By Liz Kudwa
A: Certainly! Spark Your Future 2009 is a business plan competition that is being offered by the Capital Area District Library in conjunction with the Entrepreneur Institute of Mid-Michigan (EIM-M) and the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC). Spark is designed to teach prospective entrepreneurs how to write a business plan and what resources are available at the library and in the community to assist them.
Contest entrants must be 18 years of age or older, a legal resident or U.S. citizen, and wishing to start a business in the Capital Area District Library’s service area (all of Ingham County except for East Lansing). This competition is for start-ups only. For the purposes of this contest, a start-up is defined as any business that has been in existence for less than one year. Anyone interested in participating must attend an orientation session. There will be two sessions in January. The first option is Thursday, Jan. 15 at the Okemos Library at 6pm and the second option is Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the Downtown Lansing Library at 9:30 am.
Registration for orientation is required and can be done one of three ways:
1. Complete a registration form online at www.cadl.org/business
2. Pick up a paper registration form at any CADL location or at the MI-SBTDC office in Lansing
3. Contact the Business Librarian at 517-367-6301 or via email at business@cadl.org
After attending an orientation session, entrants must submit their formal application to participate in the contest. Spark Your Future applications are due on Monday, Jan. 26, 2009 by 5:00 pm.
All entrants are required to attend four workshops that will teach them more about writing a business plan. These workshops will be offered at a variety of locations, days, and times and will cover the following topics: Writing a Business Plan, Market Research/Library Resources, Marketing Your Business/ Marketing Plan, and Small Business Financials. Visit www.cadl.org/business for workshops details.
Spark contestants will have until Monday, May 18, 2009 at 5 pm to submit their business plans. Judges will review all business plans and select finalists. Finalists will be notified and asked to present their business plan in person to the panel of judges. After the presentations, judges will select one grand prize winner and a runner-up. Winners will be announced at the end of June 2009 at a Spark award ceremony. Prizes have been generously donated by a variety of local organizations including BMS Development, Carolan & McGarry CPA Inc, Chase, Ciesa Design, Citadel Broadcasting, City Pulse, Entrepreneur Institute of Mid-Michigan, James Duby & Associates, Mid-Michigan Women’s Expo, Netvantage Marketing, The New Citizens Press, Web Zone Marketing WILX-TV and WLNS-TV.
This is an exciting opportunity for anyone who has thought about starting a business but never taken the leap. Contestants will be provided with many learning opportunities and guidance throughout the process. I encourage anyone who is thinking about starting a business to attend an orientation session to find out more about the Spark process. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 517-367-6301 or via email at business@cadl.org.
Elizabeth Kudwa is the Business Reference Librarian at the Capital Area District Library located at 401 S. Capitol Avenue in Lansing, MI. Contact her at 517-367-6301 or by e-mail at kudwae@cadl.org.
