2026-10-15 - City of Fort Worth

00:18Small businesses [music] reflect a

00:20city's character. Your creativity, your

00:23heart, your strong [music] sense of

00:24collaboration,

00:26that's Fort Worth.

00:27That's what we represent and that's what

00:28we do every day.

00:30>> So, first of all, [music] I think this

00:31is an amazing opportunity for

00:33entrepreneurs in Fort Worth.

00:34>> You are rubbing shoulders with 25 other

00:37businesses [music]

00:38and they're so diversified.

00:40>> You can cold call [music] or cold email

00:44someone in Fort Worth and they would be

00:46happy to sit down and have a cup of

00:47coffee with you and talk about your

00:49business and help [music] you figure out

00:52what you want to do.

01:02>> There's really nothing like being here

01:04in person, [music]

01:05talking to your mentors and your

01:07coaches,

01:08getting that training [music]

01:10uh and being able to make this live

01:11pitch. So, we're really excited.

01:36>> It's just an honor to be a part of this

01:37competition. Uh I've been part of it in

01:39Frost has for many years and I like to

01:41say it's the gym of the city.

01:54>> [applause]

01:59>> Welcome to the Fort Worth Business Plan

02:02Competition proudly sponsored by Frost

02:04Bank.

02:07>> [applause]

02:09>> My name is Dexter Sykes. I'm a member of

02:11the Fort Worth Economic Development

02:12Department, and we're so happy to have

02:15you here tonight because tonight we have

02:18eight incredible companies that are

02:20pitching for an opportunity to win

02:22$10,000.

02:26>> [applause]

02:28>> But before we get started with the

02:30pitches, I want to take a moment to

02:31recognize a partner who makes this

02:33competition possible. Frost Bank has

02:35been a tremendous supporter of this

02:38competition, and quite simply, we

02:40couldn't do it without them.

02:42So, at this time I would like to invite

02:44Shannon Watt from Frost Bank to come up

02:47and say a few words. SHANNON.

02:50>> [applause]

02:55>> THANK YOU, DEXTER. WELCOME. GOOD

02:56EVENING. ON behalf of Frost Bank, I just

02:58want to say thank you for being here

02:59tonight. Uh it's our honor to partner

03:02with the city of Fort Worth um in their

03:04business plan competition and really

03:05support small business.

03:07Um look at this crowd. We've had a

03:09wonderful RSVP, and the number of people

03:11here tonight is just a excellent repre-

03:13representation of your support for small

03:15business. Um I would like to take a

03:18minute to recognize some special guests

03:20in the audience that we have with us.

03:21So, if you are an elected official, I

03:23think we have some council members with

03:24us tonight.

03:26We have council member Michael Crain

03:28from District 3 with us tonight. If

03:29you'll stand to be recognized.

03:30>> [applause]

03:33>> He left, but that's okay. He was here. I

03:35saw him. Uh are there any other elected

03:37officials with us tonight?

03:38If not, we appreciate their support. We

03:40will have a special guest with Mayor

03:41Parker coming later this evening. And

03:43then also, I'd like to take a minute and

03:45recognize some other special guests. Um

03:47it's proud to me to to to acknowledge

03:49the alumni that are here with us tonight

03:52that have competed in this program in

03:54the past. So, if you are an alumni of

03:56the business plan competition, will you

03:58please stand AND BE RECOGNIZED?

04:01>> [applause and cheering]

04:06[applause]

04:06>> AND A GREAT SHOUT-OUT TO ROBERT Sterns

04:08and Cheryl Jones. They were part of the

04:10people that spearheaded this competition

04:12originally and just look at how far it

04:14has come.

04:15Um so final words really the Fort Worth

04:17Business Plan competition is a

04:18celebration of the entrepreneurial

04:19spirit that is alive and well in our

04:21city. And at Frost we share that same

04:24spirit of entrepreneurship. We love to

04:26serve small businesses. So to the

04:28competitors

04:31congratulations and good luck tonight.

04:33Um

04:34the cohort that you guys have formed and

04:37the business plan that you wrote are

04:38really assets that you have that you can

04:40take with you on and help your business

04:42into the future.

04:43To the judges, thank you guys for

04:45helping us with this competition. It is

04:47a great example of the collaboration

04:49that exists within our city, just a good

04:51cross mix of all of you that serve our

04:53city. Thank you.

04:55And then to the economic development

04:56team, you guys are awesome. Thank you. I

04:58think I said it, thank you about the

05:00jewel in the crown of economic

05:02development. It may not be the center

05:03jewel, but it is definitely a pretty

05:05shiny jewel in the city's crown of

05:07economic development. And then to my

05:09fellow Frost bankers, thank you so much

05:11for being here tonight and just serving

05:12our customers and our residents in the

05:14city and the small businesses. Thank

05:16you.

05:17Back to you, MATT YOU.

05:18>> [applause]

05:23>> THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS AT FROST BANK.

05:25WE TRULY appreciate your partnership and

05:28continued support. And now it's my

05:30pleasure to introduce you to to the

05:32person that will be taking you through

05:34the rest of the evening. Our MC tonight

05:37is a former competition winner.

05:41So please help me welcome Shauna Murphy,

05:44founder and CEO of StyleSmart VA.

05:53>> [applause]

05:54>> THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT WARM warm

05:56welcome. I'm so excited to be back here

05:58at the Fort Worth Business Plan

05:59competition.

06:01Uh doing it a a of years ago, it really

06:04gives you a better understanding of your

06:06business and what you're doing with it.

06:07And so, I applaud all of the businesses

06:09that have done this before because it is

06:11not easy to give up that much time to

06:14really invest in your businesses.

06:16But, before we get started tonight, I

06:18want to make sure that we acknowledge

06:19some of our incredible mentors that

06:21helped this event happen. It really

06:23doesn't happen without the mentors that

06:25are there to help guide these

06:26entrepreneurs. They go through these

06:27classes and they learn, but then they go

06:29and they put it into place, and then

06:31they go and they meet with an

06:32entrepreneur and then they scratch it,

06:33and then they redo it because that's

06:35what your mentors are for. They're help

06:36They're there to help push you and grow

06:37you. So, uh please hold your applause

06:40till the end, but we want to make sure

06:41that we acknowledge our mentorship uh

06:43organizations, Accelerate Fort Worth,

06:45Ensemble Coworking, Foundations EDC,

06:48Score Fort Worth, Tech Fort Worth, TEI

06:52Consulting, and a special thank you to

06:55Cynthia Harness, and Sam Emerson.

07:00>> [applause]

07:04>> I also want to acknowledge The Modern.

07:06What a beautiful location to host an

07:08incredible event at, and shout out to

07:10the cafe team, making sure we have all

07:13of the libations and snacks for tonight.

07:16Um we're really just grateful for that.

07:19And then, lastly, I want to introduce

07:22the judges.

07:24Um

07:24So, if you would like to, when I call

07:26your name, stand up and wave. So, we

07:28have Richard Chance, the Dean of

07:30Community Learning Corporate Solutions

07:32of Tarrant County Small Business

07:33Development Center at Tarrant County

07:35College.

