Shopify is kicking off its fourth annual Build A Business Competition, and has teamed up with some of America’s well-known entrepreneurs to help new shop aspirants build and grow their business.
Leading names include Arianna Huffington (The Huffington Post), Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks, Shark Tank), Tim Ferriss (author of “The 4-Hour Workweek”), and Gary Vaynerchuk (Wine Library, Vaynermedia), who will act as mentors and provide crucial business advice to help participants along the way. All participants need to do is open an online store and start selling products using Shopify’s e-commerce platform. At the end of the competition, the nine stores that sell the most over a two-month period will each receive $50,000 in cash and an exclusive meeting with their competition mentor. In addition to the $50,000 cash prize, the nine competition winners will also receive a VIP trip for 2 to New York City, and a complete Shopify POS package.
“Over the past three years, Shopify’s Build A Business competition has helped create over 15,000 new businesses that have sold over $60 million,” says Harley Finkelstein, Shopify’s Chief Platform Officer. “We’re extremely excited about this upcoming competition as we’ve partnered with The Huffington Post, and some incredible mentors like Mark Cuban, Lil’ Jon and Arianna Huffington. I can’t wait to see the thousands of successful new businesses that will be created this year.”
“Build-A-Business harnesses the power of the entrepreneurial spirit in a way that can launch new businesses and improve the consumer experience at the same time,” wrote competition mentor The Huffington Post’s Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington in a statement. “Its focus on mentorship emphasizes the importance of building relationships and tapping into the wisdom and experience of others.”
The Build A Business competition runs from October 1, 2013 to May 31, 2014. For more details on the Build A Business competition, including how to sign up, visit http://www.shopify.com/build-a-business.
