One of the biggest things I took from the awards process was a sense of pride. You spend so much time doing the job that you rarely stop to reflect on what you’ve actually achieved. We’d introduced new initiatives, new ways of supporting colleagues and different approaches to making life better for people, but you don’t often sit back and think about the impact they’ve had. Preparing for the judging gave us that opportunity.


The judging itself is quite intense. You have to prepare properly and know your business. We’ve entered a number of awards over the years and we’ve learnt every time. We didn’t win Employer of the Year the first time we entered, so I was determined to come back and win it this year. You learn how to present your information, what judges are looking for and how to keep improving.


Winning an award is something we’re incredibly proud of, but it’s also become a valuable recruitment tool. Candidates regularly tell us they’ve seen that we’ve been recognised as an employer and that’s one of the reasons they wanted to work for the Marsden. Having that independent recognition really matters.


the information and our creative director joined me at the judging for the first time. Seeing how much winning meant to everyone on the night made all that work worthwhile.


We talk about it whenever we can because the Red Rose Awards carry real credibility. They reinforce the trust clients place in us and help when we’re competing for new work. It’s still early days, but I’m confident we’ll be able to look back in a year’s time and identify new clients and opportunities that have come directly from winning.


Melissa Harding, Burnley Football Club


For us, success isn’t measured purely by what happens on the pitch. We have to keep building the


business year on year, regardless of results. In hospitality it’s all about your people, your culture and making sure everyone who walks through the door has a great experience. If we can do that, people keep coming back,


whether it’s for a matchday or one of our non matchday events.


We’re constantly adapting because the challenges never stand still. Rising costs, changes in the economy and even global events affect our business, so we’re always looking at new ways of working while making sure we remain an employer people want to work for. At the same time, we’re continually investing in our facilities because standards matter. If you want customers to come back, everything has to look its best.


We make a point of celebrating small wins. If someone receives great feedback or goes above and beyond, we recognise it.


Everything comes back to people. One of our main pillars is making sure colleagues feel valued, and that shapes the way we recruit too. We always look for personality first because you can teach someone the skills they need to do the job, but you can’t teach them to be the right fit for your business. If you’ve got the right people delivering great service, that creates the kind of experience that keeps customers returning and helps the business continue to grow.


You spend so much time doing the job


that you rarely stop to reflect on what you’ve actually achieved


Emily Leyland, Fresh Perspective Resourcing


Tom Smith, Complete Online


We’d been finalists five times before we finally won, but I never saw that as a reason to stop entering. Every year we came away asking ourselves why we hadn’t won and, more importantly, what we could do better.


The awards give you a 360 degree view of your business. They make you step back and look at everything you’re doing, from the way you support your clients to how you look after your people and contribute to your community.


Winning Creative Business of the Year reflected the approach we’ve always taken. We’re not a transactional business. We build long term partnerships with our clients. A business might come to us for a brand, then need a website, then support with digital marketing. We stay with them throughout that journey, and we pride ourselves on offering a personal service where clients always know who they’re dealing with.


Each year the awards have pushed us to improve. We’ve introduced more social value initiatives, strengthened our charity partnerships, planted trees, added staff benefits and continued investing in our people.


This year we were finalists in three categories, so different department heads helped pull together


We’d entered the Red Rose Awards before, but this one felt different. We’d reached our tenth anniversary and, for my sister Laura and me, winning meant the world. We started the business because we wanted to do recruitment differently.


We’d both come from agencies where everything was about money, whereas we wanted to build something centred on people. None of our team came from recruitment.


We recruited people who shared our


values, ethics and morals because culture has always been more important than targets. Winning was validation. It showed that we really are different and that everything we’ve invested in our team, our charity work and the way we do business has been recognised.


It gave us the chance to stop and think, ‘We’ve actually done really well.’ We’ve built something we’re genuinely proud of in an industry that doesn’t always have the best reputation.


We celebrate everything, from the smallest wins to the biggest. We’ve got bells on people’s desks, so when something good happens, they ring the bell. It’s chaotic, the office dogs go mad, but it creates a culture where people enjoy celebrating each other’s success. The awards were no different because they belonged to the whole team. Everybody played a part in getting us there.


We’ve definitely made the most of winning. We’d be mad not to. We’ll keep talking about it until the next awards come round because we’re proud of it. Being recognised by the Red Rose Awards strengthens our reputation across Lancashire, where relationships matter.


We’ve already seen opportunities come from people we’ve met through the awards, new clients coming on board and conversations that are turning into future work. That’s exactly why these awards are so valuable.


LANCASHIREBUSINES SV IEW.CO.UK #Sub36


Awards Ceremony: Friday October 16 Park Hall Hotel & Spa, Chorley


the Awards Align your brand with


Sponsor


talent, ambition and future business leadership


Build valuable connections across the county


Showcase your


commitment to Lancashire’s future success


Find out more here!


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RED ROSE AWARDS


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