Experts

Topic —  About Mom

A Winning Story: Mom Entrepreneur of the Year 2009

May 30, 2010
Shirley Broback

Pocket

Winning the 2009 SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award has been an incredible journey and a wonderful opportunity for me. I am so honoured that my community, family, friends and exhibitors worked so hard to campaign with me to help bring in the votes I needed to win this prestigious award.

I learned that there is real strength in the connections we make and how incredibly important it is for small business owners to support each other. It’s impossible to go it alone, and I feel very lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people.

The campaigning was fun and a perfect opportunity to get out there and ‘toot my own horn’. I got out into the community, talked to people about the Vancouver Island Baby Fair, had face-to-face contact and asked them to go online and vote for me. That was an important element—despite being an online voting contest, I was making real-life connections with people that mattered, whether I won or not.

When you work in a home office, it can be a bit isolating, so being named the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009 was incredibly validating as a business owner. It was a real eye-opener for me to see how much my community cares about the Vancouver Island Baby Fair and appreciates the work that I put into it.

As if the recognition and title were not fabulous enough, the prizes I received have been absolutely priceless. From PR consultations, SEO improvements and productivity advice, to mentorship and money to invest in my business, I was given a life-changing boost to my career as an entrepreneur.

Winning the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award has been a wonderful personal achievement, and a truly outstanding opportunity.

Topic —  Mom Entrepreneur

Life After Winning

June 07, 2010
Shirley Broback

Pocket

It was a real honour to win the 2009 SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year Award. After months of campaigning, telling people about the Vancouver Island Baby Fair and asking for their votes, the results finally came in!

SavvyMom announced that I was the winner the week before the Vancouver Island Baby Fair last September—which was perfect timing for me. I was thrilled to be able to send that message out right before the fair as it helped build excitement and increase exposure for the event.

Then the phone calls and emails came in! From the media, those who had supported my campaign, to Baby Fair exhibitors, and even people I didn’t know. Everyone called to say congratulations and tell me how thrilled they were that their vote and effort made a difference.

The great thing about the SavvyMom award is that it forces small business owners to get out there and tell people about their business. So many business owners have amazing ideas, great products or services, and incredible talent, but unless you let people know about yourself, what’s the point?

Working with the other women entrepreneurs who provided the prizing for the award has been an invaluable experience. While the SavvyMom folks put a dollar value to the prize, I can say that it truly is priceless to have this kind of personal access to such amazing business support!

I owe a huge thanks to Ann Gomez from Clear Concept Inc.; my mentor, Martha Scully, from Canadian Nanny; Jeanette Miller from Limelite PR; and Veronica Montero from Eighty8 Online.

I’ve been learning so much from working with these remarkable women. The opportunity to have all this wisdom, experience and guidance is such an incredible opportunity for which I am very grateful.

Also I’d like to give another big thank you to Sarah, Minnow and the team at SavvyMom for supporting and encouraging women business owners with the SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year Award program!