Lobster Pod is the Best Small Business in Scotland!
Lobster Pod Winners of the Regional Award for Best SME at the British Chambers Awards.
As winners of the Most Enterprising Start-Up Company at the Fife Business Awards, organised by Fife Chamber, our company was put forward to the regional finals.
These awards had no start-up category so we were entered into the Best Small Business category. Swimming with the Bigger Fish! We were up against some very stiff competition as all of the winners from Scotland in the start-up and SME Businesses (up to 50 employees) categories of each Chambers Awards were in the running.
We were absolutely delighted when Eric Byiers, Chief Executive of Fife Chamber, called us to congratulate us on winning. Jacqui Curley, Customer Service Executive at Fife Chamber, presented us with our certificate in our new customer showroom in Dalgety Bay. The whole team (Dr Keith Todd, Laura Johnson and Marek Wolf) were there too for the photo call and we went out to lunch to celebrate (not lobster unfortunately). Winning the Scottish Regional Award meant we were then put forward for the British Chambers Awards held in London in November 2015. The Small Business Award was kindly sponsored by NFU Mutual (article below). Fellow Fife Chamber members, John Young Signs, were also nominated for their innovative use of technology. Jacqui and Linda McCrabbe (yes – that is her real name!) from Fife Chamber attended the ceremony on our behalf as we were busy installing Lobster Pods in Scotland for a fishmongers who needs to separate his lobsters, crabs and langoustine for different hotel and restaurant customers and finds the lobsterpod ideal for this and stock rotation. We missed out on the British Award but were chuffed just to be nominated.
Our feedback based on our application and interview was that we were the Scottish winners as our product was so innovative and cutting edge and could bring real economic advantages to our customers (Lobster Pod survival rates are unrivalled and it helps keep all shellfish in perfect conditions due to the optimum conditions created). Judges also liked our ambitious plans and the potential for global sales (once our worldwide patent is confirmed). We are really committed to helping our customers get maximum value from their seafood and doing our bit for environmental sustainability (more about our plans in another Blog soon).
Once again our Award was covered in local press (Dunfermline Press and Fife Courier) and in the Fife Chambers newsletter (Below) which goes out to all members and on the British Chambers website. This helps add credibility to our start-up company for potential customers (and suppliers too) as this award shows we are winners even when competing across sectors nationally. It is also great to have the opportunity to highlight the phenomenal creel fishing industry in the UK which is totally sustainable with no by-catch and puts great quality shellfish on our tables (and exports even more – a Blog topic for another day!). Applying for awards is a great way of standing back from your business and working out what you do well and setting goals for the future. Sometimes, as entrepreneurial leaders, we have to work on the business as well as in it.
Best Fishes,
Errin Todd
Sea-E-O and Flounder
Lobster Pod Ltd
http://www.fifechamber.co.uk/news/2015/october/local-businesses-triumph-2015-chamber-awards
http://www.nfumutual.co.uk/business/guidance-tools/chamber-awards/
