On a blue pixelated gradient background, white trophy silhouettes flank the centered SAM logo at the top. Below that, bold white centered text reads “New Entrepreneur of the Year,” and at the bottom small white letters spell out “Society for Advancement of Management Social Impact Awards.”

Created to recognize that beginning a new venture has extraordinary challenges, this award recognizes individuals who are at the beginning of the entrepreneurial  challenge. Designed to commend those who accept the call to bring imaginative, passionate ideas to life while exemplifying the spirit of entrepreneurship.

Nominees for this award must have three or less years as an entrepreneurial leader to be considered for this honor.

Focusing on the potential of the venture and the contributions of a dynamic, creative and visionary leader, this Award celebrates the emergence of a new opportunity and looks at how its foundations are laid for continued success and sustainability. This award is distinct in the metrics it uses to judge the potential of a venture and the foundational aspects as opposed to traditional benchmarks of success like financial performance. This award is distinct in the metrics used to judge look at the possibility and foundations over the typical benchmarks of success like financial performance. Nominees should be included in the process and share their leadership philosophies and what drives them to be an entrepreneur.

Open to individuals operating in the public, private or non-profit sectors, this Award will go to the outstanding individual who:

  • Shares a compelling personal story about the call to entrepreneurship,
  • Explains their process of developing and launching their venture to meet with the needs of a specific market,
  • Provides examples of their competitive advantage and what differentiates them in the marketplace against other competitors both large and small,
  • Details their start-up performance, financial results and plan for measured growth,
  • Shares their leadership philosophy and how it is connected to the community and stakeholders of the venture, with an explanation of how that has driven consumer and employee loyalty.

Nomination Summary

In a summary of no more than 750 words, please identify the new entrepreneurial venture the market in which the business operates. Please include the venture’s key business achievements or success factors that are relevant to the industry or marketplace.

Nomination Details

In no more than 1500 words, please tell our awards committee why the nominee should be named the New Entrepreneur of the Year. Nominations are primarily evaluated by the criteria listed below. In an effort to maximize the chances of a successful nomination, please make sure to tailor your response to connect to as many of the identified criteria as possible. Our committee understands that no two ventures are the same and a successful nomination will not necessarily contain all of the criteria identified.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONAL ETHICS TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP GROWTH & SUSTAINABILITY • Briefly outline the policies and procedures that the nominee has put in place to engage employees in delivering the mission and vision of the venture. • Provide examples of your employee motivation and in some cases retention processes and how they impact the venture. • Present evidence of how your stakeholders (external and internal) have been motivated to engage with your venture. • Share how the nominee has implemented corporate responsibility or sustainability practices within the business venture. • How does the nominee’s venture ensure alignment with and protect community interests. • Define the nominees approach to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. • Provide examples of how the nominee has developed, introduced, or implemented innovations to create a positive culture in their venture. • Share how the nominee has implemented technology or other productivity measures to increase or improve the venture to all stakeholders (external and internal). • Show us examples of the leadership and management structure of the venture and explain how that structure creates a positive culture in the workplace. • Provide a personal story about the nominee and how the venture has impacted the nominees management philosophy. • Define your plan for sustaining the venture and continuing financial success. • Share how you benchmark against your peers in both financial and non-financial terms. • Provide some evidence of financial growth and expansion of the venture since its inception. • Tell us the nominee’s personal story and about what drives them to be an entrepreneur.