07:36>> [applause]

07:39>> We have Michael Doss, sec- uh section

07:42chief at City of Fort Worth Attorney

07:44Office.

07:46>> [applause]

07:48>> We have Erica Hersh, the Vice President

07:51of Business Development at LiftFund.

07:54>> [applause]

07:55>> We have Dustin Logan, CEO of Proforma

07:58and CEO of Primo Search.

08:00>> [applause]

08:02>> We have Caitlin McMinn, Executive

08:04Director at Tech FORT WORTH.

08:06>> WOO!

08:07>> [applause and cheering]

08:10>> AND THEN WE HAVE SAWYER WILLIAMS, Senior

08:13Vice President CRA Officer for Cross

08:15Plains.

08:16>> [applause]

08:17>> Perfect.

08:19So, I know we talked a little bit about

08:21the business plan and it's been going on

08:23for now this is their 15th uh

08:25I believe their 15th year. Um and so I

08:27kind of want to talk about the impact

08:29that the business plan can actually have

08:31on your business. So, I remember when

08:33Style Mark VA when we first went to be

08:37on you know, do the business plan

08:39competition, I was in this place of

08:40business where I had just gone through a

08:41business divorce.

08:43Uh and I was like we're so close like I

08:45feel like we're so close I can almost

08:47touch it but like we're so far and the

08:50Fort Worth business plan competition

08:51popped up and I was like, you know what?

08:53Let me go do this because never has

08:55there been a time where I haven't

08:56invested time in my business that hasn't

08:58returned tenfold, right? And so I did it

09:01and I I learned and I built my business

09:03plan and I came and I pitched. I'm

09:04pretty sure I blacked out. I'm pretty

09:06I'm pretty sure I blacked out. So, if

09:07you guys do it, it's fine. It's

09:09literally fine. Um and so then

09:11[clears throat] what I did was the next

09:12day I started implementing the plan that

09:14I wrote, right? And I I implemented and

09:16so that was 2 years ago and so since

09:18then our business has grown 300%.

09:21Um we went from a team of seven virtual

09:24assistants to now we have over 35

09:26virtual assistants, I think and our

09:28revenue we're creeping up to like doing

09:31seven figures next year. So,

09:33that is because of the business plan.

09:35So, honestly for y'all like take it

09:37tomorrow. Like start tomorrow. Whatever

09:39you've been working on,

09:40it doesn't matter if you don't put any

09:41action behind it and at the end of the

09:43day the real prize is the business plan

09:45that you wrote. THE MONEY IS GREAT. THE

09:46MONEY is great but the business plan is

09:48really what's going to like take you to

09:50the next level.

09:52All right. So, let's get into the

09:55competition. So, we had 20 applicants

09:58that spent 6 weeks attending

09:59professional development workshops and

10:01receiving coaching from partners, uh

10:04business mentors, and the Fort Worth

10:05entrepreneurship ecosystem.

10:08Tonight the top 10 businesses are here

10:09to pitch their business to a panel of

10:11judges. The highest combined score of

10:14the business plan plus the pitch will be

10:16crowned the winner.

10:19Each contestant will have 3 minutes to

10:20make their pitch followed by a 2 minutes

10:22of Q&A from the judges.

10:25Once all contestants pitch, the judges

10:27will deliberate, return, announce third,

10:29second, and first place winners.

10:32The third place winner will receive

10:34$4,000 in cash. The second place winner

10:37will receive $6,000 in cash. Or I'm

10:40sorry, second place, did I say that?

10:41Second place winner will receive $6,000

10:43in cash. And then the first place winner

10:45is going to receive the grand total of

10:47$10,000.

10:49Uh but that's not all. There are also

10:51going to be an additional cash prize

10:53that you, the audience, get to vote on

10:56on which business you thought gave the

10:58best pitch uh as a part of our perfect

11:01pitch prize. The audience will vote

11:03using their phones while the judges

11:05deliberate. And the winning business

11:07will receive $500 in credits from

11:09Printed Threads, the perfect pitch

11:12sponsor.

11:13More information about how to vote is in

11:14your program. Uh and then the link to

11:17vote is fortworth.texas.gov/

11:21pitch.

11:22The survey [clears throat] will not open

11:23until all of the eight uh top eight have

11:26con- finished pitching.

11:28Um and then judges, please remember to

11:30submit your score after every uh after

11:33every contestant. So now we're going to

11:35kick off the presentations. Each

11:37participant is being called in

11:38alphabetical order. So all of the

11:40contestants, please go backstage except

11:43for Articulate Your Value.

11:46And we will get this show on the road.

11:53Yay! Y'ALL GOT IT! WOO!

11:55GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE!

11:59>> [applause and cheering]

11:59>> Y'ALL GOT IT. Y'ALL GOT IT.

12:01KILL IT. KILL IT.

12:02YOU GOT

12:06WHICH WHICH ONE?

12:08NO, YOU'RE FIRST. WHICH MICROPHONE?

12:12Let's go keep that.

12:24>> Okay, so our first one tonight kicking

12:27off is going to be articulate your

12:29value.

12:34>> [applause and cheering]

12:42>> Good evening. My name is Jeremy and I

12:45had a pandemic baby.

12:47Now, I can sense the slight confusion so

12:49I'll explain further.

12:51Six years ago when the world was shut

12:52down, I like many of you had all these

12:55ideas of things that I was going to do

12:56differently when we returned to normal.

12:59Well, I did stick with one of those

13:01things and I'm happy to announce that my

13:02pandemic baby was born during the summer

13:052021 and we named it articulate your

13:07value.

13:10Now, me wanting to be a present parent,

13:12I made the decision to leave my

13:13full-time job to ensure the success of

13:16my pride and joy.

13:19AYV is a for-profit career readiness and

13:22workforce development firm and we got

13:23our start by leveraging a national lead

13:25generation tool called Thumbtack where

13:27we were able to acquire clients across

13:29the country and assist with enhancing

13:31their professional readiness. So, this

13:33included their resumes, their cover

13:34letters, and also interview prep. And as

13:37you can see, several of our clients were

13:38able to achieve success with our

13:40support.

13:43During 2023, we made the transition from

13:45that national focus to a hyper-local

13:47strategy here in Fort Worth. We were

13:50able to develop relationships with

13:51Workforce Solutions as well as Tarrant

13:53County College. Furthermore, we expanded

13:55our service offerings to include

13:57cohort-based training as well as

13:59organizational consulting.

14:02Financially, we're trending in the right

14:03direction and with confirmed commitments

14:05for 2027, we're primed to have our best

14:07year yet from a revenue standpoint.

14:11Moving forward, it's our goal to to

14:13within our existing partner network And

14:15we're actually doing that. With TCC,

14:17we've been brought back for cohort three

14:19of the Las Vegas Trails Rise Initiative,

14:21a program that we supported since the

14:23inception. And with Workforce Solutions,

14:25I'm proud to announce that we were

14:27recently awarded a bid through C2 Global

14:29to provide staff training at all the

14:31workforce centers throughout Tarrant

14:32County.

