Tyler Junior College Small Business Development Center (Tyler SBDC) will recognize and celebrate Women Entrepreneurs with the New Business Idea Contest. 

The winner will be announced at the 19^th Annual 2017 Women Entrepreneurs Conference to be held on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at Holiday Inn Tyler on South Broadway. Business Plans will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges not employed by Tyler SBDC. The cash award will be $500!

What is the deadline for submission of business plan?

Business Plans must be emailed, postmarked, or hand delivered to the Tyler SBDC no later than Tuesday, February 14, 2017.

Where are the Business Plans to be sent? 

For mailing: see our contact page or e-mail business plan to Kay Bookout at kboo@tjc.edu.

How to Apply:   Build your business plan by addressing the issues in red below. 

Please address all issues with bullet points and keep the business plan to two pages. Note- this is a simplified business plan. The winner will be invited to meet with an SBDC Advisor for help in expanding the plan with more details including three-year financial projections.

Business Plan for New Business Idea Contest

Contact Information:   Name of Contestant, Address, Phone number, and e-mail address.  

Description of Business:Think about what you would tweet if you had less than 140 characters to describe your business.  What will be the name of your new business? What will your business do? 

Market Need:No market need = no need to market your product. If you’re not sure, ask your customers/potential customers why they like your products.  Why is your product or service needed?

Your Solution:Describe your product and why it’s so great. Think what you’d say if someone asked you “what do you sell?"

Target Market:Be specific about who buys your products (ex: gender, geography, age, shopping habits, etc). Segment your markets if you plan on reaching them differently.

Competition:Think about who your customers will buy from (or do buy from) if your products didn’t exist. Knowing your competition is as important as knowing your customers.

Sales Channels:This is where you will sell your items. Example: Your Etsy shop is a sales channel. Perhaps you also sell at a local boutique or craft fair, and your goal is to land several wholesale accounts. It’s good to have multiple channels.

Marketing Activities:How will you market your products? Examples: Google ads, print ads, or advertising on a design blog. You may need different activities for each market segment.

Financial Projections:How much does it cost you to make/market your products? How much do you plan to sell in a given time period? These questions will help you develop your financials.

Milestones:What have you accomplished so far, and what other milestones are you shooting for? This will help you stay on track. Examples: Buy supplies, hire a bookkeeper, create a pitch, etc. 

Management: Don’t be afraid to brag about yourself and your team if you have one. Share why you’re the right person to be leading your venture. 

The mission of the Women Entrepreneurs Conference is to provide an exciting and entertaining atmosphere where entrepreneurs and professionals can:

• Network together to build new business relations
• Learn new skills to succeed in business
• Celebrate women who have founded or increased a business in the Tyler area.