
Startup School Dilemma  - jamiequint

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jamiequint
I just realized a business plan competition I entered is on March 24th too,
the competition is pretty weak and the top two prizes are $5k and $1.5k plus
some legal and accounting work (about $2k-$4k worth), I'm thinking about
having one of my friends present for me, but its not the same as the passion I
have for it. (although I still think it has a decent shot of winning if he
presents it) I already bought my plane ticket for Startup School....what would
you do?

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jwecker
not me. IMO the connections and perspective of startup school would be more
valuable than the presentation ('course I don't know exactly who you're
presenting to so I could be wrong). Not to minimize the difficulty of pulling
together money sometimes, but it seems that if your idea is worth much it
shouldn't be a big deal drumming up 10k somewhere else.

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danielha
I'm not dismissing the benefits of Startup School (I'm excited to be attending
myself); however, if I constructed a business plan that I believed to be a
winner, I would see it through to the end myself.

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comatose_kid
Why enter a business competition if your competitors are weak? What exactly
will you learn from the experience?

Having your friend present for might be ethical, assuming your friend states
that it isn't his business plan that he is presenting upfront to the judges.
But as a judge, my first thought would be 'If this person's business plan is
so wonderful, why can't he even give it the importance to present it
himself?', regardless of the excuse. So it seems kind of scattered to try to
do both things simultaneously in this fashion.

Okay, here's what I would do: put the business plan competition out of my
head, and focus my energy on making the most of the startup school experience.
Forget about the prize money - you'll have lots of opportunity to make money,
but fewer opportunities to get the kind of experience / contacts startup
school might bring.

Good luck.

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chiefwhite
Guys I missed the deadline for application. If anyone got approved but can't
attend, please, I'd be very thankful to you for sharing your invite with me, I
can even consider buying it! Thanks! Please drop me a few words to
white@chief.la

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jamiequint
I'm pretty sure I'm gonna stick with startup school on this one now. See you
all there.

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prashantdesale
Where is the info about "business plan competition"?

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danielha
I would attend the competition if I felt I had a strong chance.

