Local Business Plan Competition Now Accepting Applications

Press Release by Inland Empire Women’s Business Center, image via Shutterstock

The Coachella Valley Women’s Business Center (CVWBC), Inland Empire Women’s Business Center (IEWBC), and Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (IESBDC) have partnered to host the 2015 Inland Empire Small Business Competition, sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank.

The Inland Empire Small Business Competition is a regional competition open to persons 18 years or older who owns a business that has been in operation for at least one year with five or fewer employees and is located in Riverside or San Bernardino County. Four winners will be selected and each awarded a cash prize of $2,500 to support the expansion and growth of their business. Winners will be announced at the Hispanic Lifestyle 2015 Southern California Business Expo and Conference on August 5, 2015 in Ontario, CA. This event is open to the public.

Applications are now being accepted and must include the following:

· One page Executive Summary as a PDF

· Maximum 3:00 minute video answering the following questions:

o How did you start your business?

o What was the inspiration for your business?

o What problem does your business solve with its products and services?

o Where do you see your business in the next five years?

o How would winning this competition impact your business?

· Proof of business age (e.g. bank statement showing opening of a business bank account, articles of incorporation, partnership agreement)

· Copy of Business License

Completed applications are to be emailed to Vincent McCoy at vmccoy@iesmallbusiness.com. Please send documents as PDF attachments and include the link to your video posted on YouTube, Vimeo, or other video-supporting platforms in the body of the email. Do not attach video files. Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 24, 2015. Late entries and incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

The Inland Empire Business Plan Competition is a collaborative initiative by the IESBDC, CVWBC, IEWBC, and Wells Fargo Bank to foster business development and growth in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The IESBDC and IEWBC, located at 3780 Market Street in Riverside and the CVWBC, at 77806 Flora Road, Suite A in Palm Desert, are programs of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino. Housed in the College of Business and Public Administration, IECE, which administers the programs in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration, is inland Southern California’s leading organization dedicated to supporting and promoting entrepreneurship. The CVWBC provides business counseling, training and mentoring designed for women business owners.

For more information, visit the IESBDC website at iesmallbusiness.org or call (951)-781-2345; contact the CVWBC at the CVWBC website at www.cvwbc.org or contact Michelle Skiljan at (760)345-9200.

For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Public Affairs at (909) 537-5007 and visit http://news.csusb.edu.