14:34In terms of the contest funds, it'll be

14:36a even split for us.

14:385,000 will go towards rebranding and

14:41marketing of AYV. The remaining 5,000

14:43will go towards the opportunity costs to

14:45attend more industry events. And I have

14:47to tell y'all, this is a

14:48relationships-based industry. It's

14:51important that you're seen, you're

14:52heard, so you remain top of mind when

14:54opportunities become available.

14:57I'll end with a quote that I heard from

14:58Robert Sterns lately. He said, "There is

15:00no economic development without

15:02workforce development." Not only do I

15:04believe this to be true, but it further

15:05validates that AYV will be instrumental

15:08in supporting the ongoing economic

15:09growth of the city of Fort Worth. Thank

15:11you.

15:13>> [applause and cheering]

15:23>> THANK YOU SO MUCH AND GREAT JOB. I would

15:25like to know a little bit about your

15:28challenges. What was your biggest

15:29challenge, let's say, in the past 12

15:31months?

15:32>> Ooh, just sticking with it. You know, as

15:34as an entrepreneur, a lot of times

15:36through social media, you can think it's

15:38this glamorous thing.

15:40But it's it's a fight day in, day out.

15:42And more than anything, just staying

15:44consistent and knowing that the all the

15:46work that I put in will pay off. And so,

15:48really just being resilient and staying

15:49with it.

15:51>> Thank you.

15:53>> Yeah, um in your business plan, you talk

15:55about as soon as you start getting to 16

15:57billable hours a week, you're going to

15:58need to add some facilitators. So,

16:01you're selling, delivering everything

16:02yourself. Can you talk us through your

16:04your plan as you scale? Who can you

16:05bring on first and what kind of capacity

16:07they do they add to your organization?

16:09>> Yeah, so right now I do have some some

16:11folks that are considered part-time

16:13facilitators and consultants. But that

16:1516-hour mark is kind of like my my tap

16:18out cuz I noticed like I give it my all

16:20and usually after I've done that I'm I'm

16:22kind of tired when I present it. Uh but

16:24nevertheless, I've uh already contacted

16:26people, but then when I begin to get

16:28more demand, the goal will be to bring

16:30people on full-time. And so right now, I

16:32rely on those people that I have that I

16:35can that can facilitate and provide that

16:37consulting for me.

16:44>> Thank you so much.

16:45>> All right, thank you.

16:46>> [applause]

16:50>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, ARTICULATE YOUR

16:51VALUE. You get to go relax out there

16:54now. Take a deep breath.

16:56All right, and our next uh finalist is

16:59going to be DMG Notaries. So we'll have

17:02DMG Notaries TO THE STAGE.

17:05>> [cheering]

17:06[applause]

17:18>> HAVE YOU EVER BOUGHT, SOLD, or

17:20refinanced your home from your kitchen

17:23table

17:24or even online at a time that was

17:26convenient for you?

17:28It's likely that your title company

17:30asked a signing service like ours to

17:32have a notary assist you on their

17:34behalf. Hi, I'm Michelle Ganahl,

17:37co-founder of DMG Notaries. In 2019, I

17:41learned of notaries who specialize in

17:43real estate closings and immediately

17:45knew that was for me.

17:47Soon after, my husband Dan left the IT

17:50world to join me. In recent years, we've

17:53grown from individual notaries to a

17:55trusted signing service partners for

17:58title companies in Texas and beyond.

18:05The title the signing service that a um

18:09title company chooses to partner with is

18:11of utmost importance. And the notary

18:13that we send represents them.

18:16Notaries must build rapport with the

18:18buyer. They walk the uh

18:21buyers through the signing documents,

18:23and they have to know how to navigate

18:25any questions or concerns at the signing

18:27table.

18:29A highly skilled notary

18:31presents a flawless last impression for

18:33the title officer and the realtor and

18:36lender who are often not present. But, a

18:39poorly skilled notary

18:41leaves everyone at the table frustrated

18:43and concerned.

18:45And worse, a buyer who potentially walks

18:48away from the closing. This hurts the

18:52vital trust

18:53and future business that title teams

18:56work so hard for.

19:00DMG Notaries is their trusted solution.

19:02Unlike our corporate competitors who

19:04treat every closing as a transaction, we

19:07bring 7 years of personal expertise to

19:10the closing table. And because our title

19:12software directly integrates with

19:14theirs, we can bring efficiencies and

19:16securities that many others cannot

19:18offer. We bring the trust that they need

19:22with the elevated experience that their

19:24clients crave.

19:26To date, we have served in 13 states and

19:28even in India via RON, but we're growing

19:31from the outside from DFW out and

19:34building our business. There are 900

19:37title offices in DFW. Capturing just 1%

19:40as future clients would triple our

19:43annual revenue. And while we've been

19:45primarily focused on the real estate

19:47industry, we also partner with estate

19:49planning firms.

19:53Tonight's $10,000 award would go towards

19:56growing our tech and our systems,

19:58increasing our marketing, and adding

20:00membership in key industry

20:02organizations.

20:03I'm Michelle Ganaut with DMG Notaries,

20:06and we thank you for this opportunity.

20:09>> [applause]

20:13[applause]

20:23>> Can Can you talk through your your

20:25client acquisition strategy a little

20:28bit? In in your business plan, you had

20:291,200 allocated for marketing. I see now

20:32it looked more like 4,500, 4,600.

20:34>> Yes. So, what does that really look like

20:36and what kind of success have you seen

20:37with your recent efforts?

20:38>> Right. So, I will say this process from

20:40when we turn in our business plan to

20:42where we are now has a whole lot of

20:44coaching in between, right? So, we've

20:46come a long way and we've understood now

20:48that we really need to put a lot of

20:50effort into our marketing. So, what we

20:52have is monthly

20:54between and actually we can even break

20:55it down to weekly, but we are targeting

20:58new clients and yet also supporting

21:00current clients. So, that looks like in

21:03the title world, there's a lot of

21:04continuing education classes that

21:05they're needing sponsors for in order to

21:08bring in the business for them as well.

21:11So, we come alongside and we support

21:12them with those sponsorships as well as

21:15just individual marketing

21:17for title offices and also estate

21:20planning companies as well. We're we're

21:22targeting that, too.

21:23>> Very good.

21:31>> Hey there. Good job. Um

21:33how do you distinguish your service

21:36for title companies that might already

21:37have notaries in-house?

21:39>> Ex- Thank you. That's a great question.

21:42Practically every title company is

21:45already using a signing service, whether

21:47it's their own

21:48in-house service that we will not

21:50compete with, such as Fidelity, or

21:53they're using someone already. And what

21:55we have to do is outwork those

21:58current signing teams that they have.

21:59So, we just continue marketing, continue

22:01following up, and we bring personalized

22:04service. We've gotten already clients

22:06[clears throat]

22:06where

22:08their current service is just falling

22:09short. They're calling, nobody answers.

