Hi! To every body it was a fantastic contest " good luck " and as they do hockey players we "Shake Hand" .

Thank you to all the poeple that vote for us and to the other people that vote for the other "Quebec ,Canada ,France , United States ETC...!!!

Start it up !!!

while the world waits to find out who the ultimate winner of the contest is, i just wanted to say on behalf of jeff and me that you are all stars! you gave it a great shot, had fun, stayed positive, and hopefully learned a little about how to give an even better elevator pitch.

entrepreneurship is not a one-time event, but a process, and you are each in the thick of it, and we're here to help you move forward.

keep going!!!

and to the finalists, congratulations.

rich

Right on!  Congrats to everyone!  

By the way, I'm curious.  How are all of you who did your elevator pitch coming along with getting funded?   Have you tried approaching an angel investor yet?  Have any investors contacted you since you did your pitch over the radio? (I hope some investors listen to the show!) 

My husband and I keep bantering back and forth if we should try getting funded.  We're a ma and pa shop now that's been in business for four years and doing fine.  Yet, we are not really happy as we are.  We have tons of great ideas that we have a passion to see materialize.  We will see them materialize, I think it's just a matter of speed in the end.  We keep thinking that we should just try to let everything happen at its own speed as our market open's up and our business grows on its own.  I was even given the advice by an ex-CEO to do just this.  He said that getting funded may be pushing things too far, too fast.  (Which I seriously disagree with by the way from the market research I've done and the market experience I have...)

Any thoughts or suggestions?  How did you all make your decision to get funded?

Hi everyone in SUN and especially HeavenOnEarth for asking about the contestants.

Well, as a VIP member in two International Registries with special email privileges, I sent my Elevator Pitch to many members throughout the world - not specifically Investors but working and expanding in the global marketplace. Whala - I received several contacts and who would have guessed - two are located in Reno, NV and coincidentally, I am leaving this Friday as a Michigan Department Delegate to the VFW National Convention and can anyone guess where the Convention is being held??? Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, NV. I already have meetings set up with them in the evening after VFW daytime business.

While they are not specifically Investors per se, their companies are rapidly expanding in the global marketplace and another coincidence, in areas where I have very good key contacts - Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Far East. My original Eleavtor Pitch was for USD200K but simply for business travel to set up meetings and conditions for the successful signing of contracts. I have no problem working with companies who want to reimburse me for my expenses and I will initially "donate" my time but my goal still is to have my company - Cool & Associates, Inc. - acquired for USD5M in 5 years and I do not think that is unreasonable. My guess is and I have been informally told that the acquisition will be by a non-US entity.

Isn't life grand!!!! My best wishes to all the Elevator Pitch contestants whether they won or not as they are all winners in "getting the word" out to all aspiring Entrepreneurs of the SUN network!! Have a great and successful week.

You are an inspiration to us all, Joe Cool!  

They say "luck" is where preparedness meets opportunity and I know you're ready for anything!  So, have a blast in Reno, and make sure to ride all the elevators in the most expensiive hotels!

jci, my heartfelt thanks for your comment. When I read that, a "rush of goose bumps went up my arm"!!! Having successfully worked in 54 countries throughout my career, I have returned to the "area of my birth" to "make a difference". Pontiac Central - Class of 1964 - Go Chiefs!!!! Oakland University - School of Engineering - Class of 1968 (no Sports, Fraternities or Sororities allowed then...LOL)!!!!

I must tell all what I learned about "luck" having worked in virtually every culture in the world: LUCK IS FOR THE ILL-PREPARED !!!

I don't believe in luck but rather prepare everything in advance for any event  and simply go "on stage" to fulfill the preparations when the event occurs. I demonstrated and proved this concept during my participation in the Michigan Civic Leaders Tour traveling to Bosnia and Latvia in 2004. One example was my presentationa of a Certificate of Appreciation to the Michigan Army National Guard Troops stationed at Camp Eagle Base in Tuzla, Bosnia.

AND - I will make sure to ride the elevators in Reno and I have not forgotten my Elevator Pitch (perhaps a "lucky" gambler??)...LOL

Our culture as we know it was based on Entrepreneurism and during trying times, we must never forget how we developed. My best wishes to all Entrepreneurs in the SUN Network and elsewhere in what I call MY World, the Global Marketplace. An exciting place to be - for sure!!!

Joe, that is awesome!  I am so excited for you!  I really hope that these opportunities will open more doors for you to move your business into the next phase! 

The thing I really liked about your elevator pitch was your business concept and international potential.  Your business concept has a very altruistic nature to it, which is why I like it.  Being a business owner whose end is to benefit society and families, I definitely relate to what you want to do.  To want to impact your birth place and support small business owners is very very COOL!    I think that supporting people in business ownership and especially in struggling economies is probably the BEST thing that a person can ever do for anyone!  I once saw this special (on PBS I think) on social entrepreneurship that featured four international small businesses, and the way they impacted their community was absolutely amazing!  One business was this manual water pump that enabled families to grow four times as much food for less than half the cost that they had been out-putting.  These families were able to truly benefit their communities in such positive and long-lasting ways!   It was just such a wonderful thing to see.

I have customers all over the world because the demand for herbal medicine is much stronger abroad than in the US.  I've been given opportunities to expand my business but could not act on it because of lack of funds.    This just drives me crazy, by the way!

If I may ask, did they listen to your pitch that you did on Startup Nation?