Nominations Open! Are you a S.T.A.R.?

Are you {or someone you know} a S.T.A.R. {successful, tenacious, accomplished, remarkable} Mom Entrepreneur? If so, Market Mommy wants to honor you for your continued dedication to your business and your family!

Are you a leader? Are you balancing your business and family in a creative way? We want to hear what sets you apart from the thousands of other mom entrepreneurs! Why are you determined to succeed? Have you invented a product that is helping others? What have you done to show the world that you’re confident, remarkable and steadfast? Tell us, and you’ll be entered to win an absolutely awesome prize package.

We know it’s far from easy to balance a family and grow a business at the same time. And, many of you put in hour after hour and jump hurdle after hurdle in the pursuit of success. That’s why we’ve created the first S.T.A.R. Mom Entrepreneur Award. We feel you should be recognized for all the sacrifices you make in the name of entrepreneurship.

Not only will this award garner you the respect you deserve, it also comes with an unprecedented prize package! We’ll be giving away more than $3500 in prizes. Visit our Sponsor Page for a full list of prizes and their sponsors.  Once you’re nominated, you’ll be listed in our S.T.A.R. Mom Entrepreneur Award photo album on Facebook. There, your supporters can endorse you with their ‘likes’ and comments!

Our fabulous panel of judges will review nominations and endorsements and chose the mom who best exemplifies success and tenacity. We want to honor a mom who is accomplished, has overcome adversity to make it and aims to balance her business and family life seamlessly. An all-around remarkable mom!

Is that you? It’s easy to nominate. Visit our Nominations Page to fill out the short form, and then e-mail one image {your logo, headshot, product image or another photograph that represents your business} to star{at}marketmommy{dot}com. Once we receive your nomination form and image, we will post your image in our Facebook album and you will officially be registered. Nominations are being accepted through February 29, 2012. For a complete list of Official Rules, click here.

Award Timeline

Nominations Open: January 16, 2012

Nominations Close: February 29, 2012

Endorsements Accepted on Facebook until: March 16, 2012

Winner Announced: On or around March 30, 2012

COMING SOON!!

Contests, Awards, Nominations – What does it mean?

I’m so excited to announce that Market Mommy made StartUp Nation’s top 200 list of Leading Women in Business for 2011. We are thrilled that our fans, clients and colleagues showed their support and voted for us in the competition.

There have been several contests, awards, opportunities for nominations, etc. floating around lately. If you frequent Facebook I’m sure you’ve seen the asks for votes and so on. So what does it all mean for your business? Will an award set you apart from the rest or will the lack of one destroy you?

The short answer is no, I don’t think an award alone is going to make or break you. However, there are several benefits that can come from it.

Publicity. Just being a contestant, or nominated for an award can often garner you and your business some publicity. Being publicized as a nominee can create more traffic to your website. Those who are researching who to vote for will most likely visit your site to take a look. We’ve already mentioned Facebook. That and other social media platforms are a great way to get your name out there to gain exposure and ask for votes. This can multiply if you’re an award recipient.

Media Attention. If you win an award, most likely you will be supplied with a press release template. This was the case with StartUp Nation and is the case with most others. If you’re not provided with a template, you can definitely work to create your own release. Local newspapers and other outlets generally publish business news and include area residents who have received awards. Depending on the contest, it can also generate some larger media attention.

Credibility. By listing your awards and accomplishments you gain credibility. It’s a great thing for potential {and existing} customers to see that you’ve been recognized. By showcasing that others have found you worthy you can increase customer confidence in you as well. The links and SEO that are generated from such awards are invaluable. They will benefit the ‘searchability’ of your website forever.

Networking. By winning an award, you can open a whole new chapter in your networking life. You can open new dialogue with other winners because you have something in common. You can also network with award presenters and organizers. Plus, when introducing yourself you have a new opener. “Hi, I’m Dawn Berryman, owner of Market Mommy and one of the top 200 Leading Women in Business according to StartUp Nation.”

There are many ways you can use an award to your advantage. Be creative and utilize it to the best of its potential.