Hi This Is Bry shortlisted for the East of England StartUp Awards

Being shortlisted for the East of England StartUp Awards was a real milestone for my business. It also reminded me how much talent exists across Colchester, Essex, and the wider East of England, and reinforced something I talk to my clients about every day. Strong businesses deserve strong brand foundations.

The awards evening took place at the Curzon in Colchester, and looking back, that's the part I'll remember most. Receiving recognition was exciting, of course, but spending an evening surrounded by people building brilliant businesses across the region left an even bigger impression.

See also: Why I chose to build my branding, marketing and website business in Colchester

The Colchester business community made a big impression

Walking into the Curzon, I expected a good evening and the usual nerves that come with being in a room full of people you do not know. I came away much more interested in the businesses themselves, because there were founders from completely different industries all trying to build something useful and make it work.

Some businesses were relatively new, while others had already developed into much more established companies, which made the room feel like a useful snapshot of what is happening across the region. Everyone had different reasons for starting, different customers and different plans for growth, but there was a shared understanding of how much work sits behind even the bits of a business that look effortless from the outside.

Running a business can be quite isolating, particularly when you work independently or remotely, so spending an evening around people who understood the strange mixture of excitement and mild chaos involved was refreshing. It also reinforced how strong the business community around Colchester has become, because there was a genuine willingness to talk, share experiences and celebrate what other people were building.

See also: What it's like running a design and marketing business in Colchester vs Bury St Edmunds

Strong businesses tended to have strong foundations too

One of the things I kept noticing throughout the evening was how easy it was to understand some businesses almost immediately. Their branding felt considered, their websites reflected the quality of what they offered and they could explain what they did without needing ten minutes of background before the idea made sense.

That does not mean awards are won because somebody has the nicest logo, because judges are obviously looking at the wider business. Strong branding still helps because it gives everything else a clearer structure, which makes it easier for somebody encountering the business to understand what it offers and remember it afterwards.

This is exactly why I spend so much time talking to clients about the foundations underneath the visual identity. My brand strategy and marketing services are designed around different stages of that problem, from businesses that need an existing identity strengthened through to founders who need deeper positioning and strategy before the visual work begins.

See also: What goes into award winning branding and websites

Why did the Digital Startup category feel so appropriate?

Being shortlisted in the Digital Startup category felt like a natural fit because Hi This Is Bry was built around a digital way of working from the beginning. Clients find me through Google, social media, referrals and content, while consultations and most project communication can happen online, which means I can work with businesses across Essex, Suffolk and the rest of the UK without location becoming a barrier.

That model also gave me the flexibility to build a business around the way I work best. As an autistic founder, travelling independently can sometimes be difficult, so creating a business that did not depend on constant travel allowed me to structure projects in a way that was much more sustainable while still giving clients plenty of direct support.

Working digitally has never meant making the process impersonal, because clients still have conversations with me, receive strategic input and get guidance throughout the project. The difference is simply that the business has been designed so those things do not require everybody to be sitting in the same room for the work to feel collaborative.

The website and content are a big part of how the business grows

Running a digital business also means the website has to work particularly hard because it often becomes the place somebody decides whether Hi This Is Bry feels credible enough to contact. It needs to explain the services clearly, show proof of the work and give people enough context about how I think before they ever book a conversation.

That is why I treat websites as part of the sales process rather than somewhere to simply display a logo and contact form. My web design and marketing services include different levels of support depending on whether an existing website needs strengthening or the whole journey needs to be planned and built more strategically.

Content plays a similar role because somebody may read several blogs or follow me on social media long before they decide they need help. Each useful piece of content gives them another opportunity to understand what I do and how I approach the work, which is one of the reasons building visibility over time has been so important to the growth of the business.

See also: Why isn't my website converting? A guide to web optimisation for small business owners

The evening reinforced why I enjoy working with small businesses

One of the nicest parts of the evening was simply hearing people talk about what they were building. There was a lot of enthusiasm in the room, whether somebody was running a creative business, consultancy, retail company or something completely different, and it was obvious how personally invested people were in making their ideas work.

