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Contest Sponsors

The Fourth Annual Business Plan Contest is made possible by the following sponsors:

Sponosrs

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities and benefits with the Small Business BC Business Plan Contest, click here.

About the Business Plan Contest

Small Business BC is pleased to announce our 4th annual Business Plan Contest.  With small businesses representing 98 percent of all BC businesses and employing almost one million people, Small Business BC is championing the entrepreneurial spirit by celebrating innovative and winning business ideas with this Business Plan Contest.   Founded in 2003, this is an annual provincial-wide competition open to all new and existing small businesses.

Over the past three years, we have received over 420 entries and every year the judging panel, made up of local business experts, is impressed with the high caliber of submissions.  Winners include fifteen businesses that have demonstrated solid financial and social/environmental returns, innovation in business, marketability and strong management. 

Small Business BC is taking steps to grow and improve its 4th annual Business Plan Competition by providing more opportunities for entrepreneurs to network with the business community, increasing exposure potential and offering unprecedented awards for the business plan contest winners. 

Important Contest Dates

Welcome to Small Business BC’s 4th annual Business Plan Contest.  The contest is FREE and open to ALL new and existing BC- based businesses. The top 5 business plans who will share a prize pool totaling $16,000. To qualify for the contest, all business plans must be received by Small Business BC no later than 12:00 Noon on December 15th, 2006.

Deadline: 12:00pm sharp December 15th, 2006
Winners’ Announcement: January 15th, 2007

Contest Events:

Monday, Sept 18, 2006 - Business Plan Contest Launch

There's nothing like hearing other entrepreneurs’ success stories to motivate and inspire you!  To kick-off the 4th annual Business Plan Contest, we are hosting the Entrepreneur Success Stories series that will feature local small business owners discussing their experiences and lessons learned on what it takes to be successful in business.

  • Plus networking, appetizers, prizes and lots of fun!
  • Time: 10am to 2pm
  • Place: Small Business BC (Waterfront Station)
    #82-601 West Cordova Street Vancouver, BC

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2006 - B2b Expo

To celebrate Small Business Week 2006, the B2b (Business to small business) Expo event is an opportunity for you to learn from local business experts in our “Top 10” business seminar series, access valuable resources from participating exhibitors and network with other small businesses.

  • Plus appetizers, prizes and lots of fun!
  • Time: 10am to 4pm
  • Place: Small Business BC (Waterfront Station)
    #82-601 West Cordova Street Vancouver, BC

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 - Business Plan Contest Awards Ceremony

To celebrate the 4th Annual Business Plan Contest, the Awards Ceremony is an opportunity for you to meet the winners, learn from local business experts in our business seminars and network with other small businesses.

  • Plus appetizers, prizes and lots of fun!
  • Time: 10am to 4pm
  • Place: Small Business BC (Waterfront Station)
    #82-601 West Cordova Street Vancouver, BC

Enter the Contest

To enter the contest, all eligible contestants must fill out a registration form and agree with the following Rules and Regulations outlined below. 

All entrants must submit their business plans in the following acceptable Format:

    1. Single space with Times New Roman font of letter size 12 on 8.5 x 11 paper (letter size)
    2. Plans may be submitted in either official language (English or French).
    3. Maximum length of actual plan: 25 pages, EXCLUDING Title Page, Table of Contents, Financials, and any Appendices.

The deadline for entry of a team is Friday, December 15, 2006 at 12PM.

  1. Enter Online: Click Here
  2. Download Registration Form: Click Here
  3. Enter by person or mail: Small Business BC
    Attention: BUSINESS PLAN CONTEST 2006
    Suite 82 - 601 West Cordova Street Vancouver, BC, V6B 1G1

Prizes

A Panel of Judges will select the top 5 business plans who will share a prize pool totaling $16,000. The top 5 winners who will receive the following prizes:

  • Grand Prize: $5000 prize value
  • 2nd Prize: $3200 prize value
  • 3rd Prize: $2800 prize value
  • 4th Prize: $2600 prize value
  • 5th Prize: $2400 prize value

*All 5 winners will receive cash and in-kind prizes

Evaluation Criteria:

A diverse group of business professionals will be appointed to be the contest’s panel of judges. 

