The search is on to discover and recognise the region’s best and brightest and best small businesses.
Britain’s biggest business group the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) has launched their annual ‘FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards’ which will culminate in a regional final in Manchester city centre, followed by a national final later in the spring.
Small business owners and the self-employed throughout the North West region will have a choice of 12 different categories to enter including best family business, start-up, micro and larger business as well as awards for SMEs that excel with customer service, with their diversity and inclusivity practices and those who shine in their local communities.
The 2022 awards produced a record number of entries and included winners from a wide variety of sectors from across the region, and organisers hope that this year will see an even bigger response from the region’s innovative small businesses.
FSB Regional Chair Chris Manka said: “As we all know this is a very challenging time for small businesses, so this is the ideal opportunity for SMEs to remind everyone of the incredible work they are doing and showcase how important they are to our communities.
“We were overwhelmed with both the quantity and quality of the entries we had last time, and we hope many more of our amazing SME owners and the self-employed will take part this time around to prove again just how diverse and innovative our local small business communities are.”
The 12 FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards 2022 categories are:
Exporter of the Year
Sustainability Award
Diversity and Inclusion
Self-Employed/Freelancer
Service Excellence
Micro-business of the Year (0-9 employees)
Larger Small Business (10-100 employees)
Start-up Business of the Year
Young Entrepreneur (aged 30 and under)
Business and Product Innovation Award
Family Business of the Year
Community Award