Select a Small Business Winner
It’s time for you to vote for the winners in the Just Start contest by Intuit.
Over 1,500 budding entrepreneurs submitted their startup business ideas in the contest. John Jantsch, Ramon Ray and I spent part of the holidays reviewing entries to narrow it down to just 5 finalists.
There were so many excellent entries. The creativity, the passion, the attention to detail … how impressive.
As the contest judges, Ramon, John and I had a tough job. You should have seen the fisticuffs, hair pulling and eye scratching as we duked it out trying to narrow it down to 5 finalists. OK, just kidding – the judging actually was quite a businesslike process and my co-judges were nothing short of professional. 
Now it’s your turn. It’s up to you to vote on the 5 finalists. The entrant getting the most votes wins a startup package worth $50,000. Two runners-up each will receive $5,000.
Kids and pets turned out to be popular themes among the startup ideas. Here are the finalists:
- Carmin David, Bolingbrook, Illinois – Daycare for kids with special needs.
- Alissa and Noah DeRouchie, of Columbus, Ohio РCaf̩-style restaurant with kid-friendly environment.
- Daniel and Tina Garrido, of Seattle, Washington - Asian-inspired dog treats.
- Joy LaFrance, of Natick, Massachusetts – Doggie daycare.
- Suzanne Sprague, of Bremerton, Washington – Personalized children’s music.
Go vote now, by clicking on any of the five entrants above. (Click any link — you’ll have the chance to review all entries before casting your final vote.)
Executive Director of NASE
Lead Blogger for ReachLocal
Founder of Scientifically Speaking
Interesting! I’ll check them out and see which startup idea is the best!
Hi MarketingDeviant (David),
Yes, not only is it interesting to see the startup ideas, but the entries are instructive, in this way: If you are thinking of entering an entrepreneurial contest, you can learn about how to be creative in submitting your entry by checking out the five finalists. Each one paid close attention to all the contest requirements, and they used flair, humor and/or heartfelt emotion to convey their business ideas.
I was so impressed, not only by the finalists but by the other entrants, too. If I had entered, I’m not sure I would have been as creative!
Anita
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this contest! No matter the outcome, we have learned some valuable lessons. Our marketing and networking skills are being put to the test, and we are finding more and more people who are supportive of our idea, which is making us excited to open our doors!
Very inspiring! If I would participate in the contest, I would dress up in 17-18th century clothing and talking about my inspiration to start a business on an universal & historical need for a meeting place (coffee house) – beside your work and home – i.e., “The Third Place.” We have some cafés in Gothenburg catered toward families with children, including a parking space for a perambulator outside their establishment!
All the Best,
Martin Lindeskog – American in Spirit.
Gothenburg, Sweden.