Manningham is a fantastic place to live, work, and be in business. We are a thriving community, with booming retail opportunities, a vibrant sporting community, and our entrepreneurs and small businesses are amongst the best in the state. Every year we enjoy celebrating these people who contribute to making Manningham prosperous and dynamic, by hosting our Business Excellence Awards.

Being in business for most of us is more than turning up and clocking on for 8 hours a day. It is a love of doing what we do, it is working passionately, dedicating ourselves to something which is more than just a dollar figure on an invoice. And this is what we want to hear about this year.

Ask yourself this question- You’re in business for yourself, operating a small business with a few staff, a larger company with more staff, teams and more, or you’re a sole trader working from a home office. How often do you reward yourself for a job well done? How often do you celebrate your wins? We know of business people who are successful both professionally and financially, and yet they never stop to pat themselves on the back. They are always nose to the grind stone, always after the next sale, the next client.

This is a great work ethic, but you do need to stop, tell yourself – well done, and celebrate being in business.

And this is the perfect way to do it. If you can’t reward yourself, then give Manningham the chance to reward you. Celebrate being in business through the MBEA. Be a part of this wonderful event, with the Launch Breakfast on May 24th.

This breakfast event, starting at 7am at our Doncaster Function Centre, will give you all the information you need to apply and enter for our Business Excellence Awards this year. Meet some of your fellow business owners and entrepreneurs from the City of Manningham, councillors and others involved with the Business Excellence Awards.
The most exciting part of this year’s Manningham Excellence in Business Awards is the removal of categories. Where last year we had 2 categories for a retail business, based on your size, this year, everyone is up for an award.

How? We want to hear your stories. We want to know your wins, your achievements, your challenges and solutions. We want to know WHY you are in business. How have you grown, adapted, succeeded in the City of Manningham. Stories are powerful. The resilience of the sole trader fighting against challenges is just as powerful as that of a retail store, a café, a larger business with many more employees. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are in business, we all face challenges. And that is what we want to recognise and reward this year.

Entry into this year’s award process is quite simple. You complete an ‘expression of interest’ form, which is shorter thank you might think.

From there, one of our Award Mentors will come to your business and help you complete the application form, where we want to hear your story, the saga that is you and your business.

And then our judges will assess these applications, determine the finalists, and then visit them all.

And to celebrate our winners, in this different and exciting new process, we’re changing up the awards night as well. In previous years, the awards night was a cocktail party with finger food, with nominees and guests mingling and chatting away during the ceremony. This year, in 2016, we are hosting a Gala Event Dinner to celebrate the best in business in our city.

What’s it like being a winner? Bec, from Gourmet Living, which won the award for Retail Business of the Year last year, says that just the entry process taught her so much about her business

“The application led me to really delve into my business and look into the results of decisions I had made and systems I had put in place. Often our lives are so busy that we can overlook the wins that we have had along the way, however writing about Gourmet Living gave me time to reflect on what changes had been made and our significant improvements from them. It also allowed me to see cracks in certain departments of the business and opened my eyes to areas that needed critical thinking.”

Indeed, the application process makes you look at your business and realise how great you actually are, just being in business. And if the idea of entering and filling out the questionnaire leaves you a little worried, don’t worry, we have Award Mentors to help you through the process. Nothing should stop you from having a go.

Imagine if you won! Tony, from H2-PRO Plumbing, won Manningham Business of the Year in 2014. He says

 “Since winning Manningham Business of the Year in 2014 the profile of our business has escalated and we are operating at a much higher level.
We have been lucky enough to be invited to speak at numerous events throughout the year, increasing the awareness of our business and also making some great contacts. Through these connections and other events we have had some terrific networking opportunities and met some wonderful people with likeminded businesses. Owning a business can sometimes be a lonely road and it has been great to surround ourselves with a community of business owners who are striving to achieve that bit extra and understand the ups and downs.”

Tony says his revenue has increased by around 25%, which he attributes directly to winning the Manningham Business Awards.

This could be you. Truly, it could be. Don’t think it’s too hard, or you’re not worthy. Give it a go.

Join us at the Launch Party on Tuesday May 24th, 7am – 9am at the Manningham Function Centre, 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster. This breakfast event will outline the process for you, give you all the important dates, and a chance for you to ask questions to find out more.

Tickets are $45 and include breakfast. Register online at https://www.trybooking.com/LCSW 
or email awards@manninghambea.com.au