Local Entrepreneurship Competition Timeline

This list is an example of the kinds of things your community team may want to consider as you plan a local entrepreneurship competition. It was created with input from several E-Communities but should be adapted as desired to fit your needs and timeline.

16+ weeks before

• Determine if the community wants to host a local entrepreneurship competition, review information, set budget and determine how to fund the competition
• Decide who will be involved in the planning process and identify community partners (school, etc.)
• Meet with school superintendent, and/or mentors and others
• Determine location, timeframe, format, eligibility, and begin discussing logistics
• Decide if/how education will be a part of the process for entrepreneurs

12-16 weeks before

• Resource partner(s) and/or local entrepreneur(s) speak at school or business class
• School assembly to announce
• Contact previous year’s winners for progress report, assess interest
• Contact appropriate mentors and/or school administrators
• Create sponsorship letter

8-12 weeks before

• Create promotional fliers
• Distribute fliers and applications to school / mentors / administrative office / etc.
• Identify a keynote speaker for event, if desired
• Mail or e-mail invitations to businesses, resource partners, community members
• Approach potential sponsors

4-8 weeks before

• Find judges for event(s)
• Create or update judge instructions
• Create press release and send to local media

0-4 weeks before

• Submit advertisement and/or article to newspaper
• Request State Championship information from NetWork Kansas
• Follow-up on invitations / attendance
• Executive Summaries due
• Organize entrepreneurs and plan schedule for the day
• Send follow-up information to speaker with itinerary
• Mail copies of Executive Summary to judges in advance, if desired
• Provide instructions to judges in advance, if desired
• Print certificates
• Create and print any necessary paper items for the competition – table tents, signs, etc.
• Post fliers around community
• Contact school or venue about itinerary
• Order speaker’s and judges’ thank you gifts, if desired
• Arrange refreshments
• Host the competition!

0-2 weeks’ after

• Feedback to participants
• Process checks for winners, if desired
• Article for newsletters, newspaper, etc.
• Hand-written thank you cards to judges, speaker, school board, mentors, etc.

State Championship