It also reminded me how many good businesses across Essex and Suffolk are still much less visible than the quality of their work deserves. Sometimes the service itself is already excellent, but the branding, website or messaging has not caught up, which means potential customers are getting a weaker impression of the business than the experience they would actually receive.

That is the part of my work I enjoy most because I am often helping somebody communicate quality that is already there. My wider Creative Services cover branding, websites, social media and brand and visibility strategy, which means I can look at where the visibility problem actually sits rather than assuming every business needs the same solution.

Recognition becomes more useful when people can actually find it

Being shortlisted was personally exciting, but recognition also becomes part of the wider evidence around a business once people can see it. Awards, press coverage, testimonials and strong case studies can all help somebody judge whether a business feels established and trustworthy, particularly when they have never encountered it before.

That does not mean filling every page with award badges and expecting them to do all of the selling. The useful part is showing recognition where it supports a genuine claim, then connecting it back to the work people can actually hire you for.

Since this shortlist, Hi This Is Bry has gone on to receive further recognition, including being named UK top 100 for Best Creative Arts Business and UK top 10 for Best Business Branding. Seeing those later achievements develop from a business that was still relatively new at the time of the East of England shortlist makes this particular milestone feel even more significant in hindsight.

See also: Hi This Is Bry named top 100 Best Creative Arts Business in the UK

What did the shortlist teach me about visibility?

The evening made me think about visibility beyond simply being active on social media, because the businesses in the room had reached that point through much wider combinations of reputation, networking, customer experience, branding and external recognition. Being visible means giving people several ways to discover and understand the business, rather than depending on one platform to do all of the work.

That is particularly useful for small businesses because somebody may first hear your name at an event, then look at your website, find your LinkedIn profile and read a couple of articles before they ever decide whether to contact you. Every part of that journey contributes something to their impression, which means visibility works much better when the different pieces support one another.

That is also why I offer a Visibility Consultation alongside my creative work, because sometimes a business needs help identifying what is limiting its visibility before investing in something bigger. For businesses that need more detailed direction around their audience, positioning and how their brand should be marketed and sold, my Brand Discovery Roadmap provides a more comprehensive starting point.

FAQs

What are the East of England StartUp Awards? The East of England StartUp Awards recognise new and growing businesses across the region, and Hi This Is Bry was shortlisted in the Digital Startup category. For me, the recognition was particularly meaningful because it happened relatively early in the business and connected directly to the digital model I had deliberately built.

Where were the East of England StartUp Awards held? The awards evening took place at Curzon in Colchester and brought together founders and businesses from across the East of England. Having the event in Colchester made the recognition feel especially personal because the city has played such a large part in my own creative and business background.

Why do strong brand foundations matter for a startup? Good foundations make it easier for customers to understand the business and give future marketing something consistent to build around. My brand strategy and marketing services include different levels of support depending on whether a business needs an existing identity strengthened or something much deeper developed from scratch.

Do you only work with businesses in Essex? No, I work with businesses across Essex and Suffolk as well as clients elsewhere in the UK, because most projects can be delivered remotely. Being connected to the local business community influences my work, but it does not limit where my clients can be based.

Can you help a startup work out what it needs first? Yes, my Visibility Consultation helps identify what may be limiting a business's visibility before committing to a larger project. For businesses that need more detailed direction around their audience, positioning and marketing, my Brand Discovery Roadmap explores those areas through a questionnaire, consultation and completed roadmap.

This shortlist still feels important looking back

Being shortlisted for the East of England StartUp Awards felt significant at the time, but it has become even more interesting to look back on as the business has grown. It was one of the first moments where Hi This Is Bry was being recognised outside my own client work, which gave me another reason to trust that the way I was building the business was connecting with people beyond my immediate network.

The evening also strengthened my connection with the local business community because I saw just how much ambitious work was happening across the region. There are businesses across Essex and Suffolk doing genuinely excellent things, and helping more of them communicate that quality clearly is still a big part of why I enjoy this work.

Want to see where your business could be easier to notice and trust?

Awards are one way a business can build authority, but visibility is usually created through several things working together, including your branding, website, content and the proof people find when they start researching you. My free Business Visibility Playbook helps you review that wider picture and spot where potential customers may be missing the information or evidence that would make the business easier to understand and trust.