Since announcing our King’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation, we’ve been blown away by the support we’ve received. Whether you’ve sent a message, liked a post, left a comment, or stopped us for a chat, thank you. We genuinely appreciate every bit of encouragement and goodwill that has come our way.
We’ve also realised that many people are curious about the application process and often ask the same questions. So, we thought it might be useful to put together some answers based on our own experience. This isn’t intended to be a guide to winning a King’s Award for Enterprise, simply a look at what the journey was like for us and some advice we’d give to businesses wondering whether they should apply.
Should I apply?
This sounds like an easy question to answer, doesn’t it?
Yes.
The reality is that many businesses hold themselves back. We often hear things like, “We’re not quite ready yet,” or, “I don’t like talking about our achievements.” If we’re honest, it’s just not the British way to shout too loudly about our successes.
But perhaps it’s time to change that.
Every business has a story. Every business has challenges they’ve overcome, innovations they’ve introduced, customers they’ve helped, and people who have made it all possible. The King’s Award for Enterprise gives you the opportunity to tell that story on a national stage.
Don’t assume what you’re doing isn’t special. You may live and breathe it every day, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy of recognition.
Is it difficult?
Of course it is.
This is the most prestigious business award available in the UK, so it SHOULD be difficult.
That said, it’s also interesting, enjoyable, eye-opening, stressful, challenging, and ultimately incredibly rewarding. The application itself is actually fairly straightforward. Once you get into the swing of things, you may find that the biggest challenge isn’t figuring out what to write, but deciding what to leave out. Trying to tell years of hard work, achievements and growth within a word limit can be surprisingly difficult.
Do you need to use an external company if you want to win?
No!
There are some excellent companies out there that offer support with award applications, and for some businesses that may be the right route. We chose not to use an external company for our application and completed the submission ourselves.
The best people to tell your story are the people who have lived it.
What does help is having one person who can coordinate the process, manage deadlines, ensure everything is submitted correctly and continually review each answer against the criteria. That central person can keep the application moving while bringing together the expertise of colleagues from across the business.
Within your company, you’ll know who can tell each part of the story best.
We were also fortunate enough to receive feedback on our submission from the Derbyshire King’s Award for Enterprise panel before submitting. Their suggestions highlighted a few areas where we could strengthen our answers, and their guidance was greatly appreciated.
How is the waiting period?
When you press submit, there’s a sense of relief.
You know there’s going to be a long wait before the winners are announced, so initially it’s quite easy to switch off and focus on other things.
Then March and April arrive.
You suddenly find yourself checking your emails more frequently than you would like to admit, wondering whether today might be the day. As the days pass, keeping positive can become a challenge. It’s natural for doubt to creep in.
Maybe it wasn’t good enough.
Maybe someone else deserved it more.
Maybe you’ve missed something.
But you have to remember that you’ve already done the hard work. You’ve told your story honestly, you’ve highlighted your achievements, and you’ve put your business forward because you genuinely believe it deserves recognition.
How did you feel when you got the email?
Oh my word.
There genuinely aren’t enough words to describe it.
Joy. Excitement. Pride. Relief. Disbelief. Gratitude. Validation.
All of those things hit at once.
Not only do you realise that the work you’ve invested in the application has been worthwhile, but you’re also reminded of everything that came before it. The years of effort, determination, long days, difficult decisions and hard work from everyone involved in the business.
That is probably the most important thing.
Whilst a small number of people may complete the application, the award belongs to everyone who helped make the business what it is. Every employee, past and present, has played a part in the journey. The award is recognition of the collective effort, commitment and passion that exists throughout the organisation.
We wouldn’t be who we are without our people.
What happens next?
Well, this is the tricky bit.
Possibly even trickier than the application itself.
You can’t tell anyone.
After all that waiting, after receiving the news you’ve been hoping for, your immediate instinct is to shout it from the rooftops.
Instead, you have to keep it quiet until the official announcement.
It’s harder than you think. Life and work don’t pause while you wait for the announcement. You carry on with the day-to-day running of the business, knowing that only a few people are aware of what’s to come, and resisting the temptation to mention it whenever the opportunity arises.
But it also makes the moment even more special. When the announcement day finally arrives and you’re able to share the news publicly, it’s absolutely worth the wait.
How has it affected your customers and employees?
The response from our customers has been incredible.
Many of them have been genuinely delighted for us and proud to work alongside a King’s Award-winning business.
We’ve been trusted suppliers for many years and hold a range of industry accreditations, but this one feels different. There is an immediate recognition of what the award represents.
For our employees, there is a real sense of pride. They know the effort that goes into building and maintaining a successful business, and seeing that recognised at the highest level is hugely rewarding.
It’s one thing for us to say we’re excellent at what we do. It’s another for that to be recognised through the UK’s most prestigious business award. That’s what makes the King’s Award for Enterprise so special.
What advice would you give someone thinking of applying?
Do it!
If you’re unsure, download the application and have a look through it. At first glance it can seem daunting, but once you start breaking it down into sections it becomes much more manageable.
Work together. Different people within your business will have different pieces of the story to tell. We found that bringing those viewpoints together helped us create a more complete application.
Have one central person who can coordinate the process, monitor deadlines and check that every answer actually addresses the criteria being asked.
Most importantly, tell your story.
Don’t undersell your achievements. Don’t assume what you’ve done isn’t important or that your business is to small to be considered. The judges can only assess what you put in front of them. We found it important to present a genuine account of our business and its achievements. We celebrated our successes but also weren’t afraid to acknowledge challenges, lessons learned and the steps we’d taken to improve. For us, that felt like a much more honest way to tell our story
And if you’re fortunate enough to have access to support from your local King’s Award for Enterprise panel, use it. The advice and feedback available can be invaluable.
Final thoughts
Applying for a King’s Award for Enterprise is a journey. There will be moments when it feels daunting, moments when you question whether it’s worth the effort, and moments when you’d rather put the application aside and focus on the day job.
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the experience, it’s this: great businesses don’t always recognise how remarkable their own stories are.
Take the time to tell yours.
Whether you win or not, the process of reflecting on what you’ve achieved, celebrating your people and recognising the impact your business has made is valuable in itself.
And who knows? You might just receive the email that changes everything.
Contact West Special Fasteners
The King’s Awards for Enterprise: About the awards – GOV.UK
