$25,000 Grand Prize

O'DOG'S

Owen Newman

O'DOG'S is currently running a mobile hotdog cart, serving both meat and vegetarian options to the population visiting and working in the Arcata square between the hours of 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., three days per week. O'DOG'S will also be hiring employees to add daytime hours.

Most Useful Resources:

Business Plan Development, and Small Business Management classes with Nancy Vizenor.

Reason for Participating in Economic Fuel:

I am currently running my hot dog vending business, and Economic Fuel is a great way to gain capital.

Advice for Future Competitors:

Plan ahead a whole year, and spend time in your business on the streets learning about it. Start the business if you can…do as much of the operations as possible so you can fully understand how the business flows.

Most Valuable Lesson Learned from Writing the Business Plan:

Stick with something small enough that you can wrap your head around it, but big enough to be a lucrative opportunity. A properly written business plan for a good business is incredibly valuable, especially if you seek any kind of outside financing.