Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2009

The Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes outstanding women in business who also just happen to be mothers.

Since 2008, I have been a business owner. I am customer service, marketing, sales, accounting and development rolled into one. However, imagining someone who can manage all of that (and more) on top of being a parent is something that I truly admire. This past year I have also met some talented women through such events as the Enterprising Mom’s Network conference and the YummyMummyClub Tweetup. Having the drive, ambition, and vision to excel in business while taking care of others and ensuring they can do the same in their lives, is remarkable.

Savvy Mom is a nation-wide online network of resources to help you learn about health, share, shop, eat, and get the most out of your city’s resources by connecting with other mothers. They have a collection of writers across the country and this contest serves to recognize individuals who have excelled in their field.

Two current nominees have contacted me about the event so I thought it best to highlight each of them.

Sandy Gerber Co-Founder, 3 Degrees West – Nominee Bio.
3 Degrees West Design & Communications was born when Karley Cunningham and Sandy Gerber merged Twist Multimedia and ThreeKids Media in 2005. Since that time they have been offering e-marketing, strategies for corporate presentations, website management, and other aspects of branding and corporate development. 3 Degrees West also believes in giving back as Sandy worked with a poverty relief project in Nicaragua, Bridges to Community.

Natacha V. Beim CEO, Core Education & Fine Arts (CEFA) – Nominee Bio.
Since 1998 CEFA has been providing pre-Kindergarten education in several core learning areas, from mathematics to visual arts. Natacha is a teacher who specialized in European Junior Kindergarten who wanted to bring those same principals and core learning opportunities to our region. She has been preparing to franchise the CEFA method so that schools can be setup around BC and soon, across Canada. There are currently almost 10 CEFA schools around the Lower Mainland.

Past winners of the Savvy Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award include, Martha Scully of Canadian Sitter Inc (bio), and the team from Mabels Labels (bio). Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit of yoyomama (bio) won last year on behalf of the BC & Territories region.

“Winning the SavvyMom award last year for great for us,” Annemarie told me. “We were only just over a year old, so it was great for increasing our national awareness and credibility. Plus the prize came in handy as well. We approached winning like it was a campaign – figuring out how to best position it as a plus for us and for our readers. Which it truly was. It’s not enough to just post a button on your site and hope to win, instead you need to spread the word and ask for votes in a way that’s compelling for all parties.”

If you know an exceptional woman who handles both being a mother and running a successful business, nominations are still being accepted and voting is open until September 13, 2009. The winner will also receive over $15,000 in prizes and professional services.