22:11They're emailing, nobody replies.

22:13There's a problem at the table, no one

22:15knows how to point them to the right

22:16direction to assist. Because we've been

22:18notaries, we understand both sides of

22:21that need. And so, unlike our corporate

22:23people, they just hire folks to come in,

22:25They haven't lived that.

22:27THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

22:29>> [applause]

22:34>> THANK YOU SO MUCH DMG NOTARIES. I know

22:37that it is kind of nerve-racking to get

22:39up here and talk about your business.

22:40So, before we bring out the next

22:43contestant, I want to kind of walk you

22:45through what it feels like to be a

22:47contestant that's sitting in the back.

22:49So, when I did it, they had us in a

22:51green room and there was like, you know,

22:54you could watch it, but now they're just

22:55back there listening, pacing, I'm

22:57certain nervous, probably a couple of

23:00butterflies happening back there.

23:02Because it you put so much work, right,

23:04into your business plan and doing the

23:06things that need to get you here to

23:08today and then it all compounds in this

23:10one

23:113-minute pitch, 2-minute question Q&A

23:14for the money.

23:17Judges, are we good to move to the next?

23:19All right, perfect. Sorry, I was moving

23:21too fast for the judges earlier. So, for

23:23our next

23:25our next presenter, we have Iconear

23:28DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY.

23:32>> [cheering]

23:33[applause]

23:46>> GROWING UP, I learned what a ringing

23:49phone means to a small family business.

23:54Because I was on the other end answering

23:57it.

23:59My dad ran a billboard business and I

24:02helped his clients spend their

24:04hard-earned money just to be seen.

24:07When the customers moved online, I

24:09helped his clients get seen there, too.

24:12Hi, I am Rishi Sharma, founder of

24:15Iconear.

24:17So, what happens when the phone stops

24:19ringing?

24:21For a small business, that can be the

24:23end. And today, being online isn't

24:26enough. So, let me ask you this. How are

24:29you searching for businesses these days?

24:33Because your next customer is asking AI,

24:36just like you.

24:38Ask ChatGPT who's the best plumber in

24:40Fort Worth, and it gives you three

24:41names, not 10 pages. If you're not one

24:44of them, the phone doesn't ring.

24:48Iconear was built for this moment. We

24:50make local businesses the ones AI

24:52recommend, along with the online

24:54marketing to match, all from one

24:56partner, starting at just $499 a month.

25:01Here's one of our clients. He runs a

25:03landscaping business here in DFW. Every

25:05winter, his phone went quiet. He had to

25:08let go of his crew.

25:09We rebuilt his website, got him on top

25:12of local searches.

25:13His calls tripled. He's busy all winter,

25:16and the best part, he gets to keep his

25:18crew.

25:20Our growth systems work. Today, our team

25:23of 22

25:24is serving 81 businesses on our monthly

25:27plans.

25:28Our clients rate us 4.9 stars across

25:31several hundred reviews. We're

25:33profitable with no outside money and

25:36growing every single year.

25:39And Fort Worth, that's our biggest

25:41untapped opportunity. Tarrant County has

25:44over 47,000 small businesses, and they

25:47are the backbone of this city. We have

25:49already built 32 clients across the DFW

25:52Metro, but here in Fort Worth, where I

25:54live, we only have three, and that's the

25:57opportunity.

25:59So, what is the $10,000, you may ask?

26:01That's how we show up here, and every

26:04dollar stays in this city. It puts a

26:06local ambassador in the rooms where

26:08chambers

26:09exist, where business owners gather,

26:11like the chambers. And

26:14we organize small workshops for business

26:16owners to understand the

26:17the importance of online marketing and

26:20AI visibility. Our goal is to get 20

26:22clients by the end of 2027.

26:25My dad's clients needed someone to help

26:27them move from billboards to online.

26:30Today, Fort Worth businesses need the

26:32same help with AI. I've done it once and

26:35I'd like to do it again here at home.

26:37Let's make Fort Worth businesses iconic

26:39online. Thank you.

26:44>> [applause]

26:50>> Great presentation. Really good business

26:52plan as well, by the way. I have a

26:54three-part question. None of the parts

26:55have anything to do with each other. I

26:57just want to bogart the time.

27:00So,

27:01AI search search optimization you

27:04specifically call out as your

27:05differentiator. What what actually makes

27:07you different there because a lot of

27:08folks have access to it. Question number

27:10two, you didn't address churn in your

27:12plan at all and so I'd love to know

27:14>> didn't get the second part. Sorry.

27:15>> You didn't address churn or clients

27:18leaving the business. So, I'd love to

27:19know what those statistics actually look

27:21like. And then what happens if you lose

27:23access to the the 22-person team that

27:26you're able to tap?

27:27>> Great questions. I'll go one by one. The

27:30first one, why we are different. Three

27:32reasons. Our company culture is that we

27:35adapt fast. We were one of the first

27:37ones to get into the AI visibility

27:39bandwagon and that's what we started

27:41offering our clients. Second is we've

27:43got the the track record. We've got

27:46case studies in every home services

27:48industry, whether it be HVAC,

27:50landscaping,

27:52tree trimming, all those things. And the

27:54third is

27:55our experience and our reputation. So,

27:58that's how we basically are different

28:00from other people. One last thing that I

28:02want to mention is that we are extremely

28:04affordable. At $499 a month, national

28:07agencies cannot compete with us and

28:10smaller freelancers cannot scale at 81

28:13clients. The second question about

28:15churn. So, the clients that we had in

28:17January of early this year, four out of

28:20five clients are still with us. So, it's

28:22about 80% and I'm so sorry I forgot your

28:24last question.

28:25>> What happens if you lose access to the

28:2622-person team that you helped your dad

28:28build?

28:28>> Yes, the 22-person team is our partner

28:31or

28:32family-owned company.

28:34If we do lose it, it's already set at

28:36market rates and it's on our SOPs, it's

28:39on our our own guidelines. So, if that

28:42team goes away, we would hire another

28:43vendor because we we have the IP, we

28:46have the guidelines to do what we have.

28:48And the best part is we're present here

28:50locally, we're the ones who are building

28:51the relationships, we're the ones who

28:53are networking with people.

28:55Thank you.

28:55>> [cheering]

28:56[applause]

29:01>> Perfect. Thank you so much, Iconear

29:02Digital Agent Marketing Agency. Um so,

29:06before our next uh speaker comes up, I

29:08want to talk a little bit about the Fort

29:10Worth Business uh Assistance Center. Is

29:13that what it is? Right. Business

29:14Business Assistance Center. So, that is

29:16here in Fort Worth. It's over off of

29:18Rosedale and I-35. It's such a great

29:21resource if you are an entrepreneur in

29:23Fort Worth. It allows you to go and find

29:26resources like uh Tech Fort Worth, which

29:28is an accelerator and incubator program

29:30if you're in the tech space, Accelerate

29:32Fort Worth if you have any other

29:33businesses. There's 1 Million Cups

29:36there, which I know a bunch of our uh

29:38contestants have been to 1 Million Cups,

29:40presented their business at 1 Million

29:42Cups, and we're always looking for

29:43presenters. So, if you want to do that,

29:45shameless plug. I'm not a volunteer for

29:47them, so shameless plug. All right. And

29:49so, we are ready for our next

29:51contestant. We have MLK

29:53Pre-Arrangements.

