Business Awards
- Comms Business Awards – submission deadline: 31st March
- The UK Excellence Awards (British Quality Foundation) – submission deadline: 31st March
- HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards – submission deadline: Late April
- The International Business Awards – submission deadline: 12th May(late entries 9th June with fee)
- DELL Innovative Small Business Awards – submission deadline: Mid May
- The Trade Association Forum Best Practice Awards – submission deadline: Mid May
- Nectar Business Small Business Awards – submission deadline: Mid May
- The Green Business Awards – submission deadline: 19th May
- Barclays Trading Places Awards – submission deadline: Late May

Business Leader Awards
- Enterprising Young Brits – submission deadline: 5th March
- It’s A Woman’s World Awards – submission deadline: 15th March
- The First Women Awards – submission deadline: 9th April

CSR Awards
- BITC Awards – submission deadline: 5th or 31st March (depending on category)
- Renewable Energy Awards – submission deadline: 5th March
- Observer Ethical Awards – submission deadline: 12th March
- National eWell-Being Awards – submission deadline: 19th March
- Car and Van Fleet Fuel Efficiency Awards – submission deadline: Mid March
- EACA Care Awards – submission deadline: 2nd April
- TOTAL Green School Awards – submission deadline: 7th May
- The Green Business Awards – submission deadline: 19th May
- Sustainable Energy Awards – submission deadline: Late May
- Valpak Awards for Waste Management – submission deadline: Late May

Customer Contact Awards
- BESMA Awards (The British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Awards) – submission deadline: 5th March
- Call Centre Management Association Awards (CCMA) – submission deadline: 19th March
- Customer Experience Awards – submission deadline: 25th March
- Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service – submission deadline: Late April
- European Call Centre Awards (CCF Magazine) – submission deadline: 31st May

Training and HR Awards
- Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Awards – submission deadline: 5th March
- The TJ Awards (Training Journal) – submission deadline: 8th March
- Human Resources Excellence Awards (Haymarket) – submission deadline: 25th March
- Learndirect Achievement Awards – submission deadline: 26th March
- National Training Awards (UK Skills, Government funded) – submission deadline: 23rd April
- Recruitment Business Awards – submission deadline: May

Marketing Awards
- Clio Awards – submission deadline: 10th March
- a4u Awards – submission deadline: 10th March
- NMA Awards (New Media Age) – submission deadline: 10th March
- Hermes Creative Awards – submission deadline: 12th March
- Chip Shop Awards – submission deadline: 12th March
- Franchise Marketing Awards – submission deadline: 16th April
- IPA Effectiveness Awards – submission deadline: 23rd April
- POPAI Awards – submission deadline: 7th May
- PRO Awards – submission deadline: 30th April, Late deadline 14th May
- Event Awards – submission deadline: 20th May
- PR Week Awards – submission deadline: 27th May
- WebAwards – submission deadline: Late May

IT Awards
- ICT Excellence Awards (Education) – submission deadline: 24th March
- The ISPA Awards – submission deadline: 30th March
- Software Satisfaction Awards – submission deadline: Late March
- The Banker Innovation in Banking Technology Awards – submission deadline: 12th April
- Information Age Awards – submission deadline: early May

