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Build-a-Business

Shopify + Mentorship = Your $1,000,000 company

Build-a-Business 2012 Promo Video

What people are saying...

Shopify has teamed up with four world-class entrepreneurs to
help you build a million-dollar business in just months.

Come up with a product to sell, open your online store and pick a mentor. Our community and your mentor will give you great advice and guidance along the way. At the end of the competition, the four stores that sell the most over a two month period will each win a $50,000 investment from their mentor.

Who wants to mentor & invest in you?

Daymond John

Fashion & Apparel

Daymond John

@thesharkdaymond

Daymond John created the fashion brand FUBU while working as a waiter. His marketing genius helped grow FUBU into a company with over six billion dollars in sales. Daymond is now a regular investor on ABC’s Shark Tank and has mentored and worked with countless small businesses to take them to the next level.

Tim Ferriss

Electronics & Gadgets

Tim Ferriss

@tferriss

Tim Ferriss is the author of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek. He is an advisor to Shopify and helped launch the first Build-A-Business Competition in 2010. Tim is an active angel investor, having previously invested in StumbleUpon, Facebook, Uber and Twitter.

Tina Roth Eisenberg

Design, Art & Home

Tina Roth Eisenberg

@swissmiss

Tina Roth Eisenberg is a graphic designer known by her friends as "The Queen of Accidental Businesses". Her strong eye for design led her to create swissmiss, a blog visited by millions.Tina has created numerous startups including TeuxDeux, Creative Mornings, Studio Mates and the Shopify store Tattly.

Eric Ries

Everything Else

Eric Ries

@ericries

Eric Ries is the best-selling author of The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. Eric worked as a venture capital firm advisor and has either sat on the board or maintained advisory positions for over 30 startups and small businesses.

Guest mentors

Jeffrey Zeldman

Web Design

Jeffrey Zeldman

@zeldman
Valerie Khoo

Marketing

Valerie Khoo

@valeriekhoo
Joanne Wilson

Fashion

Joanne Wilson

@thegothamgal

What are the prizes for the 4 winners?

A $50,000 investment

from your mentor in exchange for a 5% stake in your company – valuing your business at $1 million.

VIP Trip to
New York City

Meet with all four of the 2012 mentors in beautiful New York City and discuss how to grow your business.

Fast Company Website Feature

Plus, get a special one-hour meeting with an editor to review your media strategy and pitch a feature article for their print magazine.

$20,000 Google AdWords Credit

Boost your advertising budget with this amazing prize.

Competition Sponsors

Build-a-Business sponsors Paypal, Google Adwords, Mailchimp, .CO, Facebook, Fast Company

Who were the previous winners?

Coffee Joulies Video

2011

Coffee Joulies

Dave Jackson and Dave Petrillo are two mechanical engineers from New Jersey. They went on Kickstarter to crowd-source funding Coffee Joulies with a goal of $9,500. They ended up raising $306,944. Coffee Joulies are polished stainless steel beans that regulate the temperature of coffee.

DODOcase Video

2010

DODOcase

DODOcase is a San Francisco company that makes stylish iPad cases using traditional bookbinding techniques. The founders, Patrick and Craig, have significantly helped the San Francisco book binding industry and are now running a multi-million dollar company.

Want to join the competition?

  1. 1. Think of something to sell

    It can be anything: t-shirts, arts & crafts, gadgets, or even the world's best cupcakes. The only limitation is your imagination.

  2. 2. Create your Shopify store

    Shopify makes it easy to sell online: pick a template, add your products and launch your store. You can accept your first order in minutes.

  3. 3. Grow your business

    Just for entering the Build-A-Business competition, you'll receive a free .CO domain for 12 months, $100 in additional advertising from Google AdWords and $100 in MailChimp Credits.

  4. 4. Watch the leaderboard

    Your mentors will give you the guidance and advice you need to succeed. Every week you can find your place in the competition leaderboard.

If you're new to Shopify, you can still sign up for a Shopify store by clicking on the button below.

Important Competition Details
Competition registration runs from July 10th to December 31st, 2012, but you can sign up any time. After you register, only complete calendar months between August 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013 will be used in the calculation of Gross Sales. The competition, free .CO domain and MailChimp credit are open to residents Canada over the age of majority in their province or territory of residence. You don’t need any experience starting or running an online store; Shopify makes it easy. Throughout the competition, we’ll have a special Build-A-Business website set up that will house a wealth of accumulating knowledge to help you along the way.

Still have more questions? View the full Competition Rules or the FAQ for more information. Canadians: Rules and FAQ.