Entrepreneurs Get Lesson on Business Plans

busplan
Writing a business plan is critical to understanding all facets of the business, says Bruce Sparks, a senior business advisor for the Long Beach Small Business Development Center.

Innovation Challenge Advisory Committee member Larry Pate compared starting a business without a business plan to taking a cross-country trip without knowing how you’ll reach your destination. “The odds of success of just getting in the car and driving are slim. You might have a fun time, but it will take you a long time to get there.”

Students interested in entering the 2015 Innovation Challenge got a lesson Tuesday in a key part of the competition: creating the business plan. The contest offers $50,000 in seed funding and business services to the winning business idea.

“It’s one thing to have an idea—it’s another to say how you’re going to make money,” said Pate, chief learning officer at Decision Systems International. Continue reading “Entrepreneurs Get Lesson on Business Plans”

2015 Innovation Challenge Kicks Off

2015 Innovation Challenge
About 75 students turned out for the Sept. 21 kickoff of the 2015 Innovation Challenge.

ABC has “Shark Tank.” Google has Angelpad. And Cal State Long Beach has the Innovation Challenge.

The annual entrepreneurial event, where student teams compete to win $50,000 in funding and services for the best business idea, was started six years ago by the colleges of Engineering, Business, and the Arts.

The challenge’s goal is to produce one new business for the university each year. And judging from the 75 students who attended the Sept. 21 kickoff meeting, interest is on the rise. Continue reading “2015 Innovation Challenge Kicks Off”