Dream-O-Vate Business Competition:
What is Dream-O-Vate?
Do you ever dream of opening your own business? Are you a small business owner looking to innovate? The time is now! Starting a business is hard work and the first year can be the most difficult. Many startups struggle with finding the right location, accessing capital, managing overhead expenses, navigating the permitting processes, and the daily tasks of managing the business.
The Dream-O-Vate Business Competition is a game changer. Dream-O-Vate supports entrepreneurs to bring their dream of opening a business to reality.
Produced by Livingston County Economic Development, Dream-O-Vate is a retail business plan competition that encourages entrepreneurs to compete for the chance to open a storefront and earn a coveted business start-up package to turn their dream into reality. The goals of the program are to:
Recruit new business that will enhance the existing business mix
Improve the economic climate for all area businesses through increased resident and tourist traffic in our Village cores
Capture greater resident and visitor spending
Create a positive buzz about Livingston County and its communities
Through Dream-O-Vate, Livingston County is seeking makers, creators, movers, and shakers to open retail establishments that will enhance the visitor experience in and around our nine historic Main Street districts. We are looking for the next “best” business in LivCo. You bring the innovation – we’ll make the dream come true. The competition will focus on funding businesses in the following areas:
Food + Drink
Tourism
Specialty Retail
Entertainment
Meet some of our past winners:
Milk & Honey Cafe
Lima, New York
Sunrise Bouldering
Geneseo, New York
Trail Otter
Leicester, New York
Six Sprouts Farm Market
Avon, New York
Woodlawn Distilling
Linwood, New York
Cosmic Charlie Cafe
Geneseo, New York
Eligibility
Entries must be a new business start-up or significant diversification of an existing business. All ventures must generate sales tax or bed tax. When it’s a good fit, we encourage locating in one of Livingston County’s nine historic Main Street districts: Avon, Caledonia, Dansville, Geneseo, Leicester, Lima, Livonia, Mount Morris, and Nunda. Locations outside the Village core will be considered if the applicant can exhibit how their business will help drive visitor traffic.
Applicants do not have to live in Livingston County to apply, but we invite you to take a look around… we think you’ll like it here.
Important Dates:
Applications to participate open December 1, 2023
Applications to participate due January 19, 2024
Invitations to move forward in program will be made February 5, 2024
Applicants that are invited to move forward in the program are required to participate in an entrepreneurship training program powered by CO.STARTERS. CO.STARTERS Core is a ten-week, cohort-based program that equips entrepreneurs of all kinds with the insights, relationships, and tools needed to turn ideas into action. Participants enter into a facilitator-led, collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded peers. Over ten sessions, they develop and fine-tune their ideas using the CO.STARTERS Canvas, critically examining every part and determining next steps through real-time feedback from people in the community. Participants leave the program with a deeper understanding of how to create a sustainable venture, articulate their models, and repeat the process with the next great idea.
The CO.STARTERS Core program consists of ten consecutive three-hour sessions covering the following topics:
SESSION 1 – Monday, February 12, 5pm – 8pm
Knowing Yourself: Assumptions, Working Styles, Team Building, Obstacles
SESSION 2 – Wednesday, February 21, 5pm – 8pm
Knowing Your Customer: Customer, Problem, Alternatives, Idea Testing
SESSION 3 – Wednesday, February 28, 5pm – 8pm
Finding the Right Solution: Solution, Benefit, Advantage, Starting Small, Brand Identity
SESSION 4 – Wednesday, March 6, 5pm – 8pm
Getting the Relationship Right: Marketing & Message; Getting, Keeping & Growing Customers
SESSION 5 – Wednesday, March 13, 5pm – 8pm
Building Blocks: Distribution, Revenue, Typical Offering, Price
SESSION 6 – Wednesday, March 20, 5pm – 8pm
Structures & Systems: Legal & Accounting Considerations
SESSION 7 – Wednesday, March 27, 5pm – 8pm
Discovering the Bottom Line: Startup & Ongoing Needs, Fixed & Variable Costs, Break-Even Point
SESSION 8 – Wednesday, April 3, 5pm – 8pm
Financial Modeling: Break-Even Point, Sales Projections, Cash Flow, Raising Capital
SESSION 9 – Wednesday, April 10, 5pm – 8pm
Planning for Growth: Growth Plans, Goal Setting, Celebration Prep
SESSION 10 – Wednesday, April 17, 5pm – 8pm
Celebration!
Following completion of the CO.STARTERS program, participants will be eligible to apply for one of several prize packages.
Prize Packages
Multiple applicants can be chosen to receive a prize packages. Each prize package will include:
Business Startup Grant up to $25,000
Branding and Website Grant up to $5,000
Sign and Façade Grant up to $5,000
Design consult and sign/façade rendering (in-kind)
Photoshoot and online feature with Visit LivCo (in-kind)
Free admission to the CO.STARTERS Entrepreneurship Program
Free admission to the Destination Creation Course
One year membership to the Livingston County Area Chamber of Commerce
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Insights and data including location analytics, visit trends, trade areas, demographics and more
Applications are now closed.
All submitted applications are under review, applicants will receive further information via email.