Industry Specific Awards
- Financial Services – TFR Awards – submission deadline: Early March
- Education – Sustainable schools award – submission deadline: Ongoing
- Education – The Guardian Teaching Awards – submission deadline: 1st March
- New Media – Media Momentum Awards – submission deadline: 1st March
- Security – The IFSEC Security Industry Awards – submission deadline: 3rd March
- Legal services – The Lawyer Awards – submission deadline: 3rd March
- Construction – Housing Design Awards – submission deadline: 5th March
- Publishing & Press – AOP Digital Publishing Awards – submission deadline: 5th March
- Hospitality – Cateys (Caterer and Hotelkeeper) – submission deadline: 5th March
- Printing & Packaging – BPIF Printing World Excellence Awards – submission deadline: Early March
- FMCG/Retail – The Grocer Gold Awards – submission deadline: 12th March
- Financial Services – FT Sustainable Banking Awards – submission deadline: 12th March
- Charity & Not for profit – Charity Awards – submission deadline: 12th March
- Financial Services – European Pension Awards – submission deadline: 15th March
- Construction – Construction Manager of the Year Awards – submission deadline: 16th March
- Travel & Tourism – Eurostar Awards – submission deadline: 16th March
- Fashion – Drapers Footwear Awards – submission deadline: 18th March
- Supply Chain – Supply Chain Distinction Awards – submission deadline: 22nd March
- Transport & Logistics – Motor Transport Awards – submission deadline: 26th March
- Retail – The Quality Drink Awards – submission deadline: 26th March
- Public Sector – The Times Best Council to Work For – submission deadline: April
- Financial Services – The Banker Awards (FT) – submission deadline: April
- Financial Services – The British Insurance Awards – submission deadline: 1st April
- Construction – British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA) – submission deadline: 9th April
- Health and Social Care – Independent Healthcare Awards – submission deadline: 9th April
- Travel & Tourism – Fleet Safety Forum Awards for Excellence – submission deadline: 12th April
- Events – AEO Excellence Awards – submission deadline: 12th April
- Financial Services – The Banker Innovation in Banking Technology Awards – submission deadline: 12th April
- Public Sector – 21st Century Learning Alliance Awards – submission deadline: Mid April
- Construction – Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award – submission deadline: Mid April
- Financial Services – Your Money Awards – submission deadline: Mid April
- Transport & Logistics – National Rail Awards – submission deadline: 16th April
- Fundraising – Professional Fundraising Awards – submission deadline: 22nd April
- Supplier – Home Offices 2009 Supplier Value Awards – submission deadline: 23rd April
- Construction – British Homes Awards – submission deadline: 30th April
- Health and Social Care – Homes and Communities Academy Awards – submission deadline: 30th April
- Agriculture – Farmers Weekly Awards – submission deadline: 30th April
- Retail – Online Retail Awards – submission deadline: 30th April
- Facilities Management – BIFM Award – submission deadline: 30th April
- Travel & Tourism – The TTG Awards (Travel Trade Gazette) – submission deadline: Early May
- Financial Services – Euromoney Award for Excellence (Banking) – submission deadline: early May
- Financial Services – British Mortgage Awards – submission deadline: 4th May
- Education – TOTAL Green School Awards – submission deadline: 7th May
- Hospitality – The Licensing Awards – submission deadline: 7th May or 1st June depending on category
- Travel & Tourism – LTM Star Awards for International Education – submission deadline: 21st May
- Public Sector – The Good Communication Awards – submission deadline: 21st May
- Housing – Neighbourhood Awards – submission deadline: Late May
- Charity & Not for profit – The Charity Times Awards – submission deadline: 28th May
- Construction – Constructing Excellence Awards – submission deadline: 28th May
- Supply Chain – CILT (UK) Annual Awards for Excellence – submission deadline: 28th May
- Design – Starpack Awards – submission deadline: 28th May
- Travel & Tourism – Travolution Awards – submission deadline: Late May
- Property – Estate Gazette Awards – submission deadline: Late May
- Retail – The GRAMIAs (Grocery Advertising and Marketing Awards) – submission deadline: Late May
- Education – Practical Pre-School Awards – submission deadline: late May
- Financial Services – The Financial Times and Investors Chronicle Awards – submission deadline: late May

The hyperlinks for these and numerous other awards can be found at http://www.boost-marketing.co.uk/awards/

The majority of our readers are female with children, and visit the site at least twice a month, viewing around 5 different pages each visit. Readership is growing at 10-20 per cent per month. Family Friendly Working has news going out to the press every month and has recently been covered on:

Baby Surrey – Baby Hampshire – Families Sussex- Hire My Parents – The HR Director - HR Magazine  - Kidzine  - Mum and Working  - My Baby Radio  - Ni4Kids  – ParentDish -  Practical Parenting – Totz2teens - StartUpDonut - UKParentsLounge - What to Do With the Kids - Working Mums

Take advantage of our excellent links to parents by advertising on Family Friendly Working. A regular text link is just £2 per month on the Flexible Opportunities Page or Parent-Run Businesses Page. 

