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The 2020 National Winners of the Single Mums Business Network Awards have been announced!
When you are in work, you are appraised and your hard work can be rewarded with a pay rise or employee of the month star! and when you are in university you are marked on your effort and understanding by way of certificates and qualifications. Awards are so important in the world of self-employment as without them you can feel like all the blood, sweat and tears behind the scenes are mostly unrecognised. The only downside of awards is that there is only one winner per category! which makes it even tougher to get formal recognition for your work, and that is why this year we have some 2nd tier winners, who have Highly Commended Accolade Awards, they were so close to the top, and they get everything but a prize!
The nominations were SO strong. As with a university essay, if you want to win you have to pour your heart out, normally with at least a page or two of behind the scenes information about your personal and professional journey and why you deserve to win, it is a heartfelt plea for external judges to ‘see’ you, and let other people know that you are working SO hard! Congratulations to all of you who are winners, highly commended accolade award winners and finalists this year! The 2021 nominations open on November 29th and will be celebrated at the next National Conference for Single Mums Business in October 2021!
Please take a look at our winners below, the judges comments, and the gallery of pictures that will be updated daily as award pictures come in! Thank you to the sponsors and prize sponsors who will be celebrated alongside the award winners for the next 12 months! (prize ceremony on-line on 21st November 2020).
WINNERS 2020 – Photo’s to be replaced with trophy pics!
The winner of the ‘Digital Innovation’ Award is Zoe Desmond of ‘Frolo’, an app that connects single parents throughout the UK. https://frolo.com/
Zoe won a Helicopter Flight for her Prize!
The winner of the ‘Best Networker’ Award is Kirstie Preece, who is an official network leader for Omni and the SMBN Gloucestershire and she cross networks and sign-posts to help many people. Photograph by Tammy Lynn Photography
The Family Network have sponsored the ‘Best Networker Category’ https://thefamilynetwork.net/
Kirstie won a Your Clothes Your Story voucher!
The winner of the ‘Instagram Influencer’ Award is Tanya Smith, who engages with positivity! and shares information and advice to help others. Tanya’s Healthy Living Website
Tanya won a £50 Amazon voucher!
The winner of the ‘Legal SMiB of the Year’ is Rebecca, who juggles her legal career with being a Rapid Transformational Therapist. https://singlemumsbusinessnetwork.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/welcome-new-member-rebecca-ingram-rapid-transformation-therapist-rtt-and-coach/
The Single Mum in Law category is sponsored by Link-Legal Solutions Ltd, a Paralegal Law Firm specialising in Corporate Law
Rebecca won 2 nights at any Jupiter Hotel!
The winner of the ‘Best Blog’ goes to Helen, Michelle and Christian for thier incredible work with the #shecan365 campaign https://www.shecan365.com/
H, M & C won a £50 Amazon voucher!
The winner of the ‘Gingerbread Group Leader of the Year’ goes to Sherisha Richards. Who volunteers so much time and energy to other single parents who need somewhere to turn.
Sherisha won a spa day at Holmer Park Spa!
The winner of the ‘Mentor of the Year’ category is Herman Stewart. The Awards not only celebrate Single Mums but those who help us by helping others. https://hermanstewart.com/
Herman Stewart is a businessman, mentor, author, speaker, podcast host and much more.
He is an ambassador and champion for mentoring everywhere.
Herman one a 1-1 session with Alison Holmes Coach
The winner of the ‘Family Employer of the Year’ Category is Laura Callahan of Willow HR https://www.willowhr.com/about She has a full team of mums working flexible around childcare responsibilites.
Laura won a 12 month Kidstart voucher!
The winner of the ‘Acing Adversity’ Award is Danielle Fletcher from Learn Digital with Danielle https://www.instagram.com/learndigitalwithdanielle/
Neesie has sponsored the ‘Acing Adversity’ Category
Danielle won a photoshoot with Zeezi’s photography!
The winner of the ‘Super start-up’ Award is Nehaya Zitawi of Hiya’s Healing https://www.hiyashealing.com/
Nehaya won two tickets for the National TV Awards!
The winner of the ‘Community Champion’ Award is Genny Jones, Accountancy Trainer and Happiness and Wellbeing Consultant https://singlemumsbusinessnetwork.wordpress.com/2020/06/05/genny-jones-happiness-and-wellbeing-consultant/
Genny won tickets to West Midland Safari Park!
