Posts tagged contests

Elance, an online marketplace for freelancers, freelance agencies, and businesses to negotiate independent contracts, is sponsoring a contest for startups to win $500 in services and professional help. Known as the Startup Cloud Contest, services up for grabs include logo design, website development, market research, social media, or legal advice. The contest is also part of a new feature of Elance called Startup Cloud, designed to provide entrepreneurial advice and other small business advice.

Folks can enter the contest anytime between March 28, 2011 and June 28, 2011. Include any links to videos, assets, etc. to provide additional details about your company or startup idea. Only one entry allowed per contestant, and contestants must be an Elance member in order to enter (it’s free to become a member). Three winners will be chosen over the course of three months. One winner with the most compelling story will be selected and announced by Elance on April 30, 2011, May 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011, receiving the $500 credit for Elance services towards upcoming projects.

A recent study by Kauffman Foundation found that entrepreneurs are building startups at the highest rate in 15 years, and they are choosing to go into business alone instead of hiring employees. According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States, 0.34% of American adults created a business per month in 2010, for a total of 565,000 new businesses. That rate remained consistent with 2009 and represents the highest level of entrepreneurship over the past decade and a half.

Not only is this time of the Great Recession a great time to hire, but it’s also a fruitful time for folks to create their own jobs by starting their own businesses. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for services to start and to grow your startup.