You can upgrade to make what you offer really stand out and include a banner on one of these pages for an affordable £9 per month

For the highest profile and to guarantee appearing alongside the latest content every day, you can opt for a front page advert.

Contact antonia@familyfriendlyworking.co.uk with any enquiries.

Please note that once you have submitted your payment details we will be in touch to request your text, banner or advert. Please note that you are making a recurring payment. If you want to cancel your advert at any time, you can simply cancel through Paypal.

Mumpreneur Profiles and Flexible Business Ideas Features

Once you have booked your ad, make sure that you maximise the chance to promote your business. If you would like to tell us about how you fit in work and family, look at the Q and A here. And if you want to tell others about your business opportunity, click here.

Press Releases

We are interested in news, views and events for mums and dads, working parents and people who run small businesses. If you run a small business, have a work from home opportunity, offer a franchise or publish information for businesses, please email your press releases to antonia@familyfriendlyworking.co.uk

Image by Sarah G

March 2010

24th March Practical PR For South East Womens Business Service in association with the Athena Network and 1066 Enterprise

April 2010

21st April Antonia is speaking to the West London Businessmums’ Networking Lunch Times and ticket to be announced shortly

26th April Antonia is visiting Networking Mummies Dorset to run two Masterclasses and answer questions over lunch

May 2010

16th May Get great Mumpreneur Tips, Harrow when Antonia Chitty speaks to Excelsya.

28th May Q and A with Mums the Boss Leicestershire

June 2010

27^thJune Brighton Baby Expo Brighton Racecourse & Conference Centre 10am-4.30pm

September 2010

18th September The Mumpreneur Conference

October 2010

5th October The Business Mums Conference Brighton

Research by the FSB with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) found that increasing employers’ National Insurance by one per cent will cost 57,000 jobs at a time of record unemployment figures, but will not give any substantial help to plug the Government’s gap in public finances.

The FSB wants to see businesses using the petition to persuade the Government to reverse the planned one per cent rise in National Insurance and put a halt on any future rises in the foreseeable future. Raising taxes on small businesses must be a last resort if they are to do their job of helping to put the country on a steady road to recovery.

John Wright, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“This petition – calling for no rise in National Insurance Contributions – will tell Government that real action needs to be taken to really help tackle unemployment. The rise in National Insurance is a tax on jobs and will cost the country in thousands of jobs, as well as prevent small firms from taking on more members of staff at this crucial time in the country’s economic recovery.

“The FSB has been calling on the Government to take steps to make it easier for the country’s 4.8 million small firms to employ staff. The FSB knows that small firms want to recruit over the coming year, but are put off by taxes. The Government can give the economy a real helping hand by freezing National Insurance and helping to encourage small firms to grow and take on additional employees.”

This week we’re looking at your marketing your business through networking.

Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get new business: people take personal recommendations seriously. You need to be businesslike about generating recommendations, through, and networking is a good place to start growing the number of people who understand what’s great about your business and will tell friends and colleagues.

An endorsement or coverage in the media can be stronger than any advert as readers and viewers see it as an independent rating of your business. Using the media can be a low cost way to raise your business profile and attract new followers.

The key to effective networking is finding the right places to network, both online and face to face. Try a number of networking groups or websites. You will soon work out which ones show dividends for your business. Make regular networking online part of your daily activities, and build in face to face networking events as often as fits with your business.

Here are some networking activities to build into your marketing plan on a regular basis:

1. Develop great business cards with a call to action to pass on
2. Find online networking sites that suit you
3. Try a few face to face networking meetings to find one that works well for you
4. Practice your elevator pitch so you can sell what’s great about your business in less than a minute
5. Look into affiliate networking systems

We’ll look at your promotional materials for marketing next in this series. For more ideas to help your business grow, buy A Guide to Promoting Your Business: The Ultimate Workbook for Business Owners by Antonia Chitty.

