In terms of business awards, recently we’ve definitely been playing a game of two halves.

On 8^th September, LNPS was named Small Pest Control Company of the Year at the National Pest Awards. This award celebrates businesses that employ fewer than twenty pest control technicians, have shown considerable growth and which go the extra mile in delivering outstanding customer service.

Obviously, it’s a real privilege to be named the best small pest control company in the UK. It shows how far we have come as a company since our foundation in 2017 and it provides us with concrete evidence that our peers think we are doing the right things.

However, I said it was game of two halves and on 13^th October we walked away empty handed from the Newham Business Awards, despite being named a finalist in two categories. We also sponsored the Business Growth award, which was won by the excellent IC Training Centre.

Success and failure

So, within the space of about a month we have toasted success and drowned our sorrows. Was it worth it?

Of course, it was!

Well, firstly, there are no failures. The fact that we didn’t win at the Newham Business Awards doesn’t detract from our success at the National Pest Awards. Secondly, it also doesn’t take away from us winning the Newham Business Award’s COVID Resilience Award in 2021.

If you only enter business awards to win, then perhaps you could count it as a failure. However, for us, there are many reasons to enter business awards. I think the three main ones for me are:

• Promotion – to grow you need to increase the visibility of your business. Whether you are entering a local or national award it will have its own promotional footprint, through press releases and social media. Even if you don’t win, as a shortlisted company your name will be included in materials published by the organisation running the awards. At the same time, you can shout about being shortlisted on your website and social media channels. People like to work with companies they know they can trust and any sign that a business has won or is in consideration for an award will be a bonus.
• Feedback – one of the primary benefits of business awards is that they often come with feedback from the judges. For the National Pest Awards, the judges all came from the pest control industry. In the case of the Newham Business Awards, the judges were local business experts and leaders. In both cases, these people are our peers. Between them, they understand the industry, how to run a successful business and local markets. The feedback you get from these people is therefore invaluable when it comes to improving and growing your business.
• Mingling – awards ceremonies are a great place to meet other business leaders, people who could become your next customer. After a meal (and a glass or two of wine) you are socialising with people who may one day need your service, and its far less formal than a pitch meeting in an office. Now, I wouldn’t suggest you go in with the hard sell because this is a time for people to let their hair down and celebrate their work, but the very fact you are mingling with them could give you the connection you need to obtain future business.

At the same time, it also gives you the opportunity to socialise with representatives of the organisations you support and people you work with. For the Newham Business Awards, we were able to invite Ray Bouch and Jasmine Bhulan from Little Imps, Justin Elder from Early Start and Sarah Havard from Bettertogether, as well as our new Non-executive Director Joanne Beaseley.

Obviously, we would have preferred to have won at the Newham Business Awards, but the truth is winning is just part of the reason we enter. For us, these awards were as much about celebrating the people and businesses of Newham as they were about winning an award.

Picture: National Pest Awards 2022