A press conference was held on May 31, 2017, at Bank Audi Plaza – Bab Idriss, to launch the sixth edition of the “Grow My Business” competition, an initiative by the Beirut Traders Association (BTA), in collaboration with the MIT Enterprise Forum – Pan Arab Region, and in partnership with Bank Audi sal.
Building on the success of the 5 previous editions, the objective of the competition is, more than ever, to continue helping businesses expand and grow in the right direction. This is achieved by inviting Lebanese entrepreneurs and SME owners to develop plans which will boost their businesses forward.
This year’s “Grow My Business” will take its regular course, but will be enhanced by exciting innovations which will be revealed at every stage of the competition and will undoubtedly add a touch of spice to it.
Like every year, candidates can download the application from the website growmybusiness.me, following which a jury composed of prominent figures of the BTA, of the MIT Enterprise Forum – Pan Arab Region, and of Bank Audi will shortlist the top 15 candidates in August 2017.
During the second stage of the competition, the 15 nominees will benefit from a two-day workshop organised by experts and professors, and focused on how to draft a successful business plan.
The 15 business plans are then submitted to a carefully selected jury who will accordingly choose the 5 best candidates for a final assessment through a series of oral presentations.
In light of these enriching sessions, the jury will pronounce, in November 2017, the three winners of the “Grow My Business 2017” competition who will carry off prizes of LBP 50,000,000, LBP 30,000,000 and LBP 15,000,000 respectively, all courtesy of Bank Audi.
Mr. Nicolas Chammas, Chairman of the Beirut Traders Association, seized the opportunity to explain that “the purpose of this competition is to give a tangible added value to small and medium-sized companies, to uplift the professional standards of the commercial sector as a whole, and to contribute to the sustainable development of the national economy.”
Mr. Marc Audi, General Manager Lebanon – Bank Audi sal, underlined that “Bank Audi’s involvement in “Grow My Business” is part of its solid conviction that SMEs are the engine of the Lebanese economy.” He added: “By increasing the amount of rewards from LBP 50,000,000 to LBP 95,000,000, and by choosing to reward the first three winners instead of merely the first one, we have decided to give bigger opportunities and open even more horizons to participants. This is yet another indicator that we spare no efforts to reward solid ideas and give them the chance to materialise and bloom.”
As for Mrs. Hala Fadel, Chair of the MIT Enterprise Forum – Pan Arab Region, she added: “MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab is happy to be partnering with BTA and Bank Audi on this sixth edition of the “Grow my Business” competition. Over the years, this program has proven that Lebanese entrepreneurs have the will and passion to become success stories, not only locally but globally, and are determined to be agents of positive change in Lebanon.”
For more information on “Grow My Business 2017”, please log on to growmybusiness.me