On Thursday, August 15, 12 motivated entrepreneurs will compete in the long-awaited return of our Battle of the Plans Business Plan Pitch Competition. The competition takes place from 8:00am to 3:30pm at ArtHouse Cinema, located at 109 North 30th Street. You are invited to come and watch the 12 unique business pitches live.
Two winning business plans will be selected (one New Business and one Expansion Business) to win a grand prize package with an estimated value of over $50,000. $40,000 of the grand prize package includes reimbursable funds toward eligible business expenses.
This 2024 iteration of the Downtown Billings’ Battle of the Plans program kicked off five months ago. The initial business concept submission deadline for the program was March 13, 2024. Twenty-one different retail, entertainment/activity based, and food/dining business concepts were submitted for consideration as either a new or expanding storefront for the downtown Billings Central Business District. The participants who submitted their concepts were then invited to join us for the second phase of the three phase program.
Phase Two included the opportunity for the participants to partake in up to 9 different entrepreneur-centric training courses for free thanks to Battle of the Plans sponsor, Big Sky Economic Development. Participants intending to compete in the ‘New Business’ category of the competition were required to attend a minimum of four courses. Both the courses and second phase of the program wrapped up at the end of July and 16 of the original 21 business concepts qualified to move onto the third and final phase of the program: The Competition. Out of the 16 who qualified, 12 detailed business plans were submitted by the program’s August 1st deadline.
Finally, the qualifying entrepreneurs will present their plans in-person to the Battle of the Plans Selections Committee at the August 15th Business Pitch Competition.
“We know only two will come away with the prize package but we are hopeful that this program helps more than two of these ideas to actualize.”
Katy Schreiner, Chief Executive officer with Downtown Billings
“There are some very motivated individuals in this competition, I’ve already shown a number of the finalists various vacant downtown spaces and I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if we see a handful from this program open in the next twelve to eighteen months.”
Mehmet Casey, Downtown Development Director with the Downtown Billings Partnership
There are nine new business ideas in this final competition, along with three existing businesses. One of the three existing businesses is Sweetwater Cafe, owned by Katie Harrison. Harrison currently runs Sweetwater Cafe in the Rock 31 cafe incubator space within Big Sky Economic Development’s 201 N. Broadway location. Harrison’s time in the incubator space has come to an end and she’s looking to open a larger space of her own in the coming months. The second of the existing business competitors is Beth Zitur with Confetti Heart Studio, at 2821 2nd Ave. North. Zitur is looking to expand her business model and studio space at her existing location. And the third competitor in the Existing Business category is Tiffany Miller-O’Brien with Frae Collective. Miller-O’Brien is looking to open her second Frae location downtown while still continuing to operate her current location, located in the Shiloh Commons development on the West end of Billings. The two winning businesses plans (one New Business and one Expansion Business) will be announced the final week of August.
The Selection Committee will judge on both the submitted plans and business pitch and weighted based on the following criteria:
- Feasibility of Business Plan (30pts)
- Sustainability of Business Model (30pts)
- Compatibility with DBA’s vision for walkability, diversity, and tenant mix (20pts)
- Ability to act as a catalyst that will attract more businesses to downtown Billings (10pts)
- The plan’s visual appeal from street level (10pts)
The program Selection committee includes:
- Katy Schreiner, CEO of the Downtown Billings
- Jennifer Webber, Strategic Consultant and Executive Coach of the Entrepreneurship Collective
- Amanda Jungles, Regional Director of Business Development with Cushing Terrell
- Keith Hart, Director of Entrepreneurship at Rock 31
- Shea Dawson, Owner and Operator of Thirsty Street Brewing Co. and EntrePlans
The Battle of the Plans Business Plan Program is coordinated by Downtown Billings and the Downtown Billings Partnership. The program is sponsored and supported by Big Sky Economic Development, Small Business Development Center, Rock 31, Cushing Terrell, EntrePlans, and The Entrepreneurship Collective.
