The competition is not limited to business and entrepreneurship majors. We’re looking for:
 GCC students interested in enhancing their presentation skills
 GCC students who want to explore the idea of starting a new venture
 GCC students who want to win prize money to get their new venture up and running
1.
Any Grove City College (GCC) full-time student.
2.
All students must be in good academic and social standing with GCC and the community.
3.
Cross-disciplinary teams are encouraged.
4.
Proposals for new products, innovations, etc. are welcomed.
5.
Plans for social enterprises, community service organizations, and ministries are encouraged.
6.
Proposals for franchises, tax shelter opportunities, real estate syndications, industry analyses, or any potentially immoral or unethical ventures are not eligible.
7.
Students may re-enter the competition one additional time with a non-finalist business plan from a previous year, provided 50 percent of the original team will again participate.
8.
Students may not recycle a plan from previous years.
9.
Students are discouraged from participating on more than one team.
The Annual Business Plan Competition is coordinated by The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The competition provides an opportunity for all Grove City College students to learn the importance of developing a solid business plan, identifying strategies and risks and how to present their plans to potential investors.
Student business plans are reviewed by alumni and friends of the College who provide written comments, which are returned to the teams. From these reviews, Social Enterprise and Commercial Enterprise finalist teams are chosen to present their plans to a panel of judges in a public forum. Judges select winners for the first, second and third-place winners. Winners receive cash and in-kind services. Awards are presented at the Family Day

Recognition Convocation. The names of this year’s recipients will join past winning teams on a permanent display plaques located on the 3 rd floor of the Hall of Arts and Letters.
Feb 11 | 4:00~5:00 p.m. — Student Informational Meeting; HAL 316
Feb 19 | 11:59 p.m. — Student online registration deadline
March 7 | 1:30-3:30 p.m. — Buhl Library Research Assistance Drop-In Session; HAL Atrium
March 15 | 2:00-4:15 p.m. — Buhl Library Research Assistance Drop-In Session— Special BPC Edition ; HAL Atrium
March 30 | 1:30-4:00 p.m. — Buhl Library Research Assistance Drop-In Session; HAL Atrium
April 1 | noon — Final Business plans submitted online in PDF form
April 1 | noon — Signed submission statement submitted online in PDF form
April 5-17 | — Reviewers read and score student business plans
April 20 | — Student Finalists announced via email
April 20 | — 4:00~5:00 p.m. — Student Finalists’ Informational Meeting; HAL 316
April 22 | Noon — Deadline to submit final version online in PDF form
April 23 – April 28 | Student business plans previewed by Judges
April 28 | Noon — Slide deck for presentation due to Mrs. Stillwaggon via email
April 29 | — Business Plan Competition Presentations in Sticht Auditorium: Morning — Social
Enterprises/Afternoon — Commercial Enterprises
April 30 | 10:00 a.m. — Announcement and Presentation of Winners (during Family Day Recognition Convocation)
1.
Team size is unlimited.
2.
Each team may have non-GCC members, but team leader must be a current GCC student.
3.
Cross discipline teams are encouraged.
4.
Students are discouraged from being part of more than one team.
5.
All teams are encouraged to establish advisory committees or boards of directors and to obtain outside legal counsel on issues germane to the proposed commercial or social enterprise.
6.
Individual students who are interested in participating in the Competition, but are without a team, should speak to Mrs. Stillwaggon.

1.
Student teams must be registered online by 11:59 p.m. on February 19 .
2.
Commercial and Social Enterprise teams will register online at www.gccbusinessplans.com
.
3.
Questions regarding registration should be directed to Mrs. Stillwaggon prior to the deadline.
1.
Plans are to be submitted in electronic format by noon on April 1 .
 One electronic submission is required.
 Plans are to be submitted electronically at www.gccbusinessplans.com
 Any plans submitted electronically with error messages will be returned for your revision within 24 hours.
 Submitted documents should be in PDF form.
 Contact Mrs. Stillwaggon IMMEDIATELY if you experience difficulties uploading your plan by the deadline.
2. One Submission Statement shall also be submitted by noon on April 1 .
 ALL TEAM PARTICIPANTS are required to sign the statement.
 The 2016 BPC Submission Statement can be downloaded at www.gccbusinessplans.com
 The statement identifies: o The business plan is the original work of the author(s). o Any percentage distribution of a final prize. o Acceptance by participants to have their pictures taken and used by the College. o Agreement that the decision of the judges is final. o The business plan will be distributed to and evaluated by plan reviewers who will be expected to respect the intellectual property of the students, and therefore, not disclose or use the contents of the plan for any purposes other than its review and evaluation.
1.
Appropriateness.
 All business plans submitted must be appropriate to the vision and mission of Grove City College and
The Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

