Recognition is given for the important work of rewarding nationwide SMEs

In only their second year, the Business Champion Awards, from Capital Business Media, have been nominated and are finalists in the Best New Awards Event category at the 2023 Awards Awards.

A gargantuan amount of work goes into the awards programme, which unlike other awards, runs year around, promoting the previous winners and sharing behind the scenes stories and events to help collaborations occur between the finalists.

Awards founder and director Richard Alvin said:

‘It’s so worthwhile. SMEs make up 99% of the businesses in the UK, the revenue they bring in for the country, the staff they employ, the innovation they push forwards, all needs to be heralded and rewarded. We set up the Business Champion Awards to shine a light on all of the entrepreneurs who put their hopes and dreams into the world and work so hard to bring them to life.’

The Business Champion awards saw just under 1000 entries in its second year. Advertisements across the country in national and local press spread the message of positivity for all manner of businesses to enter. Topped off with a collaboration with Sky TV to promote the message of positivity and recognition from every angle. However there was another value felt by the team which added a crucial level to every part of the awards process and grand finale – sustainability.

Richard continued:

‘When we first set out to create a planet-friendly awards programme many people told us that it would be impossible. Yet we knew with all of the eco innovation across the nation right now that there would be a way, however tricky it might be to source, to bring our vision to life and we couldn’t be more proud of our partners and suppliers who shared our ethos and vision and assisted to make it possible.’

Borne out of frustration for the older ways of running awards programmes, and being well versed in the running of awards ceremonies and structures from previous experience, the Business Champion Awards stand out for a variety of forward thinking reasons, all of which benefit business owners applying and the eco-system of our planet:

– Normally finalists have to travel to London to present to judges which costs a large amount of budget and also takes key members of the team away from the business costing the business in other ways

– The Business Champion Awards programme actually runs for the entire year, not just the finale evening. The benefit of this means that the finalists, judges and the sponsors are all featured throughout the year in ongoing press and marketing.

Everyone entering the Business Champion Awards can relax in the knowledge that the awards are sustainable. From being held in the award winning Canary Wharf green zone, to only working with suppliers who have tracked their supply chains and processes to ensure that they are working in a circular fashion, to any surplus food being donated to the homeless after the event.

– It was the vision of Queen Elizabeth II to replenish trees across the country and to honour her wishes, each winner of an award has received trees planted in their rsepective county in her honour.

– Each of the winner trophies have been hand crafted in Wales in a sustainable manner

A celebration of nationwide talent at the Business Champion Awards

On the eve of the grand finale, award winners were announced in a glittering celebration ceremony held in the eco event space: The East Wintergardens. The nation’s favourite broadcaster, Huw Edwards returned to host and preset the award alongside the Business Champion Awards’ judges, all of whom are esteemed and highly respected business owners and entrepreneurs in their own right.

‘I think in this moment in time, the whole team feels the exact same way that all of our own finalists must have felt when they found out the news that they had made it that far in the process. We are all thrilled and completely proud to have got this far. Bringing an awards programme together each year is a gargantuan amount of work across a huge amount of people. I’m so proud of my team to bring the vision to life.’

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Business Champion Awards is a finalist in the Awards Awards 2023

One of the UK’s leading business strategists and performance coaches, Will Polston, has been named as the Business Enabler of the year at the annual Business Champion Awards.

The Essex-based Polston was among over 300 guests at the East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf, with finalists represented in 14 categories with 140 finalists vying for top spot.

Polston is renowned for his transformative approach to helping clients to break through their barriers and achieve more than they ever felt possible.

Will originally achieved “traditional success” with an international career as a broker but despite this he found himself feeling unfulfilled. It was only following a personal development seminar, that he finally gained the clarity that deep down, his belief that “money equals happiness” was not true and what he really wanted to do was empower others to achieve their dreams as he believes this has a positive impact on others too –  something he calls the ripple effect.

Speaking about the award win and his approach to coaching and development, Polston said; ‘I am absolutely humbled to have won this award. I was up against a phenomenal group of people and we all have different approaches but one common mission – enabling businesses, entrepreneurs and people in any walk of life to be the best version of themselves that they can be.

‘The more people we can help, the more businesses we can impact, the better it is for everyone. The process to get to the final was incredibly rigorous with huge attention to detail from all of the judges. It was actually a hugely valuable process in itself and one that I’m sure everyone who made the finals and who won in their category will reflect on with huge positivity.

Will has dedicated his life to studying the art and science of behavioural change and performance coaching. Using a powerful combination of techniques across multiple disciplines, Will Polston helps give people a unique insight into their behaviour, providing proven strategies that transform their lives.

Discussing Will’s win, category judge, Richard H Harris from Corum Group Ltd said; ‘Coaching and supporting businesses in a meaningful way has a massive impact, so it wasn’t just the direct impact that Will was having, it was about all of the businesses that were then helped by those leaders having his coaching. His enthusiasm, his dedication and really, the depth of the programme he has in coaching really shone through well.’

Along with his latest accolade, the prolific Polston is a Certified Master Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, Member of the International Coach Federation, and International Speaker. He’s spoken at TEDx, blogged for The Huffington Post,  been a finalist for ‘Coach of the Year’ at the Association of Professional Coaches, Trainers, and Consultants, been awarded the prestigious ‘Expert Coach of Excellence’ accreditation and been a finalist for  ‘Best Business Enabler’ at The National Entrepreneur Awards two years in a row (2021-2022).

Read more:
Business Champion Awards triumph for coach Polston

A glittering night of celebration for the UK’s 140 finalists of the Business Champion Awards.

Over 300 guests filled the East Wintergardens in London’s Canary Wharf and were hosted again by the nation’s favourite broadcaster, Huw Edward’s, the evening’s guests were treated to a night of champagne, music, laughter and thought provoking speeches.

Jamie Waller accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of His Majesty King Charles III and The Prince’s Trust. He spoke, saying that if the King himself had been present he would wish to recognise the hard work his dedicated team have done in helping his vision come to life, maintaining it to the point where, today, over one million young people have received support and much needed belief.

The audience then listened in awe to the three guests that Jamies invited on stage with him, all of whom had been believed in and helped by The Prince’s Trust. Each person had experienced incredible hardship from different means – bullying, domestic violence and addiction. Brenda Beverley, Rebecca Beattie and Duane Jackson, spoke strongly about what the support had meant to them and how they had used the support of The Prince’s Trust to turn adversity into an opportunity to move forwards and grow.

Extra awards were given out for outstanding efforts within different sectors to reflect the sheer wealth of talent that the finalists demonstrated.

Julie Devonshire OBE was present to support and celebrate her husband, Simon Devonshire OBE, as he took to the stage to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award. With his lifetime experience of entrepreneurship spans multiple sectors as well as dedicated a huge amount of time and effort into much needed charity work across the globe, has garnered the respect of everyone around him. Suggested and dedicated to him unanimously by his peers and friends within the judging process, he received the award with incredible humility.

Phill Atkinson, Managing Director at BTS Facades and Fabrications, was the proud winner of the Sustainable Business Award. Quite overcome with the win he applauded the judges:

‘I had a technical nightmare in every way possible on the day of my presentation to the judges. I’m so grateful for their patience and how they looked past that and instead focused on the phenomenal effort and results that my team has put in to this vital area of our business. We’re so proud and pleased to have won’.

Sheer emotion on the night was felt by finalists as they collected their awards on stage. The culmination of their hard work finally being recognised when perhaps may of them had been told that what they wanted to achieve simply wasn’t possible.

Vying against incredible odds to rock the status quo, the full list of winners, silver, bronze and hero awards are as follows:

Lifetime Achievement Award

HRH King Charles III    

Outstanding Achievement Award

Simon Devonshire OBE

The Startup Giants New Business of the Year Award        

Bronze – Liberty Collins                           

Silver – LOKI POKE                                    

Gold – Imagineerium  

The Business Community Award  

HERO AWARD – Charlie Betty Beauty                               

HERO AWARD – ECASS                            

BUSINESS WINNER  – Biome Algae                                    

COMMUNITY WINNER – Wanis International Foods

The Business Innovation Award

Silver – Videosign                     

Gold – The Simulator Company

The Growth Business Award

Nourished

The Score App SME of the Year Award

Bronze – Aberdeen Diving Services                     

Silver – Oppidan                         

Gold – Making Moves London 

The Exporter of the Year Award

Silver – Global Infusion Group                              

Gold – The English Soap Company

The Eco Foundry Sustainable Business Award

Special Recognition – Crown Oil                           

Silver – Juice Global                                 

Gold – BTS Fabrications Limited

The Diversity and Inclusion Award

Simply Doughnuts

The Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

UNDER 20 – Alfie Jones                           

Jax Davey, Nuevo                

The Evelyn Partners Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Asher Moses                

The Business Enabler Award

Will Polston Coaching and Training      

The Business Transformation Award

Make An Entrance Limited      

The Scale Up and Market Disruptor Award

Whiskey & Wealth Club                          

Reflecting on the evening, awards’ Founder and Director, Richard Alvin said: ‘We started the Business Champion Awards two years ago with a view to rewarding businesses nationwide. This year, word has obviously spread because we received applications from every county across the nation. Out of 140 finalists, only 20 were based in London.

‘Running these awards is nothing short of inspirational and that sums up the overriding feeling I’ve been left with in the hours since; pride in my team for the smooth execution of the awards and sheer pride in our nation’s tenacious, dedicated business owners, all of whom are so deserving of their awards.

‘It’s a gargantuan task to organise and run the future award’s programme whilst still honouring our dream of creating a whole year round awards programme. Creating videos to go behind the scenes of our winners and promoting their businesses with year round PR sets us apart from any other award where the focus is just on one night. My team is up for the challenge and we’re excited to stay in touch with the finalists and winners.

‘However, it doesn’t end there, our judges were of the highest calibre and are already confirming that they would like to be involved in the 2024 awards. The wheels are in motion already … Again a massive well done to everyone present and we look forward to welcoming you back next year.’

From inception to execution, every decision made for the awards was in-line with the set of planet-conscious values

EcoFoundry’s living wall was a popular choice for selfies on the night and also highlighted the link with Canary Wharf’s green zone policies. Each supplier was vetted for their eco-approach and sustainability, in line with Capital Business Media’s values, so to that end, no single use plastic was used and any remaining food was donated to help the city’s homeless.

Jax Davey, recognised for his leadership and drive to make positive change with his planet-friendly, global creative agency: Nuevo, was the worth winner of the Young Entrepreneur Award, commented:

‘Running a business is all-consuming, so night’s like this are a really good opportunity to stop and take stock of both how far you’ve come personally, and how much the team has achieved. I’m incredibly honoured to have won this prestigious award, particularly as the Business Champion Award’s sustainability values align perfectly with those of Nuevo’s’.

Some of our winners had the extraordinary surprise of bumping into Ed Sheeran on the train home who was quick to congratulate them on their triumph and take a selfie.

Host, Huw Edwards said: ‘It’s a very complex process to bring these awards into existence and the whole event was organised choreographed so well. Times have been incredibly tough and SME business owners, all six million of them across the country, need to be celebrated. It was an honour to be part of the evening once again and ensure that they were rewarded for their hard work and effort’.

Final messages of thanks …

An esteemed group of award winning and global leading judges all gave their time and business acumen to listen to each businesses pitch, values, team motivations, trials and triumphs over the course of February to ascertain each winner. The entire Business Champion Awards’ team would like to extend their sincere thanks to every judge for their time and attention.

The Business Champion Awards’ team also wish to extend their thanks to all of the sponsors, and events team who made the night a phenomenal success.

The Business Champion Awards 2024 awards programme will launch on June 25th 2023. Watch this space …

Read more:
National SME winners revealed at Business Champion Awards 2023 finale

Melissa Snover, talks about the inspiration that led her to creating the world’s first truly personalised nutrient gummy which has seen them become a finalist in the growth business of the year category of the 2023 Business Champion Awards

What do you currently do at ‘Nourished’

I am the Founder & CEO of the business. Here at Nourished, we pride ourselves on being the world’s first truly personalised nutrient gummy. It’s unique in the market because it rejects the one size fits all approach to vitamin supplementation and puts the needs of the customer at the centre.

Consumers can complete a short lifestyle quiz on our website, where upon completion, a science-backed algorithm makes a recommendation of seven vitamins, superfoods and nutrients best suited to the user’s lifestyle, body and goals.

Nourished delivers bespoke customer orders on demand in 100% plastic-free packaging, with less waste, hassle and cost than purchasing all of the vitamins separately. We are able to take this approach thanks to our unique, patented 3D printing technology, which allows the seven-layered gummy stacks to be manufactured bespoke on demand.

Now is a really exciting time for the business as we explore new markets and continue to expand upon our initial success. We have recently partnered with huge brands such as Neutrogena and Colgate and continue to seek out opportunities to further our offering.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

It was actually a rather amusing story that kickstarted the idea for Nourished. As an avid consumer of vitamins for over a decade, I used to take a large bag on my business trips of different pills, tablets, and supplements. A full cocktail of supplementation!

This was always a nightmare at airport security, having to remove the bag for the scanner. On one such occasion, I accidentally dropped the bag and sent pills sprawling across the floor! I had to crawl around in my suit and heels, picking them up – quite the ordeal! I knew there had to be a more convenient way to take vitamins, and the idea for Nourished was born.

Our personalised vitamin stacks solve that issue, amongst others, by providing convenient, easy-to-take chewable gummies, allowing travellers to pack just one gummy for each day of their trip – rather than a cocktail of different pills.

 Who do you admire?

I admire my CTO, Martyn Catchpole, who is an incredible 3D printing expert in the industry. He has demonstrated remarkable technical skills and leadership qualities, developing the prototype for Nourished in just 18 months and continuously optimising the technology, enabling the company to respond to customer demands, improve, and grow rapidly. Working with him since 2015, I have seen firsthand his passion, dedication, and drive, which has been an inspiration to me.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Yes, there are definitely some things I would have done differently. I have learned that confidence and self-belief are crucial to success in business, and I regret not realising that earlier in my entrepreneurial career. I made mistakes along the way, including not trusting my instincts, which led to set-backs. I also realised that it’s important to surround yourself with a passionate and dedicated team who you can rely on. In my first venture, I tried to handle everything myself, but it wasn’t sustainable or scalable. However, at Nourished, I have a fantastic team who provides support and allows me to focus on top-line strategies, raising investment, and expanding into new markets. Delegating responsibilities has been key to ensuring the longevity of the business.

What defines your way of doing business?

My approach to doing business is centred around teamwork and trust. I am fortunate to have a highly talented and dedicated team, including my CTO Martyn Catchpole and COS Caitlin Stanley, who have been working with me since 2015 and who have both been instrumental to our success. I believe that working together with a positive and fun attitude is crucial to achieving great results.

Through experience, I have learned that you can’t control everything and that having the right team in place is essential to success. I focus on finding experts in their respective fields and ensuring they are committed to our vision.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

As an entrepreneur, there will always be factors you cannot control when starting your business. Resilience to these is such an important aspect of running a business. Ensuring you have a trusted and passionate team around you, who share your vision, will allow you to overcome challenges and find solutions that lead to success.

Commit your time and efforts into establishing your brand and compile data, so you know exactly what your customers want. It is important to create a business that delivers a clear benefit to the end consumer, rather than just developing a product which you think is cool.

I also think networking is hugely important for advancing your career in business. I find it incredibly interesting speaking to other people in my field at events across the country and abroad, to learn how they face challenges and grow their businesses.

Nourished are a finalist in this years Business Champion Awards in the Growth Business of the Year

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Melissa Snover, Founder & CEO, Nourished

Charlie Betty, the founder of her own beauty brand tells Business Matters about the background to her company born from a facebook group in lockdown 2020

What do you currently do?

I am the owner of Charlie Betty Beauty, a cosmetics brand based in South Yorkshire.

I’m pretty much a one woman band here so I’m in charge of the social media, marketing, customer service, picking and packing, blog writing and development of our products, thankfully my husband is a photographer and graphic designer so he’s always on hand to help me out with the product photography and lends his expertise for the designing of the products and website!

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Charlie Betty Beauty was actually formed from a facebook group in lockdown 2020, I was in the deepest pit with my depression, with nowhere to go and missing communication, I didn’t want anyone else to suffer the way I was, so I decided to start a Facebook group for people who were in the same boat, women who struggled with mental health issues, who were lonely, who just needed a little normality in these awful times, with a theme of beauty, skincare and fashion, the group was just a lovely space to make friends and connections and just talk.

I’d worked in the beauty industry for about 12 years at that point and it was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to express and create my own version of beauty.

I’d experienced a lot of stigma in beauty salons and similar places I’d worked, I felt like I wasn’t ‘normal’ enough, with the way I looked, my interests, I was always the odd one out, I wasn’t stereo-typically beautiful, I didn’t fit in with the cliques.

So through my past experiences and the support of the girls and accidental market research in the group, I took the leap and I bootstrapped my first makeup product, I wanted to create something ‘for the underdogs’, something to prove you didn’t have to look a certain way, or be a certain way, to really solidify what we had learnt and spoke about in the group, a representation of the community we had built.

I based my first product on my own journey of self-discovery which I gained through the group, and around spiritualism and nature which really helped me through my hardest times.

