There are races all over France. Nearly a hundred of them are listed on some sites. These lists will allow you to quickly identify those that suit you or not, the accessibility criteria being different according to the competitions. Entering a contest brings many results whether you win or lose. Here are some suggestions if you want to participate.
A test for entrepreneurs
Competitions for business creation first of all allow the entrepreneur to test his project in a fun way. Generally the best applications give rise to an oral presentation before a jury for the selection of the winners. Entering a design competition is an excellent opportunity to practice your pitch in front of experienced professionals. Entering a contest also helps you avoid costly mistakes later on. Indeed, the entrepreneur is warned in this context of a possible weakness of his project. The external eye provided by professionals should therefore not be overlooked.
Reasons for entering a competition
The most stimulating motivations for the participants are the financial endowment and the media visibility promised to the winners. This visibility can help you get to know you and possibly even find your customers. After entering a competition in 2007, my partner and I were fortunate enough to receive the ‘Masters in Business Creation’ from the hands of… Bill Gates.
The awards ceremony took place at the Salon des Entreprensers. Everyone can imagine how much credibility and visibility this award has given us. Another example of contribution occurred in 2006, when we were candidates in the Talents des Cités competition, where we failed in the final. Our disappointment was short-lived because one of the jury members, SFR’s communications manager, contacted us a few days later with an order. Here is an original way to make yourself known and find prestigious customers.
In competitions there is no real failure
Even if you fail, you never waste your time entering a contest. Since the application dossiers are modeled on the principle of the business plan, the constitution of the dossier allows the right questions to be asked about the commercial, marketing and financial aspects of the project. They help improve the business plan and reflection on your project. This work will be useful throughout the life of your business, and especially for projects that will require fundraising.
Tips to maximize your chances
- Select only the competitions that are right for you and give it the necessary time. Entering a contest remains an investment of time that shouldn’t be done at the expense of finding clients.
- Be realistic on the figures you will present in the application dossier: only credible projects will be selected. Having it validated by an accountant can be a good thing. In our case we asked our bank manager to look at our file, which he kindly agreed to do.
- Prepare your oral. Support in the form of a slideshow is essential to give value to your presentation. Jurors will understand your explanations more easily if they are based on pictures or graphics.
- Dare. This is the first quality of an entrepreneur. When in doubt, the famous national lottery slogan applies perfectly to the case of corporate contests: “100% of the winners tried their luck”.
