The Internet Biz – 2010 Program

Internet Biz – 2010 is a project of e-NEK, a program of the Vermont Council on Rural Development.  In partnership with the Vermont Small Business Development Center, a contest has been organized to stimulate increased use of the Internet by small business owners and perspective entrepreneurs in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.  Assistance and education is available for anyone in the Northeast Kingdom interested in using the Internet for business purposes.  This program also includes a contest for eligible small businesses that will award cash and services prizes for plans judged to make the best use of the Internet in four different categories.  Entering the contest to compete for prizes is optional.  Education and other aspects of the program are available irregardless of formal participation in the Internet Biz – 2010 contest.  Registration allows contest participants to receive training announcements and other information including access to the Internet Biz – 2010 Forum. Registration for the contest is now closed; however, if you are interested in participating in the contest as a mentor or judge, please Register your interest in the program.

The Contest Overview

The Internet Biz – 2010 contest requires the creation of a plan to use the Internet for a new or existing business.  Plans entered in the contest will be evaluated based upon specific judging criteria by a panel of judges from Northeast Kingdom businesses and non-profit organizations and prizes will be awarded.  Cash prizes totaling $7,000 will be awarded in four different categories.  In addition, approximately $15,000 in services will be distributed to contestants  to help implement their plans for using the Internet.  To qualify for cash and services awards a contestant must:

  1. Register for the Internet Biz – 2010 program by January 25, 2010
  2. Certify that all eligibility requirements are met
  3. Submit all requested information
  4. Submit a Descriptive Summary of a plan to use the Internet
  5. Submit a Final Plan
  6. Agree to meet with the judges if requested

Descriptive Summary

The Descriptive Summary, due on January 25, 2010, is a maximum of two pages containing:

  1. Name and location of current or proposed business.
  2. Contact information for the submitter.
  3. A brief description of the current or proposed business.
  4. A description of the proposed Internet usage.
  5. A summary of  how the proposed Internet usage will be marketed to the public or how internal training will occur.
  6. A summary of the cost and benefit (either new revenue or cost savings) of the proposed new Internet usage.
  7. A summary of information needed to complete the plan.

A Descriptive Summary Template is available as a guide to this submission.  The Virtual Mentor also contains additional information about the Descriptive Summary.

The Descriptive Summary should be emailed to info@e-nek.com by no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, January 25, 2010, as a MS Word compatible or PDF attachment.  If this format is a problem, please contact us by January 22, 2010, to make other arrangements.  Any late submissions may not be accepted.

Final Plan

The Final Plan, due on February 22, 2010,  must contain the following information.  Final Plan Instructions contains additional information about the Final Plan content.

  1. Name and location of current or proposed business.
  2. Contact information for the submitter.
  3. A brief description of the current or proposed business.
  4. A description of the proposed Internet usage, the timeline for implementing this application, and how it will integrate into the business.
  5. A plan of  how the proposed Internet usage will be marketed to the public or how internal training will occur.
  6. A detailed projection of the costs and benefits (either new revenue or cost savings) of the proposed new Internet usage.
  7. The services needed to implement the proposed Internet Usage, and an estimate of the costs of these services.  Specific service providers may be specified, although this is not necessary.  Preference will be given to projects that utilize local service providers.

A Final Plan Template is available as a guide for this submission.

The Final Plan should be emailed to info@e-nek.com no later than Monday, February 22, 2010, as a MS Word compatible or PDF attachment.  If this format is a problem, please contact us by February 19, 2010, to make other arrangements.  Any late submissions will not be accepted.

Judging and Awards

The finalists will be announced on March 1, 2010.  Some finalists may be asked to meet with the judges for a discussion of their plans during the week of March 8-12, 2010.  An awards ceremony will be held the week of March 15-19, 2010 (exact schedule to be determined).