Getting nominated for an award is one thing. Getting named a finalist is another. And winning is cool, too. Last night, the five Nellie Cashman Woman Business Owner of the Year finalists shared their stories with an audience of just under 400 local business owners, bankers, and other interested guests. Today’s Seattle Post Intelligencer offered profiles of all of the finalists, in addition to the winner, bringing their stories to a wider audience of potential customers and fans of their products, services, and ideas. My client – Seattle Chocolate Company CEO Jean Thompson – was among the finalists, and she earned fans among the audience by sharing samples of her line of truffle bars with every guest. Dena Levine, the 2007 WBO Excellence Award Winner, declared that she had never seen such great swag in goody bags at a Nellie event before, and the Seattle Chocolates were a big reason why.
Given all the drama we’ve been reading about in the media lately, the invitation to read about business success is especially welcome. Invite some good news into your world by reading this article and making the choice to support these award-winning entrepreneurs who have overcome obstacles, taken risks, served the community, and built businesses of which they can be proud. And, if you are a woman business owner who meets the criteria for the Nellie award, why not set the intention to put your hat into the consideration ring next year? You can learn more about prior winners by visiting this link.