Top Unrestricted Cash Awards in Business Plan Competitions

Business plan competitions are booming. It’s a great way to bring visibility and momentum to your start up. Even if you are not a winning company, a judge or attendee may see and like your idea and want to collaborate as a mentor, investor, or partner. There are actual tales of this happening, so get out there!

Top Business Plan Competitions

Seth Goldman, Honest Tea Founder (and – p.s. – New York Times Best Seller with a new “how to” business book) took the stage at a recent event. “We got our start at a business plan competition,” he said. He praised such competitions as perfect for getting the practice, exposure, connections, and – if you’re lucky – funding needed to fuel a start-up venture.

This post focuses on the top business plan contests in the nation at the college+ level, teen level, as well as resources to help prepare for these competitions.

Seven Secrets of Billion Dollar Companies – Blueprint to a Billion Entrepreneur Version

The Blueprint Growth Institute. This is the institute borne from David G. Thomson’s book profiling billion-dollar businesses. But not just any billion-dollar businesses: Ones that got there better and faster than others.

Below we highlight the seven keys to success espoused by the most successful billion-dollar companies studied by Thomson.

Teaching Entrepreneurship in 30 Minutes or Less Part 3: (Free Award Winning Syllabus and Lesson Plan)

Want to teach entrepreneurship to a class, kids, grandkids (yourself) in 30 minutes or an hour? Here’s part 3 in our 3 part series…featuring Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Ernest L Arbuckle professor, Harvard Business School, and HR Most Influential 2012 International Thinker.

Best of Young Entrepreneur Foundation Blog – Part 1

This multi-part series features some of our most popular posts of all time. The Best Of series celebrates the re-launch of our Entrepreneur in the Classroom Free Curriculum. It’s updated, and is available to you here, free brought to you by an award-winning professor and curriculum designer.
In addition to our free curriculum, use our blog posts like a mini-curriculum element for with up and coming entrepreneurs, or for a training discussion during the last 20 minutes of your company’s meeting.

Today’s theme: Thinking Big.

How to Do a Business Model – Part 1

Today we tackle a business concept not covered in the EITC free Entrepreneur in the Classroom curriculum: BUSINESS MODELS.

Inspirational Young Entrepreneurs – Part #1

Want to read about young people today who are getting it right? Going for it? Pursuing their dreams? This four-part series serves it up to you in spades with stories that will blow your mind, warm your heart and – if all goes well – line the pockets of the featured young entrepreneurs. Kicking off the series is Ten9Eight, Shoot for the Moon by director Mary Mazzio. This film is THE cinematic rendering of the American dream.

Top Low Cost and Free Small Business Tools – Part #3 For the New Year

Today for the new year, your blog author weighs in with some tips for small business tools that are:
1. Free or low cost, 2. Help start off the new year right for you both personally, and in business, and
3. Proven

Top Planning Secrets of Million Dollar Entrepreneurs – Part 3

This is the third post in a series on planning secrets of million dollar entrepreneurs. The exercises shared in this series are advanced and represent an exclusive look inside the elite entrepreneurial group EO.

Top Planning Secrets of Million Dollar Entrepreneurs – Part 2

This one page strategic plan is the second part in a series on planning secrets of million dollar entrepreneurs. The exercises shared in this series represent an exclusive look inside the elite entrepreneurial group EO (formerly known as YEO – Young Entrepreneurs Organization).