Who do you admire?

In general, I have always surrounded myself with people who inspire me to be a better person, people who have built empires from the ground up and stayed humble. I think someone who wills to empower others so selflessly is the most inspirational quality they could have.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, however I’m a firm believer in learning from your mistakes, in the first year of the business, I definitely lacked planning and structure, I didn’t really look very far into the future when I started this business, I didn’t actually expect it to grow so quickly, and as much as I wish I’d had the structure in place back then, it really did teach me to think on my feet and I kind of appreciate that!

What defines your way of doing business?

Our business was built on being open and honest with our community and that’s something that we will always be, we started this by getting down to the nitty and gritty details of real life, and by being personable, humble and true to ourselves, in turn we hope that by doing this, we will empower our community to do the same.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

You’re always going to make mistakes in business, learn from them and always strive to be better, don’t be disheartened by setbacks and criticism, use them to your advantage!

Listen to your body and your mind, take your time with the process, and don’t exhaust yourself.

I think the most important thing is to not lose your focus, always remember your ‘why’ and everything will be worthwhile in the long run.

Charlie Betty Beauty are a finalist in this years Business Champion Awards in the Community Business of the Year

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Charlie Betty, founder, Charlie Betty Beauty

Dr. Vidal J Bharath, talks about the inspiration behind his fuel cell technology company which has seen them become a finalist in the scale-up and market disruptor category of the 2023 Business Champion Awards

What do you currently do at ‘Bramble Energy’

Having started at Bramble Energy as its Chief Operations Officer, I oversaw its growth from just three employees to its current 75. I have now moved into the Chief Commercial Officer role as we rapidly scale and commercialise our technology with go-to-market partners to decarbonise a wide range of applications and industries.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Starting out as just an idea in the labs, our company was founded as a spin-out of UCL and Imperial College London by our CEO, Dr Tom Mason, with an overriding ambition to help the world transition to net zero. Solving the climate crisis is the biggest challenge humanity will face and we desperately need solutions that are viable, scalable and low-cost. Our printed circuit board fuel cell (PCBFC) technology answers many of the issues that has stopped fuel cell technology becoming a go-to decarbonisation solution.

Who do you admire?

Ryan Reynolds. He has an understanding of brand and commercialisation like no one else. Not only has he successfully established himself as a versatile and popular actor, and has also made smart investments in various companies such as Wrexham Association Football Club, a small team from the north of Wales. Reynolds has a unique ability to identify opportunities and turn them into profitable ventures, as evidenced by the success of the team under his ownership. He’s also shown a keen sense of humour and marketing savvy, using social media to engage with fans and promote his projects in a way that sets him apart from his peers. With his combination of talent, intelligence, and marketing skills I truly believe he could ‘sell ice to the Eskimos’ – it’s a truly inspirational gold touch that I and many other aspiring entrepreneurs and business people admire.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it can also be a hindrance to your journey. I certainly don’t have any regrets as to where we are today as a business: the opportunities we currently have to make a real impact are a direct result of where we have been and the decisions we have made.

What defines your way of doing business?

Speed and adaptability. Our journey has been as fast-paced as our technology is. With any new innovation you have to be agile in your approach and this goes across all areas of the business. What you may have thought was your bestroute because it seemed to make the most sense, may actually turn out to be wrong. Being  prepared to pivot and adapt to new circumstances is vital.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Never. Give. Up.

Everyday there will be challenges to face and some may even make you feel like you are heading back to square one. But try to embrace failure – it’s a natural part of the learning process. Rather than being discouraged by setbacks, face them head-on with persistence and determination, using them as opportunities to learn and grow. There are lessons you can only learn from failing that will make you better, faster and stronger in the future.

Bramble Energy are a finalist in this years Business Champion Awards in the Scale Up and Make Disruptor category.

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Dr. Vidal J Bharath, Chief Commercial Officer, Bramble Energy

It’s not just a matter of numbers that the judges are looking for when interpreting ‘growth’.

It’s been a hotly contested category of the Business Champion Awards 2023 and it’s been amazing to see the wealth of talent from teams across the country who have steered their businesses to immense growth. If you’re obsessed with numbers, spreadsheets and bottom lines and you’ve seen a tangible rise in these coinciding with an expansion to your product offering or service then this award is for you.

Growth can be interpreted in many different ways; from bottom lines raising, to the growth of the product or service offering to meet demand, or innovation into new verticals, growth of the team and company culture and growth of the leadership team to sustain the rise.

Here are the finalists for the Growth Business of the Year, I’m looking forward to meeting them all at the finale in March.

Cotswold Fayre

Starting from the cellar of his house in South-East London, Paul Hargreaves has grown Cotswold Fayre is the leading wholesaler of speciality food to the independent retail sector. The company supplies 2,000 retailers with 4,000 products from around 400 producers which not only provides an efficient service to those retailers but is a significantly carbon-reducing business model.

Vention

Since 2002, Vention has been an industry-leading software development partner to 500+ fast-growing companies and startups worldwide on cutting-edge tech across industries. Headquartered in New York with 20+ offices and 3,500+ developers worldwide, iTechArt equips companies with dedicated engineering teams and helps scale from Series A to unicorn — contributing to £10B+ in acquisitions and 20+ IPOs.

LUSSO

Created to bridge the gap for luxury baths and basins that are affordable without compromising on quality or aesthetic, Lusso is one of the UK’s fastest-growing luxury homeware brands. It has since expanded to offer a much wider product range and continues to launch new lines as part of its vision to become the world’s ultimate luxury department store.

Medimusic Ltd

Formed in 2020, MediMusic is a B2B service that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to create audio fingerprints which mimic the human brain’s response to music and then scientifically dispenses it as an efficacy-driven medicine for the benefit of clinical pain and anxiety.

Northern Catering Equipment

Northern Catering Equipment is an independent supplier, installer and service provider of commercial catering equipment, specialising in end-to-end projects, starting from design and ending with a ready to operate kitchen complete with aftercare solutions; the true turnkey project for fast paced event companies.

R3medy Health – Nourished

Rem3dy Health under the brands Nourished and Scripted, they have developed patented 3D printing technology to create the world’s first truly personalised gummy vitamin. Consumers complete a questionnaire where a science backed algorithm makes a recommendation of 7 vitamins, superfoods and nutrients best suited to the user’s lifestyle and goals. Delivering them in 100% plastic free packaging – less waste and cost than purchasing them individually.

Ramsay and White

Ramsay and White is an award-winning group that specialises in wealth management, real estate, property management and finance. Their qualified financial advisers assist clients with pensions, investments, and inheritance tax mitigation, covering personal and business. They work with clients across the UK and overseas investors who wish to invest in the UK property market.

Todd’s Leap Racking and Shelving

Based in Northern Ireland, Todd’s Leap Racking and Shelving are stockists of both new and used storage equipment, providing Pallet racking, Shelving, Mezzanine floors, and Automated Storage Systems all across the UK And Ireland. Supplying to a wide range of Industry from Large Distribution centres for Multinational’s to kitting out small office setups.

Learn Direct

Learndirect is the UK’s leading online learning provider following its inception in 2000. Born out of the government created University for Industry (Ufi), Learndirect has been offering a wide range of customers a seamless service, from employability support to academic learning and in-work training, all through a blend of online courses and programmes.

Read more:
Finalists for The Growth Business of the Year revealed

Being aware enough of the ongoing issues in society is one thing, putting plans in place to ensure inclusivity in the work place is no mean feat.

The Business Champion Awards know that if businesses have accomplished this, that needs to be celebrated.

A few years ago many companies simply thought that having a mantra that stated their policy on diversity was enough. Incidents and negativity in the workplace have proven that it certainly isn’t.

A company needs to live and breathe these elements in their practice to encompass a richly diverse and inclusive workplace.

A strong leading HR movement to put these values into action is needed as well as sourcing a team who all believe vehemently in the cause, in the hope that one day it won’t even be an issue or a cause, certainly not one needing an award. Until then, we’re championing the businesses that are proactive in their fight for equal rights, diversity and inclusivity. Those businesses that stand up to bullying in the work place and coach others to do the same. A happy workplace is a successful one. Congratulations to the 2023 finalists, I’m looking forward to meeting you at the grand finale in March:

ISC Group

ISC Group UK is a global not-for-profit organisational community that is dedicated to increasing the representation of Women in Insurance, helping them to achieve the highest potential in their career. ISC Group creates a tailored programme in each of their locations to ensure that different cultural challenges are being addressed in the different countries to enable women to gain the confidence and skills they need to progress successfully in their careers.

Templeton & Partners

To get global reach in Industry 4.0, clients need specialist global teams in multiple tech hubs. 99% of recruitment agencies operate locally; generalist giants with global reach operate in country silos. Templeton & Partners build scalable, specialist international tech teams for international businesses across multiple locations, through their own diverse and international team.

Simply Doughnuts

Simply Doughnuts is a British manufacturer of fresh doughnuts with an exceptionally long shelf-life. Its R&D work in extending shelf-lives won it a Queens’ Award for Enterprise in 2020 (Innovation category). Based in Blackburn, they have designed a recruitment process that searches for, trains and employs people in the local community that might otherwise find it hard to source work. Their belief and training has helped to inspire their community within the business.

Read more:
Business Champion Awards finalists revealed for Diversity and Inclusion programmes

This Business Champions Award celebrates businesses who help their customers or clients to increase sales and profitability through a competitive advantage.

Recognising the impact of ‘enablers’ that offer value beyond products, infrastructure and services and instead delivering more customers, clients or revenue for businesses certainly deserves a round of applause.

For a business to be constantly innovating to support its clients, as their unsung heroes in many cases, it doesn’t just need to be ahead of the curve, it needs to set the curve.

To achieve this aim the CEO needs to lead and inspire the entire team to be constantly analysing their work and data perceptions coupled with market trends, potential new verticals and competitors as well as innovation from their current and potential new suppliers.

These businesses assist with enabling business to make better, more informed decisions about their futures whilst always keeping an eye on the financials to ensure that they go up. Inspirational = yes. Am I looking forward to meeting them at the finale in March? Also yes. So without further ado, the finalists for 2023 are:

Ortharize

The Ortharize platform has been built to make business travel operations more efficient. Travellers spend up to 40% less when using it regain countless hours booking and reconciling travel over a dozen customisable reports including CO2 emission tracking. Each search will only show results that fit within each company’s designated travel policy so overspending can’t occur.

People Puzzles

Knowing that businesses thrive when everyone in the team is aligned and pulling in the same direction, People Puzzles deliver a range of HR Services to help mid-tier businesses source the people they need to succeed. Working remotely or on-site, they will get to know your business and ensure that people are managed, trained and sourced in a way that delivers results.

Swoop Funding

Thinking of themselves as virtual CFO’s, Swoop Funding takes the hassle out of finding funds to grow your business. Their software enables clients to search tailored options across loans, equity and grants and assists in processing applications to ensure the best possible outcomes. Their team can also help you find savings on your business costs from energy to banking and more.

Will Polston Coaching and Training

Will Polston is an entrepreneur, business strategist, and one of the UK’s leading performance coaches. Will works with entrepreneurs who want to achieve more in life – whether that’s more money, more time, more health, or more happiness. With one-on-one coaching, his academy and extra resources, Will has designed his business around his ability to assist his clients in breaking through their barriers, turn procrastination into productivity and achieve their full potential.

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The Business Enabler of the Year Award finalists revealed

Change is the key buzzword for these Business Champion Awards’ finalists.

It’s no secret that to start in business is filling a niche, to stay in business means adapting to change with a hard view for growth. Sometimes within this, a complete company rethink is needed.

These finalists recognised the need for transformation, researched concepts before implementing them and guided their team to adapt to key changes and get on board with the process. I’m looking forward to meeting you and hearing more at the grand finale in March.

Ksenia Droben Matchmaking

Using psychology and tested techniques, Ksenia Droben Matchmaking has been rescuing people from endless swiping, fake profiles, blind dates and gold diggers since 1998.

As professional and international matchmakers, the team are motivated to find people’s partners and match happy relationships together.

Make An Entrance Limited

Starting 50 years ago, Make An Entrance serve businesses and consumers with solutions for doorway matting from their online store. From traditional mats, handmade using time-honoured techniques, to contemporary and decorative entrance matting, to customisable and difficult shapes, they own their area of the market place with their all-encompassing service.

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The Business Transformation Award finalists announced

All hail the businesses who have brought change and disrupted the status-quo whilst maintaining consistent growth.

The Scale Up and Market Disruptor of the Year Award celebrates businesses who have identified a market opportunity and built a strategy that has altered customer behaviours.

By recognising the scale of their market opportunity they have successfully and consistently seen profitable growth whilst demonstrating the clear disruptive impact during the last 12 months. Certainly no mean feat during these past few years. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone at the grand finale in March.

AgilityECO

A leading provider of fuel poverty, energy-efficiency and low-carbon services across the UK, AgilityEco works in partnership with utility companies, local authorities, social housing providers, charities and social enterprises tackling the dual challenges of fuel poverty and vulnerability. We design and operate a number of community-based programmes to provide fuel poverty and energy efficiency solutions to these specific households

Bloom Procurement

Bloom offers a dynamic supply chain providing the public sector with a marketplace to buy and manage services. They ensure delivery of quality outcomes from their pre-approved and ever growing network of suppliers and consultants. Crucially, their fully compliant open access marketplace is outcomes-based, meaning the public sector only pays for what is delivered.

Bramble Energy

Bramble Energy is working towards a Net Zero carbon future, using today’s technology. They have developed a route to access, combine and distribute all forms of renewable energy generating technologies by cost effectively empowering the Hydrogen Economy. They are powering Net Zero with their unique PCBFC technology which has a number of key advantages compared to traditional fuel cell systems.

KW Special Projects

From race cars to hypercars, new battery technology to advanced applications for additive manufacturing, KWSP is a high-performance engineering specialist. Harnessing state-of-the-art technologies to solve complex challenges they work closely with their clients on collaborations and turnkey solutions for companies operating worldwide.

Petalite

Solving ‘charge anxiety’ for EV drivers is now a reality with the engineering and design of Petalite’s own SDC chargers and unique business model. They solve the common pains experienced by manufacturers, operators and owners of public rapid DC chargers. Their main focus is around reliability, ROI and charger life as well as addressing long term sustainability issues and driver frustrations.

PSE Offline Marketing

From Ikea to Hello Fresh, PSE Offline Marketing uses extraordinary levels of data to derive unique methods of marketing straight to the desired individuals of their brands. Driven by growth, they work with entrepreneurial businesses with ambitious plans and thrive on playing their part in helping their client’s surpass their goals.

Whiskey & Wealth Club

As specialised cask whiskey wholesalers, Whiskey & Wealth Club connect masters of the craft with true connoisseurs. In partnership with with some of the world’s finest distilleries, they offer cask whiskey to their private clients at special ultra-wholesale rates enabling anyone the opportunity to tap into the global whiskey market.

Read more:
Business Champion Awards release Scale Up and Market Disruptor of the Year Award finalists

Exporting requires a very specific headspace to deal with the vast amount of logistics.

Fortunately for the UK we have businesses who not only survive on this skill, but thrive on it. Crossing borders and creating brilliant points of trade and jobs in other countries to enable their communities to thrive too, the Business Champion Awards are proud to announce the 2023 Exporter of the Year Award finalists:

ETK Group

Founded in 2010, ETK’s vision is to contribute to the growth of African markets by delivering equitable business opportunities and facilitating access to the market for businesses of various sizes. They give their clients a clear and articulated pathway to international trade with Africa in a way that achieves results.

Sport:80

The Sport:80 Platform helps sports based businesses to streamline their processes, increase revenue and deliver an exceptional experience for their members. Serving the likes of International or national governing bodies, sports charities or community sports organisations, their intuitive members’ portal gives athletes, coaches, officials and fans the ability to manage their sporting profiles, update qualifications, enter competitions, and track results.

The English Soap Company

The English Soap Company story began in 2000, when founders Bob & Juliet discovered a number of vintage soap moulds lying disused in a machinery workshop farm in Kent. What began as a small family kitchen table business is now an internationally recognised soap and toiletries brand, exporting to over 40 different countries all over the world, with partnerships with large global brands such as Disney and The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.

The Warrier Academy

Believing there to be an incredible power at the intersection of Martial Arts and character development, The Warrior Academy combines modern teaching methods with traditional values to inspire young people to seek challenge and adventure. Their lessons impart the confidence in their students to challenge the status quo to impact the world for good.

Global Infusion Group

Since 1984, Global Infusion Group have been recognised for their worldwide hospitality, events and catering. Their long standing clients extend to sport, music, TV, Film, entertainment and corporate events. Headquartered in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, and with facilities in Asia, Middle East and USA, their trading divisions collaborate with an extensive worldwide network to deliver exceptional events and unparalleled brand activations.

Read more:
Exporter of the Year, Business Champion Awards’ finalists announced

Ava Whetstone-Magee, the founder of Avalanche Equestrian talks about the lightbulb moment which led her to start her business at the age of 13, which has seen her become a finalist in the young entrepreneur of the year category of the 2023 Business Champion Awards

What do you currently do at Avalanche Equestrian?