 If there is a question of appropriateness, the College will make the determination.
 Any student or team found to be in violation of the College’s plagiarism policy as outlined in the
Bulletin will be immediately disqualified from the competition.
2.
Format.
Because this is a competition, for comparative reasons we recommend that all entrants follow the
Recommended Plan Format included in this document. The recommended format should be adapted to the type of business proposed. Thus, you may add or delete sections based on your specific business idea.
3.
Content.
 Business plans must cover the whole business concept and implementation for a seed or start-up venture.
 Plans are to be no more than 20 pages in length (minimum of 1" margins, 12pt, and Times New
Roman font).
 If desired, students may also include attachments, appendices, exhibits, etc., but these should be limited to 10 additional pages .
 All teams that utilize advisory councils, boards of directors, or other professional counsel should include an Appendix in their business plan that highlights the individual expertise and roles of the various members.
1.
Reviewers a.
Business plans are reviewed through a standardized, electronic process by a group of small business entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and other business professionals referred to as
“Reviewers.” b.
Reviewers are asked to read the Reviewers Frame of Reference to assist them in evaluating the business plans. c.
Plans are evaluated and scored by the Reviewers using an electronic scoring system. A Sample
Reviewer Evaluation Form can be found at www.gccbusinessplans.com
d.
Reviewers are expected to respect the intellectual property of the students and, therefore, not disclose or use the contents of the plan for any purposes other than its review and evaluation. e.
Plans are then ranked and 3-5 plans (in each category) will be selected as finalists. f.
Finalists will be chosen and notified via email by April 20 .
2.
Judges a.
A separate panel of Judges will then evaluate both the written plans and the presentations.

b.
Judges will have one week to read the written plans prior to the oral presentations. c.
Judges will use the Judges’ Evaluation Form as an assessment tool to evaluate both the written and oral presentations. This Judges’ Evaluation Form can be found at www.gccbusinessplans.com
d.
The determination of the Judges is final. e.
Winners will be announced at the Family Weekend Recognition Convocation on April 30 .
Finalists should submit their final (corrected, updated, etc…) business plan online in PDF form by noon on Friday,
April 22 .
Presentations
1.
Finalists will attend a finalists’ informational meeting on April 20 at 4:00 p.m. in HAL 316.
2.
All finalists are responsible for preparing a slide deck (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) as part of their business plan presentation.
3.
Finalists will present their business plans in an oral presentation to a panel of Judges on April 29 .
 Students should consider this an opportunity to expand on the business plan and not just reiterate the information submitted.
 The oral presentation will be heavily weighted in determining the winners.
4.
All presentations must be appropriate to the vision and mission of Grove City College and The Center for
Entrepreneurship & Innovation. If there is a question of appropriateness, the College will make the determination.
5.
Professional business attire is highly recommended. Alternatively, students may dress in a manner relevant to their business plan (ex. logo t-shirts). All attire should be respectful. Any questions regarding appropriateness of attire should be directed to Mrs. Stillwaggon.
6.
The presentation order will be announced on April 25 . The order and times will be communicated to the team’s Primary Contact member listed on the Registration form.
7.
Teams will make oral presentations on April 29 in Sticht Auditorium.
 Social Enterprise: Morning | Commercial Enterprise: Afternoon
 Finalists should be outside of Sticht Auditorium in the Hall of Arts and Letters 15 minutes prior to their scheduled time.
 Presentations will be open to the campus and general public. Audience members will be asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
8.
The decisions of the Judges are final.

1.
ALL FINALIST TEAMS SHOULD PLAN TO BE PRESENT AT THE FAMILY WEEKEND RECOGNITION
CONVOCATION ON APRIL 30 AT 10:00 AM IN HARBISON CHAPEL!
2.
The announcement of the winners and presentation of the GIANT award checks will be made at this service.
3.
Group photos with the GIANT award checks will be taken.
4.
Cash and in-kind prizes for the Commercial and Social Enterprise Competition will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams.
5.
In the event that there are no business plans of acceptable quality in the judges’ opinions, no final presentation or award will be made.
6.
Cash awards will be distributed to team members based on the pre-determined percentage of total prize as indicated on the signed submission statement.
7.
All competition results and winners’ names will be communicated internally throughout the campus and externally through the media. a.
The winners’ names will be displayed on the Business Plan Competition plaques located on the
3rd floor of the Hall of Arts and Letters. b.
Winning team information will be posted on the Business Plan Competition website and on social media (FaceBook, Twitter, etc.).
8.
Winners are responsible for any potential tax liabilities in addition to other financial withholdings that may be applied in accordance with various terms and conditions associated with the acceptance of student financial aid. Students are encouraged to seek further information or clarification regarding any such withholdings from the Office of Financial Aid.
9.
Winners will receive copies of in-kind services contracts in the week following the Competition. All inkind services will expire on April 30, 2017 .
Title Page*
 Company name
 Names of team members
Table of Contents*
 Every division noted
 Appendices noted
Sections:

