Business hopefuls will make their pitch at the Athol Business Showcase

ATHOL – At the upcoming Small Business Showcase, five local entrepreneurs will pitch their business ideas to three judges in the hopes of winning $10,000.

The event takes place on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall at Athol Town Hall and is part of the Remaking Main Street campaign coordinated by the Polus Center, Athol Credit Union and NewVue Communities

Samantha Beauvais, marketing manager for ACU, said the competition is the culmination of a business training workshop that has been underway since early October. The class was taught by ACU and NewVue and 10 participants attended nearly every class, with the goal of writing up a business plan. The best five of the plans were chosen for the showcase.

“We’ll have a big celebration when it’s done [the class] and people will have a chance to practice their pitch,” said Beauvais. “It’ll be a dress rehearsal sort of thing and will give them a chance to get used to speaking in front of people.

“We plan on doing this again next year,” Beauvais added. “Hopefully it will be even bigger and better. This is our very first year. People have said they feel like they’ve gotten a lot out of the class. There’s been a lot more to think about than they were expecting.”

Business proposals ranged from a laundry services to crafters to remote-control cars, trucks, and boats, as well as ideas from existing Main Street businesses such as Athol Trading Post, Fringe & Stone, and McMannis Florist. Most participants are from Athol, but Beauvais said there are also a couple from the area towns.

Each of the five chosen business plans will have a table of their own to showcase their product or service. All five have a time limit for their pitches.

In addition to the grand prize of $10,000, there is also a People’s Choice Award of $5,000. Those who attend will be given a QR code to vote for their favorite entrepreneur. The prize money can be used for a variety of business-related purposes, said Beauvais.

“As long as it’s for the business, whether it’s for signage, marketing, improvements – that’s all fine,” Beauvais said. “All they have to do is submit a receipt and we’ll take care of the bill.”