Shortlisted for Young Businesswoman Award

I'm still coming to terms with reaching the finals of the East of England Businesswoman of the Year (EEBW) awards in the young businesswoman category. All quite a shock as the competition seemed pretty stiff and the judge's questions were very searching, especially on finances.

Since the EDP launched their Future 50 list of entrepreneurs to watch in the Autumn my feelings about promoting women in business have galvanised somewhat, and I have been inspired to do my damnedest to get myself in the Future 50 2010 to grow the current representation of just two women. In the many discussions which the Future 50 has sparked in recent weeks, there are two key points that have been repeated many times. Firstly how do you measure success? The Future 50 criteria relied heavily on the importance of financial success and a scaleable model - the EEBW awards conversely put weight on community involvement and voluntary work and well as cold, hard figures.

The second issue that keeps coming up is the general reluctance of women in business to shout about our success. I have to say I felt pretty uncomfortable compiling my entry for the EEBW awards which required me to boast about the (modest) success of my business. The many kind congratulations I have received since reaching the finals also feel somewhat awkward but I suppose that is all part of learning to have more confidence in our abilities and to shout about it from the rooftops.

Here is the full press release about the EEBW awards for information:

A young Norfolk business owner is flying high after reaching the finals of the East of England Businesswoman awards, which will be held in the shadow of Stansted Airport in February. Active Marketing & Design Director Kate Elliott (29) beat competitors from six counties to reach the final three of the Young Businesswoman of the Year category in the Lloyds TSB-sponsored awards, which are organised by the Institute of Directors.

“I’m amazed to have been shortlisted against brilliant businesswomen from across the region,” exclaimed Kate, who is responsible for all aspects of client management, along with copy writing and managing the company’s main office in Blofield. “The entry process was quite rigorous with a 2000 word essay and then an intense interview with a panel of five judges that included Karen Hester, Operations Director of Adnams and a previous winner of the award.”

The judges were impressed with Kate’s drive and enthusiasm to establish the business she conceived just over 3 years ago with work colleague Claire McDermid. Together these enterprising women have built up a client base from scratch, remortgaging their homes to raise start-up capital. Their client list includes public sector bodies such as Broadland District Council, the UEA and independent local businesses like the Norwich Lighting Centre.

A keen networker herself, Kate has also given her time freely to start four local business networks including the innovative Norfolk Netwalking group. Kate is committed to a variety of charitable causes and is a regular volunteer with the Riding for the Disabled, also completing pro bono public relations projects for the Buckenham House Group based at Middle Harling.

Steve Elsom, from lead sponsor Lloyds TSB Commercial, said: "We have been impressed by the high quality of the entrants this year. Their drive and talent is a real credit to them and it says great things about the business being delivered here in the East of England.”

The final will take place at the SAS Radisson Hotel in Stansted on 4th February 2010.

For further information about Active Marketing & Design Ltd visit www.activemd.co.uk or call 01603 716700

For further information about the awards see www.eebw.co.uk

Women mean business in Norwich

I came back with some really strong and inspirational messages from today's launch of the WEETUnetwork at Dunston Hall. It was fantastic to see sparky TV presenter Trisha Goddard complete with big new hairdo fighting fit and well on the road to recovery after battling with breast cancer. Never one to mince her words, Trisha had plenty to say about inspiring our daughters to be the businesswomen of the future, and talked passionately about instilling a work ethic in young people, just as her parents made her work hard for her pocket money as a child. I'm really keen to support young women into business and self employment and to give them the opportunity to consider enterprising ambitions in the future, and it seemed that Trisha would be an excellent role model for them to aspire to.

Trisha referred fondly to memories of her grammar school headmistress who had every day instilled a sense of self-belief in her pupils through rousing school assemblies, something I think is lost in most modern schools since the demise of the daily assembly.

She spoke of how her eldest daughter is currently working her way through university, despite her "privileged" upbringing, and how she encouraged her daughters not to feel the need to conform but to cherish their individuality. It seemed that she was suggesting that this unique selling point in each of our personalities is key to our success as individuals in work and life, a point which resonates closely with my thoughts on successful marketing which is so much easier when your business is distinctive.

Trisha also spoke from personal experiences about the critical importance of balancing health and work, firstly in her own battle with a mental breakdown and of course more recently her cancer diagnosis. She suggested that women usually work harder than men in managing both the home and work and we need to learn to give ourselves a break. These thoughts were echoed by the second speaker, Jane Trippett-Jones (Mayor of Diss) who raved about the benefits of a regular massage to simply reduce tension and stress. Both speakers highlighted the importance of voluntary work as key to building self-confidence and as an ideal route to pave the way for women to return to work.

WEETUnetwork is a new venture from the established Womens Employment Enterprise and Training Unit for "women who mean business". With the room bursting at the seams for the first event and Norwich North MP Chloe Smith notable amongst the audience, it was clear that WEETU mean business with their aim to become the recognised voice for women in the Eastern region and I hope the network continues to grow.

www.weetu.org