Main Categories

Startup Business Plan:
Eligible businesses for the startup category are new business ventures that are less than three years old. Any business that filed a tax return for the 2002 business year or earlier is not eligible. The business does not have to offer an original product or service. Franchise plans developed by the franchiser and submitted by the franchisee are not eligible.

Growth/Innovation Business Plan:
Eligible businesses for the innovation/growth category must submit a plan for a new product, new distribution method, new or additional markets, change in ownership or change in organizational structure that will result in revenue growth.

Business Idea/Concept Business Plan:
A Plan consisting of a business concept or idea that is intended to result in a business enterprise sometime in the future. The writer/owner/shareholder(s) of the plan has not taken the necessary steps to implement the plan or has begun the start up phase of a business venture such as establish the business venture’s legal structure, maintenance of a business checking account, obtained a federal tax identification number or has filed or has intent to file a tax return reflecting business income or expense in 2005.

Entrants must select only one of the previous three categories. If none of these categories apply to a business, the business is not eligible for entry into the Challenge.

If the Business Plan meets the above criteria, entrants may also select any of the following eight Judges Special Recognition Categories that apply:

Judges Special Recognition Categories

Manufacturing Business Plan:
The company must manufacture, make or produce a product. A product may be a device, part or component to be sold to the industrial, automotive, electronics, computer, biotech, business-to-business and consumer end-use markets.

Technology Business Plan:
Technology must be a crucial or integral part of the operation or product of the company, inclusive of, but not exclusive to the following: biotechnology, advanced materials, software development, Internet-based companies (the Internet must be a key element of the business model, not just an additional distribution channel).

30 & Under Plan:
A plan authored by an entrepreneur or entrepreneurs who will not turn 31 years of age before Jan. 1, 2006. No entrepreneur or person authoring the plan in this category can be over the age limit. This category is intended for students and recent graduates at any level. To be eligible for a cash award, the recipient must be 18 years of age by December 1, 2005.

Female Business Plan:
A plan written by a certified Female Business Enterprise (FBE) company or a business in which the female individual is at least a 51 percent owner of the resulting business.

Minority Business Plan:
A plan written by a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) company or a business in which the minority individual is at least a 51 percent owner of the resulting business. The business owners may fall in one or more of the following categories: Asian-Indian American, Asian-Pacific American, Black American, Hispanic American, and Native American. For the purposes of this Challenge, women are not considered minorities.

Non-Profit Business Plan:
A plan written by a non-profit organization which addresses one or more of the following mechanisms to achieve efficiency and greater impact: new strategic alliances, collaborations or partnerships, an organizational restructuring or consolidation or a new or improved revenue model that will allow self-funding for future sustainability.

Artist Business Plan:
All professional artist entrepreneurs, including emerging entrepreneurs, are eligible to submit a business plan in this category. The arts must be a crucial or integral part of the operation or product of the business. For the purposes of the Northeast Ohio Business Plan Challenge 2005, both originating and interpretive artists working in the following disciplines are eligible: visual (painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, graphic design, architect, film, video and computer graphics), crafts, dance, music, theater, literature, performance and multi-media.

Sustainability:
The plan must be for a business, product or service that improves our quality of life while maintaining the capacity of the environment to provide for future generations. Common examples include local/organic food, new energy technologies, healthy/high performance or green building products or technologies, restoration technologies (air, water or soil rejuvenation), and fuel-efficient transportation.