Do you enter business awards?

It’s business awards season again – the time when just about every company out there launches an award. Do you enter them? If you don’t, here’s why you should.

Firstly, if nothing else, business awards are fantastic for teaching you how to write about your business in a positive way. If you’re planning to ever write tenders, you’ll know how important this skill is. Also, because you only have a small amount of space available to write why you should be considered for the award, you’ll need to be able to write about your business in a very succinct way.

And then, once you’ve entered the award, if you are declared a finalist and if you’re lucky enough to win, the PR opportunities can be enormous. I know one of my contacts didn’t have to do any promotion at all, the year she won a massive business award.

Having said that, small businesses in particular don’t often enter business awards because “we’re too small and we won’t win anyway.” My answer to this is how do you know? If every small business felt like that, we wouldn’t stand a chance out there when compared to the big companies.

So, come on – as long as the business award is free or very low cost to enter, why not? Here’s some of the business awards out there right now (please note, if you’re holding a business award and your award isn’t on the list, please don’t be offended – it’s simply that I didn’t know about you).

Social Enterprise Awards - http://www.socialenterpriseawards.org.uk/pages/socialenterpriseawards.html - closing date 28th September 2009

iAwards - http://www.iawards.org.uk/ - closing date 16th September 2009

Essence of the Entrepreneur - http://www.essenceoftheentrepreneur.co.uk/2009/intro/ - closing date 31st August 2009

O2 X Awards - http://o2-business.com/Business/ - closing date 1st August 2009

Remote workers Awards - http://www.remoteemployment.com/awards2.aspx - closing date 31st July 2009

Midlands Business Awards - http://www.midlandsbusinessawards.com/businessawards2009.html - closing date 31st August 2009

Everywoman Business Awards - http://www.everywoman.com/everywomanAwards/TheNatWesteverywomanAwards/ - closing date 31st July 2009

If you want to enter though, be quick. Some of the awards expire very shortly. But please remember to enter them. If you don’t enter, you can’t win and winning will be fantastic for your business…

Exceptional Thinking (http://www.exceptionalthinking.co.uk) provides help and advice for small businesses on their marketing and to people starting up in business.