Ready, Set, Go! It's Time For Alignable's 2023 Local Business Person Of The Year Contest

Who Should Be Your Local Business Person Of 2023?

Reflecting on the past year, who are the local business leaders who've helped you or your community the most?  

Or who across your network really showed up in a big way to lend a hand to your business, your Group, your Ambassador Alliance, and/or your town?

We'd like to give all of these super-supportive small business owners extra recognition for going above and beyond for other businesses during such a challenging time. And we're sure you'd like to do the same.

So that's why we're back yet again with our hugely popular annual search for the most supportive business owners across N. America: Alignable's 2023 Local Business Person Of The Year Contest. 

160K Votes Last Year: Will We Reach 200K in 2023?

Last year, collectively all of you broke previous records by posting 160,000 votes and 35,000 testimonials, which became permanent recommendations on profiles all over the U.S. and Canada. (And after just one week of voting, participation is up 27% over 2022 already!). 

For many, last year's contest wasn't only a great time to say thanks to those who deserve it most, but also what can best be described as "Networking On Steroids." 

Thousands of members immersed themselves in the contest, reaching out to all sorts of contacts, showing their support, commenting on the testimonials they received, and generally connecting with as many business owners as possible in the course of the multi-week contest. 

We expect this friendly competition to be even more lively this year, as 2022 turned out to be more challenging than even 2021 was for many members. Also, more people connected in Groups than ever before and Alignable gained at least another 500,000 members, as well. 

Vote Now -- Here's How

Give your peers who were really there for you the kudos they deserve by voting for them now. It's fast, easy, and will likely make you and your favorite peer(s) feel really good. 

There are two ways you can express your appreciation: 

• Profile Voting Box
  • If you have peers and friends in mind now, go to their profiles and vote for them in a box that looks like this:
  • And be sure to include a sentence about why they deserve this honor, as it can go a long way toward helping them -- in the competition and as a recommendation on their profile. (HINT: In the case of a first-place tie for votes in each community, the person with the highest number of votes, PLUS the highest number of testimonials, will be the one walking away with the Local Business Person Of The Year title. So, those written testimonials can make the difference between your favorite peer winning or losing). 

• Personalized Landing Page
  • Now, if you'd like some suggestions based on members you've interacted with the most on Alignable, go to your personalized landing page here. And vote for the people on that page who have helped you and/or your community the most. (Likely, they will be listed under "Some Great Connections To Consider."). 
  • Here's an example below:

Hey, Can I Get Into The Race Myself, Too?

You sure can! 

So, if there are people you want to vote for across the network, but you would also like to be considered for your town, we have a special feature for you, as well. 

First, we highly recommend that you email or message your contacts with a request for their support in the race,  which would include a link to your profile's URL. 

And once you've done that, go to your personalized landing page and scroll down to look for this section, which shows you how to generate even more support.

Click on that purple button to access even more of your contacts and ask them if they'll help you in your quest to be the 2023 Local Business Person Of The Year in your community. 

Remember To Say "Thank You"

Another tip: please be sure, as you're notified about peers voting for you, that you take the time to thank them.  

This single act helps to propel the networking frenzy created by the contest, as well as the good feelings and bonding moments generated during this voting period. 

And hey, it would be a great gesture for you to also vote for the wonderful people who voted for you. 

That will extend the circle of appreciation -- and could even lead to referrals, enhanced connections or new business prospects. (It happens all the time during the contest). 

Show You Care: Earn A Community Supporter Badge

Beyond partaking in this fun, friendly competition, you also can generate another badge on your profile whether you win your local contest or not. 

It's automatically awarded to those who use all 10 of their votes and is displayed as a beacon of your devotion to your town. Imagine one of these beauties helping your profile to stand out!  It's only 10 votes away!

So, be sure to start the voting process as soon as possible, as the contest only lasts for several weeks. The voting deadline is February 17, 2023 at midnight Eastern Time. 

Per the contest rules, you must be an Alignable member to vote or to be nominated. But, if you have peers or friends who are not in the network yet, they can still participate. They just need to join Alignable for free by going to www.alignable.com. 

To see the full list of rules, go here. 

And if you have any other questions or comments about the competition, please join the Local Biz Person Of The Year Group and post them there.

Thanks so much for reading and for participating in this year's contest. We look forward to seeing all of the great votes and testimonials rolling in!

(And if you want to see a flashback of how fun this was last year & how much everyone got out of it, check out our wrap up story on the Top 10 Winners in Canada & The U.S. for the 2022 Competition).