2013 marks the 10th anniversary of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run.
As we approach the September 25 final entry deadline for the 2013 competition we'll look back at some of the women who have won Stevie Awards over the past decade. We'll catch up with them on their current activities, and learn what their Stevie win meant to them and their careers.
Today's profile is of 2008 Stevie winner Sandy Forster.
As founder and chief executive officer of WildlyWealthy.com, which provided innovative and successful strategies that empower women to take a quantum leap forward in their business and life, Sandy Forster was doing for herself exactly what she was teaching her clients.
About nine years ago, when she was more than $100,000 in debt, she discovered the Law of Attraction and put it into practice for herself. Forster went from being on welfare to being a millionaire. Forster deeply appreciates how she became successful as a life coach by creating a business centered around teaching women just how to find their passion and use practical strategies -- along with mindset techniques -- to create their own success in business and life. Prior to winning her Stevie Award (she was the first Australian woman to win a Stevie), Forster's business was gaining momentum and successfully growing, but working from her home-office, she sometimes wondered if her efforts were really having an impact.
Since winning her first Stevie for Mentor of the Year, Forster’s business has grown immensely. Her Stevie win garnered so much press attention and exposure around the world, that many women (and enlightened men) contacted her in the hopes of creating their own successful business. In 2009 Forster launched the Inspired Spirit Coaching Academy, which has trained more than 600 people in 23 countries worldwide as certified Law of Attraction coaches.
Forster says it is gratifying to know that the training of one person, who then takes their new skills and knowledge into the world to build their own coaching business, is making such a difference in so many lives. Forster believes she is helping transform the planet -- one person at a time.
“I believe entering awards is hugely rewarding as it forces you to stop and look at what you’ve achieved, which entrepreneurs often forget to do. Being selected as a finalist in itself was so gratifying, however, winning the coveted Stevie Award was something that is beyond words. It’s something I’ll have forever, and I believe it has enhanced my credibility, expanded my visibility and allowed me to reach tens of thousands more women across the planet. The inspiration is has afforded me is allowing me to spread that to so many others,” Forster said.
She went on to comment about her experience at the awards ceremony: “Attending the award ceremony was such a thrill - having the opportunity to be in the room with so many successful business women from around the world was both daunting yet extremely empowering. I realized right then and there how amazing women can truly be and how much we can achieve. It was a massive honour to be the first Australian women to win a Stevie Award for Women in Business, and I’ve since gone on to win multiple Stevies and other business awards including Business of the Year, here in Australia. I think back to the night I won my first Stevie and look at how much my business has expanded since, and feel honored to be recognized internationally for my achievements.”
The final entry deadline for the 2013 edition of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business is September 25. Complete entry detail are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.
A true entrepreneur, Ryan was fanatical about the online community then – and still is now. She is always seeking ways to maximize the benefits of the Internet. However, as the years passed and the Internet changed, Ryan decided that the format and business model for WorldWIT was not exactly what she wanted to achieve. In 2012, she launched Human Workplace, a publishing, coaching and consulting firm whose mission is to reinvent work for people. Ryan and her Human Workplace business work with the U.S. Department of Labor, many universities and public and private employers, and with individuals on direction, branding and strategy with a human voice. 
Herskowitz spent more than 35 years as a speech pathologist, catering to those with autism. She was working in the autism field when she learned in 1993 that her own son was diagnosed with autism. Her life dramatically changed. Since then, everything Herskowitz developed or has been involved with regarding autism somehow has her son’s imprint on it.
This year, Tappouni celebrates 16 successful years in business, and is proud to say she conquered some of the contracting and construction industry’s most challenging years, on the heels of her awards recognition. The Stevie Awards helped raise awareness of her firm's quality and growth.
The International Business Awards honor an all-inclusive spectrum of business people and organizations -- from non-profits, emerging start-ups, major public companies and government agencies, to corner-office executives, product developers, marketers and web development teams. This year’s IBAs received more than 3,300 entries from organizations in more than 50 nations and territories.
All individuals and organizations worldwide -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small -- may submit nominations to the IBAs. To begin your submission process, you should:
