I love my job!

Last Thursday I had the privilege of speaking at the East Midlands Business Women’s Conference and presenting the Awards for the three categories, sponsored by EMDA (East Midlands Development Agency),for Business Woman of the Year, Small Business of the Year and Most Innovative Business of the Year. Some weeks earlier I had been a judge for these awards so I was involved in deciding should win.

Every one of the finalists deserved to be a winner but we had to decide on one from each category. We were looking for a strong business model, passion for their business, and that special ‘something’ that made the winners stand out from the rest.

The Small Business of the Year was won by Amelia Horne, from Derby, who ran a home-cooking-to-take-home shop. Her marketing skills were outstanding and her passion for what she did was inspiring. She was a very worthy winner and hopefully, in time, she will be able to roll out her business into further outlets because her concept was replicable.

The Most Innovative Business Award was won by Babybond Ltd which is run by Jan Steward, a radiographer who was frustrated by the short time available to expectant parents to participate in ultrasound scans that were available on the NHS. Instead of having to be part of a hastened-through 10 minute production line, Jan saw an opportunity to allow parents-to-be to be able to enjoy a relaxed, 40 minute bonding process with the unborn baby – and the clients lapped it up. Her company has grown and grown to a franchise with 32 outlets, with plans to incorporate other scans for health checks. The business is impressive and very different.

Our Business Woman of the Year Award was given to Debbie Bass for her business Sugar and Ice. Debbie is a cake decorator by hobby, passion and inspiration. She has created two shops where visitors can see Debbie and her team in action, can buy every accessory known to man to help you decorate your own cakes, she runs cake decorating training courses and she has a great supply business by cross selling other products. Debbie has turned her hobby into a business and there is nothing better than to earn a living by doing what you love best.

A Special Achievement Award was given to Stephanie Drakes of 23red, a marketing agency, as Stephanie had achieved so much in her long career in the PR, marketing and advertising sector and, over the years, she has taught and inspired many who have worked with her.

A Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Maureen Milgram Forrest Who has devoted many years to promoting women in business. Maureen is now retiring to Canada and deserves recognition for her tireless efforts.

All of these Award winners have found a way of turning their hobby into a business and there is nothing better. In my keynote speech I finished by saying that ‘Success is ....having fun!’. I have had fun throughout the 38 years I have been in my business. Our 172 franchisees who run Rosemary Conley Diet and Fitness Clubs are doing what they do best – teaching exercise and helping their members to lose weight. It’s a privilege, it’s rewarding and it’s enormous fun. Checkout our website www.rosemaryconley.com if you want to know more about how you might have fun too.

So much to do!

This is going to be a really heavy week but it will be fun - as my weeks usually are.

I have been asked to be an Ambassador for, and to get involved in, an initiative to help the folk of Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland to get more active and tomorrow I meet with representatives of up to 23 different areas of health to discuss progress. It is very different for me to be working with loads of local government departments rather than our own business where we just make instant decisions and get on with things. I'm having fun learning how it all works and let's hope we can make progress. So far, so good!

Iím looking forward to Tuesday as Professor Raj Persaud is coming to Quorn to our TV studios to record lots of discussions on the psychological aspect of trying to lose weight and become fitter for our internet television channel, www.rosemaryconley.tv. I love working alongside Raj. He is one of the most fascinating people I've ever met.

On Thursday I am speaking at the East Midlands Business Women's Conference and presenting the Women of Worth Awards. It was a real privilege to be involved in judging the awards and recognising the very special women who will take away such accolades. From there, I'm being driven down to Yeovil ready for our South West Roadshow which is happening on Friday. Around 200 lovely ladies and maybe some men will come along for a day of exercise and education with a good load of motivation thrown in. They are always fun and the weight losses achieved the next week by those who attend is reward enough for making the effort on my part. My wonderful colleague Mary Morris shares the stage with me on these days and always entertains and inspires.

Then on Sunday, wearing my President of Leicestershire Young Enterprise 'hat', I will visit the open market which will be held in the Highcross Shopping Centre in Leicester to visit the stalls of the inspirational young students who have created a Young Enterprise company this year and will be selling their products. It is always immensely rewarding and I'm grateful that this year the market is held indoors and not in the street as previously!

For some extra fitness in your day why not try my daily fitness challenge which I try and post on Twitter at around 8 pm each evening. It will he later tomorrow as I teach my classes on a Monday and I don't finish until around 8.30pm

Have a good week!