Totnes entrepreneurs announced as Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022 finalists!
Totnes based Lisa Lessware and Philippa Doyle have been recognised as one of the best in the business after being named as a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
The Bshirt is a Circular Fashion British Maternity Brand, which empowers women to breastfeed with confidence while reducing unnecessary consumption of earth's precious natural resources. The Bshirt is a Bcorp certified Social Enterprise co-founded by two mums, Lisa and Philippa, who live in glorious Devon where they are raising their fun-loving families. The Bshirt has been trading for 5 years and has impacted over 50,000 women worldwide! Their products are multi-award winning and they now sell to over 30 countries. Their Vision is a future where mothers and babies have sustainable clothes in the right size, at the right time, without damaging the environment. As female founders, they were honoured to have been awarded multiple Innovate UK Grants, validating their efforts to run a sustainable innovative business. The Bshirt is proud to be a micro brand, tackling the world’s big problems.
Lisa and Philippa are one of the shortlisted business leaders from across the nation to have been selected out of over 5,300 entrants - the most the awards has ever had.
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, in partnership with Starling Bank, acknowledges and champions the hard work and uplifting stories of business owners across the UK, with an emphasis on their journey and resilience over financial achievements.
Twelve awards will be given out per region for categories including Disruptor of the Year, Entrepreneur for Good Award, and the Great British Entrepreneur of the Year. Notable winners from previous years include Social Chain founder Steven Bartlett, who went on to become the youngest ever investor on BBC’s Dragon’s Den.
Lisa Lessware said: “It’s such incredible validation to know that your hard work is being recognised and valued. As businesswomen, every decision we make is influenced by our values and we operate as ethically and sustainably as possible. But it’s a daily challenge to balance running a sustainable business and also remain competitive in these uncertain times. Simply put: it’s not easy being green, but it’s so important! ”
This year’s awards will also feature a brand new award highlighting the organisations investing in the training and development of young people. The John Caudwell Blaze Your Own Trail Award looks to recognise outstanding examples of businesses offering apprenticeships, vocational training, and diversity and inclusion initiatives, all in the name of improving young people’s access to work.
The winners will be announced at a Grand Final, held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on 21st November.
This year is the 10th anniversary of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. The alumni has collectively generated over £30 billion in revenue and employed more than 450,000 people.
To mark the milestone year for the programme, entrants will have the chance to win over £30,000 worth of marketing support and a tree will be planted for every application submitted with the support of Ecologi.
Founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, Francesca James, said the quality of this year’s entrants exemplified the strength of entrepreneurship across the UK: “The quality of applications is consistently excellent year on year, but we have been especially blown away by the innovation, drive and determination demonstrated this year. Shortlisting from so many inspiring contenders has been more challenging than ever, with many deserving cases put forward and an ever-growing business community thriving across the country.
“From the pandemic to the ongoing cost of living crisis, business owners haven’t had it easy over the past few years, but it’s a testament to the tenacity and perseverance of these entrepreneurs that they have continued on their path and refused to give in.
“This year’s finalists should be so proud of what they’ve already achieved both in business and in being shortlisted for an award - we’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the Finals and unveiling the winners!”
Anne Boden MBE, Founder of Starling Bank, headline partner of the Awards, said: "Congratulations to all those businesses who have made the shortlist. It's great to see the passion, resilience and amazing ingenuity from entrepreneurs across so many categories."
To book your place at the Grand Final in London on 21st November, you can go to greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com
For the full list of finalists, visit greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, you can email simon@paperclip-pr.co.uk or sam@paperclip-pr.co.uk
Editor Notes
Great British Entrepreneur Awards
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, in partnership with Starling Bank, acknowledges and champions the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and businesses across the United Kingdom.
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards are more than just an awards ceremony. Through the awards, alumni and participants join a thriving community of founders and doers. Within that ecosystem is an ethos of support, where individuals are able to come together, inspire, learn and grow.
Starling Bank
Starling Bank is an award-winning, fully licensed and regulated bank built to give people a fairer, smarter and more human alternative to the banks of the past. It offers business, personal, joint, euro and dollar current accounts alongside a child card. Starling also provides B2B banking and payments services through its Banking-as-a-Service model based on the proprietary technology platform that it uses to power its own bank. The Starling Marketplace offers customers in-app access to a selection of third-party financial services. Headquartered in London, it has offices in Southampton, Cardiff and Dublin. Starling has opened 2 million customer accounts, including more than 370,000 limited company and sole trader account.
