Aspiring entrepreneurs from the country with a bright idea to pitch could win a new contest's cash prize to help them realise their dream.
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Buy From The Bush, in partnership with PayPal Australia, is on Tuesday launching a national competition for rural entrepreneurs and businesses, with a $60,000 prize pool up for grabs.
Buy From The Bush - Big Break calls on Aussies from the bush to pitch their great business idea via social media for a chance to win a share of the cash to upscale or kick-start their business.
Whether it's inspiration that's struck out in the paddock or at the kitchen table, Grace Brennan, who founded Buy From The Bush at Warren in 2019, is all ears.
"We are calling on founders, entrepreneurs, or people who have been talking about their business idea for years but just need a little push, to stand up and pitch their idea to the universe," Mrs Brennan said.
"And by universe, I mean social media."
Unlike many other small business pitch contests, Buy From The Bush - Big Break has a low barrier to entry.
The first round of judging will evaluate pitches shared as 15 second Instagram reels along with an accompanying uploaded three-minute video pitch.
"I wanted to support other big ideas from the bush and give other innovative rural businesses the chance for their big break," she said.
I wanted to support other big ideas from the bush and give other innovative rural businesses the chance for their big break.
- Buy From The Bush founder Grace Brennan
"It's only natural we'd use social media as a channel to make entering easy and accessible.
"It may be a mere seedling of an idea, a proof of concept or an existing bush business that needs a little boost to get to the next level.
"We are looking for creative ideas that have strong market potential and will deliver positive outcomes to local rural communities."
Buy from the Bush helped generate $5 million for featured small businesses in its first four months, in a stunning fightback against drought, analysis by AlphaBeta Australia, commissioned by Buy from the Bush and Facebook Australia, showed in 2020.
The Buy From The Bush founder and 2021 NSW Regional Woman of the Year will be joined by a panel of judges who will use their business expertise to review and select the top entries.
They are Jane Cay, founder of popular online fashion retailer birdsnest, Liandra Gaykamangu, who founded Liandra Swim, which fuses Aboriginal Australian culture with premium designer swimwear, and PayPal Australia finance director Marco Steinhauer.
How to enter
Entrants aged 18 and over and based in rural Australian locations can enter by:
- Visiting the Buy From The Bush - Big Break landing page to complete an online entry form.
- Uploading a 2-3 minute pitch video, outlining their business offering, product idea or plan to scale their existing business.
- Posting a 15 second Instagram Reel selling their business/product idea in a fun and engaging way, on their Instagram account. Instagram Reels must include the following handles and tags in the caption: @buyfromthebush @paypalau #buyfromthebush, #BFTBbigbreak #BFTBxPayPal. If posting to a personal Instagram account, make sure it's on public.
Entries will be judged on how effectively the pitch tells the story of their idea, the uniqueness of the idea, commercial appeal and market potential, whether the idea will have a positive impact on the business' local community and capability of the founder.
The panel of judges will then hand-pick the top 10 entries who will be invited to submit a short-form business plan and pitch their idea to the experts for their chance to win the top prize of:
- $30,000 to start-up or scale
- Free access to the Buy From The Bush marketplace for 1 year
- Membership to the BFTB Bush Business Club on Facebook
- A digital marketing accreditation grant,
- PR package from The Regional PR Co,
- Subscription to an online course and mentoring with Start Lab.
The runner-up will receive $15,000 and the Australian public will also have the chance to vote on the top 10 entries for a people's choice prize of $15,000, via buyfromthebush.com.au.
PayPal Australia chief executive officer Eric Lassen is pleased to partner on the initiative.
"PayPal is passionate about supporting small businesses, by giving them the backing and the tools that they need to succeed," he said.
"When Buy From The Bush told us about their idea to launch a competition for rural entrepreneurs, we didn't hesitate to get involved.
"We can't wait to see the brilliant ideas that are out there, and to give the winners the boost that they need to get off the ground."
Entries are now open until 11:59pm on Monday October 11.
For more information and terms and conditions, visit Buy From The Bush Big Break.
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