"I've Got a Golden Ticket!"

Would be amazing if you could vote for Women in Action Sports tonight before 11:30pm EST, 8:30pm PST

We could get a grant for $100,000 provided by AMEX and NBC! Very cool.

You do need to create an account, just use a your designated newsletter email address.

Please follow these steps sometime before 8:30pm tonight PST (Sunday).

1) First register here (this is the pain in the ass part, the rest is easy):

http://shinealight.ivillage.com/register/

2) Then go to: then go to …

http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=7696

3) …and just press “endorse this story“ on the left hand side

Thank you!!! It means A LOT to us.

A bit about the Women in Action Sports Organization:

Women in Action Sports (WIAS) provides a platform for women athletes and entrepreneurs to engage, prosper and accomplish individual goals in a male-dominated industry of Action Sports. This is an organization formed by professional female athletes and business entrepreneurs for women who are currently in the Action Sports industry, fellow professional athletes and those aspiring for new opportunities.

There is strength in numbers when we’re united in a common goal and your individual membership and participation is an important component. No matter what your background or level of experience, with guidance from fellow successful women leaders and experts goals can be achieved. We provide quality events, seminars and other activities.

Money Money Money… I see no lack in this “recession”. Its all about connectivity and knowing what opportunities are out there. I am still in disbelief I missed Ford’s Fiesta Movement for a free car, fuel included! But have no fear new doors of opportunity are always opening.  AMEX and NBC partnered to give $100,000 grant to an inspiring small business. Pretty cool. Also nice to see a lot of the applicants are brick and mortar. Good to know a world offline still exists Go here to Shine a Light for a chance for the grant to be yours.

Register here on The Perfect Pitch submission page in order to qualify for a chance to present your company to high level investors and potentially get funded.  (Details and guidelines listed below ~ Deadline September 8th)

Just the chance to win free airfare to Los Angeles, 2 night stay at the Ritz Carlson, VIP to the conference and present to Sir Richard Branson himself is worth a quick submission.

Presenting takes place at The Perfect Pitch 2009 Entrepreneur & Investor Conference.

Some of the investors include:

• August Capital
• Cal Cap Partners
• Price Waterhouse Coopers
• Qualcomm
• Rustic Canyon Partners
• Tech Coast Angels
• Baroda Ventures
• Santa Monica Capital Partners

Courtesy of Perfect Business:

SUBMIT YOUR PITCH

This is your ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME opportunity to pitch your business idea to Sir Richard Branson and a conference full of venture capitalists, angel investors and influential entrepreneurs.

Are you seeking capital or business partners for a new business? The Perfect Pitch 2009 will introduce your business to hundreds of accredited investors and entrepreneurs.

Plus, the Top 3 submissions will each win the following package:

• 2 VIP Tickets to The Perfect Pitch 2009
• Airfare to Los Angeles for the conference
• 2-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton
• Opportunity to present LIVE to The Perfect Pitch 2009 audience, including Sir Richard Branson

How does it work?

• Submit your pitch ONLINE – a pitch may include a written description, photos and video about your BUSINESS or IDEA
• Deadline for submissions is September 8th, 2009
• Judges will review all pitches – Top 3 win prizes and an invitation to pitch LIVE to Richard Branson and the conference audience
• Our judges represent over $9 Billion in funds, including executives from August Capital, Baroda Ventures, Cal Cap Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Qualcomm Ventures, Rustic Canyon Partners, Santa Monica Capital Partners, Tech Coast Angels and Price Waterhouse Coopers.
• By submitting a pitch, you are not required give up any rights to your idea.
• If you are afraid of someone “stealing your idea,” then describe your business but withhold the critical details. A fundable business usually has new technology/design or an entrepreneur with special skills or relationships to make the business succeed. You should be able to explain your business without sharing the secret recipe.
• If you are seeking capital, only investors and your invited guests can view your pitch. YOUR PITCH WILL NOT BE PUBLIC.
• Top 10 will be announced on September 21st, 2009
• Top 3 will be announced on October 12th, 2009

All pitches will be seen by accredited investors, so every pitch has a chance to GET FUNDED.

What is a pitch?

A pitch is a one-minute video or a short written description that compels investors to take a closer look at your business. It is not a full business plan. KEEP IT SHORT. A good pitch grabs attention and explains the following:

• What your business is
• The customer need it fulfills
• The market size
• How you are better than the competition
• The strengths of you and your team
• An interesting fact or juicy bit of information that leaves investors wanting more!

How are pitches evaluated?

Pitches will be evaluated on clarity, viability, consumer need, growth potential, marketing strategy, team capability, scalability and competitive advantages. Each judge will also have personal preferences and other criteria for determining the best pitch.

Applicants who submit Top 10 pitches will be asked to provide more information to help judges determine the Top 3.

Click Here to read the full contest rules.

Is there an application fee?

Yes. All applicants will be required to pay an application fee of $60. This assures us that you are serious about your business. Also, we will provide you with a professional review, including tips on how to improve your pitch and find investors.

To encourage and assist applicants, we have assembled a welcome package with these valuable offers from our promotional partners:

• Investor Resources and Pitch Center access from PerfectBusiness – $99 value
• 10% off Logo Design Guru services
• $50 Gift Certificate from LegalZoom

How can I submit a pitch?

To submit a pitch, you must become a member of PerfectBusiness.com. It’s free to join. Simply fill out the form above (or login). Then proceed to create your pitch.

Next, we will walk you through 5 simple steps to create your pitch. Follow our helpful tips along the way.

1. Choose Options
2. Upload Video & Photos
3. Write Description
4. Preview Your Pitch
5. Submit Your Pitch

Twitter raises 35 million this week in addition to what they already have. Woo hoo. No business plan, no monetization model. Now that’s setting an example. Here I thought Bart Simpson was a bad influence. Go Start Up go. Take the money and run to Switzerland. When did being a business stop being about making money and start being about raising money?

Saving Yourself in Switzerland

Considering this blog was always intended to be a positive resource for business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and just plain and simple geeks I’ve altered the title a bit. It was called “I’m Gonna Get Funded Damnit” as a satire to all those people who are overly concerned with raising money rather than making money. Lets forgo business models and focus on fundraising! – What! Hello, businesses are here to do two things;  Solve a problem and make money – Done.  So I changed the name to something a bit more mystical. Seeing that so many people search the term “golden ticket” maybe that’s what we’re all looking for. But don’t you see the Golden Ticket is within us all if we just forge ahead and trust our instinct. Sometimes it may be scary and other times exhilarating, but if we never try how will we know if we would have succeeded. Okay, enough with the Gandhi talk.  Hope you find the tips, tools and perspective you need from this blog and enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.