Small Business Matters

Intuit searching for 100 budding entrepreneurs: Have you got a brilliant business idea?

Intuit has this week launched its new 100Up campaign and we’re looking for 100 budding entrepreneurs  to help them get brilliant business ideas off the ground.

You need to act fast - you only have until 11.59pm on 26 February to enter. Read on to find out how.

What is 100Up?

Intuit 100Up is a co-ventured campaign between Intuit and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), supported by the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE), to create a new and unique enterprise community of 100, high-potential startups and aspiring entrepreneurs.

At Intuit we believe small businesses form a crucial part of the UK economy, with the power to drive growth and generate prosperity. We’re always doing our best to help and understand small companies and this is the next step in our mission to do just that.

What is it about?

100Up will create a unique community of entrepreneurs at the beginning of their careers. It is an initiative that will seek to celebrate, inspire and accelerate their full potential. It will build on BIS’s ‘Business in You’ campaign, a partnership between private enterprise and Government to highlight support for start-ups and growing businesses and encourage entrepreneurial spirit in 2012.

The community will come to life at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress and will continue to exist as an inspirational group that will learn, share and champion the ideals of enterprise:

It will benefit aspiring entrepreneurs through:

• Profile: you and your business will be profiled and promoted
• Voice: your views will be sought on issues relating to starting a business
• Champion: you will be case study champions of entrepreneurship

The 100Up will represent entrepreneurs from a wide range of backgrounds, with real, inspiring stories of how they aim to turn their passion into action.

How do I get involved?

We are looking for 100 entrepreneurs from a wide range of backgrounds, with real, inspiring stories of how they aim to turn their passion into action. If you would like to be considered for the competition to win one of the 100 prize places:

• Create an ‘elevator pitch’, telling us about your business idea in no more than 150 words.
• Send it with your name, business name, address, email and mobile number to intuit100Up@promoentries.com
• Applicants are also encouraged to submit a link to a one-minute YouTube video telling us about your business. However, this will not form part of the judging criteria.

All entries must be received by 11.59pm on 26 February so you had better move fast!

How will I be assessed?

IDEA: 30 points

Win a copy of QuickBooks Pro 2012! Enter before the end of January

To help small businesses get financially fit for the New Year, Intuit is giving away 10 copies of QuickBooks Pro 2012. Tell us how QuickBooks will help your business and you’ll be in with a chance of winning! Share with your social networks and increase your odds of winning.

The competition runs until 31 January 2012.

How to enter

The competition is running via Facebook.

• Go to to http://apps.facebook.com/winquickbookspro/contests/184949 then like the IntuitUK page (if you’re not already a fan)
• Enter details and answer the question “How will QuickBooks help your business?”

Get an extra chance to win!

Gain an extra entry by inviting your friends and for each one that enters, gain an extra entry for yourself.

Good luck!

How do you think QuickBooks will help your business?

 

Winning business tips

If you’re a tweeter you may have noticed that just before Christmas Intuit was involved in the #12daysofSUB competition alongside StartUp Britain. Intuit donated a copy of QuickBooks SimpleStart to give away to the person who gave the best business tip each day over 12 days.

There were some brilliant tips so we thought it was worth sharing the winning ones here:

Softworld: Accountants/book-keepers – tell us your best financial fitness tip to win a copy of QuickBooks 2012 Premier Edition

Are you an accountant or book-keeper attending the Softworld conference? We’re running a competition to win a copy of QuickBooks 2012 Premier Edition for the best financial fitness tips from accountants.

We’ll be giving away a copy for the best tip every hour on the hour between 12pm and 4pm on 18 and 19 October.

How it works

Sign up for QuickBooks Online before 31 October for the chance to win an iPad 2!

We’re offering small businesses that sign up for QuickBooks Online between now and 31 October the chance to be entered into a draw to win a shiny new iPad 2.

QuickBooks Online, the time-saving online business accounting software from Intuit, is available in three packages to suit your needs - Online Simple Start, Online Essentials and Online Plus. Depending on which product you choose, you’ll be able to:

• Design polished, professional invoices
• Monitor your sales and cash flow
• Create VAT returns automatically
• See your Company Snapshot
• Handle multiple currencies
• Create budgets for your business
• Accurately track the cost of every job

It’s designed to save you money and minimise business accounting stress – who doesn't want that?

Calling all Charities!

Intuit UK has launched Charity Challenge giving UK charities the chance to win £500 every two weeks between now and Friday 19th November. All registered charities have to do is go to the Charity Challenge website and in 200 words outline what they could achieve with the prize money.

Once loaded onto the site, charities need to get as many friends, colleagues and supporters as they can to vote for their project. Every two weeks the five charities with the most votes will be shortlisted and receive a free QuickBooks Pro package worth almost £500 to help them save time on their accounts.

The judging panel, made up of Pernille Bruun-Jensen, MD of Intuit UK, and Beth Pedersen, editor of leading charity and not-for-profit title Third Sector, will go on to decide the fortnightly winner of £500.

We’ve already had some great entries that you can view (and vote for) on the site. A summary of the steps to entry and timings is below and we will of course keep you posted on the first winner to be announced at the end of September!!

How to enter?

 Step 1 - Tell us what you could achieve with £500 in 200 words.

 Step 2 - Get your friends, colleagues and supporters to vote for your project.

 Step 3 – Check back to see if you’ve made it to the final five.

 Step 4 – The judges will decide the fortnightly winner. If you don’t make it the first time, why not enter again for the next round?

Timings:

 Challenge 1 – open for entries 13th September to 27th September

 Challenge 2 - open for entries 30th September to 14th October

 Challenge 3 - open for entries 19th October to 2nd November

 Challenge 4 - open for entries 5th November to 19th November