—————————————————
MARCH 2010
—————————————————
Monday March 01
St David’s Day

Thursday March 04 – Sunday March 14
Geneva International Motor Show

Sunday March  07
OSCARS Awards Ceremony

Thursday March 11 – Sunday March 14
Crufts Championship Dog Show, NEC

Friday March 12 – Tuesday March 16
Cricket: 1^st Test Bangladesh v England, Chittagong

Sunday March 14
UK: Mothering Sunday

Sunday March 14
1^st F1 Grand Prix of Season: Bahrain

Tuesday March 16 – Friday March 19
Horse Racing: The Cheltenham Festival

Wednesday March 17
St Patrick’s Day

Friday March 19
Sport Relief

Saturday March 20 – Wednesday March 24
Cricket: 2^nd Test Bangladesh v England, Mirpur

Sunday March 28
BST: Clocks Forward 1 Hour

———————————————————–
APRIL 2010
———————————————————–
Friday April 02
Good Friday

Saturday April 03
Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race

Sunday April 04
Easter Sunday
 
Saturday April 10
Grand National, Aintree

Saturday April 17
Scottish Grand National, Ayr

Wednesday April 21
Queen’s Birthday

Friday April 23
St George’s Day

Sunday April 25
London Marathon

Friday April 30 – Monday May 03
Badminton Horse Trials

Friday April 30 – Sunday May 16
Cricket Twenty20 World Cup, West Indies

————————————————————–
MAY 2010
————————————————————–
Monday May 03
UK: May Bank Holiday

Wednesday May 12 – Sunday May 23
Cannes International Film Festival

Saturday May 15
FA & Scottish Cup Finals

Sunday May 16
Formula One Monaco Grand Prix

Saturday May 22
Champions League Final, Madrid

Saturday May 22
Heineken Cup Final, Paris

Sunday May 23
Cannes Film Festival: Palme d’Or Award

Sunday May 23
F1 Monaco Grand Prix

Sunday May 23 – Sunday June 06
Tennis: French Open

Thursday May 27 – Monday May 31
Cricket: 1^st Test England v Bangladesh, Lords

Monday May 31:
UK: Spring Bank Holiday

——————————————————-
JUNE 2010
——————————————————-
Friday June 04 – Tuesday June 08
Cricket: 2^nd Test England v Bangladesh, Old Trafford

Saturday June 05
Derby Day, Epsom

Sunday June 06
London to Brighton Classic Car Run

Friday June 11 – Sunday July 11
World Cup Finals, South Africa

Saturday June 12
World Cup: England v USA

Saturday June 12
Queen’s Birthday: Trooping The Colour

Tuesday June 15 – Saturday June 19
Royal Ascot

Wednesday June 16 – Sunday June 27
Edinburgh International Film festival

Friday June 18
World Cup: England v Algeria

Sunday June 20
UK: Fathers’ Day

Monday June 21 – Sunday July 04
Wimbledon Tennis Championships

Wednesday June 23
World Cup: England v Slovenia

Wednesday June 23 – Sunday June 27
Glastonbury Music Festival

Thursday June 24 – Sunday June 27
Royal Highland Show

Wednesday June 30 – Sunday July 04
Henley Royal Regatta

——————————————————-
JULY 2010
——————————————————-
Saturday July 03 – Sunday July 25
Cycling: Tour De France

Sunday July 11
F1 British Grand Prix, Silverstone

Sunday July 11
Football: World Cup Final, South Africa

Thursday July 15 – Sunday July 18
Golf: The Open, St Andrews

Monday July 26 – Sunday August 01
European Athletics Championships, Barcelona

Thursday July 29 – Monday August 02
Cricket: England v Pakistan 1^st Test, Trent Bridge

————————————————————-
AUGUST 2010
————————————————————-
Friday August 06 – Tuesday August 10
Cricket: England v Pakistan 2^nd Test, Edgbaston

Friday August 06 – Saturday August 28
Edinburgh Tattoo

Saturday August 07 – Sunday August 08
London Triathlon

Tuesday August 12
Glorious Twelfth: Start of Shooting Season

Wednesday August 11 – Friday September 10
Islamic Festival of Ramadan

Thursday August 12 – Sunday August 15
US PGA Championships, Wisconsin

Tuesday August 17 – Friday August 20
Horse Racing: Ebor Festival, York

Thursday August 18 – Sunday August 22
Cricket: England v Pakistan 3^rd Test, Oval

