Business Idea Competition for Students - Entries due in March

To encourage entrepreneurship among high school students, Jefferson Community College (JCC) is holding its annual business concept competition in April. North Country high school students are invited to enter the competition by submitting a brief business proposal that outlines the business idea, the market in general terms, the competition, and their competitive advantages. The winning team will be awarded $500 with second place earning $250 and third place earning $125.

Entries must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 8. Please drop off or mail entries to JCC business instructor Dawn Robinson, Jefferson Community College, 1220 Coffeen Street, Room 3-114 Dulles Bldg., Watertown, NY 13601.

Teams will present business concepts during a preliminary round at Jefferson, tentatively scheduled for April 10. Three finalists will be chosen to present their business concept on Friday, April 19 in Jefferson Community College’s Sturtz Theater during a morning entrepreneurship program. Teams will be allotted 10 minutes to present their business plan and 5 minutes to answer questions from the judges. Winners will be announced following the presentations.

Teams may consist of one to four members, at least one of whom must be a current North Country high school student. Business ventures that already have significant operations are not eligible to participate. The business proposal should be in the format of an executive summary: two pages of text, two exhibits, 12-point font, and one inch margins. More information is available in the submission requirements and guidelines.

A separate business concept competition will be held for Jefferson Community College students.  Entry deadline is March 22, 2013 by 4:00 p.m. More information about the competition for JCC students is available in the  submission requirements and guidelines. 

The Business Concept Competition is one component of the entrepreneurship program featuring keynote speakers. Finalists in the business competition are encouraged, but not required, to attend the entire program of events. For more information about the Entrepreneurship Program or contest, contact business instructor Dawn Robinson at 315-786-2486.

For more information about attending Entrepreneurship Day, please contact the Business Division at JCC at 315-786-2287.

The business concept competition is sponsored by the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency and the Jefferson-Lewis Workforce Investment Board.

The business concept competition and entrepreneurship program have been jointly developed by Jefferson Community College, the Jefferson-Lewis Workforce Investment Board, Small Business Development Center at JCC and the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency.