Best Immigrant Entrepreneur
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The Best Immigrant Entrepreneur Award recognizes an outstanding new Canadian who has started a successful business in B.C. This individual has overcome adversity, exhibits leadership both in their community and within their business, and has strong track record of business growth.
- Overcoming Adversity: Individual has achieved success despite the challenges and barriers of being an immigrant in Canada.
- Leadership: Showcases strong leadership through both business practices and involvement within the community he/she operates.
- Track Record and Growth Plan: Business demonstrates a proven track record of financial success and is positioned for growth.
To win our Best Immigrant Entrepreneur Award, nominees will be assessed on three qualities:
Overcoming Adversity
This individual has achieved success despite the challenges and barriers of being a recent immigrant in Canada.
Leadership
They showcase strong leadership through their business practices and involvement within their community.
Track Record
The business has a demonstrable track record of financial success and is primed for growth.
Eligibility
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Best Immigrant Entrepreneur Award, nominees must be the primary owner and operator of a BC business that has been in operation for a minimum of 12 months. Nominees must have landed in Canada within the last ten years and be a permanent resident or a citizen of Canada. The business in question must have less than 50 employees.
Please Note: “Primary owner and operator” is defined as having a minimum of 51 per cent ownership and being active within the business. The individual’s primary source of income should be derived from the business. Nominees may be asked to provide proof of their permanent residency or citizenship.
Criteria
Items Our Judges Will Assess:
When assessing the winner of Best Immigrant Entrepreneur, our judges will assess the following criteria:
- Personal story of the Immigrant, their business, and the challenges that have been overcome
- A detailed description of the business, products and/or services, and the unique value proposition of the business
- The company’s track record of financial success and any growth plans
- Description of the individual’s involvement in their community
- The company’s approach to human resources and marketing
Preparing Your Nomination
We understand taking part in competitions like ours requires a time commitment. That’s why we want you to maximize the impact you receive from entering. Here are five tips to consider when submitting your nomination for a Small Business BC Award.
Establish Your Objectives
A great place to start is to decide upon your goals for entering the Small Business BC Awards. Maybe you want to help boost your staff recruitment, raise your profile within your industry, or improve your marketing? Our Awards program can be a powerful tool to achieve your goals. You just need to clearly define what those goals are before you begin.
Designate an ‘Awards Champion’
Throughout the years, we’ve seen businesses pass the task of administering their awards application from one staff member to the next. This results in inconsistent entries where no one person took ownership and drove the task forward. Instead, we recommend designating yourself, or a staff member, as an ‘Awards Champion’ with responsibility for handling the nomination from start to finish.
Match Your Content to the Criteria
Each of our award categories has detailed criteria you can refer to when submitting a nomination. Our judges will refer to the criteria when assessing which businesses will proceed to the next phase of the competition. It’s crucial to understand the criteria for your category and deliver an application that meets the criteria. These simple instructions provide the recipe for success. Don’t ignore them!
Speak to Previous Nominees
Each year, over 600 businesses are nominated in the Small Business BC Awards. Across the several month process, these businesses learn so much about the process, developing invaluable takeaways, experience and knowledge. Why not consider asking their advice? They’ll be able to share some of the benefits of taking part, how to prepare to present to our judges, and how to approach your community to gather votes.
Get Your Entry Proofread
Before you submit your nomination, task a friend or family member to read over it and provide their feedback. Try to find someone who will provide impartial feedback. They may notice an important element you’ve forgot to mention, or typos that have slipped under the radar. Your entry will sparkle if it’s error-free and provides a compelling case as to why you should win.
Prize
Winner
- $1,500 cash prize from Province of BC
- All access pass to SBBC Education and TTAE services for 1 year
- Professional media shareables
- 1 interview & article featured on the SBBC website
- Social Media spotlight throughout the winning year
Top 5 Finalists:
- All access pass to SBBC Education and TTAE services for 1 year
- Professional media shareables
Key Dates
Awards Timeline
- January 18, 2021: Nominations and Voting open
- March 7, 2021 (11:59pm): Nominations and Voting close
- March 22, 2021: Top 5s announced
- April 6-8, 2021: Judging Period (Top 5 pitches)
- May 4-6, 2021: Small Business BC Awards presentations
Are you ready to nominate?
This Year's Nominees
Check out some of the businesses that were already nominated

Artemex Mexican Handcrafts
Nominated for:
Best Immigrant Entrepreneur

UCMAS Richmond – Orient Education Services
Nominated for:
3 categories

HiChant Communications
Nominated for:
3 categories

Blooming Works
Nominated for:
Best Immigrant Entrepreneur

Locelle Digital Inc.
Nominated for:
4 categories

Forest Bean
Nominated for:
Best Immigrant Entrepreneur

Sunisok Athlete Inc
Nominated for:
2 categories

Coeva Vintage
Nominated for:
2 categories

PLAYHEADS
Nominated for:
Best Immigrant Entrepreneur

Symmetrix Exercise & Rehab
Nominated for:
3 categories

School House Teaching Supplies
Nominated for:
Best Immigrant Entrepreneur

BC Wide Home Services Ltd.
Nominated for:
Best Immigrant Entrepreneur