Running a small business is never easy, but it is usually an adventure filled with many challenges and rewards. “The Challenge” is a contest sponsored by TELUS and designed for small and medium-sized Canadian businesses. The great news: you could win a $100,000 grant.

The recent press release announcing the third annual contest shows how interested this Canadian based company is in supporting small business.

“Supporting small business growth in Canada is a key priority for TELUS. This contest brings together a community of entrepreneurs to talk about their biggest pain points and receive advice from experienced business experts,” said Jim Senko, vice-president of Small and Medium Business Marketing at TELUS. “As entrepreneurial spirit continues to drive the Canadian economy, we’re excited to partner with The Globe and Mail for a third year in a row to help Canadian entrepreneurs reach success.”

The idea of the contest is to have Canadian Entrepreneurs submit, what they believe to be, their biggest business challenge. Entries should be submitted at TheGlobeandMail.com and entrants are being asked to submit the following in under 800 words:

  • A challenge their business is currently experiencing (200 words);
  • A proposed solution to this challenge and how the $100,000 prize would help overcome that challenge (200 words);
  • An explanation of the results they expect to achieve (200 words);
  • A description of how their business incorporates the following values into their business: 1) community investment/commitment to charities, 2) customer service and 3) innovation (200 words)

Submissions should be made by May 27th. Judges will then narrow down the competition to four semi-finalists. These semi-finalists will be asked to present their ideas to the panel at TELUS in Toronto in June before a final winner will be announced in September. Canadians can follow the contest on Twitter via @TELUSBusiness and @GlobeSmallBiz using the hashtag #smallbizchallenge, on LinkedIn and on Facebook at Facebook.com/TELUSBusiness.

Judges for the contest include:

  • Chris Griffiths – Director, Fine Tune Consulting, a boutique business consulting practice, and long-time entrepreneur
  • Carolyn Lawrence – President and CEO, Women of Influence
  • Donna Marie Antoniadis – Co-founder, She’s Connected
  • Sally Daub – President and CEO, ViXS Systems
  • Jim Senko – Vice -President, SMB and Enterprise Marketing, TELUS
  • Hugh Johnson – Vice-President, Small Medium Business, TELUS
  • Terry Brodie – Reporter and editor, Report on Small Business, The Globe and Mail
  • Steve Tustin – Editor, Custom Content Group, The Globe and Mail
  • Sean Stanleigh – Editor, Report on Small Business, The Globe and Mail

For more information on the contest visit the TELUS press release and the contest entry page.