‘Winning SME of Year award was hugely motivating for us’
A PASSION for healthy eating led Hillary Graves, the Little Dish founder, to spot a gap in the market for fresh, nutritious food for children in 2006.
Finding that niche has proven worthwhile; according to Ms Graves, Little Dish products are now stocked by major UK retailers.
Generating these deals would not have been possible without an effective PR strategy to build the company’s reputation. And one of the essential steps towards building business credibility, Ms Graves notes, has been the recognition created by winning the 2016 SME of the Year award at The Telegraph Festival of Business.
This year’s ceremony will take place on Tuesday, November 7 at The Brewery in central London. The festival has celebrated the achievements of highgrowth enterprises for several years. Previous winners include meat brand Heck (2015), and intellectual property company Bactest (2014).
For Ms Graves, winning did not just help boost the company’s deal-making abilities; it acted as an important morale boost for workers at Little Dish.
“Winning awards like this one is hugely motivating. When the brand receives this kind of recognition, it’s viewed as an achievement by the whole team.” Ms Graves’s advice for people who are considering entering the competition is straightforward: “Communicate a clear vision for your business supported by strong commercial performance.”
Her remarks echo the criteria by which the judging panel, consisting of Daily Telegraph editors, independent speakers, and a representative from the award sponsor, Amazon, will use to reach their verdict. They will consider the financial acumen with which companies are run, their branding, creativity and innovation, and vision.
Companies interested in entering should visit telegraph.co.uk/smeaward to share details of their enterprise and its achievements to date. The deadline for entries is Friday, Sept 22.
Doug Gurr, UK country manager at Amazon, believes that the programme offered by the Festival of Business and the SME of the Year award reflect the support SMES should receive on a grand scale. “Now, more than ever, SMES from across the UK need the right support to reach their potential, in particular through the use of digital technology to grow revenues, create jobs and increase exports,” he said.
The Telegraph Festival of Business 2017 is free to attend. To register, visit telegraph.co.uk/business/festival-ofbusiness/