Awards are a great way to get PR for your business, not to mention a nice boost to your confidence! You don't even have to have been in business very long – there are awards out there for 'best new business' for example.
Joanne Dewberry, who last week won the Langtry Manor Business Women's Awards 'Business Mother of the Year Award' for her business Charlie Moos, gives us her top 5 tips for entering awards.
- Write a list of all your achievements, quirky things about your business, your unique selling point (USP), how or why you started your business.
- Ask your friends why they like or admire about you and the business. Collating this information will give you a big picture of you and your business and lots of examples to draw your answers from.
- Read the questions carefully. Make sure you give exactly the information they ask for.
- Sell yourself – don’t be embarrassed to big yourself up – this is what they are looking for! They want to hear about the great things you have achieved. You did it and deserve recognition for it.
- Enter them all! Save copies of award applications, that way you can cut and paste the information about you or your business and refine it so that it's word perfect.
Awards to look at :-
Everywoman Awards – www.everywoman.com/everywomanAwards
Nectar Small Business Awards – www.nectar.com/businessawards
Barclays Take One Small Step – www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk
Enterprise UK – www.enterpriseuk.org
Joanne Dewberry, full time mummy to Charlie 3 and Megan 1
www.charliemoos.co.uk and www.networkingmummiesdorset.co.uk
Winner of Langtry Manor Dorset Business Mum of the Year 2010
Highly Commended MumsClub.co.uk PR Comp 2009
Future 100 Young Entrepreneur 2009
TGF Best Rated Awards 2009
Short listed Langtry Manor Best Green Business 2010
Short listed Make Your Mark in The Markets 2010
Photo: www.andreapittam.com