On Growth

Highlight Your Growth: Apply for the 2016 RCP Rocket Awards

The deadline for this year's award for partners that have shown exceptional growth is May 2.

• By Mike Harvath
• April 04, 2016

• Access the 2016 application form here.

We are reaching out to the Microsoft partner community to announce the 4th annual RCP/Rocket Awards sponsored by Redmond Channel Partner magazine and Revenue Rocket Consulting Group.

As in the past, the 2016 award is open to all U.S.-based Microsoft partners, with annual revenues between $5 million and $75 million and whose innovative business strategies resulted in sustained growth over the last three years (2013, 2014 and 2015).

Last year, the common theme linking all three companies that were chosen is that at some point for each of them, it could have all gone wrong. For Valorem Consulting, that point might have been sometime soon after its founders decided to start a cloud company during a recession. For Uptime Legal Systems, it might have been when its CEO decided to make a critical rebranding decision. And for Pariveda Solutions, there was a potential flashpoint every time it disregarded a big project in favor of a small one.

Instead of turning their businesses belly-up, the risks have paid off for each of these companies -- by a lot. You can read more about these Microsoft partners and their winning strategies here.

To simplify the application process this year we're making a few changes:

• First, we're now using Survey Monkey as the mechanism in which to submit your initial responses electronically. You can access the survey application here.
  
  
• Second, upon reviewing these initial submissions we will select a few finalists to interview for a deeper dive into their applications, and from which we will determine the winners.

The deadline for the initial submission is May 2, 2016.

Joining me on the panel for evaluating all of the submissions are Scott Bekker, editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine, and other distinguished guests with hands-on experience in growing an IT services business.

Entries will be evaluated on two key criteria:

• First, the results. What did your company achieve over a three-year period in terms of revenue, profit and other relevant metrics you deem appropriate?
  
  
• Second, the strategies. What unique combination of strategies did you employ to generate the results you achieved?

The components of the initial survey include:

• Revenues for 2013, 2014 and 2015
• Brief description of your company's business type
• Status in the Microsoft Partner Network
• Brief description of the strategies that led to this growth

For the interview, which we plan on having take place sometime around mid-to-late May, we will probe deeper into your business performance, key strategies, lessons learned, and any other aspect of your growth strategies that drove your business.

The winners will be notified in early June and announced in July. In addition to an award plaque, winners will also be the focus of an article in the October 2016 issue of Redmond Channel Partner magazine, and a donation will be made in their name to a charity of their choice.

Start thinking about getting your entries ready, and good luck. Apply using the survey form here. For any questions, e-mail [email protected].

Check out our RCP Rocket Awards page for profiles of past years' winners.