25 February 2010 by Sophie
Smarta went to the 'Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to
Work For' awards last night. And there were some great businesses
up there. But you know what? You could have been one of them.
Winning awards is not the sole preserve of multinationals whose
logo-printed tentacles reach every last corner shop from Uruguay to
Uzbekistan. There are more prizes out there for the UK's small
businesses than ever before. And, frankly, if you're not applying
for them, you're being lazy.
You don't need to have dozens of staff and a turnover of millions
to get noticed. You just need to be acting smartly with what you've
got.
The Smarta 100 is an absolute case in point. We
set it up to reward companies for achievement, whatever their
resource or size. We've got winners who started a business for less
than £20, and one-man-bands who've got no intention of serving any
more than a handful of customers by themselves. You should be
applying for awards like this. It can take less than an hour to put
together an application. And for those 60 minutes, if you win, you
get tons of free PR, increased brand awareness, boosted credibility
with customers and a phenomenal shot of validation and
recognition.
There are plenty of ways to win an award that don't require
hand-nosed business strategy and super-fast growth. As last night's
ceremony proved, you can win a major award just by making sure your
staff are happy. There were winners who'd done simple things like
give their staff free fruit, put on regular fun nights, set up a
scheme where employees who don't know each other take each other
out for lunch. These steps cost very little - many were free. But
they can get you a prize that's going to be publicised in the
biggest Sunday newspaper in the UK.
Look into every award going for your sector and region. You might
think your organic egg stall isn't big enough to win a national
business award, but it could win a local business prize or a trade
magazine award. Go niche.
When you apply, emphasise all the fantastic qualities a small
business can offer that give it a competitive edge over larger
competitors: brilliant customer service (include testimonials), a
close-knit team (ask your staff to provide quotes and mention staff
retention figures), an eye on ethics or nicheness of service.
If you don't apply, you'll never know.
(One word of warning - some business awards can charge ludicrous
amount to attend the ceremony. It's still worth applying, as even
to be shortlisted is an accolade - you can then just not go to the
actual ceremony to save costs. But focus your efforts on free or
cheap awards. The Smarta 100 is completely free to enter and to
attend, and there are others like it out there. Just persevere with
finding them.)
What are you waiting for? Read our feature on how to win small business awards for
more advice on the application process and for info on where to
find awards, then get applying!