Biz Builder program hands out awards
The first ever Biz Builder Program wrapped up their 6 months of work with a graduation ceremony and the announcement of the People’s Choice and Shark Tank competition winners.
Demetrius Dulaney and his idea to bring a combination of party venue and daycare to Cedartown won the People’s Choice Award. Jose Iglesias’ Taxes de America – already a running business looking to expand – won the Shark Tank competition.
Both men will receive $1,000 prizes for winning their respective competitions, but won’t get them until they have filed for business licenses.
Dulaney, whose idea took 44 percent of the 550 votes for People’s Choice award, said he was happy with the win during the Nov. 13 graduation ceremony.
He presented his business plan at the Shark Tank event on Oct. 28 as one that gives parents a place to throw a birthday party, but can also act as a daycare and Pre-K center during regular business hours.
“It’s attractive because everyone has kids or a child they’re involved in their lives, and they want the best for their child and they want a place for their child to go have fun without worries,” he said. “Just in doing my research, the nearest thing was Kangaroo Jakes in Rome.”
“I’m focusing more on the more personal touch, a place that feels like home where we can work one on one with the children and not have a lot of families in at once. It’s that one child’s party, and you don’t have to share the floor with everyone,” he said.
Dulaney said the opening date for his party and event planning business is currently slated for the beginning of the year.
“My next step is finish getting the building together so we can meet our projected start date of Jan. 1,” he said.
Iglesias, who won the Cedartown Shark Tank competition with his idea to expand his already established tax preparation business, said he believed his idea struck home because of the midterm elections.
He explained during his presentation to judges that with immigration reform about to be a hot button issue again and the solution will likely allow more immigrants to become citizens. Thus, his services will be in high demand for those looking to file back taxes and become full legal citizens, adding billions of dollars to his industry.
“I feel its an issue that will develop in a controversial way, but it’s coming,” he said. “I just hope the demand for the tax preparation service industry will increase.”
Dulaney and Iglesias were part of a group of students who all have great business ideas worth pursuing, according to Biz Builder organizer Britt Madden Jr.
He told graduates of the program before hand- ing out diplomas that he was proud to work alongside the group as the first class, and hoped they would all develop their ideas into something bigger and better to benefit everyone in Cedartown.
Madden also admits that getting the business idea is the first step on a long journey ahead.
“Just because we made it through the first 6 months does not mean those fears and jitters are over with,” he said. “Now we have whole new struggles ahead, like meeting the first payroll or getting into a location.”
Mark Upton, a Georgia Northwestern Technical College instructor who lended his expertise to the program, encouraged students who haven’t started working toward their goals of starting their own business to keep at it.
“Work your idea until it works, then when you open the doors, that’s when all this hard work will have paid off, but it’s also when the work really begins,” he said.
City Commission chair Dale Tuck and City Manager Bill Fann said the initial interest in the program shows there are those in Cedartown who want to start businesses and contribute to growth.
“This is the start of a lot of good things,” she said.
Both Fann and Tuck said the program will be back for a second round of classes in 2015.
Announcements about signups and start times will be coming after the beginning of the year, when organizers can meet and flesh out any problems with the program and schedules, Madden said.