Cornwall Business Awards 2019 – the last weekend to work on your entries

By Andrew James

The Cornwall Business Awards are as much a part of Cornwall Business Week as our Finance in Cornwall event.  I have yet to receive an invitation to the award dinner (hint!), but understand from colleagues that it is a great night of celebrating some of the fantastic businesses we have in this county.  I am pleased to see that for the first time this year, there is a Circular Economy Award. 

A press release was shared with us which contained some top tips for entrants from the judges – so for those of you working on your entries over the weekend, I thought I repeat a few of these tips for you to bear in mind on the read through of the entry pre-submission.

For a fuller version of the press release (with more tips for entrants) check out link.

Top tips (extracts)

1. Enthusiasm

“The most important thing is confidence and integrity.  If you can convey to the judges the passion and enthusiasm that compelled you to start the business in the first place, that will lift your nomination off the page.”

• Differentiator

“Given the brand exposure opportunity it is well worth considering how you will best present the win to the wider world. Identify your angle and make this a differentiator in your entry. After all there will be many entries to sift through and you want to make sure yours stands out from the crowd.”

• Evolution

“I’m also looking for businesses that look to the future and have a vision for their product or service to be able to evolve and withstand changing and challenging economic climates.”

• It is not just about the words

“Once you have your introduction, angle and positioning sorted ensure some solid statistics are displayed to evidence your story. Front line sales, profit margins and overall revenue are some of the key areas for consideration.”

• Fit for purpose

“Firstly, if you are taking your time to submit an entry, take your time to review for typing errors and correct if necessary. Secondly, don’t risk your reputation with a rushed job. The judges are high profile business professionals and industry experts, they will expect to see a well-presented entry that clearly meets the criteria and provides concise rationale.”

Good luck to all of those entering… (I hope to see some of you at the awards dinner – another hint!)