Start Small Go Big
from Ink by Chase Bank and DailyCandy
Are you a small business owner who has dreamed of having your business featured in DailyCandy? Are you looking to quit your day job so you can devote more time to your growing lifestyle business? Daily Candy has helped many small businesses become overnight successes. Their contest, Start Small Go Big, could give your small business the publicity and mentoring it needs in order to become a household name. Last year, over 3,000 businesses entered.
Unlike Big Break for Small Business and Mission: Small Business which include most types of businesses, Start Small Go Big entrants must belong to one of five lifestyle business categories:
- Fashion
- Health & Beauty
- Food & Drink
- Home
- Digital & Tech (new for 2012)
Winners get to attend DailyCandy Academy in NYC, where they will get the chance to network with industry leaders include Jonathan Adler and Rebecca Minkoff. Each winner will get their own handpicked mentor who will share their tips for business success. Winning businesses will also be featured in their own DailyCandy email write-up.
In order to enter Start Small Go Big, you must describe your idea. Applicants must also fill out a mad-libs style fill-in-the-blank form (see picture below). Tips on how to get your business noticed (in a good way) are available through videos posted on Start Small Go Big website.
Mission: Small Business
from Chase Bank and Living Social
Mission: Small Business is a US Chamber of Commerce supported program which provides small businesses with money they need to improve their business. 12 US small businesses will be awarded $250,000 grants. Small businesses entering the contest must be less than 2 years old and have fewer than 100 employees.
Like Big Break for Small Business, Mission: Small Business judges entrants on their ability to get Facebook community support as well as their description of what makes their business unique. Since Mission: Small Business is a grant program, however, applicants must also outline their plan for the prize money. In order for their application to be reviewed by the panel, participating businesses must get at least 250 Facebook votes.
While voting for Mission: Small Business began on May 7, small businesses can still enter. Businesses have until June 30 to get 250 Facebook votes. To enter Mission: Small Business, visit the contest website, click on the registration button and fill out the form (see picture above).
The TopMBA Connect team is located in New York City, a key hotspot for social entrepreneurship, technology and the international business community. 