$1,000 Honorable Mention

Music Lives On

Monica Topping & Gabe Paredes

Rock Chick Designs on etsy.com
Rock Chick Designs on Facebook
Pressure Drop Apparel
Pressure Drop Apparel on Facebook

Music Lives On is a musically inspired clothing and fashion accessory manufacturer with a focus on environmental sustainability.

Team Advisors:

Sandy Neal - North Coast SBDC, Denise Dodd - bookkeeper, Ed Subkis-KHSU, Susan Kohl - Oberon Grill

Most Useful Resources:

The North Coast SBDC workshops were fantastic. Weeks after we had taken the workshops and we were finally buckling down to write our business plan, even the class hand-outs were infinitely helpful.

Reason for Participating in Economic Fuel:

$25,000! Really, whether we win the money or not, we plan on continuing with our business venture, but that capital infusion would certainly help things get moving a lot quicker.

Advice for Future Competitors:

Feel free to give yourself time to get hung up on the research and the details, but set a cut-off date where you just need to sit and write, otherwise you get tied up in the prep work and the deadline sneaks up on you. Also, believe in your business and what you have to offer – express your passion in your business plan and see it through.

Most Valuable Lesson Learned from Writing the Business Plan:

The research is far more involved than you ever think it would be. Give yourself time to think and talk to people who know what they're doing, and don't be afraid to use all of those details you spent all your time searching for!