LUDINGTON – Mason County is offering entrepreneurs with viable business ideas or those who run a start-up with less than $100,000 in annual sales to compete for $50,000 in prize money that is on the table until July 31. The fine print is if your company or idea wins, you must either start the business or relocate the business to Mason County, population 28,705 with the county seat in Ludington,  probably best known for the Ludington-Manitowoc car ferry.

It’s the second year the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce has offered the Momentum Business Plan Competition. Besides the money, winners also receive quarterly advising from the Momentum board of directors – CEOs from five Mason County businesses.

“This business plan competition is all about encouraging entrepreneurs to create and thrive,” said Chamber President and CEO Kathy Maclean. “Our goal is to foster an entrepreneurial spirit and give business visionaries the tools to succeed while showcasing how small towns like Ludington are perfect places to implement a new business.”

Last year’s winner was Andy Thomas who pitched Starving Artist Brewing, his Scottville-based production-only nanobrewery that opened for business June 25, 2015. With the winnings, Starving Artist ramped up production and doubled its capacity. It now sells beer to taprooms from the southwest Michigan border north to Manistee and east to Lansing through distributor Alliance Beverage. Thomas hopes to package and sell canned beers and distribute them as far north as Traverse City.

In a press release, the Chamber said three of the four 2015 finalists also launched or expanded their pitched businesses.

Makers Market, Erica Karmeisool, Ludington. Opening in March 2016 at 227 W. Ludington Ave. in downtown Ludington, Markers Market is a community makers’ space and retail market in downtown Ludington – a shared workspace where people can work in metal, wood, ceramics, etc. whether an entrepreneur developing a product or artwork, or a wood worker offering skills training. The space includes a small gallery showcasing created items for sale. Already boasting 35 members, the Market offers monthly and daily membership levels to use the space and all its tools, as well as “make and take” build workshops and open house days with no membership obligation. The facility also can be rented for events.

Stuart Family Organics, Jim Stuart, Custer. Stuart Family Organics is an organic wheat farm and bakery, selling products primarily at farmers’ markets. Since last year, the family opened The Stoop, a pop-up sidewalk stand in Venice Beach, Calif., selling homemade baked goods plus roasted coffee and dried tea. They are opening a similar storefront at 215 S. James St. in downtown Ludington this fall selling organic baked goods, and it will include an organic processing facility so they can ship products around the world with a USDA organic label. They will also offer organic packaging to other farmers looking for a facility to process their goods.  

All Occasions Event Decorating by WCT, Wendy Morrow & Cheryl Freeman, Ludington. All Occasions is a full-service event planning and decorating company. While the business was already open during last year’s competition, they are far busier this year, booked most peak weekends.  The owners credit that participating in the competition raised awareness of their company and increased their business.

Past contestants are encouraged to reapply.

Interested applicants should submit their plan according to the format on the website by July 31. On Aug. 15, a selection committee will shortlist applicants to ten candidates. Five finalists will be announced Aug. 26, who will receive the opportunity to meet with a mentor from the Ludington & Scottville Area Chapter of SCORE (national nonprofit that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs) for coaching and feedback. Based on that feedback, the five finalists can improve their plans and submit a revised plan by Sept. 12, ultimately pitching their idea in person before a panel of judges and public audience on Friday, Sept. 23, 6 to 8 p.m. at West Shore Community College, 3000 N Stiles Rd., Scottville, Michigan.

New Contest Elements in Second Year

While the contest is only in its second year, the Momentum Competition board of directors has added some new elements to help foster more success for contestants:

How-To Workshops – Workshops will be offered to assist interested applicants with the process. The Ludington & Scottville Chamber will host a “Keys to Success” workshop June 16, and the local SCORE chapter will host a Financial Planning workshop June 30. Both workshops will be 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Book Mark, 201 S. Rath Ave. in downtown Ludington.

Coordinating with Google Startup Weekend Ludington – Camp BluSky in Free Soil hosts 2016 Startup Weekend Ludington July 29 – 31, part of a global grassroots movement started by Google for Entrepreneurs. The 54-hour event allows anyone to pitch a startup idea, receive feedback from peers and create a business model that is presented to industry leaders at the end of the weekend.  The winning idea from Startup Weekend Ludington will receive an automatic slot in the Top 10 of the Momentum Business Plan Competition as long as the submitting team complies with the Momentum application requirements.

More mentorship – All applicants are encouraged to contact the Ludington & Scottville Area Chapter of SCORE for assistance in preparing a business plan. The five finalists also will receive the opportunity to meet with a mentor from SCORE for specific feedback on their submitted plans. The finalists are encouraged to improve and revise their plans based on that feedback by the Sept. 12 deadline. Following the competition, the winner will meet quarterly with the Momentum board of directors and the 2015 winner for ongoing mentoring.

Possible audience with investors – The Momentum board of directors is inviting Michigan-based angel investors to sit in the audience on the live pitch night to help finalists make potential financial contacts.

Eligible contestants can upload a business plan to momentumstartup.org until July 31. Entrance requirements and rules also can be found on the contest website, momentumstartup.org.