29:57>> [applause]

30:00>> WELL, HELLO. HELLO. HELLO. Nice to meet

30:03you all. I am Lena Killian, the owner of

30:07MLK Pre-Arrangements.

30:09You guys

30:11might be asking, "What is MLK in MLK

30:15Pre-Arrangements?"

30:16Well, of course, it's Dr. Martin Luther

30:18King

30:19and they're my initials, Mabel Lena

30:23Killian.

30:24I am going to be your final party

30:28planner, okay?

30:30So,

30:32you might ask what's in a name and I've

30:34given you my MLK's bill. But

30:38the next thing is

30:42let's see this video. Wait.

30:45You thought this was for me, but I'm

30:47here for you.

30:49So,

30:51>> [laughter]

30:51>> death is a tough subject, but if we get

30:53ahead of it, we are going to be a lot

30:57more in the positive place and then

31:00we can have a light-hearted conversation

31:01on this side. When death happens, that's

31:04when the serious things occur.

31:07So, here, let me ask the audience. Those

31:10of you with aging parents, please stand

31:12up really quickly. Please.

31:19Those of you don't want to admit it that

31:22you're 50-plus, please stand up. Please

31:24stand up and stay standing.

31:30It's okay. It's okay. It's I don't want

31:32I won't remember. But those of you that

31:34are still standing, please remain

31:36standing. There's a question here.

31:38Those of you that are still standing,

31:39who has prearranged

31:42their cremation? Who has not, actually?

31:44Who has not prearranged their cremation

31:46or their burial? Sit down.

31:50The ones that have not.

31:54Yes, if you have, stay standing, please.

31:57You I want to applaud and I want to say

32:00thank you for taking time out for your

32:03family. Okay, because that is going to

32:05make it so much easier when you

32:07transition, your family won't have the

32:10difficulties that others will. So, MLK

32:13is here to help you

32:15get ahead of what's to come. We do

32:16burials and cremations. We do veterans

32:19and VA benefits, cemetery property,

32:22headstones and monuments,

32:24and away from home coverage. We can

32:25discuss that later. But the main thing

32:28is here

32:29is that I come from working in the

32:31funeral home business

32:33and we like to make sure that you don't

32:36have the experiences that I have seen

32:38behind the scenes at a funeral home. MLK

32:41is here for you. We work for you, not

32:44the funeral home. So, if you have any

32:46questions or concerns, please

32:49know that we are here for you. I am the

32:52owner, the founder with the experience,

32:54and then Michael is my operations

32:55manager.

32:57Please scan this code if you'd like to

32:59see our commercial.

33:00And if you'd also like to learn a bit

33:02little bit more about MLK

33:04prearrangements. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

33:07>> [applause]

33:11[applause]

33:16>> HI.

33:18CAN WE GO UP?

33:20OH MY GOSH, YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO ask me

33:2275 questions. I totally forgot. Yes, I

33:24will take your questions. Yes, please.

33:26Thank you.

33:28>> How are you attracting customers right

33:30now? I mean, I know at funeral homes

33:32everyone's dying to get in, but what

33:35about for you?

33:36>> They really are. They really and it's,

33:38you know,

33:39>> [laughter]

33:39>> and I'm so glad you said that cuz I was

33:41going to say that at some point. But,

33:43what I do is it's a natural progression.

33:46I work with 40 plus funeral homes, not

33:48just one. And so, that's what makes me a

33:51little bit different, but the biggest

33:52difference is that I've worked in those

33:54funeral home spaces and I've seen the

33:56people turned away. And that touched my

33:58heart because my grandmother passed away

34:00and she did it beautifully.

34:01She had a preplan, which is what I help

34:03my families with, and so that's my

34:06That's my

34:08belief that I'm supposed to be here is

34:10because of grandma.

34:12The biggest part of that is I think it's

34:13just word of mouth. And I've been doing

34:15great because of word of mouth and

34:17because I am

34:19integrity if nothing else. I'm funny,

34:22I'm great, but I'm definitely all about

34:24keeping ducks in a row and making sure

34:26people get what they deserve, that type

34:28of thing. So, it's word of mouth is the

34:31biggest thing. Can I get more leads from

34:33other places? Definitely, but it's been

34:35word of mouth.

34:36>> Thank you.

34:40Thank you.

34:40>> OF THANK YOU.

34:43>> [applause and cheering]

34:45>> GOOD JOB. GOOD JOB.

34:48I'VE BEEN DYING TO KNOW WHAT THAT

34:49business was about all night.

34:52I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding.

34:54Um, so one of the great things about the

34:55Fort Worth Business Plan Competition is

34:57the way that it really connects people.

34:59So, the first time that I actually met

35:01another virtual assistant company owner

35:03was here in the Fort Worth Business Plan

35:05Competition who I have been able to, you

35:07know, she's poured into my business,

35:09I've poured into her business, and we've

35:11really been able to build just a great

35:12community. Um, and so that's one of the

35:15things that the Fort Worth Business Plan

35:16Competition really does is it builds

35:17community for your local entrepreneurs.

35:20So, I really would like to highlight,

35:23um,

35:24uh, Ensemble Coworking. They were one of

35:26our, uh, business mentors, but they have

35:29just an incredible,

35:31uh, coworking space where entrepreneurs

35:32can connect and be connected and really

35:34be a part of the Fort Worth eco-

35:36ecosystem that we have for

35:37entrepreneurs. So, let me announce our

35:40next one. We have Open Minded

35:43Counseling.

35:46>> [cheering and applause]

35:56>> Open Minded Counseling was founded out

35:58of a problem I have dealt with

35:59throughout my career.

36:00Burnout.

36:01Many of us deal with this problem.

36:04Hi, I'm Katie Stone, owner and founder

36:06of Open Minded Wellness, a training

36:08division of Open Minded Counseling. I'm

36:10an LCSW, an AcuDetox specialist, and a

36:13registered trainer with 5M P Texas.

36:16Our company was founded in 2023 to

36:18provide affirmative and holistic mental

36:20health and wellness care to Tarrant

36:22County and across the state.

36:25We have a real issue. Healthcare isn't

36:28healthy. Our providers are burning out.

36:32Meanwhile,

36:33burnout is not a black and white issue.

36:3525% of the adults you know deal with a

36:38mental health issue. 50% of those people

36:41don't get the care they need. Meanwhile,

36:4450% of our providers report being burnt

36:46out in the last year.

36:48Burnout takes the color out of health

36:50care. We want to add the COLOR BACK IN.