As Founder of Avalanche Equestrian I look after every aspect of my business. We have a small team of staff so my role consists of managing them and their time as well as designing new products and bringing them to market.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I remember clearly when the idea for Avalanche first came to me. It was winter. I was standing in a field up to my knees in mud with the sun setting.

I soon realised I couldn’t see my horse and no one could see me, being able to see and be seen is where is all began.

This was the moment I developed the SeeMe range of clothing and from this point onwards Avalanches ethos has always been to design clothing that has a practical and stylish but designed for a purpose .

Who do you admire?

That is a very good question, however difficult to answer. There are so many people that have influenced my success but no one singular person I can honestly say that I admire totally because there are so many.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

When I started Avalanche Equestrian I was only 13 years old. I received a lot of negative comments and criticism at school in the attempt to belittle me.

The honest truth is, it set me back, I started to wish I’d never started Avalanche and should just keep my head down. It then occurred to me the reason why this was happening and I used that frustration and drive to prove a point.

Looking back now I would really wish I didn’t care as much as much at the time about the negative comments however the irony is, it drove my ambitions further.

This is one of the reasons why I want to launch a Young Entrepreneur Academy for children who have drive and ambition. Just because we are young, our ideas and plans for our future should be nurtured and guided not overlooked.

What defines your way of doing business?

Customer focused, listen to our customers, give them what they want. It’s a simple ethos but it works.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Plan your business, look at the market and find your niche, do the ground work and put the effort in. You have to resign yourself to the fact it won’t make money overnight and whatever money you do make has to go straight back into the business. In essence, prepare yourself for alot of hard work with little financial reward to start with. If you can reconcile this and still believe in your business then do it and don’t look back.

Ava Whetstone-Magee is a finalist in this years Business Champion Awards in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category.

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Ava Whetstone-Magee: founder, Avalanche Equestrian

Will Polston, talks to Business Matters about how helping ambitious owners to maximise their potential has resulted in him becoming a finalist in the 2023 Business Champion Awards

What do you currently do at Will Polston Coaching and Training

I develop ambitious business owners to live a life they love by mastering their mindset, productivity, and efficiently. We do this by running a range of coaching services including an online academy, online accelerator, in person mastermind, and 1:1 coaching.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I grew up with a belief that money equals happiness, back in 2013 I had an eye and heart opening moment that lead me to realise that my belief that money equaled happiness was not the case and that the real driver was to do with my dad and how I perceived him not achieving his full potential which had an impact on him, my mum, me and all the family.

In that moment, I vowed, I did not want anyone else to go through the suffering of not achieving their full potential and set out on my quest to learn anything to do with human awareness, human potential, and human behaviour to enable people to transform excuses into results and live a life that they love.

Who do you admire?

Throughout my life I have had many mentors and people that influence me that I admire and trust, some of the most notable for me are my Uncle Mark, Tony Robbins, and Dr John Demartini.

I am also a huge fan of the NLP tool, modeling. There are dozens of traits or actions that individuals have or do that I aspire to model from people’s kindness to their communication, from their fashion style to their leadership qualities.

Looking up to others and incorporating these qualities is a blueprint that I have used for many years, and I will continue to do so.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Whilst I am very aware that everything happens for a reason and every challenge that I have ever faced whilst not necessarily loving them at the time I am grateful for them as they have shaped me to become the person that I am today, however, if there was one thing that I would go back and do or tell my younger self it would be to save 10% of everything I ever earnt and never spend that money only ever reinvest it as this not only gives a safety blanket it can create an ever growing resource that can be leveraged upon to do bigger and greater things with more ease.

What defines your way of doing business?

My mission in life is something I refer to as the “ripple effect” which is about me achieving my full potential not only benefitting myself but my family, my friends, my community, society, and humanity. I like to think that the way I do business is mirrored to this which creates win, win, win results for me, my team, and our clients. Additionally, I think all my business activities are aligned to that mission and getting people to live a life that they love.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Surround yourself with people that are further ahead on the journey to you to speed up the learning process, get really clear on what you want in the short, medium, and long term. Be willing to adapt and innervate and understand that there is no such thing as failure only feedback.

Ensure you have a good understanding of business financials this does not mean that you need to do a MBA but simply get a good accountant or financial professional to explain the differences between profit and loss, cashflow forecasts, and balance sheets. Ensure that you’re using and implementing profit and loss, and cashflow forecasts early on as they will help you sleep better at night and give you a stronger basis to grow from.

Will Polston is a finalist in this years Business Champion Awards in the Business Enabler category.

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Will Polston, founder, Will Polston Coaching & Training

Without innovation you’re just standing still and in business you can never afford to do that.

These companies, all based across the UK, are absolute champions of innovation. Refusing to sit still on their laurels they’re challenging the status quo on a daily basis. Propelling each of their chosen industries forwards, these are the Business Champion Awards ‘Business Innovation of the Year’ Finalists. Reading your websites has been inspirational, I’m looking forward to meeting you all at the grand finale in March.

Videosign

Videosign knew that they needed to provide extra layers of enhanced compliance and security for their digital, intuitive cloud-based remote system for end-to-end client engagement and remote signing and witnessing of documentation. With global laws changing to allow digital signatures and remote witnessing, and cyber fraud increasing, their platform evolved faster than they could have imagined during the pandemic to enhance security and support remote working in ‘the new normal’.

The Simulator Company

Genuinely believing that with simulation, lives can be saved, The Simulator Company is the first British company to manufacture advanced ECLS manikin-based simulators designed to mimic realistic clinical scenarios. All of their patented products are designed to fulfil current and future clinical training needs, helping to simulate challenging clinical scenarios and vastly improve each trainee’s technical skills.

SyncLodge

Working with the belief that all who create music should have equal opportunities in sync placement, regardless of their location, connections, finances, or fame, SyncLodge have created a powerful B2B ecosystem for music supervisors, visual production companies and copyright holders/administrators, to conclude all the sync licensing tasks needed to professionally license music.

Spacebands

Spacebands is a wearable device that collaborates with their mobile and web app ecosystem. It offers hazard prompts, wellness reminders and employee feedback about your workplace dangers, so that businesses stop approaching safety practices with guess-work. Over 1000 businesses worldwide now use them, improving workplace safety and calm.

Shinealight

‘The light you can’t see, until you choose to see it’, Shine A Light’s revolutionary concept in lighting design, ‘Eclipse’ is a British engineering masterpiece, acclaimed by interior designers and buyers from prestigious hotels around the globe. Representing a new generation in lighting that is more sculpture than traditional light, Eclipse gives out light on demand, but stands as a stylish feature in its own right, opening and closing whenever it’s desired.

Simply Doughnuts

Manufacturing doughnuts in a range of flavours and sizes that are designed to last longer than their competitors has opened up vast amounts of opportunity for Simply Doughnuts both across the UK and with brands internationally. Investing intensively in the development of long-life food technologies, they have set the standard globally on how to extend the life of food whilst reducing the amount of wastage across food, packaging and energy consumed in the making and transportation of the goods.

Nodum

If EV vehicles are the future, then charging stations need to become commonplace too. For those people renting accommodation or living in apartments where parking is limited, there’s no easy solution. Until Nodum’s ChargeBridge entered the space. Using height and length to their advantage they solve the issue quickly and easily for users.

Medical Logistics

Medical Logistics was set up to solve two issues within the medical world – lost medical packages and timely medical tests. Eradicating delays for medical tests and ensuring no more lost or damaged packages they offer a full courier service for medical practices and also offer ‘at-home’ test services in London and across the UK.

Lattice.site

Staying on top of a build project’s time-critical and expense elements is now possible with lattice.site‘s platform. Powered by insightful analytics and real-time progress visualisation, the team has digitalised the collection of project material status with a cloud-based collaborative platform to update and share status reports. This replaces mundane processes of spreadsheets or email chains, whilst ensuring that no data is lost or misrepresented.

Read more:
All hail the Business Champion Awards finalists of the ‘Innovation of the Year Award’

Wayne Janse Van Rensburg, Chief Executive of education company Learndirect talks to Business Matters about the inspiration behind their business, which has seen them become a finalist in the 2023 Business Champion Awards

What do you currently do at learndirect?

I am the CEO of learndirect. It is my responsibility to manage all of the operations of the company and ensure that we, as a business, continue to uphold our vision, mission and values.

This is especially important give the fact that we are a provider of adult education where tens of thousands of learners come to us each year to take that next step in changing their lives, something I am very proud of.

As CEO I aim to inject a natural fast pace approach, passion and enthusiasm to the business that creates a level of excitement and inspires my fantastic team to think big and bold.

 What was the inspiration behind your business?

learndirect is all about social mobility. It is about preparing and enabling people to take the next step in their education to allow them to make a positive impact in their lives.

The inspiration behind the business is to be the catalyst for change and allow our learners to make that change at a time and place that they can fit around their own lives. This is why people chose learndirect as we offer online learning opportunities that people can fit around their own lives.

Who do you admire?

My grandfather was actually one of the early ‘pioneers’ of home learning. He set up and ran a very successful correspondence college (where course materials were posted out and the answers posted back to the college). I began working in his business at the age of 13. He taught me a lot about business, resilience and the value of money, so I appreciate the early impact he made on my professional life.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

I am a great believer in no regrets. For me, the most important thing in life is to learn from your mistakes. I have no doubt I could have made different decisions/done things differently, however I believe that had I, I would be in a different position than the one we are in as a business today. Given I am extremely proud of where we are as a business and the trajectory we are on, I am ultimately proud of the decisions made to date.

What defines your way of doing business?

Innovation, passion and leading a team to deliver a fast paced, forward-thinking business. Being astute at spotting opportunities, taking calculated risks when assessing them and quickly taking innovations to market. We are nothing without our team, so keeping them motivated, passionate and proud to work for the business is key to success.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Business is not easy. You can never underestimate the importance of resilience. Don’t waste time dwelling on mistakes, but rather learn from them and move forwards. Business is not part-time, it requires total focus.

Learndirect are a finalist in this years Business Champion Awards in the Business Growth Category

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Wayne Janse Van Rensburg, Chief Executive, Learndirect

Andy Watson, founder, Aberdeen Diving Services, talks to Business Matters about how his passion for diving has led his company to become a finalist in the 2023 Business Champion Awards

What do you currently do?

As the founder of Aberdeen Diving Services, I am responsible for equipment servicing and Padi Specialist instructor within the business. ADS is still very much a growing business and we are always growing our team and I will hopefully be able to share some of my responsibilities to the fantastic team we have.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Who do you admire?

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

What defines your way of doing business?

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Andy Watson, founder, Aberdeen Diving Services

These finalists are making the UK a more sustainable and conscious place to do business.

Taking care of our planet and future generations should be on every business’ agenda. It takes a lot of effort to be eco-innovative – it’s not something that happens over night. Every element of the supply chain needs to be regarded and daily practices need to be embedded by every member of the team. Thankfully for the UK, these businesses placed sustainability as a firm value and transformed that value into a workable mission. Congratulations to our top ten ‘The Sustainable Business Awards’ finalists. I’m looking forward to meeting you at the grand finale in March.

Barefoot Eco Cleaning

Offsetting both theirs and their client’s carbon whilst cleaning has seen Barefoot Eco Cleaning surge forwards to a respected client base. Offering a comprehensive range of commercial and domestic cleaning services to meet each client’s needs in a professional, regular and affordable manner.

Bluetree Group

As the UK’s largest online printer and in 2020, became the UK’s first manufacturer of type IIR surgical masks. Bluetree exists to manufacture and sell standardised, affordable, high-quality products through investing in the latest technology. Committed to achieving Net Zero for the delivery and disposal of its products and activities by 2030, the company will fully map, understand and measure all additional value chain scope 3 emissions and achieve Net Zero for scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2035.

BTS Fabrications

Friday the 11th of November is a monumental day for BTS Facades and Fabrications as it’s the day they received our carbon neutral certificate. They are on a mission to be the most sustainable metal rainscreen, bespoke special product and flashing manufacturer and to be NetZero before 2030

Cotswold Fayre

Building an environmental strategy based on CO2e, supply chain, food waste and plastic, Cotswold Fayre are the UK’s leading speciality and fine food wholesaler, a certified B Corp and is committed to reaching their target of Net Zero carbon by 2030. Not only that, they’re propelling other businesses to doing the same by being the change they wish to see in the world.

Crown Oil

Crown Oil is the first fuel supplier in the UK to be certified carbon neutral. They achieved this milestone by running their fleet on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), reducing their emissions by as much as possible and offsetting those they cannot avoid. They are now putting all of their energy into reaching net zero by 2030 and bringing their customers with them on the journey.

Juice Global

The philosophy at Juice is to make people feel amazing, from employees, to retail partners and their consumers. Their mission to be carbon neutral includes their Juice HQ being powered by wind farms through to their product and packaging being made from 100% recycled materials (so 100% recyclable). Passionate about creating a waste-free world they believe doing business shouldn’t cost the earth.

Positive Planet

Offering specialist help and advice to support multiple companies on their pathway to net-zero. Positive Planet’s experienced team cover everything from using recognised carbon accounting standards to ensure that carbon emission reporting is accurate and credible to creating sustainability plans within businesses and offsetting anything else that can’t be actioned.

The Friendly Chemical Co

Understanding that understand that manufacturing, transporting and using cleaning products can have a negative impact on the environment. The Friendly Chemical Co work hard to ensure that every raw ingredient and component used to make their products is assessed and chosen carefully to leave a minimal impact on the planet.

Water Plus

As the trusted water retail partner for organisations throughout England and Scotland Water Plus help their customers to save water and lower their environmental impact. They work alongside their clients around water reduction and offer their support for projects helping carbon prevention and carbon capture.

YANA Active

Much like the Amazon tribes that were their inspiration, YANA Active’s range of active wear has been designed with sustainability in mind. To minimise their carbon footprint they have used recycled fabrics, natural fibres and materials, and they’ve kept their CO2 emissions low by  manufacturing as many of their products in the UK avoiding long haul transportation.

Read more:
The Business Champion Awards ‘Sustainable Business’ finalists are released …

With British SME’s accounting for 99% of businesses across the UK, the Scoreapp SME of the Year award is hotly contested.

To run a successful SME means achieving growth, in a year on year manner. This has been made exceptionally difficult over the past three years with global events putting business owners to the test. Mental resolve to pave new ways forwards whilst exploring new verticals and methods of working have paid dividends, literally for these finalists.

It’s a huge achievement to get this far out of the hundreds of applicants. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the finalists at the finale evening in March. For now, raise a glass to:

Aberdeen Diving Services

Their team has decades of experience and knowledge in all aspects of PADI training, HUET diving, offshore survival instruction, equipment servicing, pool cleaning and much more. Giving expert and impartial advice, the Aberdeen Diving Service’s customers have the benefit of their experience and hands on knowledge of all leading brands to get them into the water safely.

CAYP Psychology

CAYP Psychology is an independent clinical psychology-led service. Their top priority is effective, professional and timely psychological support for Children, Adolescents and Young People, covering a wide range of social, emotional, behavioural and psychological difficulties.

Copylab

Working for approximately 70% of the world’s largest asset managers via a network of 100+ investment communication specialists, Copylab’s team delivers content strategy and writing within the investment world.

DLC Training

From leadership and manangement to supply chain and logistics, DLC Training offers courses across the entirety of business. Boosting productivity and knowledge across industries, they are the UK’s leading distance learning provider. Renowned for their support packages, they are dedicated to helping each and every learner achieve their professional development aims.

Making Moves London

Looking for a new office space can be overwhelming, especially in a fast-paced property market like London – but don’t worry, Making Moves, matching businesses to their perfect London office space is what they do best. Their team of expert office space agents work hard to make the moving process as seamless as possible, so you can keep focusing on what matters, your business.

Oppidan Education

Believing that the best tutors are mentors, Oppidan Education supports thousands of young people through one-to-one mentoring with families and in-school programmes. With a team of 200 mentors dedicated to the pursuit of positive change for children throughout their education, they boost self confidence, engagement with learning, and communication skills.

Rockleigh Ltd

With over 20 years of experience, both in commercial and domestic tree work Rockleigh Ltd works with some of the top companies in the UK providing not only tree surgery, but a full landscape maintenance service.

Tribe Energy Services

From procurement and bill validation to meter installation and contracting, Tribe Energy Services provide their clients with the most competitive pricing for their home and business energy needs. Unlike other energy providers, Tribe pride themselves fully on offering a straight talking, simple pricing, structured engagement so their customers are aware of everything that is happening with their energy contracts.

Zenzero

ZenZero specialises in delivering industry leading IT Support to midsize businesses, schools and charities across the UK. Their sustainable IT solutions not only address their client’s current needs, but also have the capacity to grow and evolve in line with the growth and evolution of the individual organisations they work with.

Read more:
Business Champion Award’s release SME of the Year finalists

Even attempting to burst onto the scene in the last three years deserves an award in itself.

Let alone taking a concept and pushing forwards in the most challenging of times with the most tenacity to launch and make a profit.

It’s time to congratulate the sheer imagination and talent behind the nation’s New Business of the Year award finalists. I’m looking forward to meeting you at the finale in March.

