🏆 Business awards advice

I am a judge for the UK’s national Start Up Awards this year (in my capacity as Founder of my other business, ZeroSmart), and last week I judged the applications.

I was shocked by what I saw.

Absolutely basic mistakes were present in almost every application: questions not answered, no story or anecdotes, no data, no emotional hook, no clearly defined or realistic goals or next steps. The list could go on.

The businesses were good, but the applications were appalling.

Awards are an easy win. They give you huge credibility, and non-nomination-only awards are often free to apply to. It is simple and quick to write the application (if you follow a framework) and the ROI is enormous.

Besides, it feels good to win an award and everyone around you - your friends, family, even acquaintances - will think you’re fabulous. What is not to love?

So, I am following my own advice and resharing a popular post from 10 weeks ago.

Here are my top tips for applying to awards: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WGCffDgHjXNzRQNkVM6kNijZed9helPzOn3SXsrxjDc/edit?usp=sharing

💡 Quote I'm pondering

"We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior." - Stephen Covey

Hard hitting quote that has multiple meanings depending on the context with which you consider it.

In the context of business awards (and sales!), I believe this quote highlights a key issue that almost every entrepreneur makes a mistake with: you know your business and your intentions, nobody else does.

What this means in practice: you might give a brief answer that outlines what you intend to do, but that is rarely clear enough for the other person you’re communicating with who does not have your prior background knowledge or outside information. I can only base judgement on what you say and the past results/data you provide to me right now.

Imagine the person you are speaking with ONLY knows exactly what you tell them - how would your awards applications, and your sales calls, change?

Communicate with clarity. You have no idea what the other person knows. Assume nothing. "When you 'assume' you make an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'". Don’t be an ass. Make sure the person you are speaking with doesn’t miss something important.

I shared this in my Work Smart Wednesday newsletter. Want the full set of related insights? You can read them here: https://worksmartwednesday.substack.com/p/work-smart-wednesday-may-1-2024

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