PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry (COCI) is organizing the first annual Small Entrepreneur Business Plan Competition 2015 contest. The finalist will be announced on World Entrepreneurship Day, Friday, August 21. To register contestants may enter their small business plan summaries together with a registration form at the chamber business center at their main office in Philipsburg until Friday, July 15.
Board Member of the COCI Nzinga Lake and Business Center Director Tonealya Archangel hosted a press conference on Wednesday. The Small Entrepreneur Business Plan Competition is designed to stimulate entrepreneurial activity and support business aspirations of entrepreneurs residing on St. Maarten. The contest will be held within the framework of COCI’s Business Program for 2015, themed “Driving Business Development through Education and Communication”.
There will be five (5) winning categories: Overall winner, Best Marketing, Best Brand, Best Pitch and Most likely to become Successful. The Overall winner will win a grand total of two thousand. This includes a one thousand dollar value of professional services and a combined value of one thousand dollars of office start-up equipment. Other category winners will receive five hundred dollars, worth of professional services. No cash will be given to the winners according to Archangel.
All finalists will be announced to the business community at the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Prize ceremony dinner on Saturday, August 22nd, 2015 at Belair Community Center, in commemoration of World Entrepreneurship Day.
The guidelines for persons to participate are as follows, the contest is open to legal residents of St. Maarten who are 18 years or older. The principal business operations of the business must be located in St. Maarten. Entries can consist of any business or innovative concept that is not currently in operation or has begun operation. Submissions can range from small home-based businesses operations up to and including store fronts, restaurants, or technology facilities.
For more information please contact the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Business Center, via telephone number: + 1 721 542 35 93 or email us at: biz@chamberofcommerce.sx