I.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY a.
Description of the Business Concept and the Business b.
The Opportunity and Strategy c.
The Target Market and Projections d.
The Competitive Advantages e.
The Economics, Profitability, and Harvest Potential f.
The Team g.
The Offering
II.
THE INDUSTRY, THE COMPANY, ITS PRODUCT(S), OR SERVICES(S) a.
The Industry b.
The Company and the Concept c.
The Product(s) or Service(s) d.
Entry and Growth Strategy
III.
MARKET STRATEGY a.
Market research i.
Customers ii.
Market Size and Trends iii.
Estimated Market Share and Sales iv.
Competitive information b.
Product i.
Positioning ii.
Pricing iii.
Packaging c.
Sales and Distribution i.
Channels ii.
Sales strategy d.
Marketing i.
Promotion strategy ii.
Web strategy iii.
Pricing iv.
Services and Warranty Policies e.
Ongoing Market Evaluation
IV.
BUSINESS STRATEGY

a.
Business model i.
Revenue streams ii.
Gross and Operating Margins iii.
Profit Potential and Durability iv.
Fixed, Variable and Semi-variable Costs b.
Overall Schedule (Time/Event Chart)
V.
ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS a.
Organizational Structure b.
Design and Development Elements i.
Development Status and Tasks ii.
Difficulties and Risks iii.
Product Improvement and New Products iv.
Costs v.
Proprietary Issues c.
Manufacturing and Operations Plan i.
Operating Cycle ii.
Geographical Location iii.
Facilities and Improvements iv.
Strategy and Plans v.
Regulatory and Legal Issues
VI.
MANAGEMENT TEAM a.
Key Management Personnel b.
Management Compensation and Ownership c.
Other Investors d.
Employment and Other Agreements and Stock Option and Bonus Plans e.
Board of Directors f.
Other Shareholders, Rights and Restrictions
VII.
CRITICAL RISKS, PROBLEMS, AND ASSUMPTIONS
VIII.
THE FINANCIAL PLAN a.
Beginning Cash Balance b.
Pro Forma Income Statements for three years c.
Pro Forma Balance Sheets for three years d.
Pro Forma Cash Flow Analysis for three years

e.
Break-even Chart and Calculation f.
Cost Control g.
Highlights
IX.
PROPOSED COMPANY OFFERING a.
Desired Financing b.
Offering c.
Capitalization d.
Use of Funds e.
Investor's Return
X.
APPENDICES a.
Resumes b.
Spreadsheets c.
Facility layouts d.
Product designs, specifications e.
Sample promotional documents f.
Etc.
*Does not count toward total number of pages.
1.
Why this product or service?
Commercial Enterprise Plans:
 What problem are you solving?
 Is yours a "nice to have" or a "need to have" product?
 How does your product or service offer real benefits?
Social Enterprise Plans:
 What need are you meeting or problem are you solving?
 What has created the need?
 Is yours a "nice to have" or a "need to have" service/product?

 How does your product or service offer real benefits?
 Is the community interested in seeing the need met or problem solved?
 Will this organization be seen as a "duplication of services" because another organization is already meeting the need?
2.
Who is your customer? Do you have a clear profile?
 Have you defined a target audience?
 What do they buy, acquire, or receive and why?
 How do they buy and when?
 Where are they?
 How many potential customers are there in the defined geography?
3.
Why you?
 What distinguishes or differentiates you from competitors?
 How is this difference important to your customers?
 Why can't they copy it? Why aren't they doing it?
4.
Why this management team?
 What do you (as an individual or team) bring to this business?
 What are your strengths? How will you compensate for your weaknesses?
 What outside resources do you have: attorney, accountant, etc.
5.
How will you make money or break-even?
 Are your financials complete, do they make sense?
 What is your business model? Volume, margin, etc.?
 What are the risks in your business; what could make you fail? Be honest but not pessimistic.
6.
What are the key and other financial elements?
 Include an opening day balance sheet.
 Include three years' worth of financial statements.

 Remember to account for depreciation, employee benefits, other insurances and warranties, research and development, interest on loans, credit card transactions, etc.
 Ensure all information calculates and is consistent.
 Follow standard accounting principles.
7.
Tell me what I want to know.
 Know your audience, who are you writing to?
 For the plan competition your audience is investors, people who will fund the start-up of your business or non-profit.
 Focus on what is important to them, not what is important to you.
Important "Mechanical" Issues
1.
Does your final plan look like it's worth the investment you are seeking? Would someone pay you for it?
 Sharp professional appearance, from cover page to back page.
 No typographical or grammatical errors. Consider asking someone who is good at proofreading to review your plan!
 White paper; sharp, clean black type.
2.
Is information easy to find?
 Table of contents
 Everything is paginated, including any appendices.
 Tabs to separate major sections.
3.
Is it easy to read?
 Minimum of 1" margins, 12pt Times New Roman font
 Text broken by tables, graphs, bullet points.
 Is there color, but used sparingly, to emphasize and draw attention to key elements?
 Written in short, concise paragraphs.
 Conversational in tone, but thorough in substance.
4.
Is the information in agreement?
 Do facts, numbers, etc., in the body agree with what you present in your spreadsheets?

 Do your spreadsheets calculate correctly?
*See also Reviewers’ “Frame of Reference” and Judge’s Sample Evaluation Form located at www.gccbusinessplans.com