The winner of the ‘Best Collaborator’ Award is Catherine Gladwyn, who share s insight and advice to help others https://catherinegladwyn.co.uk/
Catherine won a robe from Dunelm!
The winner of the ‘Multimixer of the Year’ Award is Samantha Poole, who has so many branches take a look at her site https://sjpcollective.com/
Sam won afternoon tea for two at the Ritz!
The winner of the ‘Excellence in Customer Care’ is Lisa Berry of Cheeky Little Prints https://cheekylittleprints.co.uk/about/
Lisa won a case of Friexnet donated by Laura Callahan!
You can watch the prize ceremony on Facebook! This was on November 21st at 5pm!
HIGHLY COMMENDED ACCOLADE AWARD WINNERS 2020
For those of yo who ‘nearly’ won a prize! Congratulations, you are outstanding! Chel Dowdie, Julia Hallewell, Tayntons, Monahans, Lidia Peto, Shannon Andrews, Jane Scanlan, Michelle Molyneux, Claire Harris, Tanya Gebhardt and Nathania Atkinson. Your pictures to celebrate this award will be added to the gallery below as they come in!
And finally to the FINALISTS! You are still absolute champions as hundeds applied for these awards and only some of you made it as finalists. Celebrate! You’re amazing! and send me your pics to add in the gallery with links below! Mel, Anne, Gemma, Claire, Aian, Jess and Annika x
Special Award – Friend of the SMBN
When I set-up the Single Mums Business Network in 2019 – it was intended to be exclusively for single mums – not to exclude anybody but just to do what it said on the tin, support single mums in business. I was quite literally blown away when a member of my network asked if she could join, despite not being a single mum. She just wanted to support the network, without any gain; and so the ‘Friends of the SMBN’ was born. ‘Friends’ get exposure to their businesses on the website and mag, but are otherwise essentially ‘silent partners’! And I / we appreciate them all. Infact there are no words to say how much I appreciate them and their support. But on top of that, in the last year, one friend of the SMBN has really stood out! we met on Twitter! and immediately realised that we were both all about supporting each other and collaboration rather than competition. She came to the National SMBN Conference from Liverpool (7 hour round trip and some!), and then she just kept going. Her joining as a member was more than enough, but she consistently signposted, retweeted, shared, promoted, clapped, applauded, celebrated, collaborated, and encouraged, and quite literally blew my mind all over again. There was no way that I was going to let this go unrecognised, so without having to be nominated or nominate herself, I awarded Marie Hall, of Empowerment House. Best friend of the SMBN for 2020. I hope she puts that award somewhere she always sees it, so if ever she’s having a tough day or doubting what a difference she makes, she remembers how incredible, appreciated and loved she is. It was a no brainer to invite her to be my partner for the ‘Find Your Power Event 2021’. Ladies, we find power in each other, we are more powerful to make positive change when we work together. She is now a lifetime honorary friend of the SMBN, and truly an angel, who deserves her wings. Thank you Marie, and thank you Empowerment House 🙏💞
Marie won a voucher for Nancy Mac clothing!
End note. When life starts you off with hard knocks, you can either be a lover or a fighter. Please be a lover. Kindness is the greatest wealth you will ever know. Jules x
To Sponsor the SMBN 2021 Awards please see Sponsorship Page
Thank you to the following individuals and companies that have either sponsored a category or donated a prize for one of our 2020 award winners:
A 2-night stay in any Jupiter Hotel
Ellen from Link Legal has donated a prize of Tea for Two at the Ritz www.link-legal.co.uk
Kidstart has donated an Annual Membership as a prize
Nancy Mac Clothing have donated a £100 clothes voucher to redeem on their stunning site:
West Midland Safari Park Entry for Two
A Robe has been donated from Dunelm!
Sharon Kearns has donated €100 voucher as a prize for
Alison of Peritia Ltd has donated a free 1-1 Coaching Session
Spa Day
Zeezi’s Photography have donated a corporate photoshoot https://www.zeezisphotography.com/
plus I gave away tickets for the National TV Awards, A Helicopter Flight, Amazon Vouchers, and more!
Thank you to all the nominees, sponsors, judges, and my own support network for helping me sustain what I have created. The SMBN. Much love. Jules x
Single Mums Business Network [SMBN] [CIC] 