Start Up Business of the YearENTRY FORM

Sponsored by:

Entry criteria: Your business must have been trading for less than three years and more than one year as of 31st March 2015. This category is not open to those who have invested in a franchise model in order to start their business (franchisee) but is open to those that have developed their business into a franchise operation (franchisor).

Company NamePlease state name as you would like it to appear on all KEiBA related material (i.e. certificate, awards, publicity, etc)Company Address

Contact Name

Job Title

Email Address

Web address of entering company

Phone Number

Business sector of entering company

Key product/service delivered by entering company

Number of employees

Legal status of entering company

Month and Year company started trading

Please tick:

I would like you to keep me informed about KEiBAsI would like to receive information about KM products and servicesI would like to receive information about KCC products and services

Question WeightingEach question carries a weighting to illustrate its importance to the judges in making their evaluation of your entry. Please take note of this weighting and provide the appropriate level of information in your answers.Weighting 3 - The answer is very important and has a strong bearing on the evaluation of your entryWeighting 2 - The answer is important and has a bearing on the evaluation of your entryWeighting 1 - The answer is important and has some bearing on the evaluation of your entry

Word Count AllowanceThe total word count allowance for answers on this entry form is 2100 – if you exceed the word count your form will be returned for resubmission. Please note - this blank document has a word count of 1616 (including T&Cs, Guidelines and What happens next ) – when completed the entire document should not exceed a total word count of 3716 ( including T&Cs, Guidelines and What happens next)

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Start Up Business of the YearENTRY FORM

Sponsored by:

Please provide a brief description of your business, the products or services you supply, your customers and the markets that you operate in.

Q1: Why did you decide to start your own business and what is your vision and objectives for the next 3 years? Question weighting of 2

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Start Up Business of the YearENTRY FORM

Sponsored by:

Q2: How will you monitor and measure your performance against these objectives and how will they be achieved?Question weighting of 2

Q3: What planning and preparation was undertaken in developing the business?Judges tips: You should cover – any plans and processes, any research conducted, impact of these results on the future of the businessQuestion weighting of 3

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Start Up Business of the YearENTRY FORM

Sponsored by:

Q4: Please outline the overall trend in your sales turnover and profit development together with a brief description of any key events that have led to these changes Question weighting of 3

Q5: What makes your business stand out from its competitors and how does your performance over the last 12 months compare with competitors?Judges tips: You should cover – reasons why you think your business stands out form the competition, e.g. products, services, customer care, price; what you consider your competitive advantage to beQuestion weighting of 2

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Start Up Business of the YearENTRY FORM

Sponsored by:

Q6: When setting up your own company what challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?Question weighting of 3

Q7: If you won a KEiBA what difference would this make to your business and how would you use it to benefit your business?Question weighting of 2

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Start Up Business of the YearENTRY FORM

Sponsored by:

Financial Statement (please complete)

Financial Year End:(eg 30 April)

2012 2013 2014

1. Commercial revenues

2. Grants or similar

3. Total turnover (1+2)

Gross profit

Operating profit before Directors remuneration, interest and tax (note below)Operating profit after Directors remuneration and dividends to DirectorsShareholders funds at year end

Please note that if your business operates through a group structure please aggregate the results and include a note of all the trading companies included in the figures

Submitting Your Entry

Before submitting an entry, please check the Word Count Allowance, Entry Terms and Conditions and the Entry Guidelines

To submit your entry email it to entry@keiba.co.uk with any supporting documentation

If you need to send supportive material please post to:

Morag WelhamReference: (KEiBA Entry, your company name , category name ) KM Media GroupMedway House, Ginsbury CloseSir Thomas Longley RoadMedway City EstateStrood, RochesterKent, ME2 4DU

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Start Up Business of the YearENTRY FORM

Sponsored by:

Entry Guidelines

Please spell-check your document before submission and check the grammar

Do not send entry forms in the post. Only electronic entry forms will be accepted.

