It's not too late to enter the DES's business plan competition! 

If you want to enter - and gain a chance at winning the $2,500 FIRST PLACE PRIZE - follow the instructions below carefully!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

- Come up with a business idea. This can be ANYTHING, as long as you believe it can sell!
- Submit a three- to four-sentence proposal for your business idea to the DES blitz account by Monday, March 28
- After you've entered yourself in the competition by submitting this short proposal, you'll need to begin to write a one- to two-page executive summary that outlines your business plan.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

- Once you submit your executive summaries, the DES will judge them and select the top three. We'll announce these top three plans by Monday, April 25.
- Between April 25 and May 5, Gregg Fairbrothers, a professor at Tuck, will mentor these top three groups to help them prepare for their final presentations. Professor Fairbrothers has been involved in myriad entrepreneurial ventures and is a walking dictionary on anything entrepreneurial.
- The top three groups will go on to the final round on the evening of Thursday, May 5. These final three contestants will present their ideas via PowerPoint presentations to a panel of judges who are REAL ENTREPRENEURS ­ Rob Adams, President of Simon Pearce; John Pepper, CEO of Boloco; and Phil Ferneau, co-founder and a manager partner at Borealis Ventures. The judges will select the first, second, and third place winners.
- The prize money is as follows: $2,500 for the first place winner, $500 for second place, and $200 for third place.
- More important than the prize money, however, is the exposure and the feedback you'll gain from the process. Having your ideas critiqued by entrepreneurs is by far the most helpful part. And gaining connections to the three entrepreneurs who are judging the contest is invaluable.

COMPETITION TIMELINE:

- MONDAY, MARCH 28: submit your three- to four-sentence proposal for your business idea to the DES blitz account.
- WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13: submit your one- to two-page executive summary, also to the DES blitz account.
- MONDAY, APRIL 25: the DES announces the top three plans. These three plans will go onto the final round of the competition.
- MONDAY, APRIL 25: Thursday, May 5: Professor Gregg Fairbrothers will mentor the remaining three groups in the days leading up to the final presentations of the plans.
- THURSDAY, MAY 5: the final round of the competition. The top three plans will make it to this final round. The three judges will choose the first, second, and third place winners.


If you'd like any more information at all on the competition, please blitz "Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Society." We have a sheet with instructions on writing an executive summary - which is actually much simpler than you'd think - and we can give you several sample executive summaries for you to use as templates for your own.

Thanks for your interest!

DES