Raise a glass to:

AnnexusEV

AnnexusEV is an EV Consultancy focused on providing electric vehicle charging infrastructure UK wide. Inspired by Sir David Attenborough to do their part in saving our planet. AnnexusEV also provides clean energy tariffs to help support the transition to low carbon driving.

Businesswise Accountancy and Tax

Every business needs clarity and non-time consuming solutions to their finance. Businesswise Accountancy and Tax provide no-nonsense, reliable services across book keeping, VAT and cashflow planning, all backed up by the latest digital technologies.

Dream Empire Market Co

The Dream Empire Market Co was set up during the Covid Pandemic, through the need for small businesses and crafters to have space to thrive and grow through events and markets. Each event has 40 traders, showcasing their wares to the general public and supporting local charities.

Eleven Views

Firmly believing that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to marketing, Eleven Views creates innovative ways for businesses to reach their target market. This is one digital marketing agency that gets excited about helping SME’s make an impact.

FiiT4GROWTH

Partnering with clients to create an environment where teams can excel consistently over the long term, FiiT4GROWTH provides executive coaching, leadership development, and group coaching based on scientifically proven curriculums. They align individual and organisational goals, creating success, improving mental and physical wellbeing and reducing stress.

Imagineerium

Driven by a love of bold design, conceptual cleverness and high quality delivery, Imagineerium is a specialised design studio that brings physical space to life for brands, festivals and interiors. With jaw dropping effects and displays, they push the boundaries of creativity to solve projects of all shapes and sizes with their original, show stopping outcomes.

Liberty Collins

Working collaboratively with clients, Liberty Collins delivers R&D tax advice. Paving the way for businesses to apply and benefit from innovation tax relief, credits, grants and far more. Using finance in an innovative manner, their clients experience growth and return on investment.

Little Sprouts CSA

Relieving parents of one of their stressers, Little Sprouts CSA is car seat, nursery retailer and advice company based in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Supplying the best and safest brands, offering advice, fit checks and fitting to ensure their customers children travel safely and in style.

LOKI POKE

Taking the UK by storm, Loki Poke has kept the nation’s tastebuds tantalised and healthy everywhere from their home shop in Bristol to Glastonbury, The Secret Garden Party and Loves Saves The Day. Banning boring bland sandwiches, their colourful poké bowls have expanded to work events as well as every day sustenance.

Simplex Accounting

From paper-mess to paper-less, Simplex Accounting is taking the stress out of traditional book keeping and delivering a seamless, stress-free service to their clients. Aiming to give clarity to business owners, their their eco-friendly methods also encourage their clients to be more eco-aware with their processes during their business journey.

Read more:
Here’s to the New Business of the Year, Business Champion Awards finalists

Ronan Finnegan, co-founder of safer workplace company Spacebands talks to Business Matters about the inspiration behind their business, which has seen them become a finalist in the 2023 Business Champion Awards

What do you currently do at Spacebands?

As one of the co-founders at Spacebands I am responsible for product Development, Web Development, Business Development, Finance, Marketing and HR within the business.

We are building the team at the moment and hopefully many of these responsibilities will be issued to great team members very soon!

I am an Entrepreneur with a varied business background. I have a strong belief that anything is possible with enough time, dedication, persistence and optimism.

I have had a range of previous businesses: a social distancing tech company, a mobile app development firm (orDonate), a marketing agency (Search and Social), a hardware repair eBay business (buying and selling damaged phones and laptops), an attempt on creating a vegan protein snack brand (Tempe), an affiliate sim card channel, an arbitrage betting company, a waterproof wallet lifestyle brand…

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Spacebands started in March 2020. After gaining extensive press coverage and 1000+ customers globally with our social distancing device (including the NHS, MoD, Panasonic, Sony & Amazon), we are now pivoting to create a new multi-feature hazard alert system that will aim to change the future of workplace safety, well-being and insurance.

The brand-new wearable and SaaS platform (app and web-app) will alert for a multitude of hazards that aims to protect businesses by preventing workplace injuries, reducing staff sickness, enabling workplace wellness whilst collating a paper trail of live safety data points. Employers will be able to make informed decisions about their workplace safety and will be able to monitor workplace stressors whilst prompting employees to action wellness at work.

Privacy is at the forefront of development, all data will be anonymous unless the wearable user (employee) decides to attribute it to themselves manually. Effectively, an employee can decide if they want to track their safety and stress at work and if not, their company can still benefit from the company-wide dataset.

Who do you admire?

I look up to business owners who are able to build cultures that don’t ‘feel like work’. I read Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard and it was a real inspiration for me.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

For the first two years of the business, Harry and I were self-funded, in hindsight, seeking investment previously would have sped up our growth, but nevertheless we are very grateful for our what we have achieved.

What defines your way of doing business?

I believe that I treat all interpersonal relationships in the same way. I am open and honest with all partners, employees and investors (I don’t put on a front), by which I believe that respect is mutually shared and this helps everyone. I often tell people that I don’t know the answer and am often told how to improve as a result. Life is for learning!

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

The only thing stopping you from starting is yourself. Put one foot forward and the next one will eventually follow. Learning can always be done if there is perseverance following it!

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Ronan Finnegan, co-founder, Spacebands

Jonny Duggan, Chief Executive Officer, AnnexusPartners talks to Business Matters about the inspiration behind their business, which has seen them become a finalist in the 2023 Business Champion Awards

What do you currently do at ‘AnnexusPartners’?

I am Co-Founder of AnnexusPartners, incorporating AnnexusEV. I also hold the role of Chief Executive Officer, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running and the growth of the business. Ultimately as CEO of a start-up, my role is to make sure the business doesn’t run out of money. It’s as simple as that.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

During one of the numerous lockdowns the UK faced in the pandemic, I watched a Sir David Attenborough documentary which inspired me. Both businesses were founded out of a passion for making a difference. AnnexusEV came first. I had spent some time working in the energy sector, both on a city trading floor and in a commercial brokerage.

Between the automotive sector and the energy sector, both our Co-Founder Gerard and I felt that electric vehicle drivers were not getting the support they needed when it came to charging their vehicle.

We felt that drivers needed advice, guidance and ultimately a simplified approach to the confusing world of EV charging. AnnexusEV was set up with this in mind, to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ to drivers who needed a home EV charge point installing. We set the business up to be fully independent, partnering with the best brands in the EV charging world and offering nationwide installation.

From there, our business grew into the fleet sector when AnnexusEV became part of the IFC Group in October 2021. The business now services a growing number of fleet clients, offering selection and installation of EV charge points residentially and commercially.

In 2023, AnnexusPartners launched. A consultancy that incorporates AnnexusEV and is focused on making UK businesses more sustainable. AnnexusPartners is working with organisations to reduce their carbon intensity through three key headings: Charging Infrastructure, Sustainability and Data. More information can be found on the AnnexusPartners website.

Who do you admire?

The main influence on me from a business perspective is my Dad. He inspired me to want to start my own business and he is someone I admire greatly for what he has achieved. It’s great to be in business with him and my brother at AnnexusPartners.

I have taken inspiration from many leaders over the years. If I was to pick someone in the sustainability and EV world that I admire, it would be Jordan Brompton of myenergi. What she has achieved alongside Co-Founder Lee Sutton is nothing short of remarkable.

Outside of the sustainability space, I am a big fan of various sports. Businesspeople in sport such as Eddie Hearn and Sir Clive Woodward are both men that I look up to. What Eddie has achieve with Matchroom globally is very impressive, and his ability to promote and sell an event is second to none. What Sir Clive Woodward has achieved in business and in rugby, as well as his leadership style, is inspiration to many including me.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

I don’t see the benefit in looking back negatively or in regretting any decisions, each decision teaches us something. In terms of doing something differently, I would’ve had the confidence to start a business earlier. I waited until I was 29 to co-launch my first business and I would be further along if I had started earlier. That being said, I have learnt an awful lot from working in other people’s businesses over the years. This has stood me in good stead to run my own business.

What defines your way of doing business?

My way of doing business is influenced by honesty, trust and high performance. We measure our business on the triple bottom line; Planet, People and Profit. The environment has a big impact on how we conduct ourselves as a business.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Just start. That’s it. Don’t worry about having millions of pounds or lots of clients. Start with a strong plan and have the flexibility to be able to pivot quickly. As a start-up, flexibility is key to winning business off more established businesses with a higher headcount and higher overheads. Surround yourself with people better than you and most of all, enjoy the journey!

AnnexusPartners are a finalist in this years Business Champion Awards in the New Business Category

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Jonny Duggan, Chief Executive Officer, AnnexusPartners

As part of our series profiling the finalists of the Business Champion Awards 2023 we spoke to Shiraz Master, the founder of Simply Doughnuts, who are a double finalist in this years awards.

What do you currently do at Simply Doughnuts?

As managing director, I’m naturally involved in all aspects of the business.

In any given week, I spend a lot of time on client liaison – gathering feedback from supermarkets and other retail customers and making sure that we’re responding to their needs and priorities. Over the last year, for example, there has been a big swing towards net zero agendas, so we’re doing a lot more to measure carbon impacts and to adopt the carbon auditing systems that some of the major multiples demand.

That also touches on another important aspect of my work, which is about investment in plant, premises and training: putting everything in place to increase production capacity, reduce process waste, boost efficiency and to do all that while maintaining our AA+ quality rating from the BRCGS.

In the last year, we’ve increased our output capacity by around half a million doughnuts per week, and that has coincided with significant energy efficiency improvements and a new waste management policy that has diverted 100% of our waste from landfill.

We’ve also greatly reduced food miles within the supply chain by extending our ‘buy local’ policy to include packaging and other non-food elements.

I’m also closely involved in new product development, which has been the backbone of the company since its formation. We have developed a range of doughnuts that stay fresh in ambient conditions for 34 days and this helps retailers to minimise their risks of waste-related losses; product having to be discarded because it passes its use-by date.

This has become an ever more important selling point for our products and we continue to make huge R&D efforts to extend those shelf-lives even further.

More recently, I have been spending more and more time on export sales and marketing. We’re making great progress in the Gulf States now, having agreed deals with hypermarkets in countries such as Qatar and UAE. We’ve had help from the Department for International Trade and we’ve taken part on several trade missions.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

It started when I was still working in the forecourt retail sector. I kept seeing customers coming in and looking for sweet, fresh, ‘on the go’ snacks that they could take with them in their cars, into work and so on. Doughnuts would have been great for that but, in a small retail environment, we didn’t have the freezer space to store large stocks of product. And even if we had, we didn’t usually have the time free to spend freezing and thawing it for display.

That got me thinking how popular doughnuts would be if we could only find some that could be stored at ambient temperatures, and which would last more than just two days, which is still typical of conventional doughnuts.

But such a product didn’t exist. It was either a question of buying fresh and having to face 2-day shelf-lives and expensive losses due to waste, or buying frozen and somehow finding the room and the staff time to handle all the freezing and thawing requirements. It wasn’t commercially viable to risk either, so I started to wonder what would be involved in making a long-lasting doughnut myself.

In 2011, I began looking around for food scientists and labs in Britain and Europe and began to get a sense that with the right processes and conditions, we really could create something that would last well, taste great and sell well in forecourts, supermarkets and other outlets. In 2012, I launched the business, and we’ve been growing ever since.

Whom do you admire?

I really admire my parents, who instilled values in me that are still incredibly important to the business. My father was a natural and dedicated entrepreneur. He showed me the value of determination and hard work, and of always being calm, fair and honest.

My late mother was an inspiration; an example of the importance of ‘soft’ interpersonal skills. She always made time to provide lots of support and affection.

She was very compassionate and had a real philosophy of ‘giving.’ For any employer who values his or her workforce, these are important values to remember.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

There are always small things, especially when it comes to new product development and trying out something that is genuinely completely new.  We went down plenty of blind alleys in our R&D work, but that’s the nature of the work: we’re pioneering new process technologies and there’s always an element of trial and error in that. If I’d had a magic wand, then of course we’d have skipped the errors, but that’s all an inevitable part of it.

To be realistic, I don’t think there is much that I would do differently if I were doing it all again. I think we took the right approach. We identified the best possible partners for the job, we took advantage of their immense scientific expertise, and we had enough faith in their advice to invest the time and money to make things happen.

Yes, there have been products that we trialled and subsequently withdrew but, in general, the long shelf-life technology has been a huge success and a growing number of retailers are now stocking our products both in the UK and overseas.

What defines your way of doing business?

It’s very customer-led. Everything we do is the result of looking outward and trying to gauge what retailers and consumers are looking for. In the last few months, for example, we’ve been busy meeting supermarket category buyers, wholesalers and consumers in the Gulf States.

We’ve been gathering feedback on what flavours people prefer, how and when they buy, and whether there is anything else we need to understand. On the back of that, we have developed some new vanilla-based flavour variants and we’ve introduced some new pack sizes and packaging options.

But the same principle applies to everything. In the UK, for example, we’re constantly looking for new ways to reduce waste and, most recently, trying to find anything at all that we can do to insulate ourselves against rising cost pressures.

That all helps us to keep our wholesale prices down, which is obviously a real priority for supermarkets who are trying to support their shoppers.

We’ve also recently introduced a new vegan product, which responds to a growing market, and developed a long-lasting sugar glaze. The list really does go on, but it’s always about meeting underlying customer demand.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

In our case, I think that one of the things that really helped us was our decision to begin by seeking out the best advice that we could. It’s really important to set out in the right direction, and for a new entrepreneur, that direction isn’t always clear.

But there are experienced people out there who can provide technical input, market intelligence, real-world commercial feedback and so on. It might feel daunting to invest in securing that input, but as an investment, it’s well worthwhile.

Simply Doughnuts is a finalist in the Business Innovation and Diversity & Inclusion Categories in the Business Champion Awards 2023

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Shiraz Master, Managing Director, Simply Doughnuts

Philip Atkinson, managing director of North East-based manufacturing firm, BTS Facades and Fabrications tells Business Matters more about the direction of his carbon neutral business

What do you currently do at BTS Facades and Fabrications?

I’m the managing director at BTS Facades & Fabrications. I lead a forward-thinking manufacturing business which employs a team of 50.
We specialise in facades and fabrications and strive for precision manufacturing, which is much how I see my role. I drive the business forward, ensuring we’re an attractive company to work both with and for.

The project I’m currently working on entails making BTS a sustainable company, and over the past year I have been exploring and learning about the options we have.

Since I started exploring environmentally-friendly alternatives, we’ve made a number of steps into becoming more sustainable, and have even achieved a carbon neutral status, with aims of achieving NetZero by 2030.

Additionally, I am also committed to ensuring BTS becomes a B Corp organisation with a stakeholder business model.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

It’s all I’ve ever known; my father brought me into his roofing and cladding business in 1985, and 36 years later I’m still in the cladding game.

However, I have spent the last 13 years as the managing director of a new entity, BTS, which has been going strong since 2009.
My inspiration was to do it better than I knew; I learned so much in my previous tenure, but it also taught me to do things better and engage better and lead with passion and vigour.

Who do you admire?

I admire strong leaders such as Alan Sugar. I’ve read his book and take empowerment from his humble start to where he is now. I spent my first 12 years in business on a factory floor, so feel I share a similar journey.

The modest start to my career enabled me to learn every aspect of my trade, but also gave me the drive to do more, even if it did mean taking a pay cut – I knew it would be worth it in the end.

I also admire my two former bosses. One taught me to have a strong work ethic, and the other boss encouraged me to enjoy every working day – both lessons are still true to this day.

I also admire my father, a self-made man who, at 82, still comes into the business and offers advice at board meetings and can often be seen on the other end of a machine late on a night to help hit customer delivery dates.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

I took the step to go on my own at 39. In hindsight, I wish I had done it 10 years earlier. However, after speaking with my former boss, we both agreed I probably wasn’t ready. I suppose you have to trust the process sometimes.

If there is one thing I could change it would to have seen more of my kids growing up, but the sacrifice has paid dividends as I’m now an 8-hour-a-day man and have lots of holidays and spend every minute I can with my wife and family.

I’ve really enjoyed every minute of it though; it’s been a dream come true.

What defines your way of doing business?

I’m a ‘doer’. If I’m asked to do something, I ensure it’s completed with passion and integrity. I lead with a love for what I do and pride of the business’s accomplishments. I take sales personally and strive to have brilliant relationships with our tier one customers and suppliers.

I aim to have an engaged workforce who share my vision, I do this through taking a hands-on approach with my team, I love to work closely with them to encourage them to grow within the business and come through the ranks.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Honestly, just work hard. It’s really tough at times, but if you love what you do it’s rewarding. My door is always open if anyone is in need of any advice.

During my time as an MD, I have learned it can be a little lonely, my advice is to mould a team that shares your vision and supports you.
Additionally, I have found that engagement and strategy is key.

Engage closely with every member of staff and be transparent. Have a plan, and stick to it, but ensure your team are involved in the decision-making process.

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Philip Atkinson, Managing Director, BTS Facades & Fabrications

As part of our series profiling the finalists of the Business Champion Awards 2023 we spoke to Paul Hargreaves, the founder of Cotswold Fayre, who are a double finalist in this years awards.

What do you currently do at ‘Cotswold Fayre’

I am the founder and CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) at Cotswold Fayre, which has two sides to the business.  The main business, which started in 1999, is a wholesaler of speciality food to around 2,000 retail sites across the UK – farm shops, garden centres, delicatessens, food halls etc.  Then in June 2021 we also opened our own retail site, called Flourish, which sells our own products and has a 120-cover restaurant.

On both sides of the business, I am fortunate to have two fantastic leadership teams who look after most of the day-to-day side of the business.  I set culture and strategic direction and support them in the great work they do.  I have discovered as I become older that more often than not other people can do a better job than me; I just need to be good at finding the right people!

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Originally, I was selling a few products from The Cotswold’s in my spare time in the late nineties and a farm shop manager mentioned how difficult she was finding to easily source and order a decent range of fine British food.  It turned out that this was a common problem, so we rented a small warehouse, filled it with gorgeous food and drink and started supplying retailers all over the UK.

I came from the charitable sector to start the business and was keen to have a business that wasn’t just about making money but made a positive difference in the community.  So, of our original first five employees, three others might have called ‘unemployable’; ex-con, recovering drug addict and alcoholic.  Since 1999 we have tried to make a positive different in all we have done since then in both in a social and environment way.

Imagine then, our delight when we discovered the B Corp movement in 2015 and became one of the first B Corps in the UK.  These are all businesses like us that put people and planet before profit and there are now 1,200 in the UK.  This movement is our main inspiration now and I spend around 20% of my time talking to other businesses about being better for people and planet.

Who do you admire?

That’s like a question I ask at interviews, “Excluding family members, who has most inspired you in your life?” I have always been disappointed with people’s ability to answer the question.  There simply aren’t enough inspiring leaders around who are inspiring their people to be better.  In fact, this triggered me writing a book about being an inspiring leader, The Fourth Bottom Line.  I use Nelson Mandela as a superb example of leadership in that book, so he would be the answer to this question.  We can learn more from reading his autobiography than any leadership or management book you might have picked up.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Short answer: ‘plenty’.  The main two things would be to make sure I listened to my intuitive side more.  The main times I have made mistakes were when I made a very rational decision but had a nagging feeling inside that we weren’t going in the right direction.  I am better at this now, but still learning.

The second would be to take on better people sooner.  We now have a great team, but we would have better earlier if I had taken on more expensive, experienced people earlier.  They always make back for the company the extra they are paid.

What defines your way of doing business?

Put people and planet first and the profits will follow.  These days consumers and buyers want to buy products and services from companies that are making a positive difference in our broken world, both for the planet and the poor.  Companies that do this will flourish in preference to those businesses that are only about shareholder benefit.  The more we have given away as a business, the more we grow.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Don’t hold back and be afraid to fail, dream your dreams.  Clearly there needs to be a balance between taking risks and playing safe, but most play safe for too long.  There is still a taboo around failing in the UK.  I would rather employ someone that has failed and learned than someone who has never taken a risk.  I would also counsel anyone starting out to ensure there are people around them (not family members) who they can turn to for advice.

Cotswold Fayre are a double finalist in this years Business Champion Awards in both the Sustainable Business category and Growth Business of the Year

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Paul Hargreaves, Founder & CEO, Cotswold Fayre

As part of our series profiling the finalists of the Business Champion Awards 2023 we spoke to, young entrepreneur of the year finalist and founder of the Music Workflow Academy, Omar Meho.

What do you currently do at Music Workflow Academy?

Omar Meho is an artist from the United Kingdom. He is a Label Owner, Music Production/ DJ Teacher, Mastering Engineer and International Resident in Ibiza, France, U.K & Dubai.

He has played in some of the biggest clubs in the U.K Including Egg LDN, Fabric, The Arch, The Cause & Much more. He has played festivals in front of 12,500 people and has support on his tracks from some of the biggest DJ’s in the world including Marco Carola, East End Dubs, Chris Stussy, Jamie Jones, Adam Beyer And More.

Music Workflow Academy provides a range of services for our customers, including music production lessons, mixing, mastering, sample packs, templates, racks, tutorials, stems, dj lessons and playlist placement. We have been operating for the last few years and our staff are highly qualified and experienced with relevant expertise. Read our reviews or give us a call/send message for a no-obligation quote.

We teach beginner DJ’s and Music Producers the basics of their skills and help them perform live sets and sign to their favourite record labels

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I wanted to help my younger self and I felt like there were no good tutorials online for what I wanted to learn. My 14 year old self needed help learning these skills but had no one to teach him. So I decided when I get to a high level I will teach the youth and grow the grass roots of the music community.

I have always wanted to make the world a better place and by teaching DJ’ing and Music Production I can officially help others. They say gaining knowledge is the first step to wisdom. Sharing it is the first step to humanity.

Who do you admire?

Martin Garrix, Bill Gates, Barrack Obama for his orator skills, Richard Branson for his note taking skills.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Absolutely nothing. I am happy with how I have conducted myself and I have learnt from my previous business failures enough on how to succeed.

What defines your way of doing business?

Ethics come first, treat others fairly and with respect and give everyone the best customer service they have ever received! (Crucial).

Provide excellent quality goods and services. Help all that are grateful and produce content that educates large audiences.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Consistency is key. 1 in 9 business ideas succeed. So you need to be in this for the long run. Keep going and the obstacles are typically the path, take them in order to succeed.

Continue to diversify your goods, services and business strategy.

Analyse competition and differentiate yourself from the market. Pay good energy forward and aim to help as many people as possible and make the world a better place. Business should be a positive venture that helps others and creates a win-win value exchange for both the customer and visitor

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Omar Meho, founder, Music Workflow Academy

As part of our series profiling the finalists of the Business Champion Awards 2023 we spoke to Ella Jones, a finalist in the young entrepreneur category of the awards and founder of equestrian clothing company, Ancora Equestrian

What do you currently do at Ancora Equestrian?

Presently I’m just launching online the much awaited junior range of Ancora’s horse riding clothing range, so it’s been a busy lead up with photoshoots and the social media marketing build up to the launch.

I’m really excited to finally get this range added to our collection. Next then it will be back to the drawing board to get the mens range designed and tested.

Early in the year sees all the chosen trade stands to attend in 2023 booked at equestrian events across the UK. Last year saw the sales model tried and tested successfully so this year will include extra tour dates in the ‘out on the road’ diary

Words getting out fast that Ancora is the hottest new brand of affordable on trend equine clothing to hit the market. Customer following is very loyal once they discover Ancora’s range of boutique quality clothes

Ancora has a fabulous range of competition and stable wear clothes in some gorgeous colour combinations and customer feedback is that they wear well, wash well and don’t need ironing!

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Since I was in my early teens I always wanted to look fashionable in riding gear but it was always so expensive. I was the kid wearing hand me downs, making do in an uncomfortably hot tweed riding jacket.

I had a lightbulb moment to want to start an affordable range of boutique quality equestrian clothing while travelling after my A levels. I just decided ‘I was going to do this!’ Everyone should be able to afford to look great!

Who do you admire?

I’ve met a lot of small business owners at  shopping villages at Equestrian events over the past year and it’s absolutely brilliant to build up friendships, network and give and get advice. I’ve 100% admiration for fellow entrepreneurs!

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

An awful lots happened in a short time.

I incorporated Ancora in 2018 but only really got stuck in and focused in 2020. In hindsight I should have done more in the first two years but I kinda believe everything happens for a reason and being a little older probably worked well to my advantage.

Back in 2018 I literally started with trialling just a few items so really not much funding was initially needed at all. Once I started selling  I continually reinvested and reinvested profits to slowly but surely grow the stock levels. I’ve learnt so much by taking it very slowly at the beginning.

After a year off to concentrate on my showjumping riding I really got back into Ancora’s launch and managed to sell a few sport horses which I’d produced.

That set me up to trade at the shopping village at Londons’ The International Horse of the Year Show in Dec 2022 and it was going to be sink or swim at such a big event.

Thankfully I swam and that set me up to purchase a fitted out lorry to set up a mobile boutique shop which has enabled me to take Ancora to different geographical areas ‘on the road’ across the UK  to raise Ancora’s Brand awareness to the horsey world.

It’s been an unreal journey so far and I’m lucky there’s not much I’d change to date.

What defines your way of doing business?

You do get some funny looks being a young girl who’s the boss of their own business. I’ve worked hard on networking and make sure I’m always polite and courteous to everyone. Respect I know needs to be earned.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

This would be my personal check list to share with others starting out…

• Be resilient as there’s always knock backs and setbacks along the way
• Learn as you go along
• Stay within budgets
• Seek encouragement and advice
• Be focused
• Keep things simple
• Grow your network
• Accept feedback
• Plan out your goals
• Own your mistakes
• Get a mentor
• Don’t be over-fazed by your competitors. There’s plenty of room for everyone.
• Get a bookkeeper or accountant and lastly be polite and keep smiling!

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Ella Jones, Founder, Ancora Equestrian

As part of our series profiling the finalists of the Business Champion Awards 2023 we spoke to Lionel Lodge, the CEO & Co-Founder of media licensing company SyncLodge

What do you currently do at SyncLodge?

I am CEO and Co-Founder. I overview all aspects, work directly with each division of the company, and manage cross-industry communications.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I have worked in many aspects of the entertainment industry in the management as well as the creative side. In mid-2000’s CD sales were disappearing.

Sync licensing was suggested as a way to cover the lost revenue. By first focusing on leveraging my own catalogue, I built up a sync licensing agency. This gave me great insights into the mechanics of the industry.

I was surprised by how analogue the industry-standard workflow tools were. It was obvious that a digital transformation was needed. There was a high level of frustration and a lot of time wasted on non-creative tasks.

We spent the first year talking to established, and new, contacts in the industry, mapping pain points. We built a clear plan of system structure and saw that no one else was looking at the industry in this way.

The need was there, the market was clear, and the opportunity was obvious.

Who do you admire?

I admire many people. I admire people like Elton John, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. I also admire people like the astrobiologist Betül Kaçar, the legendary jiu-jitsu competitor Roger Gracie, and the co-founder of OpenAI, Wojciech Zaremba.

I also admire the people close to me (my wife Karin and my family), the team at SyncLodge, and so many people in the industry I have the honor of working with.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

There are quite a few things I would have done differently. Many little things along the way and a few larger issues. Over the years and through the businesses I have started there have been some painful lessons learned.

There have been quite a few through the building and launching of SyncLodge. Hindsight makes it obvious that there was a wrong decision made. Inevitable, but also insightful.

We continually question our assumptions, working through probabilities, and getting advice from industry stakeholders, but the unexpected will still come.

What defines your way of doing business?

Cooperation, inclusivity, transparency, and honesty. To have long-standing industry presence we need to empower our teams’, our members’, and our associated partners’, longevity.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Choose the people you work with carefully. Partnerships can be more intense than marriage. You will go through many difficult things together so be clear on your reasons, your goals, and how you want your work culture to be, from the start.

When you have your first sit-down with a potential partner, regardless of if you know them previously or not, don’t go in hoping they will think highly of your new startup plan, go in asking if this person has the skills to deliver what the company needs from them and, is this a person I would want to spend most of my time with over the next 5 years.

Are we personally compatible? People tend to be on the “nice” side of their personality at first meets, so be prepared to ask some direct questions to see if their perspectives align with your perspectives. Even if you are being interviewed make sure the fit is good for both.

SyncLodge are a finalist in the Business Innovation of the year category of the Business Champion Awards

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Lionel Lodge, CEO & Co-Founder, SyncLodge

The company was recognized for its electrification of 1,500 vehicles in its UK fleet as well as its pledge to ‘deliver green’ to 30 large UK cities by 2023 and its Eco Fund designed to support community-based sustainable projects.

The projects sponsored by the Eco Fund include the recycling of wooden pallets and recycling all plastic shrink wrap used throughout the operation to create new shrink wrap. DPD has also changed its parcel bags to 80% reclaimed material and made them 100% recyclable.

DPD received the award during a ceremony at Canary Wharf in London. The awards evening was a carbon-neutral event, and the judges’ presentation days were held online via Zoom to keep the carbon footprint to a minimum.

To honor Her Majesty The Queen’s Jubilee campaign to plant more trees in 2022, each award winner will have 10 trees planted in its geographical region within the UK.

Elaine Kerr, CEO of DPD UK, commented, “This award is fantastic recognition for our people and our sustainability journey so far. We have challenged ourselves to be greener and more sustainable at every level and to create a truly joined-up strategy that goes way beyond simply buying electric vehicles. It includes an initiative to monitor air quality in five major cities and a four-year partnership with Forestry England. I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made and the transformative impact it is making, not only on our operation but on the environment.”

Read more:
DPD named Sustainable Business of the Year in the UK’s Business Champion Awards

Read more:
Network Central wins Business Champion Award for Covid success against the odds

Britain’s outstanding nationwide SME’s recognised in glittering award’s ceremony.

The inaugural British Champion Awards, developed as a life-long dream from Group Managing Director of Capital Business Media, Richard Alvin, speaking after the event, he was thrilled with the results: ‘with our Business Matters brand we’ve always supported and profiled the incredible work that our country’s SME’s do, so organising an annual awards to celebrate and reward these hardworking business owners seemed like such a natural progression.

‘Our journey to bring the Business Champion Awards to life, has been a challenge over the past year, however to see everyone here and feel the pride in the room for all their achievements has made it all completely worthwhile.’

And what a celebration of national businesses it was …

Guests walked the red carpet and were welcomed into the East Wintergarden in the heart of Canary Wharf, a venue chosen to reflect the award’s green values as a carbon neutral and sustainable location. With a jazz trio to complement the drinks reception, without exception every guest had donned their evening wear and was ready to enjoy the full evening of entertainment, fine dining and awards … with of course, a few surprises.

Electric drummers signalled the start of the event, followed by an opening speech on the importance of original stories for businesses by Business Matters’ Associate Editor, Cherry Martin.

Richard Alvin was next on the stage to give his personal welcoming speech, in which he also announced the Business person of the year Michelle Ovens CBE. Voicing the event was none other than the original voice of Siri, John Briggs, which earnt a solid round of applause.

Dinner was then served alongside a silent auction which raised £10,000 of vital funds for the event’s lead charity partner: Mind.

Guests were then treated to a surprise comedy act by regular stars of TV show, Mock the Week, Tiff Stevenson and Maisie Adam. Both comedians performed an individual set, before returning to the stage to do a ‘Things You Wouldn’t Normally Hear at an Award’s Ceremony’.

The nation’s favourite news broadcaster, Huw Edwards from the BBC, then took to the stage to lead the events. Delivering a witty speech, Huw then completely captured the audience’s hearts with a heartfelt tribute to Mind charity and his own points of struggle during the pandemic.

Then it was time for the awards. Each award was introduced by Huw and presented by one of the award’s 40 strong team of judges. Including a range of UK business leaders including Phil Jones MBE, MD of Brother UK; Alex Robson, founder of Soho Gin, and Charlie Mullins OBE, who has just exited Pimlico Plumbers in a £150m deal.

The trophies themselves were produced in the UK using fully sustainable wood sources and methods. Each of the winners will also have ten trees planted in their region to further exemplify and inspire the reach of the Business Champion Awards’ values.

The winners to be announced by category were:

New Business of the Year

Bronze – JOMO Club
Silver – Unite Marketing and Events
Winner – Seeblue Marketing

Champions in a Crisis

Bronze – Sahan Cares
Silver – Pentre Tech
Winner – Network Central

Business Innovation of the Year

Bronze – B-Secur
Silver – Bitrez
Winner – ScenePro Digital Forensics

Growth Business of the Year

Bronze – Global Procurement Group
Silver – G&L Scientific
Winner – Killing Kittens

SME Business of the Year

Bronze – LitPR
Silver – JHP Recruitment
Winner – Whiskey & Wealth Club

Exporter Business of the Year

Silver – Double Dutch Drinks
Winner (Large Company) – RS Components
Winner (SME) – Playful Promises

Sustainable Business Award

Bronze – SRL Publishing
Silver – SKOOT
Winner – DPD UK
Winner (Not-For-Profit) – Planet Tracker

Diversity & Inclusion Award

Winner – Channel 4

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Winner – Raissa & Joyce De Haas – Double Dutch Drinks

Entrepreneur of the Year

Bronze – Linda Norton – Ranmore Rise Retreat & Surrey Locations
Silver – Mark Stringer – SKOOT
Winner – Daniel Priestley – Dent Global

Outstanding Achievement Award

Winner – Michelle Ovens CBE

Summing up his thoughts on the night, Richard Alvin said: ‘Congratulations to all of the winners, silver and bronze trophy holders. They were all outstanding in their presentations and business mindsets, values, figures and methodologies.

‘Every single one of the finalists should be incredibly proud to have been shortlisted and present on the night. Out of 5.6 million SME’s, making up 99% of the country’s businesses, to make it to the finals is no mean feat and is an achievement to be incredibly proud of.

‘Huw has already confirmed his involvement for next year’s awards when they return once again to the East Wintergarden on March 22nd 2023. My team and I are already excited to launch the 2023 Business Champion Awards, on the 16th June at London’s iconic Tower Bridge.’

