Libsyn Directory

Episode 155: Judges Tips for Awards Success with Maggie Sarfo

Release Date: 06/11/2025

Episode 181: Coaching for Neurodivergents with Talia Zamora

The Business Awards Show

Coaching for Neurodivergents with Talia Zamora discusses her journey building a coaching business that specializes in supporting neurodivergent entrepreneurs and families. Talia's Story After struggling to find flexible work that fit around her two autistic sons, Talia decided to start her own coaching business about six years ago. What began as general business coaching naturally evolved into a neurodivergent focus when she realized she kept attracting clients who were either neurodivergent themselves or had neurodivergent children. Key Challenges for Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs Talia...

Episode 180: Holiday Clubs with a Difference with Amy Cunningham

The Business Awards Show

This week we discuss Holiday Clubs with a Difference with Amy Cunningham, founder of The Strings Club. Amy outlines how she built a successful childcare business centred around music and wellbeing. About The Strings Club Amy launched her business in 2012 after hosting a small holiday camp for six children in Camden. Today, The Strings Club operates in 22 locations across London and the Midlands. Each one offers holiday camps where children learn musical instruments, enjoy creative workshops, and participate in activities like yoga and dance. The week culminates in a Friday afternoon concert...

Episode 182: Create Your Gameplan with Ceylan Boyce

The Business Awards Show

Create Your Gameplan with Ceylan Boyce sees the return of the founder of the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs to talk about her live planning event in March. In this bonus episode of the Business Awards Show, Ceylan explains why planning is essential for business success. She shares why "winging it" leads to working harder for smaller results, and how proper planning gives you the freedom and flexibility to grow. Discover how Ceylan's quarterly planning events bring together 50-60 business owners in a safe, supportive environment where you can actually think strategically about your...

Episode 179: Transforming the World of Medical Diagnostics with Bronia Thomas

The Business Awards Show

In this fascinating episode, we look at Transforming the World of Medical Diagnostics with Bronia Thomas, founder and CEO of Global Lab Expert Group (GLXG). The Genesis Story After experiencing burnout and chronic illness, Bronia found herself frustrated by the limitations of mainstream healthcare testing. When traditional systems couldn't diagnose her condition, she discovered a London doctor working with German laboratories who finally provided answers through specialised diagnostic tests. This personal journey revealed a massive gap in the healthcare market—patients desperately...

Episode 178: How Awards Have Powered an Animator's Business with Emma Youell

The Business Awards Show

How Awards Have Powered an Animator's Business with Emma Youell, investigates the rise of the creative force behind Emma Youell Design. In this edition of The Business Awards Show, we discuss Emma's rapid rise from freelancer to award-winning business owner. As an introduction, Emma shares her fascinating journey, starting with her "accidental" entry into the world of motion graphics. Despite initially wanting to avoid the corporate world, she found her niche in the financial services sector, learning how to turn complex, "boring" subjects into engaging, spicy content. She also opens up...

Episode 177: How a Coach Can Transform Your Working Life with Kate Bishop

The Business Awards Show

How a Coach Can Transform Your Working Life with Kate Bishop is the latest episode of the Business Awards Podcast. Kate shares her journey from burning out in the events industry to discovering coaching almost by accident. After attending a weekend coaching course on a colleague's recommendation (expecting just free coffee!), she found her calling and never looked back. Now specialising in career change and presentation skills, Kate works with people who feel stuck, lacking confidence, or unsure of their next steps. Whether it's toxic work environments, redundancy, or just feeling invisible...

Episode 176: How a Qualified Marketing Expert Can Transform Your Business with Dee Blick

The Business Awards Show

Join Debbie Gilbert from The Business Awards Show as we discover How a Qualified Marketing Expert Can Transform Your Business with Dee Blick. Dee is a multi-award-winning marketing expert, and author of six bestselling books. Crucially, she is one of only 3% of marketers globally to hold Fellowship status with the Chartered Institute of Marketing. With 41 years in marketing, Dee evolved from working in "big glossy businesses" to becoming a passionate advocate for SMEs. A natural writer who "tumbled into marketing," she continues writing for magazines, as well as her books, combining her twin...

Episode 175: Bringing Awards to The Isle of Man with Louise Wheeler

The Business Awards Show

This week's Business Awards Show looks at Bringing Awards to the Isle of Man with Louise Wheeler, founder of L C Consultancy and the Elevate You Awards. Originally from Essex, Louise ended up in the Isle of Man almost by accident. In her words it was because she and her now husband were offered a free lift from Guernsey! Louise's Journey: After 15 years in L&D, including four years in the gaming industry, Louise took the leap to establish LC Consulting. Starting with basic challenges like setting up professional email addresses and websites, she built a thriving consultancy specializing in...

Episode 174: How to Win at Awards with Stephanie Brown

The Business Awards Show

Join Debbie Gilbert from The Business Awards Show to find out How to Win at Awards with Stephanie Brown. Stef is an expert awards consultant with an impressive 88% success rate across 500+ award entries. She shares her unique journey from professional dancer in Montreal to becoming a sought-after awards specialist in the UK. After working in creative agencies for 15 years, she discovered her talent for crafting winning award entries that combine creative storytelling with analytical thinking. Key insights from this episode: Why award strategy matters more than simply entering awards; align...

Episode 173: The Joy of Real Indian Food with Roshni Ray

The Business Awards Show

The Joy of Real Indian Food is this week's brilliant discussion on the Business Awards Show. Founder of Tikka and Tadka, Roshni talks about her journey from NHS worker to award-winning Indian catering entrepreneur. Roshni's Journey: After years in the NHS, Roshni launched her authentic Indian home-style cooking business in April 2020 - right as lockdown hit. Instead of postponing, she pivoted to local curry nights in her village, which became so popular they evolved into her signature curry box service. The Mission: Roshni's passion is educating people about authentic Indian cuisine...

More Episodes

Judges Tips for Awards Success is a special series of the Business Awards Show focusing on how to enter awards and why you should. In our latest episode, we are joined by Maggie Sarfo, a business coach, networking expert, and a judge for the Best Businesswomen Awards.

Maggie is a Business Growth Coach, author, and the Regional Director for The Athena Network in the London City area. As a judge for the Best Businesswomen Awards since 2021, she brings a wealth of experience in identifying standout businesses.

Through her company, Meres Consult Ltd, she helps entrepreneurs and leaders achieve exponential growth by focusing on strategy, execution, and personal development. Maggie is also a TEDx speaker and the author of "The One Secret to Happiness."

In our conversation, Maggie shares her invaluable insider perspective on what makes an award application truly stand out. She reveals her top three tips for crafting a compelling entry, discusses common mistakes to avoid, and explains the profound impact of storytelling and tangible evidence. The discussion also covers the underutilised networking opportunities at awards events, the power of being a "unicorn" in business, and insights from Maggie's own journey as a TEDx speaker and author. This is a must-listen for any entrepreneur looking to gain recognition and catapult their business to the next level.

{1:39} What Maggie looks for in awards entries.

{4:16} How to present your evidence.

{4:50} The common mistakes in entries.

{7:03} An entry that stood out.

{8:41} Awards - the perfect networking opportunity.

{11:47} Maggie's Athena Network online events.

{14:10} Maggie's work in business consulting.

{16:16} How awards contribute to business growth.

{18:08} Maggie's Ted Talk.

{19:39} Maggie's book - The One Secret to Happiness.

Connect with Debbie at: https://thebusinessawardsshow.co.uk

Connect with Maggie: https://maggiesarfo.com/