2011 Challenge Winners: The Reactions
Following last week’s announcement crowning the 2011 Faces of Entrepreneurship, here’s a chance to read each of the winners’ reactions upon hearing the news and their exciting plans for the future:
Annie Barr, Annie Barr Associates
Winner for the Hexham Courant
“I am so happy to have been chosen as the winner of this year’s Challenge, and I want to thank all those who voted for me.
“This award comes at a very exciting time for the business, I am just about to take on another member of staff and we are extending the office to allow for the business to grow organically over the next year. We are also about to add an online training element to our portfolio of services.
“I am very proud to represent North East England and the Hexham Courant as a Face of Entrepreneurship.”
Winner for The Journal
“I am absolutely delighted to have been chosen as the winner of this year’s Challenge, and it is very encouraging to have received such a high level of recognition from the 'Pick Our Brains' Panel of business experts and from the general public. I also want to acknowledge my fantastic team who all help to make the business a success, without them we would not be where we are today.
“While it is still early days for the business, we foresee big growth for CustomerSure over the next year. Our clients are all small and medium sized businesses and they are enthusiastic about the benefits of our customer service software. We have engineered it to allow localisation in other countries and that gives us further opportunities for growth.
Winner for the Sunderland Echo
“I am thrilled to have been chosen as the winner of this year’s Challenge. I would like to thank everyone who voted for me in the competition, as well as those who have supported me during my business journey so far.
I also want to acknowledge my fantastic team who all help to make the business a success.
“I am very proud to represent the North East and the Sunderland Echo as a Face of Entrepreneurship and I look forward to inspiring others with my experiences of going into business.”
Winner for the South Shields Gazette
I am so happy to have been chosen as the winner of this year’s Challenge; I want to thank everybody who voted for me but especially my brother Craig for his help and motivation throughout the process.
“This award comes at a great time for ‘Style it Rich’ as we move towards launching the online store. All of our designs are now being manufactured and once this is complete we can officially launch the business for customers to buy online. We also aim to branch out at a later date to offer ‘Style it Rich’ clothing on the High Street.
“I am particularly looking forward to my membership to the Entrepreneurs’ Forum as I hope to identify a vast number of opportunities to progress my business further and reach its potential.
Winner for the Northern Echo
“I am ecstatic to have been chosen as the winner of this year’s Challenge. I knew the competition was tough and Cathi is an amazing entrepreneur so I want to thank everybody who voted for me and supported me.
“It’s a really exciting time for us; we are currently looking for retail space in Darlington, and we have a new partnership set up in Redcar and we are also actively looking for a similar partnership in Middlesbrough.
“I am really looking forward to starting the business mentoring service as part of my prize package as I would appreciate advice on growing my business further.”
Ian Jobling, Product Revolution
Winner for the Hartlepool Mail
“I am absolutely delighted to have been chosen as the winner of this year’s Challenge. It is really encouraging to have received such a high level of recognition from industry and business peers in the North East.
“We’re just about to take on another graduate designer from a local university, and part of the company’s vision is to raise the profile of the North of England as a hot bed for creative talent in the UK, and recruiting and utilising local talent is one of the ways we aim to do this. We would like to be responsible for creating many North East design jobs over the next few years.
“It is important to note that the credit for this award should not just go to me as I have a great team behind ever since I set up the business and without them we would never be where we are today.”
Winner for the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette
“I knew there was tough competition so I’m delighted to have won this year’s Challenge and I want to thank everybody who voted for me. I hope my story and experiences inspire others to achieve in the Middlesbrough area.
“This award comes at a time when the business is making significant progress; we have just moved offices and we are now recycling further IT equipment including circuit boards free of charge. We are also having meetings to expand services even further, it’s all happening so fast and I feel I have really benefited from the whole process of the Challenge.
“Moving forwards I am really looking forward to getting started with the business mentoring as I have already been in contact with the judges from the Pick Our Brains Panel for some advice and guidance, which has been really helpful.”