Read more:
Britain’s outstanding SME’s celebrated at inaugural Business Champion Awards

Brendan Garvey the Chief Operating Officer of Business Champion Awards finalist the Global Procurement Group talks about the inspiration behind the business.

What do you currently do at Global Procurement Group

As COO I focus on working with our teams, supporting them to deliver to the very highest standards for our customers. Our growth has been spurred by sustained customer acquisition and customer loyalty. This is due to the quality of advice and support they receive from our people every day. I’m responsible for ensuring those standards are continuously maintained and that we go further, striving to improve on them all the time.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Our business has grown through the desire of its founder and CEO, Fokhrul Islam, to offer customers something different to other B2B energy companies – a greater understanding of when, where and how their energy was being used, so they could reduce it and cut costs and carbon. I’ve known our CEO for much of his working life and I’m inspired by that mission – creating a greener, cleaner future for us all.

Who do you admire?

I have admiration for many people and colleagues over the years, but if someone stands out, it’s Liv Garfield, CEO of Severn Trent. We worked together at BT, and I learnt so much from her. She’s an inspirational female leader who combines a direct, honest approach, with the ability to really listen and support. She is a role model not just for women, but young, aspiring leaders in general. In what remains a male-dominated culture, she has continued to stand out through her unwavering belief in her values and through her ability to inspire others around her.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

There’s plenty of times I’ve looked back over my career and asked myself why didn’t I say something then to convey my view. Although nothing major stands out, what I have learned over the years is that we must be brave and we must speak out in a respectful and constructive way about our beliefs and values.

What defines your way of doing business?

Believing in the power of people.

The success of a business really depends on its people. I started at the Global Procurement Group as Chief People Officer and my role was to get to know the people here, to support their development. I’ve worked with our people on their behaviours and supported their efforts to become better people themselves. As citizens of this planet, we can play a positive role ourselves (and by influencing others) on the environment.

I’m passionate about this because I really see it as a great opportunity to impact positively for future generations. Wasting energy really concerns me because we still don’t seem to realise its impact. Right now, businesses everywhere are burning through energy – leaving lights, monitors, heaters, generators and other equipment on.

As we see the energy crisis continue, we have the ability as people to reduce our energy by embracing technology that helps us see our impact. My way of doing business is by inspiring people to make positive change happen. There is no excuse and no time to waste.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Listen and ask questions – it will help you grow. Also, always seek feedback and try to use it constructively to improve yourself. You won’t get things right all the time, just as I haven’t, but you’ll be learning and developing and that is the right approach for success. Good luck!

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Brendan Garvey, COO, Global Procurement Group

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Lucy Johnson, Founder, Isle Book-Keep

Danielle Cluett, Founder, The Pretty Hat and finalist in the Business Champion Awards tells Business Matters how a medical condition led her to creating her own hat brand.

What do you currently do?’

I’m the founder and owner of “The Pretty Hat” brand and run the whole business myself – from designing and sourcing the products, to building the website, making graphics, content, editing photos, packing orders etc.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I have a condition which causes hair thinning and was wearing a lot of beanies and satin bonnets myself over lockdown to protect my hair and scalp. I started designing hats for myself and had so many compliments on them and people asking where I had bought these “Pretty hats” from. Then the idea to design more and market them was born!

Who do you admire?

Jade Holland Cooper for her beautiful country clothing brand with the tailored tweed items made in the UK. I also greatly admire Conna Walker of House of CB and of course Ben Francis of Gymshark because these two entrepreneurs started out small in their bedrooms/garages and with little start-up capital.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

I think I would’ve gone live with products sooner and just started selling one or two styles. I am quite a perfectionist and didn’t feel comfortable launching the brand until absolutely everything was ready. I didn’t want it to look “unfinished” but I needn’t have designed and arranged over 50 styles either. It took me a year of late nights and weekends designing, sampling and testing products when I already had a few designs ready to go.

What defines your way of doing business?

I’m just learning as I go and staying true to myself. It started out as a hobby to design and sell products I actually like and would wear, so I like to connect with my followers and customers on a personal level and learn what works and what doesn’t. I am always seeking feedback and ways to improve my hats and website. I also like to share tips and tricks on how I make my photos and website look professional with simple and cheap kit, to inspire other entrepreneurs.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Just go for it and try not to compare your idea to other well-established brands. It’s easy to believe a market is saturated or that your product isn’t as good as X, or social media account isn’t as good as Y. Everyone has to start somewhere. I am actually a software tester and have never been a product designer or marketer, but I am willing to give anything a go.

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Danielle Cluett, Founder, The Pretty Hat

As one of the judging panel for the up and coming Business Champion Awards I wanted to offer my professional advice to finalists to let them hone their presentation skills to share the best of your business to the judges.

The Business Champion Awards are designed to celebrate the best of British business nationwide, but my advice is valid for any business making presentations.

Are you ready to talk about your business decisions, or does the prospect of presenting make you feel nervous? 

You’re not alone in feeling this way and as much as our team of organisers can say: ‘it’s meant to be a positive experience to reward the champions of business’ it’s still always a bit nerve wracking on the day. Have no fear, because there are ways around this though …

Great presentations are made from process, preparation and practice

There is a quote attributed to Dale Carnegie that states,

‘There are always three speeches for everyone you gave; the one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.’

The inference being that speeches and presentations don’t always go to plan, and most of us have sat and squirmed, or maybe even enjoyed a moment of schadenfreude, as a speech or presentation has collapsed into mayhem before our very eyes.  

There are people who will tell you that delivering a speech or a presentation is an art, that some people have it, whatever ‘it’ is, and some people don’t.  But, solely relying on “it” can leave even the most accomplished public speakers scrambling for the right bit of paper, heading off topic and seeing their presentation rapidly unravel.

Like most things in life, the best way to avoid a presentation disaster is to employ a process, prepare properly and practice. Obviously, you must understand the subject matter you’re presenting, but without process, preparation and practice you dramatically increase your chances of acting out Carnegie’s quote.

So here are a few tips that might help you actually give the presentation you planned.

1. Ask yourself why you are giving the presentation?

What is it that you want your audience to do after they have listened to you?  This first step is vital in establishing the content of your presentation and the style in which you will deliver it.

• Is the purpose of your presentation an enthralling call to action?  If so, your style will need to be passionate, motivational and upbeat
• Is it to educate?  If so, do you need to present charts and statistics.  
• Is it to present a proposal or to gain approval for a contract?  If so, the next steps need to be clearly defined.  

Answer the question “why” before you start to create presentation content, otherwise why your presenting, what you present and how you present it are unlikely to be fully aligned.

2. Understand your audience

The smaller the group you are presenting to the easier it is to understand your audience, the larger the more difficult.  That said, no matter how large your audience there are questions you can ask yourself that will help align your content to what they are hoping to hear.

A few questions to ask yourself about your audience include,

• Who are they?  What do they already know about the subject matter you are presenting and how does this inform your content and delivery style?
• What are they expecting you to present?  Have you been explicit enough in communicating the purpose of your presentation to them?
• Out of all the different aspects of your subject matter what do they care about most?  People engage when they hear things they care about and disengage when they don’t.

It may seem blindingly obvious but working out what your audience is interested in is key to the success of your presentation.

3. Have a structure and stick to it

There are numerous presentation structures that can be employed to deliver a presentation, but (in my opinion) the “open, body, conclusion” structure is ideal in 99% of cases, this is also known as, tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. The process is simple, but very effective and works like this, 

4. Tell them what you’re going to tell them

This sets the scene for the audience and confirms to them exactly what to expect from your presentation, the six points you should cover and the order in which you should cover them are,

1. Who you are (as in “Good Morning, my name is …….”)
2. Your role or responsibility in relation to the presentation you are about to give
3. The specific purpose of your presentation (as in why you are giving it)
4. The main points you are going to cover (no more than 4 or 5 as a maximum)
5. How you would like to handle questions
6. If anyone has any questions before you start.

When delivered proficiently, without notes or reading from a slide, this approach provides an impressive and confident start to your presentation.

5. Tell them

You can open the main body of your presentation by either:

• • Telling a joke – be careful, it’s a presentation not a stand-up comedy routine
  • Telling a story, one that is relevant to your content
  • Making a statement to capture the audience’s interest.

The objective is to grab your audience’s attention by letting them know why they should listen to you.

The body of your presentation needs to contain the (no more than 4 or 5) key points that you want to focus on.  You should present these in a logical order, so that your audience can follow you and your presentation easily.

Trying to present too many points runs the risk of losing or boring your audience.

If you intend to present facts and figures to support the main points of your presentation, make sure you use reliable sources that you can quote and refer to.

6. Tell them what you told them

The words you use to close your presentation should be the ones you want your audience to remember most.  They should be succinct and focused on summarising the purpose of your presentation and the key 4 or 5 points you wanted to deliver.

The structure of this segment of your presentation is,

• Restate your objectives
• Summarise your key points
• State your call to action.

With the “tell ’em” approach, your conclusion summarises the main points of your presentation.  If you want people to take an action, change their view of, or how they feel about something, be specific about exactly what you want them to do.

7. Practice makes perfect

We all know the saying that practice make perfect.  So, if the first time you ever deliver your presentation is when you actually deliver it to your real audience you are setting yourself up to fail.  You should run through it at least 10 times, preferably with a friendly audience (this could be one person) who can give you honest feedback on what works and what doesn’t. 

If nothing else this allows you to check that you can actually delivery your presentation in the time allocated

The truly great presenters make it all look easy, but here’s the secret to their ability to deliver great presentations; they have a process, they prepare and they practice.  That’s why for them, Carnegie would have said, ‘the one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave are all the same.’

Read more:
Get over your fear and be confident making business presentations

Entrepreneurs are not made overnight. It’s a long journey of self investment in vision, drive, training and the will to succeed against all odds.

Whether it’s a gap in the market that the Entrepreneur of the Year has identified and filled or it’s been a major challenge to the status quo, over a good few years this person, that we’re looking forward to meeting, will have demonstrated that they can set goals, adapt to an ever changing marketplace, push forwards in the face of great diversity, raise and maintain a good and loyal team and are passionate about their impact on their industry and the world around them.

Here are some of the attributes that the Business Champion Award’s judges will be searching for, read this wisely and include references to these in your application.

Read more:
What makes the Business Champion Awards’ Entrepreneur of the Year?

2020 would have seen industry grind to a halt if it wasn’t for the country’s determined and caring business owners who stepped up to the mark.

Going above and beyond your business’ daily routine and helping the heart of your community or country is what the Champions in a Crisis Award is all about. As the country rallied together the team at Business Matters watched, listened and reported on as many of the good deeds that we heard about. Yet we were always keen to do more ourselves and giveback in an empowering manner.

The Business Champion Awards are taking a moment to really herald these acts from businesses across the nation. Whether it’s from the business owners to their team and how they’ve supported them, to spending time and using their skillset to boost care in the local community through to assisting the government with its needs for supplies and supply chains to keep the country functioning and people safe during the most challenging time of our generation.

As one of the judges who will be taking part in the 2022 awards programme I can speak honestly here and say how excited I personally am, to read over applications and find out more of the good and positive news stories that you’ve all been up to across the country.

Why? Because it reaffirms my belief that there is more good in the world than bad. Simple.

So from smaller acts to bigger ones, please include it all in your application for the Champions in a Crisis Award. This award is special as it recognises your work as a pillar within the community during a tough time.

Hashtags such as #Givingback or #randomactsofkindness took over the internet in 2020 as indeed they should. It was great to see the negative news be somewhat tempered by good deeds from one person to another whilst the world was drowned in the global pandemic.

Equally if you’re reading this and thinking that you know of someone who deserves the recognition but who is being shy or not wanting to voice their work themselves, then by all means fill out the form and apply for them.

You just don’t know who else you’re going to inspire by doing so.

A far wider reach than you might initially think …

Plus, we all know that winning awards, or even becoming a runner up in the finals, can majorly boost your business. It will create PR opportunities in your trade sector, it can help to create PR opportunities in the general media in the part of the country where you live, of course it can be profiled on Business Matters too.

The PR aspect is crucial moving forwards, it’s not just about seeing your name in the media, it’s about who else sees it too. You can attract high quality team member’s by being seen in the press as well as connecting with other businesses who may want to collaborate with such a positive company.

If each business can be better, then the country can be better

One of the aspects of the Champions in a Crisis Award is that it’s got a forward looking future to it. For the awards in 2022 yes we’re harnessing and profiling the good work that people of the country did during the Covid-19 pandemic, however the 2023 awards will be highlighting the good and kind acts of generosity and spirit of business owners across the country on a regular basis.

We’re thinking of the bigger picture here and not wanting to lose the generosity of time and spirit that so many people showed. So this category for the awards may be renamed next year but it will still be present as we know that kindness is contagious. We’re hoping that people’s award posts and articles will go on to inspire many more people to make the effort to go the extra mile with their skill sets and time to help their local community.

Every year we publish thousands, literally thousands of stories on Business Matters to profile business owners in their best light. Make sure that you’re one of them and apply today for the Business Champion Awards.

Read more:
Does your business deserve a Champions in a Crisis Award?

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 …

Read more:
Business award’s are back. Read on for tips to boost your application …

Read more:
Britain’s best 150 businesses announced as Lloyds Bank National Business Awards finalists

Too often, the role of women at the highest levels of British business goes unnoticed.

But last year, the National Business Awards did its bit to celebrate the achievements of some of Britain’s most successful female business leaders.

Event Director Sarah Austin said: ‘We read too many statistics about British female entrepreneurs lacking the confidence to start their own businesses, so 2019 is the year to celebrate and promote female business leaders in this country.’

In 2018, women took home some of the biggest prizes. The Leader of the Year Award – which shortlisted an equal number of men and women for the first time – was won by Jayne-Anne Gadhia, CEO of Virgin Money. She was recognised for spearheading her company’s outstanding performance.

Meanwhile, the Outstanding Contribution to British Business Award was given to Dame Helena Morrissey, the founder of the remarkable 30% Club. This organisation lobbies businesses, raises awareness and works with advocacy groups to improve gender equality in British boardrooms; their aim is to ensure more women are appointed to company boards so that around 30% are female.

Although there’s still work to do, the efforts of 30% Club are reflected in some encouraging statistics. Between 2007 and 2017, women’s representation on the boards of FTSE 100 companies increased from 11% to 28%; just weeks before last year’s NBAs, 30% Club itself announced that the FTSE 100 had met the 30% target for female representation at director level. Across the wider FTSE 250, meanwhile, there are only 8 all-male boards remaining, representing a dramatic change in the culture at executive level.

However, some industries are still lagging behind. One of the bigger challenges comes from the technology and AI sectors. Here, the gender disparity is startling. For instance, women only occupy around 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector, and a staggeringly-low 3% of women say a career in technology is their first choice.

This gives organisations like the National Business Awards a responsibility to help address this challenge. By recognising the underappreciated role women already play in the technology and AI, the awards can play a role in empowering women and highlighting their contributions within the sector.

That’s why the National Business Awards is encouraging female entries to several tech-focused categories, including the Artificial Intelligence Award and the Experian Data Excellence Award, as well as to standard entrepreneurial and leadership awards.

Diversity is at the heart of what the National Business Awards offers. Nominees come from every corner of the business landscape, representing start-ups to global brands from across the United Kingdom. Indeed, category winners such as activity coordinators Daily Sparkle and prosthetics company Limbs and Things are based in Totnes and Bristol respectively, while Cleveland Police, which won the Data Excellence Award, hails from the North East.

It speaks to the event’s commitment to diversify a male-dominated, London-centric landscape; this year, the 18th year of the awards, the National Business Awards will continue to investigate how much diversity is promoted by British business, and SMEs in particular. Sarah Austin went on to comment:

‘The National Business Awards wants to speak to and award SMEs that are already putting diversity at the heart of what they do. It’s easy for a FTSE 250 business to create a diversity panel and post on an internal network as a tick-box exercise, but I want to see gender diversity at every level.’

Paul Gordon, Managing Director, SME & Mid Corporates for Lloyds Bank, the headline sponsor of the National Business Awards, added:

‘We are proud to be the headline sponsors of the National Business Awards again this year, as part of our support for British enterprise. These awards celebrate the accomplishments of British businesses, the people driving them forward and the vital role they play in supporting our economy.’

With entries now open, the opportunity is there to contribute by nominating inspiring women and successful female-led companies, and giving them the national stage they are too often denied.

The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards 2019 categories are:

• The Artificial Intelligence Award
• The Experian Data Excellence Award
• The Virgin Atlantic Customer Experience & Loyalty Award
• The Lloyds Bank New Business of the Year
• The Employer of the Year
• The Lloyds Bank Exporter of the Year
• The Vonage Business Enabler of the Year
• The Lloyds Bank Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year
• The Innovation Award
• The Inflexion Entrepreneur of the Year
• The Lloyds Bank Mid-Market Business of the Year
• The Scale-Up Business of the Year
• The Lloyds Bank Positive Social Impact Award
• The Duke of York New Entrepreneur of the Year
• The Leader of the Year

Do you run a business worthy of national praise? Do you want to ensure your staff are rewarded after one of the toughest year in business? Then this years Business Champion Awards, the  UK’s largest business awards are open for entries.

