The Rural Trader founder pitched her way to a $15,000 prize offered by a new competition for rural entrepreneurs.

Ms Porter was named the winner of Buy From The Bush Big Break's people choice award, learning of her success during a short pause from working to harvest canola with her fiance.

Her quest to bring new life to a disused old building - in spite of damage sustained in a "one-in-100-year cyclone" 10 months ago - proved the most popular among the almost 6000 votes cast in the competition.

Ms Porter had been one of the top 20 finalists in the contest, which attracted close to 100 entrants from across Australia.

The judging panel awarded the $30,000 prize to Womnkind, and bestowed highly commended and a $15,000 prize on Motherland Australia.

The Nevertire entrepreneur was overjoyed when she learnt of her success from Buy From The Bush (BFTB) founder Grace Brennan.

"...I was ecstatic and so happy, filled with joy, but most of all so incredibly grateful for everybody that voted for me right across the country, and I think a couple overseas too," Ms Porter said.

"I actually think that people believe in my vision, and they're behind me because of my passion for my project.

"And I also think that they believe in the spirit of our community and that this will be something that will benefit not only the community of Nevertire but the surrounding region in years to come.

"Community is such a massive part of small regional towns, and the way that I pitched my idea to Buy From The Bush and PayPal, I tried to make people understand the importance of that community spirit, and how important and integral businesses like mine will be to enable small communities to thrive and to connect."

Ms Porter, who started The Rural Trader online as a creative outlet to her corporate job, originally planned to restore the abandoned building into a coffee and giftwares store.

She said the storm, which left the building with holes in the roof among other damage, had led her to expand her concept to a multipurpose space that could also be used by the community.

The founder of The Rural Trader, currently an online store with a range of hand-poured candles, says $15,000 will go a long way.

"It means we can finally go ahead with having a space for all of the community of Nevertire and travellers to enjoy, and it also means I can now put a roof on my shop, which currently there is water gushing in every single time it rains," Ms Porter said.

"It also means I can put money towards buying my stock.

"It also means money to put aside for running events, workshops, different things The Rural Trader will be doing once we get up and running sometime in 2022."

Ms Porter said she had already felt like a winner because of the "incredible" exposure her business had received through making its entry pitch on social media.

"Thank you to Buy From The Bush and PayPal for allowing not only myself, but so many regional businesses to thrive with the Big Break competition," she said.

"The pitch has really pushed all of us, from talking to other businesses as well, anyone that entered, pushed us out of our comfort zone.

"We've had to pitch to thousands and thousands of people, which is something that is uncomfortable, it's not easy to pitch to an audience, who may be an audience you already know but then it's so much wider than that, to people you have no idea about.

"So I think we've all learnt a lot about ourselves and about our businesses, and I know even just speaking to some of the other top 20 finalists that they all said the same thing that regardless, it's been an incredible experience and it's really pushed me in my business and personally to do something that maybe might not be what I'd normally do."