Macomb Mayor Michael Inman announced today that the 2024 City of Macomb
Small Business Competition is set to kick off in February 2024. The City of Macomb has
partnered with the Illinois Small Business Development Center, at Western Illinois University, to
bring entrepreneurs and new businesses into Macomb. The Small Business Competition will
assist potential small business owners seeking to open new businesses. Future business owners
will attend a series of classes and workshops to better learn how to run a small business, which
will include writing a comprehensive business plan. In addition to writing their own business
plan, entrepreneurs will also create their own individualized pitches for their prospective
businesses. Both the business plans and the business pitches will be judged by a panel of local
successful business owners and community leaders. The goal of the Small Business Competition
project is to be a catalyst to new businesses for Macomb from concept to realization.
Previously known as the Downtown Business Retail Competition in 2018, the City of Macomb
has set out to enhance the opportunities for entrepreneurs and the ability for economic growth
in Macomb by altering the parameters of the Competition for 2024. This includes broadening
the Competition’s boundaries to include service and industrial-based business ideas as well as
the expansion of an existing business. Entrepreneurs will have the freedom to open their
business anywhere within the city; this will not limit their options to the Downtown area. To
increase the number of opportunities for growth, the City of Macomb will award three prize
packages for first, second, and third place business ideas.
“We are looking forward to the 2024 version of the Small business Competition”, said Mayor
Inman. “We had at least two new businesses successfully launch from our 2018 Competition,
and we look to have even greater success this coming year”, Inman added.
An informational presentation about the competition will be held at 6:00p.m. on February 6,
2024, at Spoon River Outreach Center 2500 E. Jackson St. Workshops begin on February 13,
2024, at 6:00p.m. at Spoon River Outreach Center.
***Courtesy of the City of Macomb***
