So why should you enter the Oxfordshire Business Awards?

The advantages are clear. The winners receive a wave of positive publicity through these pages and in our sister papers, as well as on the air through the contribution of fellow sponsor Fox FM.

In terms of marketing, you can carry the logo and title of your award on all stationery, your website, and some have even emblazoned it on the side of their company vehicles.

This creates a wave of interest among customers old and new and can lead to an upswing in business as people want to deal with a successful organsation or individual whose winning credentials are clear.

And even those who do not win find the actual process of entering a useful exercise.

Very often business owners do not sit back and analyse their performance and how they can improve.

Entering the awards allows you to do just that. The judging process encourages you to examine the figures and take a snapshot of where you are now and how you would like to grow in the future.

Now is a good time to enter as business winds down towards the Christmas break and you can reflect on what hopefully has been a successful year.

An application form is available online at www.oxfordshirebusinessawards.co.uk, along with details of all the categories. All entries need to be received by Friday, February 29.

The whole process is topped off by the gala dinner on Friday, June 20, at the Oxford Thames Four Pillars Hotel, Sandford on Thames.

n Contact: Jane Reeve, call 01865 811218 or e-mail jreeve@darbys.co.uk