Memorandum
Date: May 17, 2022
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: E.J. Crandell, District 3 Supervisor
Bruno Sabatier, District 2 Supervisor
Subject: Consideration of grant funding in the amount of $25,000 to support 1Team 1Dream by sponsoring Hands Up Lake County, Small Business Competition, 2022
Executive Summary:
Beginning its 3rd year, the "Hands Up Lake County" small business competition has trained 33 and awarded cash prizes to 11 small businesses in Lake County.
The competition launched by zoom in 2020, a very challenging year due to the COVID pandemic. Since inception, the interest in the competition has grown, from 37 applicants in 2020 to 50 in 2021. Small businesses have received business plan training and participated in mini competitions where local business and community leaders selected "the best of the best," to advance to a final competition. In the final competition, a different set of business and community leaders judged the presentations and decided the award levels each competitor received. Every business entering the final competition received a cash award; a total of $79, 750 has been awarded in the first two years.
Purpose: The goal of the small business competition is to help build a resilient and thriving economy, one small business at a time. The premise is that strong small businesses are the backbone of small rural economies, such as ours.
In addition to the cash boost, finalists in the competition receive valuable training in marketing, self-promotion, and business finances. The ability to pivot in times of challenge (COVID, fires, or tough business times) is also targeted.
Hands Up Lake County is much more than just teaching the mechanics of operating a business. The program prepares small businesses and entrepreneurs to become even more ready to fill commercial gaps throughout the County AND to build a sustainable business.
Through ongoing promotional efforts on social media, the loc...
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