36:55>> [cheering]

36:57>> ENTER 5NP ACUDETOX, A gentle five-point

37:00ear acupuncture for mental health and

37:02wellness. It's non-verbal and it doesn't

37:04have to be done in clinical settings.

37:07We have already provided over 600

37:09experiences in Tarrant County and across

37:11the state. We want to continue to scale

37:13this.

37:15The solution is simple. Train more

37:17providers in this protocol and the

37:19benefit is twofold. We give providers a

37:22solution that lifts a weight off their

37:23shoulders. They get to sit and rest for

37:2620 to 45 minutes while their community

37:29sits and heals in front of them.

37:31We are going places. We are in

37:33unconventional places and we are taking

37:35this to where the people are. We are

37:36taking this to the communities.

37:39This training is open to licensed mental

37:40health providers, nurses, occupational

37:43therapists, and pharmacy techs. We want

37:45to keep scaling this.

37:49Our business since its inception has

37:50grown 30%. We project that 30% to

37:53continue to grow as we expand this

37:55training protocol.

37:58We meet our customers where they are in

37:59in unconventional places. Last year we

38:02were the first and only wellness

38:03provider at Anime Frontier, a group that

38:06brings in 40,000 people to Fort Worth,

38:08and we're back this year providing

38:10wellness on the floor.

38:12Our Our goals are threefold. We want to

38:14hire a scaling consultant to help us

38:16grow this business. We want to host more

38:18trainings with more seats, and we want

38:20to work with a bigger organization and

38:21get more people trained.

38:23Our funds are already earmarked. We're

38:25going to up our marketing game. We're

38:27going to continue to pay our staff.

38:29We're going to secure our training

38:31facilities for 2027. And most important,

38:33we're going to be in the places,

38:35conferences, demos, convention. We're

38:37going to be where the people are to get

38:38this training in front of the right

38:39people.

38:41Let's add the color back into health

38:43care.

38:44And let's bring healing home. Thank you

38:46to the city of Fort Worth. Thank you to

38:48the judges. Thank you to Frost Bank.

38:50Thank you to everyone here tonight. And

38:52thank you to everyone that's opened

38:53their heart to burnout prevention AND

38:55HOLISTIC HEALING.

39:00>> [applause]

39:17>> YEAH, SO UM

39:18FIRST OF ALL, GREAT PRESENTATION. I I

39:20Yeah, very much enjoyed

39:21>> Practice just a little bit.

39:22>> Yeah, good. Um

39:24so so you know, you talk about um you

39:27know, providing professional training to

39:28them you know, for this uh for the the

39:31acudetox. You know, tell me about how

39:33that's how that's working. Are you How

39:35are you scaling that? How are you

39:36bringing in those new professional

39:38trainees?

39:38>> That's a great question. So, I competed

39:40last year. Um last year I was just

39:42becoming a registered trainer. Today,

39:44we've had five cohorts and we've trained

39:4515 clinicians across the state of Texas

39:48with many of those being fully certified

39:49and they're already in their places of

39:50business. We have Corpus, we have

39:52Amarillo. We people traveling to us to

39:54get this training cuz it's hard to find.

39:56So, this law changed in 2023. It was

39:58restricted to LCDCs in substance abuse

40:01community. In 2023, it expanded our

40:03trainers changed the law in Texas that

40:05allows any of these professions to now

40:07get trained change. It is not a new

40:09training. It's been around since the

40:10'70s. So, we're bringing back something

40:12that's already been here that's

40:14evidence-based, trauma-informed, already

40:15has deep roots.

40:21>> When someone goes through your training,

40:22is it a one-time revenue for your

40:24company or is it a they're part of your

40:26system and you get a rev share when they

40:28go off and create additional revenue?

40:30And if not, is that possible?

40:32>> Yeah, that's a great question and that's

40:33going to be part of our scaling. So,

40:35right now it's kind of one time.

40:37However, I'm working to bring more of

40:38the people I train onto my team. So, as

40:41I get tagged for more experiences, I can

40:44bring them on. They have extra revenue,

40:46but they're also being placed out. And

40:47then we also want to have more business

40:49opportunities for them. So, I get calls

40:51all the time like, "How do I market

40:53this? How do I scale this?" So, we want

40:55to provide that second fold of how do we

40:57help them support their business and be

40:58where they're at and grow that way.

41:01>> I I've seen that done pretty

41:02successfully in the doula space.

41:04>> Mhm.

41:04>> Um and so, if if you haven't looked into

41:06that, you you might and just see if you

41:08glean some nuggets of of wisdom from

41:10what they've done there.

41:11>> Yeah, thank you. I I definitely will.

41:18THANK YOU SO MUCH.

41:19>> [applause]

41:20[cheering]

41:25[cheering]

41:26>> I HOPE WE ALL ARE FEELING A LITTLE BIT

41:27MORE open-minded after that uh pitch.

41:31So, before our next uh

41:33pitch presenter, I would like to remind

41:35you that you are all a part of this

41:36competition as well. We do still have

41:40the perfect pitch award to be awarded

41:43that you get to vote for. So, I hope

41:44you're really clocking in, taking notes

41:47on who your favorite presenter is

41:48because during the break, you will go to

41:51uh it was the city Let's Let me find it.

41:54Let me find it. Give me the exact words.

41:56fortworthtexas.gov

41:58uh {slash} pitch.

42:00All right, for our next presenter, we

42:03have Panther CITY EYECARE.

42:08>> [applause]

42:18>> GOOD EVENING. MY NAME'S DR. JULIE IRVIN.

42:20I'm the owner of Panther City Eyecare.

42:23Prior to becoming an optometrist, I

42:25spent 11 years as a bilingual elementary

42:28school teacher.

42:30During that time, I saw firsthand how

42:32vision problems could impact learning

42:35and development.

42:36One student in particular changed the

42:38course of my career.

42:40He had struggled academically for years.

42:43I was the one who figured out he

42:44couldn't see what he was being taught.

42:47So, after connecting him with vision

42:49care and glasses, I saw his academic

42:53performance excel.

42:55That experience taught me that vision is

42:59more than just eye care.

43:01It impacts learning, independence, work,

43:05health, quality of life.

43:07That is what became the foundation for

43:09the idea of Panther City Eye Care.

43:12I wanted to create a practice where

43:13patients could receive vision and

43:15medical care from a practitioner who

43:18listens, who explains, who sees the

43:20whole patient.

43:22I also built Panther City Eye Care as a

43:24business.

43:26We have diversified income across

43:28medical and vision exams, optical,

43:31specialty contact lens fits, diagnostic

43:34testing, and recurring medical care.

43:37Right now, our average revenue is about

43:39$300 per patient, and our capture rate

43:42is sitting at 63%.

43:46The opportunity now is growth. Our goal

43:49over the next 12 months is to double our

43:52patient encounters while preserving that

43:54personalized care that we offer.

43:57A $10,000 investment would be the

43:59catalyst for that growth.

44:01We have a straightforward strategy.

