Illustrado.co’s Post

STOP waiting for it… Perfection will never come. Or you’ll never feel like it’s perfect. If you’ve been procrastinating over an awards entry in the search of perfection you need me for this hour. 1 hour on YOUR business and YOUR award entry. We'll go through the questions and I'll give you guidance on: ⚡ how to answer each one ⚡ what evidence you NEED to source and how to include it, and ⚡ what will really blow the judges socks off. All you need to do is give me some brief info on your biz (6 short questions). And tell me the award and category you're planning on entering. Book your slot. I LOVE helping fabulous businesses get the recognition they deserve. https://lnkd.in/dJgpnY-7

5 Five Star reasons to consider taking a look at the 2024 True Potential Proposition. If any of these categories are important to you or your clients please get in touch... and, remember these awards are nominated by advisers like you. The clue is in the award title 😀

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money ... or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care about you the most. Possibly the most important thing you'll read this year... The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them. Just read it straight through, and you'll get the point. 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress. 6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners. How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish ... Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one: 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. Easier? The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money ... or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care about you the most.

Is my business ready to enter an award? If your business is kicking goals, experiencing growth, creating happy customers, engaging your people, giving back to the community or demonstrating innovation you may well be ready to win an award! In our experience, most businesses tend to underestimate how impressive their achievements are, rather than the other way around. Part of our value-add is to recommend which awards would be suitable to enter now and which might be better to enter down the track. We even advise you on potential areas to work on to improve your suitability for an award. We’ll never suggest you enter an award we don’t think you have a chance of winning. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g-NTDygi

You know people who say they want to win the lottery yet never buy a ticket? The same goes for Business Awards! If you want to win, you need to submit an award entry! Many people think that businesses and individuals just randomly get chosen as finalists and winners for business and industry awards, but this is not the case. Whilst some awards may not require you personally to enter, all awards programs require nominations to define their candidate pool. Completing submissions for multiple awards increases your chances of winning, as it allows you to tailor your award entries based on the successes of different departments within your business. Make 2024 the year you stop making excuses and start finally entering awards! (We can help with that!) ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g-B2d59j

I nearly didn’t speak to Steven Bartlett... You know, when you don’t muster up enough courage? I know that feeling. Waiting for that perfect opportunity. That gap where you can interject or even wait in a line (which is easier 9 times out of 10). Next time, don’t miss your opportunity. Say hello to that industry leader or a celebrity you have got your eye on! Why? You never know what might happen… Take Steven Bartlett for example… Me and Richard from my team said - let’s go say hello to Steven at an awards ceremony. Just for the sake of it. What's the worst that can happen? We walked to the front of the awards where Steven was speaking to his team, We hovered around and when he was done - we said hey Steven! We talked about all things business, mutuals we know and finally I asked how we could stay in touch. Last year, I had a business challenge. That challenge was something Steven could help with directly, in a big way. Now, Steven gave me his email - so I thought, let me ask him for help - he might remember me (as I’d been sending him a regular newsletter anyway)! Shock, horror - Steven replied in a few hours and connected me up to his team who were able to help. They solved the problem, immediately. It was done. This wouldn’t have been possible if we didn’t muster the courage to just say hello. You never know where a conversation might lead you or when someone can help. So, next time you’re out and about - leave your mark.

I threw away all of my awards. Not because they weren’t important to me. Not because they didn’t matter. Not because I didn’t appreciate them.   Rather, three years ago, I threw away all my awards to remove the daily temptation to hustle for my worth. They were physical reminders of how often society measures our value based on achievements and accolades.   Please know that I’m neither advocating for everyone to throw away their awards nor saying that we should stop giving/accepting awards to people.   In fact, awards are a beautiful way to honor someone for their impact, sacrifice, love, innovation. They also shine the light on people who have been the first, the trailblazer, the hero. They inspire people.   My point in sharing why I threw away my awards is to encourage you to reconsider how you measure the value of your life.   When it’s time for you to leave this earth… your life won’t be measured by the awards sitting on your shelf, money in your bank account, titles on your resume, etc., but by the people whose lives you touched.   So, celebrate what you've achieved, but never forget that you are worth more than plastic, glass, wood, metal, or other material could ever measure. #purposedrivenlive #purposedrivenleadership #liveinspired #rejecthustleculture #personalgrowth #coaching

WARNING – RANT INCOMING!!!!!   It is that time of year again. Has it really been 12 months already?   Is it really the SME equivalent of the Oscars?   Because my email account is filling up nicely with emails congratulating me!   Multiple cold emails informing me that our agency has been nominated for the prestigious Award A.   But I can top that.   Because we’ve been nominated for an even more prestigious award B   These are closely followed by emails informing us that we are in the running for the most prestigious awards from C – Z.   The only catch……   These awards aren’t real, and hold no credibility.   The only criterion for success……..payment.   Worse still   I’m seeing people posting on LinkedIn stating that they are honoured to win such a prestigious award in recognition of their hard work and talents.   Initially, these posts made my toes curl.   But the more I think about it, the more angry I become   Because these awards are used to mislead customers into engaging with these charlatans!   Run to the hills if you see businesses parade around with these awards like they’ve won the World Cup.   Research the awards they hold aloft with great pride in Google, followed by the word scam, and see the returned results.   Because 99% of the time   These awards aren’t a sign of achievement; they clearly indicate that the business is deceitful and manipulative.   Please treat them with the contempt they deserve because they are trying to play unsuspecting business owners like fools!

✔ Pleasantly surprised to get 2nd runner up in production for the last quarter. Was unable to attend the awards ceremony but someone kindly sent me this picture! ✔ Sharing such awards is really my way of telling all my clients that I am doing OK in the business and I am not going anywhere in the near future. While I may not be perfect, I think I should be doing something right such that all my clients are happy to trust me with their planning and their most precious resource i.e. finances and more than that, are continuing to support my business by putting their reputation on the line to introduce me to their families and friends. ✔ As with any business, our success (and failure) lies almost entirely on our ability to provide real value to our clients and I recognize that every single day. I need to continue to be worthy of my client's trust and to continually work at exceeding their expectations. So I'm working hard at that. It's not easy and clients' expectations keep growing with time but I am trying. So if there are areas that you feel that can be done better, please let me know! ✔ All my clients know that my focus is never about these awards, the incentive trips or the recognition. I believe with all my heart that if I can help my clients achieve their financial goals, all these other things will come naturally. You may have heard me say that I don't even know for most occasions how such awards are even measured. Anyway, the first quarter of the year is already over and I'm now focused on how I can raise my level of expertise for the remaining part of the year. Let's all 'jia you' (add oil) together and make the most of the remaining time we have of 2024!

Let’s have fun,solve the sum below and share your responses with our team to get awards through the comment section