The Entrepreneur of the Year Award
CRITERIA
Are you an inspiring and visionary founder who has proved a business model or translated an idea into financial success?
Have you created value for your team, your investors or the wider community? Why are you an exemplary leader and what can the wider entrepreneurial community learn from your style and approach?
Focusing on the personal contribution of a dynamic leader, this Award recognises an enterprising individual who has achieved sustained growth and strong financial performance by building an engaged and productive team with a culture of innovation and resilience, effective management and inspirational leadership.
Open to individuals leading private businesses that have been operating for at least 3 years and have an EBITDA of £2m+. This Award will go to an outstanding individual who can best demonstrate the following:
- Visionary and inspirational leadership
- Identification of an untapped market opportunity
- Optimisation of employees and resources
- Strong commercial performance, financial results and profitable growth
- Creation of shareholder & stakeholder value
- Potential and plan for sustained growth
- Innovation in products, services or processes
- Customer engagement, loyalty & growth
- An ethical approach and profit with purpose
SCORING AND WEIGHTING
In this category judges will compare the extent to which each candidate has demonstrated excellence in the following areas:
- Employee & Customer Engagement
- Leadership & Innovation
- Organisational Ethics & Policies
- Financial Performance & Growth
PROPORTION OF OVERALL SCORING
20% Employee, 30% Leadership, 20% Organisational, 30% Financial
ENTRY STATEMENT
In a summary of no more than 350 words, please describe what your business does, the market in which it operates and what differentiates you from your competitors. Please include your key business achievements that are significant for your market sector or industry. (Please note that should you become a finalist the answer to this question will be used in external PR & Communications to explain who you are)
In no more than 1200 words, explain why you should win this award using the bullet points below as a guide:
- Employee & Customer Engagement 20%
- Case study examples and top line data to explain how you have increased your customer/user base, or engagement from existing customers, over the last 24 months and the impact on financial performance.
- Examples of how employee engagement and development has enabled you to achieve growth objectives.
- Leadership & Innovation 30%
- Evidence of how you created an innovation culture, proved the business model for your idea, or successfully scaled an innovative product, solution or service.
- Show us how your leadership philosophy or management structure has driven growth or supported scale.
- How have you optimised new technology, platforms or processes to improve customer service or productivity?
- Organisational Ethics & Policies 20%
- How are ethical, environmental or social impact policies or initiatives aligned with your growth objectives?
- How does your approach to diversity, equity and inclusion align with your overall ambition for the business?
- Explain how your ethical or diversity policy or sustainability strategy has improved employee / client attraction and retention.
- Financial Performance & Growth 30%
- Describe the market opportunity you identified and your point of competitive differentiation.
- Explain your key growth metrics, including financial targets, KPIs, timescales and overall ambitions plus examples of milestones and barriers/challenges that have been overcome.
- Briefly outline your personal story including your career to date, successes and failures, leadership qualities, how you seek to inspire others and how this has benefited your existing business.
- How has your company performed against your growth plan and what will help you to sustain future growth?
- Show examples and/or case studies of what has supported, or will drive further, commercial success.
