged to contribute ideas, fostering a sense of innovation and agility that has been key to their success.

From its early days producing hand sanitizer to becoming a major player in the spirits bottling industry, this company’s journey is one of resilience, growth, and a commitment to supporting the craft spirits community. With further expansions on the horizon and plans to boost local tourism, its story is far from over.

Bluegrass Bottling won a Bronze Stevie Award for Fastest Growing Company of the Year - Up to 100 Employees in The 2024 American Business Awards^®.

Interested in entering for 2025?

As the co-founder and CEO of PissedConsumer.com, a leading review and reputation management platform, Michael Podolsky has dedicated his career to improving communication between consumers and businesses. With over 20 years of experience on Wall Street and a robust background in brand reputation, customer service, and IT consulting, he has cultivated a wealth of knowledge that informs his leadership approach.

The inception of PissedConsumer.com can be traced back to 2006, driven by Michael’s own experience as a frustrated consumer. After facing an unresolved issue that left him feeling unheard, he realized there was a critical need for a platform where consumers could voice their concerns and attract the attention of businesses. With only $200 to invest, Michael and his business partner launched the website from a humble kitchen in New York. What began as a simple idea has blossomed into a thriving community that empowers consumers to share their experiences and seek resolutions with brands.

Today, PissedConsumer.com boasts a dedicated team of nearly 100 employees who share Michael’s vision of fostering communication between consumers and companies. The platform serves as a vital resource for individuals seeking to air grievances and for businesses aiming to understand their customers better. By highlighting the real drivers of impact within organizations, Michael and his team have reshaped the conversation around customer feedback, moving away from traditional customer service paradigms.

Despite facing challenges, including multiple lawsuits from companies attempting to silence consumer voices, Michael remained steadfast in his mission. Rather than retreating, he leveraged these challenges to advocate for consumer rights, even alerting government agencies to issues regarding consumer feedback. His efforts contributed to regulatory changes that underscore the importance of transparency and accountability in business practices.

Michael's approach to leadership emphasizes collaboration and innovation. He believes that the best ideas come from a culture where every team member feels empowered to contribute. “A leader should not just drive the team but lead it,” he asserts, advocating for an agile workplace where individuals can make decisions autonomously. This philosophy has helped PissedConsumer.com maintain its status as a leader in consumer advocacy, despite its initially negative connotation.

In addition to running PissedConsumer.com, Michael actively engages with the business community. He has spoken at various conferences and events, sharing practical insights on improving online reputation, customer service, and brand awareness. His contributions as an influencer on platforms like Forbes Business Council and INC further amplify his commitment to educating businesses about the value of customer feedback.

Michael Podolsky’s journey exemplifies the power of entrepreneurship grounded in a genuine desire to make a difference. Through PissedConsumer.com, he continues to bridge the gap between consumers and businesses, advocating for a more transparent and communicative marketplace.

Michael Podolosky won a Gold Stevie Award for Best Entrepreneur in Consumer Services in The 2024 American Business Awards^®.

Interested in entering for 2025?