Sprint has announced the conclusion of “Second Chance,” a unique online reality show that began Oct. 26, 2010 with the goal of providing four small-business entrepreneurs a second chance at business success and an opportunity to win a grand prize of $150,000. Shot in New York, the series featured four contestants selected from a pool of more than 200 applicants to compete in various business-related challenges, including: business strategy, marketing and public relations, technology, building the right team, and creating a compelling “elevator pitch.”
Set in the main board room of the New York Stock Exchange, the finale features the two final contestants, Dennis Bauer and Steve Wasnick, alongside host David S. Rose, and judges and angel investors Brian Cohen, president, iFluence PR, Bob Rice, author and early-stage investor, and Jeffrey Stewart, founder of Mimeo. In addition to being judged on their performance throughout the series, both contestants were given an opportunity to present their new businesses to the angel investors before deliberations began to select the grand-prize winner.
Winning Ideas
At the conclusion of the series Mr. Bauer was selected by the judges and angel investors as the $150,000 grand-prize winner for his new company, Design by Grace, which features a product called “The Easy Sheet,” a fitted top-bed sheet that doesn’t come untucked, and includes expanded room for foot space. In addition to receiving a runner-up prize of $25,000 for his new company, WinningCause.org, a no-cost online auction site dedicated to serving non-profits, Mr. Wasnick also received the “community favorite” prize for an additional $25,000 as the entrepreneur who received the highest number of votes from the Business on Main community.
“In addition to directly impacting the future achievements of our grand-prize and runner-up award winners, we were excited to see that the “Second Chance” competition received such a tremendous response from the Business on Main community at large,” said Judith Train, Sprint vice president-Small Business.
The Origins of Second Chance
Sprint and its New York-based media agency, Mindshare, developed the “Second Chance” Web series specifically for the Business on Main community. Business on Main, in partnership with Microsoft, is a site where small-business leaders come for inspiration and to be empowered for success. The site allows small-business owners to connect with achievers like themselves to collaborate, learn and share successes, and it delivers other valuable information specific to small businesses. The Business on Main community has grown in popularity and now serves approximately 500,000 users per month.
All six “Second Chance” episodes are available for viewing on Sprint’s Business on Main community at www.businessonmain.com.
