BizCover was first founded in 2008 with the goal of helping make buying insurance simple and easy for small business owners. But there are other ways we like to help our community of small business owners – like running the BizGiver small business grant competition.
Twice a year, the $5,000 BizGiver grant is awarded to a small business owner to help them grow their businesses. Finalists are selected by a public vote, and the ultimate winner is decided by BizCover staff.
In the latest BizGiver round, we received 126 entries from all over Australia. But there can be only one winner.
We are excited to announce Benjamin Witkowski as the latest recipient of the BizGiver grant. Ben requested a cinema-quality drone to take his audio/visual company, Dreamer Studios, to new heights.
This is Ben’s success story.
How did Dreamer Studios first get started?
Ben Witkowski owns and operates Dream Studios, a multimedia production company based in Victoria that has five specialised areas: videography, photography, digital marketing, web design and audio production.
Ben worked a variety of jobs before starting Dreamer Studios, including tourism and marketing. But he says that none of the jobs he held ever felt like quite the right fit.
Then, in 2021, Ben suffered a heart condition. While he recuperated in hospital, he had an epiphany: “I just thought, life is short. Life is awesome. I’ve always wanted to [start my own business]. So I’m going to do it.”
Now, Dreamer Studio is a successful multimedia production company with clients all over Australia.
“I got started with Dreamer Studios a few years ago, but I suppose it’s kind of been a life-long journey to get here,” Ben says. “I’ve built something which I’m very, very proud of today.”
Why did you enter the BizGiver competition?
Ben entered the BizGiver grant competition because he wanted to purchase a new drone for his business. Having a cinema-quality drone would allow him to produce an even higher standard of content for his clients in different industries – from real estate to agriculture.
“[The drone] has already completely changed the game in everything I’m trying to do,” Ben says.
“The big difference that this drone has is that it’s got three zoom lenses, so I’ve already been able to use it on a whole heap of real estate work that I do, and on some business promo videos and photography as well.
“I couldn’t be more appreciative. I’m very, very, grateful and thankful.”
What was your experience like entering BizGiver?
Ben says that he entered the competition because of a simple ad that he saw on his social media feed. When he read more about the BizGiver grant competition, he thought, “Oh, yeah, why not enter and see what happens?”
Overall, Ben says the competition was easy to enter. “But it was a little bit stressful at one point,” he admits. “I think there were about five days left in the public vote, and BizCover told me that there were only three votes between the top three people! But I figured I might be in with a bit of a chance, because the stuff I was putting out on social media was getting so much support, which was unbelievable.”
When Ben found out that he’d won the $5000 small business grant, he said he was in shock. “When I first read the email saying I’d won, I was genuinely speechless for about 10 or 15 minutes.”
After winning the competition, what is your next big project?
Ben is a man with a passion for anything creative. As well as having a deep love for film and photography, he is also a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing music since he was seven years old.
“I play piano, guitar, drums, bass, a little bit of violin, banjo, harmonica… I’ve got a whole heap of random instruments as well, like a lyre.”
Ben has been able to combine his talent and passion for music with his current business model.
“Pretty much any video I make, I make the music for it as well. And that’s just kind of a nice little stamp of creativity to put on anything I make.”
But he is also currently working on his long-time passion project, something he describes as “a travel documentary about the impact that music and the arts has on a destination, on the people in it, on preserving and promoting culture and identity.”
Ben has already made great use of the drone in the first episode (filmed in Glenelg, Victoria) of his new adventure travel documentary.
“I’ve got one episode down, and I’ve got about 7000 episodes drafted for around the world.”
What advice do you have for Australian small business owners thinking of entering BizGiver?
When Ben first entered the competition, he figured he had just as good a chance as anyone else at winning the $5000 prize. He had no idea that he would receive such an outpouring of support from online followers and past clients, not to mention being named the winner.
His advice to other small business owners thinking of entering the competition is simple.
“I would just say, go for it. Do not doubt yourself… Because you just never know how many other people are going to believe in what you’re doing.”
Enter BizGiver now to win a $5000 small business grant
The latest BizGiver small business grant competition is running from 9 April to 7 May 2025. All you need to do to enter is create a one-minute video telling us about a product or service that will help you spark a new revenue stream, or just make your small business life a little easier.
To find out more about Dreamer Studios, make sure you visit Ben’s website to get in touch and read about his past projects.
BizCover has been supporting small business owners since 2008. From professional sole traders like Ben to tradies, restaurant owners, hairdressers and more, we make it easy to compare business insurance quotes online. For on the go cover, go BizCover.
