Ready, Set, Vote!
Intuit Calls on Public to Select Small Business Winner
Winner to Receive $50,000 Grand Prize to ‘Just
Start’ New Business
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) January 9, 2008 --
For those who can’t wait until November to
cast a vote, here’s a more immediate
alternative. Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq:INTU) is asking Americans to select a
budding entrepreneur to win a $50,000 business startup package as part
of its Just Start™ contest.
The voting is free of debates, caucuses and primaries, with polling
places open online at www.IWillJustStart.com.
The winner will be the entrepreneur who voters believe offers the
clearest, most feasible business idea. The victor receives $40,000 in
cash and $10,000 in products and services. Two semifinalists will each
receive $5,000 in cash.
The election culminates Intuit’s “Just
Start” campaign that began last fall, an
effort to stoke the American entrepreneurial spirit which, according to
a recent Intuit survey, is stronger than ever. The QuickBooks®
Just Start Survey found that nearly three-quarters of Americans dream of
starting their own business and 81 percent believe that running their
own company would be more empowering than holding a “regular”
job. Conversely, 38 percent of Americans already regret not starting
their own business.
To inspire and guide these many would-be entrepreneurs, the Just Start
campaign visited four cities across the nation, attracting more than
1,500 budding business owners to enter the Just Start contest. The
contest encouraged them to submit letters or videos describing their
business dream, what they need to make it happen and how they would use
Intuit’s Just Start business grant to get
started.
“We were thrilled with the response to the
Just Start contest,” said Rick Jensen, vice
president of Intuit’s small business
division. “It definitely confirms that the
American Dream of owning a business is alive and well. We congratulate
everyone who entered and hope that the inspiration, tools and support we’ve
provided will help them pursue their business aspirations.”
The Five Semifinalists
An independent panel of small business experts, including Anita Campbell
of Small Business Trends, John
Jantsch of Duct Tape
Marketing, and Ramon Ray of Smallbiztechnology.com,
narrowed the contestants to five semi-finalists. The winner, who will be
announced in early February, will be the entrepreneur who receives the
most votes on www.IWillJustStart.com
by Jan. 31. The Just Start semifinalists and their business ideas are:
Judges said selecting just five semifinalists was difficult.
“We believe that these semifinalists are the
crème de la crème
based on the clarity and feasibility of their business idea,”
said Ray, technology evangelist and editor of Smallbiztechnology.com. “This
$50,000 business grant will give one of these lucky entrepreneurs a real
chance to launch their dream business. And for those who don’t
win, the contest is still a beacon for them to take the next step in
doing what they really want to do.”
Free Small Business Accounting Software
As part of the Just Start campaign, Intuit is offering its easy-to-use
QuickBooks Simple Start accounting software
for free. Previous versions of the award-winning software were
valued at $99.95.
Trusted by more than 300,000 businesses, Simple Start enables new
entrepreneurs to focus on running their business and not hassle with
managing their finances. It tracks the essentials of “money
in” and “money out”
and keeps key business data organized for tax time. The software can be
downloaded at www.IWillJustStart.com.
In addition, visitors can find valuable resources, advice and tools for starting
a business and join others in making a New Year’s
resolution to start a business in 2008.
Multimedia and additional information: Intuit
Press Room
Suggested links: JumpUp.com
About Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management
solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions,
including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting
professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks®,
Quicken® and TurboTax®
software, simplify small business management and payroll processing,
personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries®
and Lacerte® are Intuit’s
leading tax preparation software suites for professional accountants.
The company’s financial institutions
division, anchored by Digital Insight, provides on-demand banking
services to help banks and credit unions serve businesses and consumers
with innovative solutions.
Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $2.67 billion in its
fiscal year 2007. The company has approximately 8,000 employees with
major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other
locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.
Intuit, the Intuit logo and QuickBooks, among others, are registered
trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc. in the United
States and other countries.
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/2008/01/prweb612841.htm
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