Read more:
National Business Awards: Celebrating women at the heart of British business

17 coveted trophies have been presented to the winners of the 17^th Lloyds Bank National Business Awards.

The event was attended by over 1,200 business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians and journalists in celebration of the ‘best of British ambition’.

This year’s 17 winners included Leader of the Year, which was presented to Virgin Money CEO Jayne- Gadhia, one of the most senior and highly-regarded women in the UK financial services industry. Gadhia founded challenger bankVirgin Money almost 25 years ago holding the role of CEO for the last 11 years.

Declan Curry, LBC Radio and former BBC Breakfast presenter, said of her: “Leaders have to deliver great financial returns, delight their customers and inspire their colleagues. We expect them to develop businesses that are resilient and nimble in the face of uncertainty and transformation. That’s the basic toolkit. But they also need something extra. They need to recognise the powerful role of business in creating opportunity and wealth, in discovering and nurturing talent and in building stronger, sustainable communities. They need to make business a trusted and respected force for good. Jayne-Anne Gadhia does this in spades.”

A brand-new category for 2018 – Outstanding Contribution– was awarded to Dame Helena Morrissey, founder of the 30% Club, which launched in the UK in 2010 to support and encourage corporates to have a gender balance on their boards of at least 30% women.Research suggests that 30% is the proportion when critical mass is reached – in a group setting, the voices of the minority group become heard in their own right, rather than simply representing the minority.

The 30% Club believes that gender balance on boards not only encourages better leadership and governance, but diversity further contributes to better all-round board performance, and ultimately increased corporate performance for both companies and their shareholders.

Sarah Austin, The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards Event Director, explained, “On behalf of event organisers UBM, I would like to extend the warmest of congratulations to all of this year’s winners. Our entrants face the most rigorous of judging processes, so it’s no mean feat getting on the shortlist of The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, never mind actually winning one. But that’s why the awards are an accolade to true, world-class achievements. This year’s winners are truly outstanding

British businesses and we hope that these awards continue to succeed in offering them the credibility and encouragement to continue in their ambitious success.”

The remaining 15 The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards winners are:

The Lloyds Bank New Business of the Year:Gas Tag (Liverpool/London)

Gas Tag is game-changing technology that undermines cowboy gas fitters by providing real-time evidence of site visits, services and installations, and logging the efficiency of gas appliances in a single dashboard

The Experian Data Excellence Award: Cleveland Police (Cleveland)

The North Yorkshire force launched its Golden Nominal project after identifying the crippling impact not having a clear view of their data was having on keeping its community safe.

The Vonage Business Enabler of the Year: Rotaready (Croydon)

Rotaready is a B2B ‘SaaS’ product providing businesses with an innovative solution for workforce management. The cloud-based staff rota software helps businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors streamline their staffing processes by reducing operational costs and improving operational efficiency.

The Inflexion Entrepreneur of the Year: Margot Cooper – Limbs and Things (Bristol)

Cooper set up Limbs & Things in 1990 after having a vision of clinical education moving away from cadavers and animals. For many tasks, these were difficult to use and expensive, so she invented anatomically accurate and cost-effective models and simulators to allow students to become more competent and confident learners and professionals.

The ELITE London Stock Exchange Group Scale-Up Award:Nexus Vehicle (Leeds)

Founded in 1999, Nexus has successfully built the most extensive fleet in the highly competitive UK rental mobility market. In the last 18 months, it won more than 200 customers, including the largest fleet market contract for a major delivery company, had a record-breaking month in June with 11,500 vehicles out on rent on a single day, and secured its two millionth booking just last month.

The Lloyds Bank Mid-Market Business of the Year:Shopper Media Group (London)

London-based Shopper Media Group, which has grown from an initial investment of £1,000 to a turnover of nearly £30 million in just ten years

 The Digital Business of the Year: minicabit (London)

minicabit credits its ‘plucky British attitude’ as a key driver behind its success in one of the most competitive, crowded and technologically exciting business sectors dominated by the seemingly unstoppable Uber and the British-owned Addison Lee.

The Fujitsu AI Pioneer of the Year Award: Signal (London)

Inaugural winner – Signal Media – is leading the charge in the AI space by using the technology to solve real business challenges. Its incredibly powerful AI engine is considered to be a game changer when it comes to media monitoring, reputation management and regulatory research – all vital business tools for engaging with, and understanding, customers.

The Customer Focus Award:Close Brothers Retail Finance (London)

Close Brothers Retail Finance is the London-based ‘champion of British retail’ and the trusted finance partner to over 750 British retailers

The Duke of York New Entrepreneur of the Year:Ross Harper – Limbic Limited (London)

Set up just 13 months ago, Limbic AI is a team of scientists and software engineers seeking to understand the neuroscience of emotion.

The Lloyds Bank Positive Social Impact Award

The Daily Sparkle (Devon): a dementia friendly newspaper designed to bring calm and joy to patients by helping to evoke fond memories and spark

The Innovation Award: M Squared (Glasgow)

Based in Glasgow, M Squared designs and engineersproducts and applications for a diverse range of industries, from frontier science and advanced manufacturing, to oil and gas research, and space technology. Its work in the medical sector has been particularly pioneering, with cross-sector partnerships leading to life-changing breakthroughs in areas as diverse as dementia research and cancer diagnosis, as well as business applications including whisky maturation.

The Lloyds Bank Exporter of the Year: Vision Support Services (Blackburn, Lancashire)

Vision Support Services is a leading global textile company that manufactures performance and luxury textiles for the hospitality, healthcare and retail markets.

The Employer of the Year:UK Fast (Manchester)

2018 winner UKFast has a self-proclaimed obsession with people and goes all out to reward hard work and commitment and believes it is the best place in the world to work thanks to ‘a brilliant working environment with continuous professional development and amazing perks’.

The Lloyds Bank Small to Medium-Sized Business of the Year:Net World Sports (Wrexham)

Net World Sports was founded by Alex Horen who started selling sports equipment to fellow pupils at just 13. 17 years on and the Welsh businessman now runs a multi-million international organisation, which he believes sells more football equipment worldwide than any other company

Read more:
Cream of British business celebrated at 17th Lloyds Bank National Business Awards

Earlier this year, The Job Show was shortlisted for The Positive Social Impact Award.

Dubbed the “Oscars of great British Business” by David Cameron, the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards will reveal its winners on 13^thNovember.

In the run up to the Awards Ceremony at The Grosvenor House Hotel, we caught up with founders Caroline Connaughton and Victoria Clarke.

What do you currently do at your company day-to-day?

Together, both Caroline, Managing Director and Victoria, Director, have created a quality face-to-face recruitment and careers event which takes place at premiership and championship football clubs, with no financial funding.

Armed with just our lifetime skills in sales, marketing, advertising, PR and management, [we have] successfully managed to create an innovative module that would attract some of the biggest corporate employers in the country and the most iconic venue destinations in the world! [The] perception to the outside world is that we have a team of 100 staff located in luxurious offices in the city centre, but [the] reality is that ‘just the 2 of us’ are working tirelessly with dedication, passion and pure determination from an office [in] the back of the MD’s home!

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Both driven by childhood humble beginnings and sparked by our own ‘life changing’ family redundancies – and doom and gloom of the economic climate, we, as responsible corporate citizens wanted to give something back to the community that would benefit us all!

So back in 2013, The Job Show was born; a quality recruitment and careers event that [would] produce 50 shows by the end of 2018. We attract over 30,000 visitor registrations making a positive social impact throughout the country, making a difference within the community and changing hundreds of people’s lives.

Who do you admire?

We admire anyone that has the passion, drive, vision and pure determination to succeed and live their dream no matter what age.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

We have been on an amazing journey in such a short space of time…and without the challenges we have overcome and the risks we have taken, The Job Show would not be the success it is today.

What defines your way of doing business?

By being different from the ‘competition’ and creating an innovative and simple [model] that can be replicated anywhere in the country and in whatever language all over the world!

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Listen to what others have to say—friends, family, experts, even yourself. Be a solution. Keep it simple. Make your own luck and most of all, believe you can do it!

Meet The Job Show and hundreds of other ambitious British businesses at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards ceremony.  Book your place here for the 13th November, Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Read more:
Getting to Know You: Caroline Connaughton & Victoria Clarke, founders, The Job Show

Earlier this year, BDI Resourcing was shortlisted for The Lloyds Bank New Business of the Year. In the run up to the Awards Ceremony on 13th November at The Grosvenor House Hotel, we caught up with Daniel Platts, Director of BDI Resourcing.

What do you currently do at your company day-to-day?

I am one of three directors at BDI Resourcing and my role varies so much every day. The main focus is on driving sales and training our growing team, however, the reality is that every day poses a new and different challenge for a business owner – so the real answer is that I do anything and everything!

What was the inspiration behind your business?

As sales director for my previous company, I sat in amongst 100 or so people who were all making millions from placing temporary (locum) doctors to NHS Hospitals. We were a necessary evil to our clients and, when NHS Improvement capped pay rates, HMRC clamped down on IR35 contractors, compliance levels continued to increase and frameworks started to over-regulate our industry, it was clear that what we were doing wasn’t helping the NHS.

Our previous company had become stuck in [its] ways, complacent and totally lacking in innovation, so myself and my business partners saw that it was time to change. We knew the market and the industry better than anyone, but we wanted to do things differently, so we set out to replace all of the temporary doctors that were being placed with permanent doctors from around the world.

It hardly sounds like re-inventing the wheel but, unlike other industries, the NHS had never worked in this way before so we faced an uphill battle in re-educating such a behemoth of an institution.

On the other side of things, we really felt a duty of care to international doctors who were totally neglected when it came to guidance and support in navigating their way through medical exams, language certificates, licencing bodies, indemnity insurances, visa applications and relocation support.

The NHS were crying out for the help of these doctors but they were getting stuck in the process so we knew that if we could become the central point of intelligence for both then our business would be a success.

Who do you admire?

My dad is no longer with us but he was an absolute maverick who never seemed afraid of anyone or anything and had a real cheek and charm about him. Whenever I told him about my dreams or ideas he would never doubt me and would always tell me to ‘go for it’. I will always admire him for teaching me to live by those words.

That said, I am a big believer that we are all the sum total of our experiences and this includes everyone that we interact with. I have so much admiration for my family, friends, teachers and previous colleagues for the support and encouragement that they have given me over the years.

Equally, I feel an even bigger debt of gratitude to those who haven’t shared in my beliefs, all those clients that have said ‘no’ to us and our competitors and rivals. I think we are defined by those who believe in us just as much as those who don’t and I work so hard everyday to vindicate those who believe in me and prove wrong those who don’t.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Absolutely! When we started BDI Resourcing, we had 100% belief that our solution to the NHS staffing crisis would work and we naively assumed that our clients would share in our vision quite readily. The reality was that we had to work incredibly hard to change opinions and encourage decision makers to take on a new approach.

If I had my time over again, I would have put far more emphasis on our business development, marketing to clients and the importance of arranging face-to-face meetings. We now work with just under 50% of NHS hospitals across the whole of the UK and the message is well and truly out there regarding the savings we make and the service we offer.

We are fortunate enough to have met our financial targets for year 1 and 2 (with some time to spare), however, the route that we planned definitely changed along the way. One of our biggest challenges was the cap on Tier 2 visas which no one could really have envisaged when we started the business.

We knew that if this didn’t change then our business would become totally obsolete, so it was a true fight or flight situation. In the end our campaigning put us on the front page of national newspapers, on live TV interviews and in meetings with the Shadow Home Secretary, the chair of the BMA, head of NHS England and so many other high-profile figures.

We got the change that we needed when the government protected doctors from the visa cap but the exposure we gained along the way had actually catapulted the profile of our business so much.

What defines your way of doing business?

Our first office had a picture on the wall with the caption ‘Put your feet in the right place and stand firm’. This sentiment really defines what we are all about and our relentless approach to sticking to our objective. We are always true to our goals of providing world class customer service whilst delivering huge cost savings to the NHS and very proud to shout about that to anyone that will listen!

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

It is absolutely imperative when you start out in business to pick your niche, know it better than anyone else and strive to be the best in whatever that might be. If you want a guaranteed route to success, then being the best will always get you there.

In my experience, people would rather pay more to be able to say that they work with the best company or buy the top brand, so being the cheapest or undercutting your competitors shouldn’t always be your goal.

Once you have delivered on your promise to be the best and your customers are happy then make sure to gather their feedback and shout about it. It’s easy to tell people how great you are but getting other people to do that for you has so much more gravitas!

Meet BDI Resourcing and hundreds of other ambitious British businesses at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards ceremony. Book your place here for the 13th November, Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Read more:
Getting to Know You: Daniel Platts, Director, BDI Resourcing

Earlier this year, Vision Support Services was shortlisted for The Lloyds Bank Exporter of the Year Award.

Dubbed the “Oscars of great British Business” by David Cameron, the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards will reveal its winners on 13^thNovember.

In the run up to the Awards Ceremony at The Grosvenor House Hotel, we caught up with Laurie Thomas, Managing Director of Vision Support Services.

What do you currently do at your company day-to-day?

I am responsible for the company strategy and achieving our business objectives as well as the general direction of the business. I am dedicated to the development of people in order to reach our company goals.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

The inspiration behind the business was to develop a worldwide business that is the preferred supplier and distributor of luxury, performance and specialist textiles to leaders in the global hospitality, healthcare and retail markets. With hundreds of years of manufacturing experience, Vision is now a trusted textile company; sourcing, supplying and distributing millions of products each year. We’ve developed a prestigious customer base and are proud to serve over 6,500 customers worldwide.

Who do you admire?

The people I work with are totally committed in delivering our plans and dreams and I, personally, admire them all. The business is proud to have hugely dedicated, professional people working all around the globe and each of them help to make my job so much more enjoyable.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

As we acquired different businesses, which were originally operating companies in their own right, we were slow to ensure a cohesive, common brand and philosophy. The business had no natural marketing skill base and we should have addressed this earlier on. By doing this, it would have enabled more rapid growth in many of the regions we operate in.

What defines your way of doing business?

We strive to enhance our relevance to targeted customer groups across the world through best-in-class sourcing and distribution. To ensure long-term quality, service levels and ethical compliance, we invest in the right infrastructure and technology, continually improving forecasting, supplier relationships and supply chain management.

Our aim is to surpass customer expectations whilst achieving the maximum sales potential, keeping a strong focus on our position at the cutting edge of textiles. We are a customer focused, united, global business; we are passionate about our brands and our products and each one of us strives for success and endeavours to change, evolve and lead. At Vision, we recognise our obligations to act responsibly, ethically and with integrity in all our dealings.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

I’d say, always have a plan. At the very minimum, it’s a good idea to give you some indication as to the direction you wish to go in. Also, make sure your funding is in place; contact your bank and determine their dos and don’ts when it comes to starting up and if you’re planning on trading overseas, look to the Department of International Trade for help and advice.

Meet Vision Support Services and hundreds of other ambitious British businesses at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards ceremony. Book your place here for the 13th November, Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Laurie Thomas, Managing Director, Vision Support Services

Earlier this year, Kiran Bhagotra, CEO and Founder of ProtectBox was shortlisted for the Duke of York New Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Dubbed the “Oscars of great British Business” by David Cameron, the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards will reveal its winners on 13^thNovember.

In the run up to the Awards Ceremony at The Grosvenor House Hotel, we interviewed Kiran about her inspiration, way of doing business and any advice she’d give to budding business starters.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I fell into cybersecurity a few years ago whilst contracting for the UK government’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office managing international cyber relations. It was there that I spotted that for a small business to protect itself it needed to either hire an expert, at great expense, or spend hours self-sourcing instead of selling.

How much better would a simple, quick and affordable comparison be, which I could see how to do. Although I had never run a company myself before I had helped friends with theirs. The real kicker, for me, though, was why this gap wasn’t being tackled when half of the 5 million small and medium businesses, in the UK alone, were closing due to it.

Plus being told that a sole female founder who didn’t code, like me, wouldn’t be the one to make it happen. So, I put my (little) money where my (big) mouth is and built exactly that in ProtectBox!

Who do you admire?

My “Mummy-ji” & “Daddy-ji” for instilling the values of Courage, Communication and Clan in me. Courage to accept my fears and weaknesses and to ask for the right help to overcome them. In my father’s words, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”.

Communicating clearly, concisely & confidently. Clan, and by that, I don’t necessarily just mean your family, I mean surrounding yourself with the right ‘people’ to turn those fears into opportunities. My mother’s kindness, love and self-lessness have got me through many a tough time in my life. This is why these values are core to how we care about our customers, investors and stakeholders at ProtectBox!

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Not having had a family, but as the gorgeous Kylie would say “I should be so lucky…lucky, lucky, lucky… lucky in love”. But as my hero, the late, great George Michael said “I gotta have faith, faith, faith.”

What defines your way of doing business?

Being simple, quick and affordable is my modern-day business tantra (not mantra). Best mid-life crisis I could’ve had…watch this space for the book, boxset, B(/H)ollywood hit & of course, ProtectBox’s world domination!

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Visualise your deepest hopes and dreams & remind yourself of that same optimism everyday! Life is hard, always try to look for the way forward. Accept your fears and weaknesses, surround yourself with people who can help you to turn those into opportunities. Give back by sharing, listening and smiling or making someone else smile (as it’ll make you smile back) everyday!

