WINNING AN AWARD MEANS THE WORLD
I’ve always thought business awards were like the Oscars, the New Year Honours List and the Community Shield.
They don’t actually mean terribly much – until the moment you win one.
Admittedly, this perception was largely informed by my conviction that it was unlikely I’d ever experience such a moment.
So I was delighted to have the chance to put that theory to the test recently when LeBoo Media was named Creative/Media Business of the Year 2021 at the West London Business Awards.
Obviously, given the current circumstances, this was a virtual event. The announcements were made at Twickenham Stadium while nearly 300 people tuned in via Zoom to hear the results.
Many people – and I’m glad to say I was one of them – got poshed up for the event anyway. As Zoom protocol dictates, you can mix and match a smart upper half with your leisurewear out of sight. That’s quite fun with a DJ and dicky-bow and your favourite sloppy jeans.
The ceremony was excellent. Events moved at a healthy pace and everything ran almost to schedule – possibly because there was no time for acceptance speeches.
All shortlisted businesses had been sent a big white box, with strict instructions not to open them before their award was announced.
I didn’t quite believe my ears when the award was announced, but opening the box to find a smart glass trophy in there definitely did the trick.
And… I’m glad to say my theory was correct. It meant at the time, and still does now, the absolute world to me that LeBoo Media is now the proud winner of a prestigious business award.
The last 12 months have been – as for every owner of a small business – a singularly challenging period in the life of LeBoo Media.
When you run a business, each and every year is an examination of your resilience, agility and self-esteem. But in 2020, the questions were definitely more testing than usual.
Soon after the pandemic arrived, I realised I’d have to rein back on my ambitions to expand the scope of the business to include public speaking and to host webinars and workshops on the secrets of copywriting.
This has been a time to hunker down, focus on what you know you’re good at and what people want you for, and to keep the wheels of industry turning somehow until the shadow of coronavirus disappears.
It’s been a time for networking intensively online – with the experience of being in the room with people added to the list marked “Simple pleasures that will be intensely enjoyable when we are allowed them again”.
It’s been a time when many existing clients stayed loyal, kept their businesses moving and maintained their demand for top-quality copy in its many and various forms. For all of which I will feel eternally grateful.
It’s also been a time to meet and collaborate with new customers – though it still feels weird to have well-established relationships with people I have yet to meet in person.
Most of all, the era of Covid-19 has been a time for mutual support. Networking, for instance, isn’t just about drumming up business. It’s also a way of enjoying social interaction, spending time with fellow business owners – all with the unspoken acceptance that we are in the same boat together and we will all keep paddling in whatever way we can.
To win an award in such turbulent times feels incredibly special – and has provided a significant boost to my self-esteem and confidence.
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