44:04We're going to increase local awareness

44:06through SEO and website enhancements.

44:09We're going to increase our bilingual

44:11marketing and bilingual presence. We

44:13also want to increase our community

44:15outreach.

44:16Our growth philosophy is simple. We have

44:19to add capacity before we compress care.

44:25When patients

44:27walk through the door, I want them to

44:29feel comfortable.

44:31Panther City Eye Care gives them that

44:33personalized care. I think excellent

44:36health care and good business can and

44:39should work together.

44:41When patients walk through the door, I

44:43don't want them to see just see clearly,

44:46I want them to feel seen. Thank you.

44:50>> [applause]

44:58>> GREAT JOB AND I LOVED reading your

45:00business plan.

45:02>> Thank you.

45:02>> Uh so I was looking forward to your

45:03pitch tonight. Thank you. Um I'm the

45:06question that I have is you said that

45:08you wanted to double your patients

45:12without losing that personal care.

45:14>> Correct.

45:14>> So how can you double the the patient

45:18the number of patients?

45:19>> So our capacity is going to be about 275

45:22to 300 patients a month. At that point

45:24in time we would have to add a second

45:27practitioner. Um we have availability to

45:30build out a third exam lane. We know the

45:32numbers to hit when we're going to add

45:34additional staff. And then right when we

45:37get to that kind of 275 to 300 patients

45:40a month or when we start booking out 2

45:43weeks, that's when you have to add a

45:45second doctor.

45:51>> Hey there.

45:52Um

45:52with this proposed expansion

45:56with your overhead and your

45:58um your facility that you're in right

46:00now, do you have plans to expand that or

46:03how does that work into your

46:04>> So I have 2,300 square feet. I have

46:06three exam lanes. I have a full

46:08diagnostic testing room. Um so for me to

46:12add a second doctor

46:14I would have the overhead of adding the

46:15second doctor and the support staff. But

46:18everything else is already there. I

46:21wouldn't have to go and look for a

46:22second facility. I wouldn't have to

46:25expand in that way.

46:29>> I've Well, good. Great presentation. Um

46:32your slide mentioned the 63%

46:36uh I guess conversion from those that

46:38are are are in your office and I believe

46:40you also mentioned about $300 your

46:42average sales. What's your customer

46:43acquisition cost?

46:45>> So right now we're

46:48spending money on Google Ads, but a lot

46:50of it is coming directly from um

46:53insurances insurance panels. Um I have a

46:56lot of word of mouth. I have a huge

46:58population of patients that have

47:00followed me from my last practice. And

47:04so right now our cost on acquiring those

47:06patients is very low.

47:10>> [applause]

47:10>> THANK YOU.

47:16>> I CAN SEE WHY THAT IS A TOP eight

47:19business.

47:20Um, so just before we pull out our next,

47:23we only got two left. So, two

47:24contestants left, so you won't have to

47:27put up with too many more of my cheesy

47:28jokes.

47:29Um, but before our next contestant comes

47:31out, I do want to kind of walk you

47:32through why the Fort Worth Business Plan

47:34Competition is a little bit different

47:35than other competitions that I've been

47:37in. So, I have done three different uh

47:40pitch competitions and won three

47:41different pitch competitions. The but

47:43the Fort Worth Business Plan was a

47:45little bit different because it was

47:46every week you were meeting and you were

47:48learning a different element of your

47:50business plan. And then, if you were

47:51smart, you went back and you like wrote

47:54that piece of your business plan. I

47:55wasn't. I procrastinated. Um,

47:58but then it's also the pitch. So, these

48:00judges have all listened or read these

48:03these business plans. So, they know kind

48:05of the ins and outs of them. So, they

48:06have a different understanding of the

48:07business that you're watching than what

48:09we're seeing today. And so, they have

48:11very different guided questions. And

48:13then, you have the pitch, right? How do

48:15you show up? How do you talk about your

48:17business? How do you present it? What

48:18does your business acumen actually look

48:19like? And those are the two elements

48:21that the judges are using to give your

48:24final score. That's why it's super

48:26important for you, if you loved somebody

48:29that you vote for them in the perfect

48:30pitch prize. So, for our next um,

48:34contestant is SENTROSIUM WELLNESS.

48:41>> [applause]

48:46>> HELLO, I'M SUPER HAPPY TO BE HERE this

48:48evening to share with you the passion

48:50about this very uniquely named business,

48:52Sentrosium Wellness.

48:54You see, there was a time where I

48:55actually struggled with some pretty

48:57intense medical issues.

48:59And from that, I actually wanted some

49:04root cause

49:07Sorry about that. I wanted some root

49:09cause healing, and I wanted

49:11transformational real results, and it

49:13was very important for me to do this

49:14without a prescription.

49:17So, I'm now the hormone whisperer, but

49:20let me walk you through the journey that

49:23it took to actually get here. So, I was

49:25a single mom when I earned my doctorate

49:28of pharmacy degree from the University

49:30of Florida. Go Gators.

49:31And my credentials are from an elite

49:34academy called A4M, which teaches root

49:37cause healing.

49:39And I'm an expert in hormone

49:40optimization because I have over 20

49:42years of experience in personalized

49:44medicine because I am looking at this

49:47through the lens of a chemist, and of

49:49course our hormones are all about our

49:51body's unique chemistry.

49:54So, look how simple this slide is, but

49:55yet recognize how complicated the

49:57problems that we solve actually are. In

50:00fact, how many of you know someone who

50:02is struggling with fatigue or brain fog

50:06or weight gain? And how much more so do

50:08you know about their frustrations

50:10because often times these symptoms are

50:12actually being dismissed. But the Sol

50:14Triune solution is actually four simple

50:16easy steps. We start with a free

50:19conversation. I want to know your story.

50:22I want to know what symptoms are you

50:23struggling with and what is your goal so

50:25that we can determine the right at home

50:27test kit for you because our

50:30labs are through either saliva or urine.

50:35We are looking at those hormone levels

50:37that have been active in the tissues and

50:38within the cell.

50:40So, when we do the consultation, I take

50:42your results, and I build your

50:44personalized wellness plan using

50:47pharmaceutical grade products that will

50:49shift your body's chemistry so that you

50:51can optimize your hormone levels.

50:55So, in building the future, we would use

50:58a very large sum of money to funnel into

51:01sponsored events, advertisement, and

51:04speaking engagements because we want to

51:06showcase our expertise and we want to

51:08build confidence in the community of

51:10those who want functional wellness.

51:14So, the bottom line is there are people

51:16who are struggling

51:18with symptoms that do have natural

51:20solutions and I know that I am not the

51:23only one out there who wants root cause

51:24healing, transformational real results,

51:27and do this without a prescription.

51:30You see, people just need somebody who

51:32has the credentials and expertise to

51:34help them and that person is me. So, I

51:39recommend you scan the QR code and

51:41anybody that you know who is struggling

51:42with some hormonal symptoms, start with

51:45a discovery call. THANK YOU.