Meet ProtectBox and hundreds of other ambitious British businesses at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards ceremony.  Book your place here for the 13th November, Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Kiran Bhagotra, CEO & Founder, ProtectBox

Earlier this year, Lawson Conner were crowned a finalist in The Customer Focus Award and in The Elite London Stock Exchange Group Scale-Up Award.

Its CEO, Gerhard Grueter, has also been shortlisted for the Inflexion Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Dubbed the “Oscars of great British Business” by David Cameron, the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards will reveal its winners on 13^thNovember.

In the run up to the Awards Ceremony at Grosvenor House, we caught up with Gerhard Grueter.

What do you currently do at your company day-to-day?

Put the right people in the right seats, every day. 

What was the inspiration behind your business?

To reduce risk in the financial services industry globally and build a global professional services champion. We have seen a real gap in the market to provide technology driven solutions in a market which is dominated by manual processes.

Who do you admire?

 I admire every one of my team members, who are experts in their fields

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

There are a hundred things you could have done differently, but you only know in hindsight. If there is one thing: I should have surrounded myself early with other entrepreneurs to discuss the key factors to take the business global.

What defines your way of doing business?

We are only a small microcosm of what is a major shift happening in the world of business, but what really helped us is doing business in an honest and transparent way that’s truly built to last. We listen closely to what our customers need and we deliver what they expect. Communication is key, internally and externally.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

The most important thing is a partner you can trust and is on the same mission with you. Everything else is easy. The second [piece of] advice I would give is that any business must be cash flow positive within 3 months. If it is not generating cash then it is not a business.

Meet Lawson Conner and hundreds of other ambitious British businesses at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards ceremony. Book your place here for the 13th November, Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Gerhard Grueter, CEO, Lawson Conner

Earlier this year, PG Online was crowned a finalist in The Lloyds Bank Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award.

Dubbed the “Oscars of great British Business” by David Cameron, the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards will reveal its winners on 13^thNovember.

In the run up to the Awards Ceremony at Grosvenor House, we caught up with Director of PG Online, Rob Heathcote.

Give us a quick rundown of PG Online

PG Online are an educational publisher with a new generation of teaching resources. We have a quickly-proven track record of success in both increasing grades and in improving the work / life balance of teachers having provided over 180,000 lessons to teachers and students representing 60,000 teacher evenings given back.

Since 2016, we have gained endorsement from all major examination boards and won six major industry awards with a further 26 nominations, including those for the British Book Awards Educational Publisher of the Year and the 2018 Lloyds Bank National Business Awards SME of the Year.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

After 13 years of teaching, I realised that the greatest inefficiency in teaching is duplication. Up and down the UK, teachers were burning themselves out planning the same lessons, involving hundreds of teacher-hours to produce thousands of identical worksheets. I wondered, “How could this time be better spent?” and “What is the cost to education of this time?”.

I then used the summer of 2013 in a South London attic to put roughly 50 hours into each lesson of numerous new teaching packs. In the process setting a gold standard of resources, geared to specific courses and exam boards.

These resources were then made available to all, saving countless hours and improving the standard of materials beyond the physical limits of what a single teacher can prepare in a working week. The resources provided confidence to new and non-specialist teachers to fully cover all the details of a particular course.

For experienced Heads of Subjects, the materials provided a turn-key solution to delivering a consistency of excellent across all colleagues in their department.

Who do you admire?

I admire anyone who works hard to make a difference in life. Choosing any particular individual is difficult and would give an unfair representation since there are so many; but good morals, a can-do attitude and great work ethic will go along way in my books.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Ha! That’s a tough one. We have been very fortunate to have made an instant positive impact on the education market and I could not have wished for any better than we have done so far. However, business is only a collection of decisions and success is a matter of getting more of those right than you get wrong! We haven’t got a lot wrong but we have certainly learned over the past five years how to sharpen our processes and improve the quality of our offering well beyond its initial conception.

What defines your way of doing business?

I think business should be fun and worthwhile. If everyone has a sense of purpose and enjoys what they do, things should go well. Business deals are only good deals when both parties feel that they have done well out of it. The hard-nosed business ‘shark’ commonly portrayed is not reality or recipe for longevity and satisfaction in my eyes.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Work hard and be nice to people. Build some experience in an industry you might be interested in. Have a real sense of what you want to change for the betterment of society and be motivated by that rather than by any potential earnings. The world is a big place and there are wonderful opportunities out there to be had.

Meet PG Online and hundreds of other ambitious British businesses at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards ceremony. Book your place here for the 13th November, Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Read more:
Getting To Know You: Rob Heathcote, Director, PG Online

Earlier this year, Southall Associates were crowned as a finalist in the Lloyds Bank Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year shortlist.

Dubbed the “Oscars of great British Business” by David Cameron, the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards will reveal it’s winners on the 13^thNovember.

In the run up to the Awards Ceremony at Grosvenor House, we caught up with CEO John Southall and Founder Angela Southall.

What do you currently do at your company day-to-day?

Southalls is one of the UK’s leading providers of health and safety support with a proprietary cloud-based health and safety management solution, ‘Safety Cloud’. Organisations, from a range of industries worldwide, trust us to keep their stakeholders safe and generate measurable improvement in their company’s compliance, underpinned by Safety Cloud. As Founder of Southalls, I run the company on a day to day basis, focusing on strategy and growth but still meet with customers on a regular basis.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

Frontline experience as a health and safety enforcer sparked the idea for Southalls and Safety Cloud – a new kind of Health & Safety consultancy, one that makes real impact, with innovative, cloud-based safety management software. Southalls started in 2003, grew at phenomenal speed and now boasts a staff headcount of 30, supporting over 550 clients with over 90,000 Safety Cloud users.

Who do you admire?

We work closely with many businesses and the people I admire the most are business owners who have started with nothing and built a successful business and generated employment, through hard work, commitment and resilience.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Looking back, if I had my time again I would have invested more in sales and marketing in the early years of our business in order to scale up faster.

What defines your way of doing business?

Southalls has clear direction and family values at the core. It’s all about the people! Southalls works one-to-one to provide a health and safety solution that eases the burden of legal compliance and delivers peace of mind to employers. Staff retention is key to providing a top-class service which goes hand-in-hand with our 98% customer retention rate. With customers achieving measurable results including a reduction in accidents and associated lost time, cost savings and improved company-wide safety culture, Southalls offers a compelling solution!

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Start with a business plan or growth plan and set goals to achieve. Be prepared to work hard and put in long hours. Be passionate about what you do and this will come across to staff and customers. Don’t get knocked back by failure; instead learn from it and keep going!

Read more:
Getting to Know You: John & Angela Southall, CEO & Founder, Southall Associates

Northcott Global Solutions has been shortlisted for the Vonage Nexmo Business Enabler of the Year, a Lloyds Bank National Business Award category that recognizes value beyond products. This week, we caught up with the company’s CEO, Edward Jones.

Could you start by giving us a quick rundown of NGS?

NGS has saved literally thousands of lives from a child’s appendicitis to the results of terrorist attacks, from the Arab Spring to the London attacks, from the evacuation of $100m oil rigs in war zones to the return of a little girl’s teddy bear, the company stands alone in its field.

The company was launched to revolutionise the International Emergency Response industry and bring it up to date with modern travel patterns. The basic repatriation model of medical patients from one first world country to another was failing to keep pace with traveller needs either geographically or numerically. Very simply, people were having problems in places that needed more than a doctor on a plane in a week or two to sort out.

NGS employed ex-Army, Navy, Police, Police despatch, Air traffic controllers, Medics, and Technicians, put them into a state-of-the-art, 24/7, military style Operations Centre and put them to work looking at every country in the world through a prism of potential client emergencies – foreign invasion, civil unrest, medical emergency, basic medical, kidnap & ransom, extortion, business continuity, logistical support, cyber, legal, diplomatic and more.

The company then built and maintains a vast network of local & regional providers including medical, aviation, security, land transport, maritime, armed response, safe houses, logistics, legal, cyber, diplomatic, cash transit, tracking, travel management capabilities and more in order to meet their client’s individual needs around the world.

NGS is not matched for either geographical reach or speed – current records include: 3 clients extracted during a terrorist attack from the roof of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Bamako, Mali in 17 minutes; the release of a kidnap victim in northern Pakistan in 40 minutes, the safe pick up of a mugging victim in Abuja, Nigeria in 15 minutes and countless minor medical issues answered immediately.

NGS stands alone, so you never do.

Talk us through the business’s journey so far.

Launched in 2010, the company has grown 50% year-on-year. Starting with 6 employees, NGS now has over 50 full time people in the UK with offices both in the City of London and Mayfair. In 2012, the company acquired a tracking & travel management arm which, when integrated to the original international response capability saw NGS revolutionise the ‘Assistance’ industry.

What has been the greatest challenge faced so far as a new business?
The main issue has been breaking into very well-established industries. Every security company claims to do emergency response and on the insurance side relationships between insurers and assistance companies were often decades old.

What has been your biggest achievement?

Winning International Assistance of the Year 2017 was a tangible highlight, but the growing dominance of the UK insurance market is more meaningful from a commercial point of view.

What is your company’s mission?

To offer a new generation of international emergency assistance & business enablement, globally.

What was it about the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards that made you want to apply?

They are one of, if not the biggest, most prestigious awards out there.

What attracted you to the Vonage Nexmo Business Enabler of the Year category in particular?

Enabling our clients to do business is the core of what we do.

Do you think that being shortlisted has boosted your exposure or credentials?

Yes, but winning would be really big for us!

Has there been a particular book, talk or video that has helped you to thrive in your business career?

The concept behind NGS is revolutionary within our industry so operationally, I’d say, no. The concept formed as a result of my being employed, at one time or another to do the various constituent parts – underwriter, broker, soldier, assistance provider. It was this combination that highlighted the failings in the industry and how the different parts could fit better together.

What advice would you give to young business-minded professionals?

Learn a language and if you are going to launch a business listen to the person that tells you it will take twice as long, and cost twice as much than you think it will!

What does ambition mean to you?

Ambition means dominating the market we are in. Arguably many already recognise NGS as the best in class but we have a long way to go.

How do you deal with failure?

Adapt and overcome.

How do you keep your team motivated?

We are fortunate in that we have a lot of ex-military Warrant Officers who are the best man managers in the world.

What growth plans do you have in place?

To continue to grow at the rate we have in terms of the day-to-day business. The Remote Logistics side of the business is showing signs of dramatic and spectacular growth too. The Tech side is also looking very strong in terms of the ideas we have there.

The Security side is growing at 100%+ a year and both falls out the other business lines and reinforces them. It’s the integration of our services that is the largest contributing factor to our current 100% client renewal rate in 2018.

Read more:
Profiled: Edward Jones, CEO of Northcott Global Solutions

Ahead of this years National Business Awards final we spoke to some of the finalists to find out more about their business. Here Paul Durose tells us his management style at Gas Tag

“I don’t try to hide behind the fact that I’ve had a failed business.”

Gas Tag is the only end-to-end gas compliance system, created to provide landlords with a full, real-time audit trail of all works carried out at their properties and the only system that validates the qualifications of engineers carrying out the work. The asset and property data captured allows for better business decisions and, most importantly, the peace of mind that their tenants are safe.

We caught up with Paul Durose, CEO and Founder of Gas Tag – one of the finalists for The Lloyds Bank New Business of the Year award to talk about the sleekness of their tech, the strength of failure and how to avoid a burnout.

Paul has been in the construction industry since the age of 17, but when the crash of 2008 hit, the construction business took a tumble.

When he later found himself in the gas safety industry, he discovered that there was very little safety to it. The archaic system often involves rogue gas fitters, illegal checks and only a piece of paper to prove the work has been completed – which is sometimes filled in fraudulently. After his construction business went under, the idea of Gas Tag came to him.

Tell us a little bit about how Gas Tag is innovating the gas safety industry.

Around 1.1 million gas jobs are carried out every year by illegal gas fitters who are not properly qualified, putting householders at risk.

Unsafe gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning which accounts for 50 deaths per year, and as many as 4,000 medical visits, according to the Department of Health.

The gas safety industry needs a shake-up. It’s based on old-fashioned record-keeping and archaic systems which are no longer fit for purpose.

Recent research from the Gas Safe Register, who regulate the sector, has revealed that almost 5 million people across the UK are putting themselves at risk by employing illegal gas engineers who are not properly qualified.

It has also shown that 65% of gas jobs carried out by illegal fitters are unsafe and one in five gas appliances are so dangerous that they must be disconnected immediately.

Worryingly, one in five people who employ a tradesperson to work on a gas appliance do not check their ID card or qualifications.

Gas Tag has been developed to ensure that the correct work is carried out on gas appliances at the appropriate time, by the right engineers. As soon as a physical Gas Tag is installed on the gas inlet in a property it tracks all the property’s gas appliances, services and installations – and can only be used by a qualified Gas Safe Registered engineer.

Each engineer can evidence their competency, and their completed job gets uploaded to a centralised portal where the data can be monitored. Rogue gas fitters are unable to access the Gas Tag app and are not able to carry out any work through the Gas Tag portal.

We are looking to revolutionise the gas safety industry.

We want to rid the industry of rogue unregistered engineers and stop them in their tracks before they can do damage to heating systems and put residents at risk from carbon monoxide poisoning, or worse.

What was it about the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards that made you want to apply?

Our PR Adviser suggested that we go for it. Also, our sales director previously worked for an organisation that won the award several years ago. He said the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards is like the Oscars of the business world and it’s great for recognition.

Do you think that being shortlisted has boosted your credentials so far?

Oh without a doubt. We want to gain credibility and we think an award like this will give us that. Just to be shortlisted is unbelievable for our credibility. Not only are we getting recognised on a national level, but we’re also getting recognised on a national business level.

As CEO and Founder, do you find yourself wearing two different hats? And how do you think the roles differ?

If I’m completely honest, I wear about a hundred different hats every single day. And that’s not with regards to being a CEO or a founder, it’s about managing people. I think you have to deal with different people in different ways. In small companies, I think the chief executive and the founder usually are the same people.

What I try and do is point to the horizon and say “I think we should go over there”.  I’ll get people to agree with me, or disagree with me, and then we’ll put the processes in place to get there.

The business is growing really fast at the minute. I think – in fact –that I’m the right person to lead this business at this moment in time. I’ve always said this: there will be a time where I might not be the right person, and I will go down to being a founder, and the right person will come in. All I care about is the business. And if I’m not the right person to move this business forward, I will definitely move aside and recruit the right person who is. It’s about getting the right people in the right roles.

A core part of the Gas Tag offering is the app. What’s the hardest part of maintaining or developing an app?

I’d say constant scrutiny of the app to be honest with you, more than anything. You have to have testers who literally do nothing but test all day every day. We’ve got two that try every way to break it. And while it’s great to think about the innovations that you want to implement, it’s also important that day to day issues get addressed straight away. Having a really good ‘business as usual’ team is vital.

We have a team of 14 app developers. Some of them are developing in different languages for different app stores as well. It’s full on. It costs an awful lot of money to have it run smoothly. Simplicity costs money.

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a CEO?

More than anything, my strongest point is building teams. I’m not really that good at most things, but I am good at finding talent and saying O.K, we’ve got a gap here and I think you’re the person to fill it. It’s about making new recruits feel comfortable. It’s about making them feel like the culture is right for them.

What advice would you give to other CEOs to instil the right culture?

Just try things. If it works, great, if it doesn’t, tweak it and try it again. I suppose that’s the kind of culture that we try to have. A lot of our employees have joined us because they believe in the product and they liked the culture when they first came in. I’m not a micro-manager – if I feel like I have to micro-manage someone, they’re not the right person for the role.

There’s a reputation for a lot of new businesses to do really well and then burn out – how do you tackle that risk on a personal level?

I think because we’ve created something brand new, it’s very exciting and I’ve learned a lot. I don’t think I will burn out. I do switch off. I’ve learned from a failed business that bringing everything home with you is not good. It’s toxic.

You will burn out if you take things home and you open your laptop up when your kids are trying to play with you, or you’re trying to watch TV. Your life is over. There’s no point. It’s not about living to work is it? It’s about working to live.

What advice would you give to young business-minded professionals?

Get on with people. Genuinely, I advise everyone to just get on with people. If you’re not a nice person, opportunities do not find their way to you. Be honest, show your weaknesses, and explain them.

I don’t try to hind behind the fact that I’ve had a failed business and I’ve made mistakes in the past. I kind of wear that as a badge of honour. I think in the UK we’re starting to come around to the idea that it’s O.K. to fail because that’s how you learn and move forward.

Don’t try to have an answer for everything. Don’t try to be the smartest person in the room. I think that’s one thing I’ve learned. If you don’t know something, just say you don’t know and learn from it. Learn from other people who are willing to teach you.

Never settle. Never say we’ve cracked it and we can’t do anymore – you’ll never hear those words come out my mouth. Always keep driving forward.

Meet Gas Tag  and hundreds of other ambitious British business at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards ceremony. Book your place here for the 13^th November, Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

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Profile: Paul Durose, Founder & CEO, Gas Tag