PowerUP Your New Business Ideas With Brooklyn Public Library

Got a great idea for a business, but need a little guidance — and perhaps a little money to fund it? You may want to check out the Brooklyn Public Library’s PowerUP! Business Plan Competition, which is currently accepting entries.

If you live in Brooklyn and want to start a business here, you’re eligible for the program, which provides access to free resources and services to help you write a business plan. In addition to classes and opportunities to speak with business counselors, participants have the chance to win one of cash prizes:

First Place: $15,000
Two Second Place Prizes: $5,000
Three Merit Awards: $750
Three Honorable Mention: $500

In order to apply, you must attend one of the orientation sessions. The closest one to us is coming up on Thursday, April 10 at 6:30pm at the Central Library‘s Dweck Center at 10 Grand Army Plaza, but there are several more taking place at other library branches around the borough before that — see the complete schedule here.

The very first winners of the program, which is solely sponsored by the Citi Foundation, were George Constantinou Fernandez and Farid Ali Lancheros, who won in 2003. Their restaurant Bogota Latin Bistro continues to be a success, and now they’re working on a second restaurant.

That’s not all. One second place winner from 2013 was Sonja Neill Turner, owner of Brooklyn Sandbox Learning Center, which opens its doors in September 2014.

Let’s see if we can build on that — good luck to all who enter, and if you’re working on a business for the neighborhood, let us know!

Image via PowerUP!