Friday August 19 – Sunday August 22
British Transplant Games, Bath

Thursday August 26 – Monday August 30
Cricket: England v Pakistan 4^th Test, Lords

Saturday August 28
Challenge Cup Final, Wembley

Sunday August 29 – Monday August 20
Notting Hill Carnival

Monday August 30
Summer Bank Holiday

Monday August 30 – Sunday September 12
Tennis: US Open, Flushing Meadow

——————————————————–
SEPTEMBER 2010
——————————————————–
Saturday September 04 – Sunday November 07
Blackpool Illuminations

Thursday September 09 – Saturday September 11
Plaid Cymru Conference, Aberystwyth

Friday September 10 – Sunday September 19
Commonwealth Conference, Kenya

Saturday September 18 – Wednesday September 22
Liberal Democrats Party Conference, Liverpool

Wednesday September 22
BBC Last Night of the Proms

Sunday September 26 – Thursday September 30
Labour Party Conference, Manchester

———————————————————
OCTOBER 2010
———————————————————
Saturday October 02 – Sunday October 17
Paris Motor Show

Sunday October 03 – Thursday October 14
Commonwealth Games, Delhi

Monday October 04 – Thursday October 07
Conservative Party Conference, Birmingham

Saturday October 23
Launch of UK Poppy Appeal

Sunday October 31
UK: Halloween

Sunday October 31
2am: UK End of BST: Clocks Back 1 Hour

——————————————————-
NOVEMBER 2010
——————————————————-
Friday November 05
Guy Fawkes Night

Sunday November 07
London To Brighton Veteran Car Run

Thursday November 11
Armistice Day

Sunday November 14
Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph Service

Thursday November 25 – Monday November 29
Cricket: Australia v England 1^st Test, Brisbane

Tuesday November 30
St Andrew’s Day

——————————————————-
DECEMBER 2010
——————————————————-
Friday December 03 – Tuesday December 07
Cricket: Australia v England 2^nd Test, Adelaide

Friday December 10
Nobel Peace Prize

Thursday December 16 – Monday December 20
Cricket: Australia v England  3^rd Test, Perth

Sunday December 26 – Thursday December 30
Cricket: Australia v England 4^th Test, Melbourne

The essential book for businessmums who want inspiring ideas and practical advice to help them grow and develop a business, get the Mumpreneur Guide for £12 instead of £18 until midnight, 28 February.

“A great resource for any mum looking for flexible working inspiration and ideas.” Jane Hopkins of Mumsclub.

Visit www.themumpreneurguide.co.uk to take advantage of the offer – don’t forget to buy before midnight.

This week we’re looking at your marketing your business through the media. An endorsement or coverage in themedia can be stronger than any advert as readers and viewers see it as an independent rating of your business. Using the media can be a low cost way to raise your business profile and attract new followers.  

Think about the activities in the following list and consider which ones could work for your business. The key to getting good media coverage is to send out regular news. Work on your media relations little and often by building your chosen activities into your marketing plan on a regular basis:

1. Pitching and writing articles
2. Writing and sending news releases
3. Writing and sending letters to print media
4. Offering expert comments
5. Seeking out and putting forward case Studies
6. Holding media briefings
7. Supplying photographs and product images
8. Creating and sending media packs
9. Providing spokespeople
10. Running surveys and polls
11. Writing and promoting white papers
12. Product launches
13. Offering competitions

We’ll look at social networking for marketing later in this series. For more ideas to help your business grow, buy A Guide to Promoting Your Business: The Ultimate Workbook for Business Owners by Antonia Chitty.

If you’re looking for an inspiring day networking and learning new skills to take your business, go to Women Unlimited’s conference on March the 8th.Women Unlimited have kindly offered readers the chance to win a ticket to the conference. Follow the link to let me know that you’d like to enter. 

All entries must be in by Midnight 28th February 2010. Find out more about the Stepping into Success conference here.