DailyCandy, the original trusted source for handpicked discoveries of fashion, food and fun, announced the launch today of its 3rd annual “Start Small, Go Big” campaign, an innovative program which draws on DailyCandy’s unique ability to discover up-and-coming small businesses and help them grow into “the next big thing.” The 2012 “Start Small, Go Big” contest, sponsored for the third year in a row by InkSM from Chase, the small business credit card portfolio from Chase, includes mentors from some of the biggest names in fashion, home, beauty and food including Rebecca Minkoff, Jonathan Adler, Lauren Moffatt, and more. This year, DailyCandy will unveil two new categories: the Digital & Tech category and the Most Inventive Award, a special recognition for innovation, growth, and reinvention.
DailyCandy has acted as a “launch pad” for the newest and best designers, boutiques, restaurants, and products. The “Start Small, Go Big” campaign, takes that one step further, bringing together the founders and CEOs of select companies DailyCandy has always admired with tomorrow’s innovators. On October 9th & 10th in New York City, six winners will meet with big wig mentors at the DailyCandy Academy to spend crucial one-on-one time gaining guidance and insights important to every small business owner. Winners also receive free advertising and promotion from DailyCandy, reaching millions of consumers across DailyCandy’s email platform, website and extensive social media network, and will be invited as the guest of honor at an exclusive celebration with the brightest and boldest movers and shakers from NYC’s top industries.
“The importance of that first-hand advice from those who’ve come before cannot be overstated,” said Ashley Parrish, editor-in-chief of DailyCandy. “Our contest winners from the last two years continually refer to the insights and counsel they heard from their mentors at the DailyCandy Academy –and after for those who kept in touch. Combine that with the chance to align their company with the strong and healthy DailyCandy brand halo – there’s nowhere to go but up.”
The key to winning Start Small, Go Big: each product or service should make life a little sweeter, just like DailyCandy. To enter, winner wannabes should visit dailycandy.com/startsmallgobig, fill out their key business info, select a category (Fashion, Home, Food & Drink, Health & Beauty, and Digital & Tech) and finish these five statements: 1) The world needs my business because… 2) My big idea moment was… 3) My greatest challenge so far has been… 4) The most creative business solution I’ve used so far is… and the outcome was… and 5) As a small business owner, I’ve had to think outside the box and here’s one way I’ve done it… OnAugust 8th, DailyCandy editors will unveil the top 18 finalists (three from each category) and invite America to vote (daily!) for their favorites. On September 4, after the votes have been tallied, six winners will be announced. (In 2011, 3,050 contestants entered; 102,000 votes were cast.)
Past winners (all women in their late 20s and early 30s) have gone on to sell their clothes in high-end boutiques, launch e-commerce sites and scale their operations to national distributions.
The “Start Small, Go Big” site (www.startsmallgobig.com) serves as a resource for new business owners looking for insights, tips, and invaluable early-day resources. Visitors can follow the continued growth of past contest winners and hear counsel from industry experts who’ve blazed the trail to success. To learn more about DailyCandy’s Start Small, Go Big contest or the DailyCandy Academy and the mentors participating this year, visit www.dailycandy.com/startsmallgobig. Deadline is August 3, 2012.
