DIXON TO HOST BUSINESS COMPETITION TO SPUR
ENTREPRENUERS
} $10,000 in prize
money and free rent as part of the winnings offered
Dixon Main Street,
Dixon Chamber of Commerce and the
City of Dixon will
present The Dixon Business Competition as a way to inspire entrepreneurs in the
region.
The Dixon Business Competition is a business competition for
innovative entrepreneurs, businesses, and startup companies. Entrepreneurs can compete for $10,000 in cash
prizes, free commercial rent, top tier professional advisory support, and the
opportunity to showcase your business idea to the Dixon community. City of Dixon Mayor Jim Burke first brought the idea
of the competition to local business leaders in the fall of 2013.
“The competition is a great way for Dixon to give opportunities to budding
entrepreneurs. We want dynamic and innovative businesses to be in Dixon and this
competition will allow those businesses to not just start-up, but to thrive,”
Josh Albrecht, Executive Director of Dixon
Main Street said. “Our local business leaders
jumped at the opportunity to help make this business competition a reality.”
There will be an informational meeting about the competition
on April 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Loveland Community House. The registration
deadline to be a part of the competition will be May 14. Registration is
available online at http://www.dixonbusinesscompetition.com.
The Dixon Business Competition begins with a free three-hour
workshop that guides entrepreneurs through the essential steps to successfully
start or expand a business. The first
seminar will be on Friday, May 16 from 6 – 9 pm in the Loveland Community Center. The Startup Success Seminar will be repeated
on Saturday, May 17 from 9 – 12 pm and then again on Saturday, May 17 from 1 –
4 pm.
All Seminar participants will receive The Startup Success
Guide and Essential Spreadsheet Templates that will help you evaluate your
business idea and create a concise Summary Business Plan which includes
financial statements, startup capital needs, competitive analysis, and
marketing strategies.
Participants can then enter their Summary Business Plans in
the Competition where they will be confidentially scored by a panel of
judges. The Competition finalists will
be chosen based on the best scores achieved.
The final event is the “Pitch Competition” where the finalists will
present a two minute Elevator Pitch to a panel of judges.
“Many of our local business leaders have joined the
competition as sponsors and mentors and we hope additional existing businesses
come aboard to support this great contest,” Albrecht said. “The more our
existing businesses invest in the future of our city, the greater Dixon will be.”
For more information visit www.dixonbusinesscompetition.com or
contact Josh Albrecht at 815-288-2308 or mainst@grics.net.
Competition
Timeline
April 23 -- Informational Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Loveland Community House
May 14 – Registration Deadline
May 16 -17 – Start-up Success Workshops
May 30 – Business Plans Due
June 16 – Finalists Chosen
June 25 – Pitch Event and Awards Ceremony
Here are four
steps to startup success:
Step 1 – Attend the April 23 Informational Meeting at the
Loveland Community House at 6:30 p.m. Or, apply online at www.dixonbusinesscompetition.com. Registration must be received by 5 pm on
Wednesday, May 14, 2014.
Step 2 – Attend one of the free Startup Success
Seminars. The Startup Success Seminar is
a three hour workshop that guides entrepreneurs through ten important steps to
turn that great idea into a business reality.
Startup Success provides tools to help entrepreneurs define the value
proposition, set revenue goals, analyze the market, and identify the
competition. All Seminar participants
will receive The Startup Success Guide and Essential Spreadsheet Templates that
will help you evaluate your business idea, calculate startup costs, forecast
sales and expenses, and create a concise Summary Business Plan. The first
seminar will be on Friday, May 16 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Loveland Community Center. The Startup Success Seminar will be repeated
on Saturday, May 17 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and then again on Saturday, May 17
from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Step 3 – Submit your Summary Business Plan. Your business idea and Summary Business Plan
will be confidentially reviewed and scored by competition judges and up to ten
finalists will be chosen.
Step 4 – Pitch your idea.
Finalists will be invited to present a two-minute Elevator Pitch at a
public "Pitch Event." Judges
will then have five minutes to ask questions and to score the elevator
pitch. Each finalist’s Summary Business
Plan score will be combined with their Elevator Pitch score to determine the
prize winners.
Dixon Business Competition Sponsors
Below is a list of our current sponsors for this
competition. We would love to have additional businesses take part in
sponsoring this great opportunity for our community. Interested businesses can
contact Josh Albrecht at 815-288-2308.
City of Dixon
– www.discoverdixon.org
Dixon Main
Street – www.dixonmainstreet.com
Dixon
Chamber of Commerce – www.dixonillinoischamber.com
Midland States Bank – www.midlandsb.com
The Telegraph – www.saukvalley.com
KSB
Hospital – www.ksbhospital.com
Hicks Insurance – www.hicksinsurance.biz
Burke Realty -- http://dixon-illinois-real-estate.com/
Kreider Sevices – www.kreiderservices.org
Ward, Murray, Pace & Johnson – www.wmpj.com
Community State Bank – www.commstbk.com
Sauk Valley Bank – www.saukvalleybank.com
Northridge Properties -- https://northridge.managebuilding.com/
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