Year on year the quality of entrants to the Midlands Business Awards gets higher. To enable entrants to improve their chances of being short-listed we have provided this short guide on what will make your entry stand out, and how to avoid the most common problems.

Midlands Entrepreneur of the Year

Do

• Detail how your entrepreneurial skills have led to business growth
• Show how you have taken your idea(s) to the Market & made it successful
• Outline the challenges/risks you have faced & overcome to achieve success
• Provide financial information on the business growth achieved (or projected)
• What is your strategy for the next 1 to 5 years

Don't

• Just detail what you have done without explaining how it has led to business growth
• Submit the same entry form for the Business person Category

Midlands Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Do

• Detail how your entrepreneurial skills have led to business growth
• Show how you have taken your idea(s) to the Market & made it successful
• Outline the challenges/risks you have faced & overcome to achieve success
• Provide financial information on the business growth achieved (or projected)
• What is your strategy for the next 1 to 5 years

Don't

• Just detail what you have done without explaining how it has led to business growth

Midlands Family Business  of the Year

Do

• Provide evidence that your business involves two or more family members and the majority or control lies within a family
• Explain your business products or services and demonstrate how the add value to your customers
• Demonstrate the growth of your company

Don't

• Provide us with a list of family members and their role in the company
• Just provide a list of your services

Midlands Service Provider of the Year

Do

• Detail specifically how you have helped your customers
• Provide feedback from clients
• Detail how providing excellent service has helped to grow your business
• Explain how you excel at customer service
• What staff training do you / your company provide to ensure excellent service at all times

Don't

• Just list the services you provide

Midlands Innovation of the Year

Do

• Detail your product/service and the specific aspects of why you believe it is innovative
• Detail how the innovation has (or will) benefit customers or society
• Detail how the innovation has helped to grow your business (or will grow in the future)
• What problem/s does your innovation/product solve & how did you come up with the idea

Don't

• Just list the features of your product/service

Midlands University of the Year

Do ....................University Entrepreneurship...............

• Detail how many business start-ups / Spin out Companies you have created
• What Patents have been registered
• Detail the sales or other tangible benefits of the help you have provided
• Detail anything that you believe is uniquely enterprising compared to other universities
• Outline any Business benefits identified by the HEI
• Give details of the Institutional Leadership driving Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
• Outline Entrepreneurial outcomes for Staff, students and Graduates
• Outline details of Consultancy provided
• Show proof of CPD
• Identify the delivery of Regional and National Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Goals

Don't

• Just detail the services and grants you offer

Do..........University Innovation.............

• Detail anything that you believe is uniquely Innovative compared to other universities.
• Outline any Technological Developments you have made
• Demonstrate the impact of Innovation on Policy
• Demonstrate the Impact of Innovation on Practices

Don't

• Just detail the services and grants you offer

Midlands Manufacturer of the Year

Do

• Provide details of the size and the growth of your Company
• What do you manufacture & in what quantities
• Outline the size of your target market
• What challenges have you faced & overcome

Don't

• Just list products

Midlands International Trade of the Year

Do

• Provide a summary of the products you are exporting and to which Countries.
• How much of your turnover is Export
• Detail the financial impact exporting has had on your business
• Detail any challenges you have successfully overcome, and strategies you have used to grow your export business

Don't

• Just outline your products functions

Midlands Business Person of the Year

Do

• Detail the business success you have had and your specific role in making it happen
• Detail how you have helped others to develop and/or grow
• Detail anything you believe is unique about your approach to business
• What is your personal Strategy for the next 3 – 5 Years

Don't

• Just provide details of your company
• Submit the same entry as for Entrepreneur of the Year

Midlands Corporate Commitment to the Community Award

Do

• Explain your programmes and how they have benefited the community
• Show how they are sustainable
• Do you have plans that you want to implement in the future
• What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome these

Don't

• Just provide details of your company.
• Submit the same entry as for Entrepreneur of the Year

Midlands Digital Communications of the Year

Do

• Explain how your project from brief, proposal and delivery and how it has lead the way
• Provide evidence of how your project has benefit your clients
• Explain how you overcame any challenges

Don't

• Just provide a list of your campaigns

Midlands PR Company of the Year

Do

• Explain your campaign strategy and creative execution
• Give detail of how the campaign has successfully supported your clients including the measurement of success
• Detail what challenges have you faced and how you have overcome these

Don't

• Just provide a list of your services and campaigns