The judging panel will make their decisions based on the following criteria:

  1. High quality business plan
  2. Strong business viability and overall business strategy
  3. Concrete projections and financial plan
  4. Solid management team: experience in relative industry and good credibility.
  5. Innovativeness and feasibility of the business concept
  6. Sustainability where the business is based on significant social and environmental returns

Rules and Regulations:

By submitting a business plan to enter the Contest, the Contestant agrees to be bound by the Rules and Regulations of the Contest as designed and published by the Organizer, Small Business BC. The Organizer reserves the right to update the Rules and Regulations of the Competition at any time and will do their best to keep Participants informed of changes but it is ultimately the responsibility of each and every Participant to be aware of any updates.

  1. Eligibility and Entry Fee: Contest is open (FREE) to all business sectors/industry categories (BC-based). 
  2. Contestants: Individuals who have submitted business plans before 12:00 noon - December 15, 2006. All staff members of the Organizer are not eligible for the Contest.
  3. Details for Submission:
    1. Deadline: 12:00 (noon) sharp December 15, 2006
    2. Method of submission: email, mail or in-person, FAXES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
  4. Judging period: December 15, 2006 to January 15, 2007.
  5. Winners announced on: January 15, 2007.
  6. Acceptable Business Plan Format:
    1. Single space with Times New Roman font of letter size 12 on 8.5 x 11 paper (letter size)
    2. Plans may be submitted in either official language (English or French).
    3. Maximum length of actual plan: 25 pages, EXCLUDING Title Page, Table of Contents, Financials and any Appendices.
  7. Only successful applicants will be notified.
  8. Successful applicants understand that this contest should not be construed as an endorsement or determination of future success by the Organizer.
  9. The Contestant understands and agrees that the Organizer of the Contest reserves the right to make all final and binding decisions with respect to all aspects of the Contest, and the Contestant agrees to be bound by all decisions of the Organizer.
  10. The Contestant authorizes the Organizer to identify successful contestant (name/picture) in connection with organizing or promoting the Contest.
  11. The Organizer agrees to maintain the information submitted in confidence and to not reproduce / distribute / communicate the information within, without expressed written consent of the contest entrant. All plans submitted will be disposed of (shredded) immediately at contest conclusion.
  12. Organizer will not be responsible for loss or damages to the materials submitted.
  13. The Organizer reserves the right to judge and to evaluate the entries, the function of which is reserved solely for the judges appointed. The Organizer reserves the right to make all final decisions regarding all aspects of the Contest.
  14. The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify any Contestant if it is determined that the Contestant has submitted false information, committed fraud, and/or plagiarism.
  15. For further inquiries, please email contest@smallbusinessbc.ca or call 1-800-667-2272 (B.C.) or 604-775-5573 in the Lower Mainland.

Business Plan Guidelines

At Small Business BC, we understand that business planning is not an exact science. What is included in your business plan will be dependant on your specific business.

The following is meant as a guideline only:

  • An Executive Summary summarizing the key points of your business plan in one or two pages.
  • A Business Overview that introduces the reader to your business.
  • A description of Products and / or Services.
  • A description of Key Management, Staff and / or Supporting Services.
  • A comprehensive Market Analysis section which will include the following sub-categories:
    • An Industry Overview analyzing the industry in which your business will compete. This should also include a detailed analysis of Key Competitors as well.
    • A Marketing Strategy that summarizes the: Target Market for your product or service - Who is the audience? Where are they? How many are there? Are there enough to support the business?
    • Product / Service - What is the “Unique Selling Feature” of your product / service? Why would they come to you instead of your competitors?
    • Promotion and Marketing – How will you get the message out about your product / service? Through ads? Press releases? How much will this cost?
    • Pricing and Positioning – How much will your product / service cost? What is the “position” of your product / service compared to competitors? Is it a “high-end” service or an affordable everyday product?
    • Distribution Strategies – How will your product / service reach the end-user? How much will it cost?
  • An Implementation Plan – How will the business grow and develop? What are the key milestones to be achieved?
  • A Risk / Contingency Plan – Discussing possible challenges / issues / barriers that the business may face. These can be external (e.g. economic downturn) or internal (e.g. less then projected sales).
  • A Financial Plan which includes:
    • Pro-forma balance sheets, income statements and cash flow statements.
  • A balance sheet compares what your business owns to what it owes.
    • A cash flow statement compares how much money will be coming in to how much you will be spending.
    • An income statement compares your revenues to your expenses to see if you are going to make money.
  • Plans submitted for the Business Plan-It contest, must be a maximum of 25 pages, EXCLUDING title pages, table of contents, financials and any Appendices.
  • For more resources on business planning, click here.

If you have any further questions, please contact contest@smallbusinessbc.ca or phone 1-800-667-2272 (BC) or 604-775-5573 (Vancouver)