If you’re a bit stuck for words and don’t know where to begin, here’s some tips for getting going on your award’s application and avoiding planning paralysis …
One of the events from our annual business calendar that we saw draw to a close during the covid pandemic was of course the awards industry.
It suffered massively, even though many adapted to running events digitally, after a whole year of zooms it was no wonder that we didn’t all jump in the air saying ‘yes another digital event’ and book the time in.
To have them back on the scene means a big celebration. Not only for the work achieved over the past few years that needs to be recognised and shared with a wider audience, but to celebrate the joy of us all being together in one place and the high energy that comes with a large meeting or energised minds.
You know that your business deserves some recognition for the sheer amount of blood sweat and tears that you’ve put into it since starting it up – perhaps you’re a fresh faced entrepreneur that’s coined a gap in the market, or maybe you’ve disrupted the marketplace and made people turn their heads, either way there’s a gargantuan amount of effort and endless amount of thought that goes into weathering storms, guiding teams through change and staying strong to lead the business forwards.
If you’re feeling out of practice with the whole awards application process read on – there’s some refreshing news within this which could be your answer to a paper application if you haven’t got time to complete those …
Which award is for me?
Awards normally span around ten options to choose from and they’re normally really well displayed in their categories. The Business Champion Awards for example take these steps even further by giving you extra pointers on each award on how to boss your application. They don’t want you to be stressed, they want you to succeed!
Now’s the time to talk or write about what you believe …
Perhaps you’re a business that believes in true diversity and you’re leading the way in how you tackle it. Maybe you’ve spent a huge amount of time transferring every operation in your business to becoming carbon neutral or worked out how to be completely planet friendly with your packaging. Do you give back regularly to your local community and share the belief that if everyone did something in their area, the entire country would be a better place? Staff rewards or team days, charity work, extra holiday and incentives for team players … tell the awards people; it all helps to paint an amazing picture of you and your business.
Get into the nitty gritty of the detail
What you think are normal everyday things – being good and motivating your team so they know they’re believed in and subsequently engage in your business mission – loads of business owners don’t do these things or not to the extent perhaps that you do.
Thinking it’s all about the finance
Cash flow is king but there’s so much more to being in business than that, especially if you’re applying for an award that doesn’t necessarily put finance at the centre of the award. Let’s face it, after MVP, even achieving cash flow takes a vast amount of planning and execution. Whether you’re doing it on your own or you have a team then show the numbers clearly, explain any dips and back up your financial predictions with data. Finance can be black and white you can talk through the numbers to explain the greys in between.
Worrying about spelling or grammar
Yes get someone to double check your application if you can, or create the content in a word doc and use a grammar app to check it for you. However, you might be amazed to read this, but the judges don’t really mind too much if this aspect isn’t perfectly correct. The judges are human and know that a lot of people struggle with this, so instead, they’re looking at your business – as long as the marketing and branding is correct there that’s good. If you really feel uncomfortable writing your application, apply for the Business Champion Awards instead as you can simply record a video application and send it across. Be you, be comfortable and show the team the products or service you provide and the behind the scenes snaps of how you did it.
Get social
Love it or hate it, your social media is a living breathing reflection of how your business is communicating to the world. However, it’s better to not do it at all rather than have every platform known to man listed on your website without being updated. Cull unused platforms and focus on the ones that draw the right kind of attention and spark inspiration with your desired customer base.
Am I good enough?
If you’re in business, you’re good enough. Everyone’s story, achievements and aspirations in life and business are different and waiting to be shared. You just don’t know who you’ll meet and inspire through the process and who may inspire you …
