Caloundra-based boutique firm Vivacè Advisory was named SMSF Firm of the Year at the 2025 SMSF Awards, securing one of the industry’s most competitive national titles.
The awards, which were held in Sydney in October and hosted by SMSF Adviser with the support of principal partner OKX, recognised 16 winners across 16 categories celebrating excellence, innovation and professionalism across the self-managed superannuation industry.
Among the group winners, Vivacè Advisory stood out not only for its technical expertise but for its singular business model: a boutique, fully Australian-based, dual-licensed advisory and accounting agency operating without offshore support and without spending a dollar on marketing for the first seven years of operation.
For founder and director Stacy Giovinazzo, the win was more than a trophy – it was validation that a small coastal firm can outperform major industry heavyweights.
“We’ve all come from bigger firms, and when my daughter was born (2018), I wanted to build something of my own that would grow with her,” Ms Giovinazzo said.
“The less she needed me, the more the business needed me – it’s just switched like that.
“It’s nice to be recognised Australia-wide against some big guys, that what we’re doing here in our small firm is something big.”
Vivacè Advisory was one of 10 finalists in its category – one widely regarded as the keynote award of the night. The judging process involved both qualitative and quantitative assessments including leadership, financial performance, innovation, business development, workplace culture and contribution to the SMSF sector nationally.
Ms Giovinazzo believes several factors convinced judges the firm deserved the top gong.
“First, we’re 100 per cent Australian-based and that’s deliberate,” she said.
“We have a major concern for data security and we don’t want to be the weak link in the chain.
“Second, we’ve spent zero money on marketing. I am the marketing team. Our growth has been entirely organic due to our service levels, our very high client retention and strong word-of-mouth professional referrer base that continues to grow year after year.”
But the firm’s biggest differentiator is its dual licensing used to supercharge SMDF and superannuation client services – a rarity in the SMSF-focused accounting space. Ms Giovinazzo holds a full AFSL licence, enabling her to provide financial advice in addition to tax agent licensing, which allows the firm to prepare and lodge annual compliance returns.
“Processing supe and preparing financials is important, it provides the rear-view mirror perspective every client needs,” she said.
“But dual licensing allows us to go further. It’s let us look ahead and help clients understand which strategies might strengthen their position or mitigate risks before they arise.
“We provide that full 360-degree experience. We’re not limited by just tax or advice – we combine both to specialise in retirement, superannuation, investment and pensions right through to end-of-life considerations.”
Ms Giovinazzo said her clients’ support during the nomination process was one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.
“When I reached out and said we were thinking of entering, a staggering amount of our client and referrer base took the time to submit a detailed nomination,” she said.
“Considering many are aged 55 through to my oldest client at 96, and some don’t even use computers, that meant the world to me.
“It made me proud that our clients are happy – and that’s why we set it up to be service-oriented.”
Despite winning national recognition, Ms Giovinazzo said Vivacè Advisory would remain proudly local.
“We’ll stay Australian and stay local, whilst we service clients Australia wise,” she said.
“I’m not looking to push this nationally. But I’m proud of what it represents for Caloundra and the Coast. Many young accountants and advisers feel they have to head to the big cities to study, train or find success. This proved they don’t. Regional firms can absolutely match metro capability and young professionals can have extraordinarily successful careers right here keeping their feet on the ground, or in the sand.”
As for the future?
“We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing,” she said. “I’ll stick to my methodology – it’s working – and keep providing that level of service.”
