Ignite Dating, The Blonde Beet and Wright Care at Home fight it out for Business Innovation award at Mercury Business Awards 2023 sponsored by Upp
The businesses going head-to-head for Business Innovation at the Mercury Business Awards have been announced.
Oakham-based Ignite Dating, The Blonde Beet, which is based in Stamford, and Wright Care at Home, which has bases in Stamford and Bourne, are going head-to-head to try and clinch the award at the ceremony, which will take place on Friday, September 15, at Rutland Hall Hotel.
Ignite Dating is an elite matchmaking agency founded by Oakham-based Michelle Begy that provides a professional and supportive service for clients at every stage of their search for love.
The teams use a careful mix of intuition, industry expertise, and personality profiling, along with MMI global accreditation, to provide personalised introductions to incredible people who share the same values, aspirations, and outlook on life.
Michelle Begy said: “We’ve got a great team based here in Rutland of hardworking dating experts and dating coaches who work in other areas so we can’t wait to get everybody together in September to toast our hard work and successes to date. While our clients are spread far and wide, across the UK and internationally, it’s great to celebrate on our home turf and recognise what a great place Rutland is to work and live.
“Ignite Dating launched in 2020, just 10 weeks before the country was plunged into lockdown. Building a business in a pandemic could have been a disaster, especially as people were unable to meet up in person to date, but thanks to our determination, hard work, and innovative approach we have thrived despite the obstacles we have faced. Throughout this time, I focused on growing an honest and ethical business and ensured that people could still meet their future life partner in a safe and responsible way, within government guidelines. It helped us achieve a strong and reputable brand that continues to expand at a rate of knots and is now recognised globally.”
The Blonde Beet is a plant-based cafe and bistro, based in St Paul’s Street, Stamford, run by Jo Kemp.
No stranger to the awards, Jo took home the Best New Start-Up award last year, but applied for the Business Innovation category after launching a new returnables cup scheme in response to customers’ feedback.
Jo said she was “really surprised” to have been shortlisted again, adding: “We’re filling a gap in the market.”
She thanked her customers for their loyalty to the business since it opened in 2021.
Wright Care at Home is a home care company, which has branches in Stamford and Bourne.
Samantha Davis-Wright said she was “thrilled” at being shortlisted and said it was recognition of all her employees’ success.
Since the pandemic, the business has had to adapt and come up with new ways of operating, including working closely with external agencies and charities to make sure all clients are provided for.
She also said the business had an innovative management structure and now provided its own training to staff, as well as offering counsellors to support staff.
Business Innovation is one of 10 categories in the Mercury Business Awards, sponsored by Upp.
If you want to find out more about the Mercury Business Awards, you can visit www.mercurybusinessawards.co.uk.
Meet the finalists in our:
We also have sponsorship opportunities for businesses which want to support our event. To find out more, e-mail our head of events at: sharron.marriott@iliffepublishing.co.uk
With grateful thanks to our headline sponsor Upp and our category sponsors: PVS Media, Alltech, Stamford College, South Kesteven District Council, Chattertons, Hegarty Solicitors, Stork of Stamford and Downtown.
