Kitomba and NZARH are excited that entries for 2017 Business Awards are now open!
The Kitomba NZARH Business Awards started twelve years ago in a small room on Waiheke Island. A group of 30 salon owners came together to celebrate the first awards ceremony and build a culture of recognising and celebrating business excellence in the New Zealand hairdressing industry.
Now seen as the leading national distinction that recognises top performing salons, the Business Awards have come a long way. With new awards, more competition, incredible entries and a lot of celebrating, the awards are an exciting part of the industries year.
Four reasons to enter the Kitomba NZARH Business Awards
Understand your business
The Business Awards are known to help entrants gain a better understanding of their salons as businesses. Many previous entrants and winners have said the process of entering alone is worth it.
“Actually sitting down and writing your entry allows you to dissect your business and look at it with a magnifying glass. Now I really know where my business stands and how well I’m performing” said Jacqui Victor of True Grit, the 2016 Kitomba NZARH New Zealand Salon of the Year.
Recognise your success
Taking the time to celebrate what you do well is important. Tell your team what their strengths are and celebrate your business success to maintain the motivation to keep it up!
There are some incredible businesses out there and the Kitomba NZARH Business Awards are here to recognise and reward them.
For our previous winners, the recognition of their success and confidence gained is invaluable. Kristal Sargent of La Villa Hairdressing & Extensions, the 2014 Kitomba NZARH New Zealand Salon of the Year said “Entering the Kitomba Business Awards is one of the most empowering, positive and emotionally fulfilling things that I have ever experienced”.
See where you can improve
Putting your salon out there is a great way to improve your business, your reputation and next year’s results.
There’s real value in seeing where you have the potential to do better to become even more successful. Entering the Business Awards gives you the opportunity to stop, reflect on where you are and identify which areas you should work on. From there you can refocus and motivate your team to make those improvements and be the best you can be!
Protege Hair, the 2015 Kitomba NZARH New Zealand Salon of the Year experienced just that. “The process of entering the awards is a great way to really examine your systems, procedures and practices and identify areas that really work for you and areas that may have opportunities for growth or change.”
Reach for your goals
Having clear goals and a plan for how to reach them is extremely important for any successful salon. If you haven’t taken the time to write down all you’ve achieved, and where you want to get to next, the Business Awards is a great excuse to do it.
Kristal Sargent said “I entered these awards to gauge where my business stood within our industry, and to push myself to grow and achieve the very best that I could for my brand. Opening yourself up to scrutiny and being compared to your peers is both uplifting and challenging at the same time. This is a healthy thing to do if you want a true reflection of your business, and a reason to push for success.”
Tips for entering
It can be a little daunting entering the Business Awards for the first time, but there’s no need to worry. Here’s some of our top tips to help you put together a winning entry.
Focus on results.
Judges want to see how your initiatives have performed, not just what they were. Find a way to weave your results through all parts of your entry. Think costs and return on investment. Let the figures communicate a great job done!
Use your creativity.
You know your brand better than anyone, and it’s great when an entry really gives the judges a sense of your personality, style and who you are.
Keep it brief.
Use simple language to tell your story and keep it concise. Focus only on the key things you know matter in order to best answer the questions.
Use testimonials.
Ask customers, suppliers and business partners to support you by sharing their stories about how your business has made a difference to them.
To find out more and enter the Business Awards, visit kitomba.com/business-awards.
The 2017 award categories are:
- Kitomba NZARH New Zealand Salon of the Year
- Grand Salon of the Year
- Boutique Salon of the Year
- Employer of Choice
- Excellence in Marketing
- Fastest Growing Salon
- Sustainable Salon of the Year
- Business Stylist of the Year
- Best New Entrant
- Best Salon Design