Use a standard typeface eg. Arial, Helvetica or Times Roman and do not use a font size less than 10

Do not exceed the total word count stipulated on the entry form – any forms that exceed the word count will

be returned for re-submission

Where possible, we encourage the use of graphs and tables to illustrate trends

Summarize your answers into bullet points where possible

Answers must focus on the improvements made within your business over the last twelve months

Before you submit your entry please check the criteria set for your category to ensure you qualify

Supportive material can only be submitted if it directly supports the answer to a question.

Check that the length of answers are appropriate to the weighting importance assigned to the question

Make sure the financial statement is filled out before submitting your entry form. Profit figures must be

stipulated as operating profit before interest and tax

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KEiBA is staged and produced by:

Start Up Business of the YearENTRY FORM

Entry Terms and Conditions

1. Entering companies /organisations must be based and operating in Kent and Medway (excluding London Borough postcodes eg: Bexley, Bromley and Orpington ). A business can be a sole trader, a private or public limited company, a partnership or limited liability partnership, a business unit within a company or a not for profit organisation

2. Entries must be submitted by a person authorised to do so.

3. Entries must only be submitted on the official KEiBA entry form as a Word document or pdf. Do not send entries in display folders or binders.

4. All questions on an entry form must be answered to qualify for judging. Incomplete entry forms will be eliminated. All entry information will be treated in confidence.

5. The judges reserve the right to move entrants from one category to another if they believe it to be appropriate. You will be contacted if this is likely to happen.

6. Supporting information can be submitted with entries but it must form a key part of the entry evidence and specifically relate to the questions being asked. Do not send promotional material like brochures, folders or leaflets.

7. Your entry will be judged by independent and impartial judges. The judges’ decisions are final.

8. You may enter a maximum of four categories.

9. Entrants for Young Entrepreneur of the Year must be under 30 years of age as of June 30, 2015. Entrants for Entrepreneur of the year must be over 30 years of age as of June 30, 2015.

10.Entries will be acknowledged on receipt. Please note that entries and any supporting documentation will not be returned to you unless requested.

11.Winning entries will be awarded at a dinner event on Thursday 25th June 2015 and will receive substantial publicity following this event. Finalists will receive one free ticket and one half price ticket to the Dinner and the opportunity to purchase additional tickets

12.Entrants will be expected to protect those aspects of their business that may be patentable, registerable or otherwise secret and governed by intellectual property, copyright or similar legislation

13.Winning entrants will be requested to participate in post awards events and publicity. The KEiBA organisers reserve the right to publicise the results of the competition and use winning entries in press releases and case study coverage. It is a condition of entry that entrants will co-operate with the media. Winners may refer to the competition in their own publicity material following approval by the KEiBA organisers.

14.KEiBA organisers reserve the right to withdraw any award given should it be discovered that an entry contained false information. The organisers may audit any information supplied in your entry.

15.Closing date for entries is 6th March 2015. No liability for entries lost or delayed will be accepted.

16.By submitting an entry to KEiBA 2015 you signify your acceptance of the above terms and conditions.

KEiBA is staged and produced by:

Start Up Business of the YearENTRY FORM

What happens next

All entry forms will be sent to the relevant category judges after the entry deadline has passed

After the initial judging, which can take up to three weeks, at least six entrants from each category will be selected for a face to face interview.

If you are selected for interview you will receive a call from the judges to arrange this appointment

The interviews are due to be conducted between 30th March 2015 and 24th April 2015 and you will be allowed one hour for this interview .

Please ensure a senior member of staff is available to conduct the interview.

Following the interviews each category will have three finalists from which a winner will be selected. However, if the entry level for any one category goes above 40 entrants, then four finalists will be selected for that particular category.

Final judging takes place on 11th May 2015 at which time results of the awards will be ratified by all judges.

You will be notified by 15th May 2015 whether you are a finalist in KEiBA 2015 and will receive an invitation to attend the Awards Dinner on 25th June 2015

If you have any queries or if you are uncertain about your eligibility to enter please contactMorag Welham, Project Manager KEiBA on 01622 794626 or info@keiba.co.uk