Loughborough-born Awards Strategist publishes first book to help East Midlands firms win recognition

Every year, credible businesses lose awards they were fully qualified to win. Not because they weren’t good enough, but because nobody ever taught them how to enter properly. Loughborough-born Awards and Honours Strategist Rachel Hargrave, whose company Rachel Hargrave Unlimited has its registered office at Loughborough Technology Centre, has written the book to change that. Her debut, Enter to Win: Award-Winning Strategies for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, is published by Purple Star Books on 5 November 2026.

Rachel, founder of Rachel Hargrave Unlimited, has spent more than fifteen years helping business owners and entrepreneurs win business awards and secure UK Honours, including the King’s Awards for Enterprise. Her debut book distils that experience into 22 chapters across five parts. It covers how to choose the right awards and categories for your stage, how to spot a credible award and avoid pay-to-play schemes, how to write an entry a judge remembers, how to present to a panel, and how to turn a single win into a strategy for years of recognition. Real client stories and worked examples show weak answers rewritten into winning ones, and a chapter asks whether AI can help write an entry, and where it quietly gives you away.

The book is for business owners, from manufacturers and family firms to professional practices and start-ups, who want to use awards as a credible way to build trust, win tenders and stand out from competitors.

“Winning an award is not luck, and it is not about who shouts loudest,” says Rachel. “It is about building a clear case and presenting it the way a judge wants to read it. Any business that does that properly has a real chance.”

East Midlands-based business owner, Maria Peggs – MD of Vispera – whom Rachel has supported with its awards strategy said, “Entering the right awards can raise your profile, build credibility and help you stand out. They can also attract new clients and open doors to bigger opportunities – whether you are looking to grow, diversify, recruit or plan for the future”.

Leicestershire-based business coach Trusha Lakhani, Founder and CEO of Great Business Matters, says of the book: “She does not rush anybody’s story, and she will not hand it to someone who will”.

A free companion workbook, built around the templates and trackers used throughout the book, is available to download at rachelhargrave.co.uk.