New Year, new growth opportunities! - Steer your business to success by entering the 2015 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award for a chance to win $100,000

INCLUDES BROADCAST SUMMARY

MONTREAL, Jan. 28, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is accepting applications for the 2015 edition of the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award. Canadian business owners aged 18 to 35 will compete for a grand prize of $100,000 and a second prize of $25,000 in consulting services from BDC. The deadline to enter the contest is March 18, 2015, at noon, Eastern Daylight Time.

What gets planned, gets done!
Making New Year's resolutions helps young entrepreneurs reflect on the lessons of the past year and strategically prioritize the actions that will help them take 2015 by storm. Decisions such as addressing a specific business turning point and being more visible in one's target market are usually at the top of the resolution list. Yet, by the end of January, this carefully thought-out list is likely to end up at the bottom of a drawer as the daily grind takes over.

"Positioning your products and services in an increasingly sophisticated market is key to raising the profile of your business and staying ahead of the competition," says Michel Bergeron, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Public Affairs at BDC. "My advice to young entrepreneurs is to constantly invest in their business to be able to increase their capacity to create value for customers. Entering the 2015 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest is your chance to get noticed at the national level and to tap into markets that are otherwise inaccessible or very difficult to enter."

It's easy!
Submit your business turning point idea to BDC today. Whether it's making an investment, hiring more people, tackling a new market or engineering a strategy shift, take advantage of this opportunity and get cracking on those resolutions. 

The good news? It has never been easier to apply: entrants need only fill in the contest application form and submit a high resolution photo. For the first time in 2015, only the provincial finalists will be asked to produce a video.  

Learn more about the application process, eligibility criteria and contest rules and apply online at bdc.ca/yea. All entries must describe a project that has yet to be implemented. 

In doubt about the turning point? Check out the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award fact sheet and discover five lessons past BDC Young Entrepreneur Award winners and finalists don't want you to learn the hard way.

For contest updates, follow BDC on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Visit bdc.ca/awards to learn other ways in which BDC recognizes Canadian entrepreneurs

BROADCAST SUMMARY: How can young entrepreneurs make sure their New Year's business resolutions don't end up at the bottom of a drawer by the end of January? Enter the 2015 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest for a chance to win $100,000. If you're an entrepreneur aged 18 to 35, tell the Business Development Bank of Canada about a project you think will take your business to the next level and how winning the $100,000 grand prize will make it happen for you. Visit bdc.ca/yea to get more information about the contest and enter by March 18 at noon Eastern Daylight Time.

About the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest
Created by the Business Development Bank of Canada in 1988, the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest pays tribute to remarkable Canadian entrepreneurs between 18 and 35 years of age. Up to 11 finalists - one for each province and one for the combined territories - will be selected to compete for a $100,000 Grand Prize. A second prize of $25,000 in consulting services will be awarded to the contest runner-up. A national committee will evaluate the quality of the finalist projects and will give each finalist a ranking that will be combined with the public vote. In 2015, the national committee evaluation is weighed to account for 50% of each project's final ranking, and the public vote will account for the remaining 50% of the ranking. www.bdc.ca/yea  

About BDC
Canada's business development bank, BDC, puts entrepreneurs first. With almost 2,000 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers loans, consulting services, growth and business transition capital, securitization, as well as venture capital to more than 30,000 small and medium-sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity. www.bdc.ca

SOURCE Business Development Bank of Canada

Maria Constantinescu, Senior Advisor, Public Relations, [email protected], [phone]