How to Win Some Dough to Grow Your Home-Based or Other Small Business

For the second year running, direct marketing leader Valpak® has announced it will be giving some nice chunks of change to small businesses who want to grow their operations as part of its Dough to Grow Award initiative for 2013. The contest runs from September 1 through October 31.
Home-based and other small business owners who want to enter this year’s contest do not need to be a Valpak® customer to enter. However, they will need to write an essay that outlines their plan for growth and submit it through the Dough to Grow website. Once posted, the essay will need to earn at least 100 fan votes from friends, family, loyal customers and other supporters before the featured small business can become eligible to win the grand prize of $7,500 or any of the runner-up prizes.
Last year’s winner, retired Lieutenant Colonel Chuck Markos, is the owner of Firebird CrossFit, a now very successful fitness training business he started with just one client in a public park. Thanks largely to the infusion of cash he received as a result of entering Valpak’s Dough to Grow contest last year, he now operates a CrossFit gym with 100 clients. But while winning the money was nice, being able to make the claim that he owns “America’s Favorite Small Business” has also been incredibly beneficial. Referencing his most recent effort to have his small business spearhead a regional CrossFit competition, Markos said that having the title alone “really helps break the ice as we seek sponsors for this important event.”
To learn more about how you can nominate your home-based or other small business to win some Dough to Grow, go to http://www.doughtogrowaward.com/now!