51:47>> [applause]

51:54>> UM AS A UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA GRADUATE,

51:57I always have to counteract Go Gators

51:59with Go Dogs.

52:01So, there's that.

52:02>> I'm a fan of where my money goes, for

52:04the record.

52:05>> [laughter]

52:06>> Um in in your business plan, which I I

52:08know is dated, you were in the low

52:10single digits and or low to mid single

52:12digits in programs per month and then

52:14January 2027 opened up with I think 18.

52:18So, the the marketing or the growth that

52:19you're going for, can you just give us

52:21an idea on on where you sit now and are

52:23you headed towards the trajectory that

52:25you had projected?

52:26>> Yeah, right now um in that trajectory, I

52:29am really pivoting on the fact that even

52:32though the holidays are coming up, it is

52:34usually very very stressful, you know,

52:36especially for women, um

52:38you know, especially high-functioning

52:39people who have a job and have a family.

52:42So, really

52:44targeting those individuals who want to

52:47get ahead of it, uh especially with the

52:49hormone testing and that we don't

52:52transition a little bit easier through

52:53the holidays.

53:00>> What sets your business apart from other

53:02competitors that do similar services?

53:06>> So right now the fact that I am all

53:08online telemedicine is a huge advantage

53:10especially for

53:12women who want some after hours

53:15consultations

53:17and also the fact that I am a new

53:19business so it won't take 3 to 6 months

53:21to schedule an appointment with me. I

53:23think that's actually a huge advantage

53:25for me right now.

53:31>> Your business business plan talked a lot

53:33about just kind of the personalized

53:35kind of care that you can can provide

53:37and and just you know very responsive.

53:39So you as you grow

53:42do you have a plan for if you get to

53:44that point where you can't

53:46sustain it by yourself

53:48you know bring on someone new or how

53:50would you handle that?

53:51>> Well yes I I do have a few people in

53:54place actually

53:56that I would be willing to hire

53:58because I trust their expertise yeah.

54:02>> [applause]

54:08>> That was great. Thank you so much

54:11>> [clears throat]

54:11>> Sentrozium Wellness. So we have our last

54:15pitch of the night is coming up next. So

54:17I do want to remind you that there will

54:20be a quick intermission while the judges

54:23evaluate after the last pitch where

54:25there will be libations and snacks out

54:28in the foyer again and then we'll come

54:30back in and we'll hear the rest of who

54:33won and take pictures and do all of the

54:36fun things. So for our last competitor

54:39of the night we have West WELLNESS AND

54:42MASSAGE.

54:44>> [cheering]

54:45[applause]

54:59>> 9 YEARS AGO

55:01OR 9 years as an ER nurse it showed me

55:05people receive their care in pieces and

55:07none of it is relaxing. I'm Chantal

55:09Gardner. I built The West to put

55:12restorative, relaxation, and

55:14results-driven medical wellness under

55:16one roof. Our goal, when people think

55:19self-care, they think The West. Here

55:22you'll find massages, facials, IV

55:24infusions, peptide treatments, and

55:27medical weight loss plans.

55:29Our providers, nurses with ER and

55:32critical care experience, licensed

55:35massage therapists who tailor every

55:37session in real time.

55:39Aestheticians providing advanced

55:41hydrofacial treatments, because you

55:44deserve nothing less.

55:47Fort Worth has med spas, and it has

55:50massage studios. No one else does both.

55:53Both industries are growing. So, like

55:56this cactus, we put down roots in Fort

55:58Worth. Clinical on one arm, relaxation

56:01on the other.

56:04Texas tightened med spa rules in 2025.

56:07Some businesses shut down. The West,

56:10however, already exceeded industry

56:12standards and was operating within these

56:14new parameters. How, you ask? Every

56:18treatment goes through three levels of

56:20expertise, physician oversight, a custom

56:23plan from our nurse practitioner, and

56:25expert delivery by our nurses.

56:30Since launching our brick-and-mortar

56:31location, we have seen tremendous

56:34growth. Already in 2026, we have doubled

56:37last year's revenue and tripled our

56:40memberships.

56:42Memberships are currently 18% of our

56:44revenue. That's reoccurring, reliable

56:47income. Our goal, 100 new members in the

56:51next 12 months. With 100 new members,

56:54that would increase our membership

56:55revenue to 60%.

56:592025, we built our stunning location,

57:03and that cost some money. 2026,

57:06we've already cut our losses by more

57:08than half. 2027, we're launching Botox

57:11and fillers. That's the highest profit

57:13margin category in our industry.

57:16Look at those profit margins.

57:21Targeted Instagram and Facebook ads,

57:24partnerships with local gyms and golf

57:27courses, in-office services.

57:31Improve signage at our Foundry District

57:33location.

57:37That's how I did utilize $10,000

57:40to improve brand awareness.

57:44Time to feel your best at The West. Scan

57:46the QR code and I'll SEE YOU THERE.

57:49>> [applause]

57:59>> UM SIR,

58:01I COULD INFER THE ANSWER TO this cuz you

58:02just touched on it, but I'm going to ask

58:04you it anyway. In 2026, you had your

58:06cost of sales at about 17% of revenue.

58:08In 2027, it drops to 12, even though

58:11you're adding injectables, which have a

58:1228% cost. So, I assume it's the

58:15recurring revenue bet that you're hoping

58:17on to bring that that margin down.

58:19>> Yes, sir.

58:21So, right now we're operating at a

58:22pretty high overhead. As our memberships

58:25come up, that overhead comes down.

58:28>> And then um

58:30you didn't have it broken out exactly,

58:31but it seemed like 8 to 12% potentially

58:34on marketing. Is that enough to triple

58:36from where you're at now?

58:38>> We're going to give it a try.

58:45>> That was going to be one of my questions

58:47was you mentioned that your memberships

58:49had this year had increased

58:52tremendously. Do you besides marketing,

58:56do you do you can you pinpoint how you

58:59were able to increase those memberships

59:01so that that can help you in 2027?

59:04>> Being right in front of people really

59:06helps educate them on what the benefits

59:08of the memberships offer. So, they get

59:11perks, discounts,

59:13um

59:14it's them coming in to take care of

59:16themselves every month and our front

59:18desk plus the service providers do a

59:21really great job of that conversion now.

59:23But I think if we could build that brand

59:25awareness, it would drive them into the

59:27front doors so we can see them, shake

59:29hands more.

59:32THANK YOU.

59:34>> [applause]

59:39>> PERFECT. WELL, THAT was all of our

59:42businesses. So we've made it kind of to

59:44the end of the pitches. So now that all

59:47of the pitches are concluded, we're

59:48going to take a short break to allow the

59:50judges to deliberate and the audience to

59:52vote on the perfect pitch prize. You can

59:55scan this QR code right here to do your

59:57perfect pitch prize vote. In the

1:00:00meantime, join us in the lobby for

1:00:02bites, refreshments, networking, and

1:00:04then we'll have you back in about 20

1:00:05minutes.

1:00:11All right, everyone. Thank you so much

1:00:12for your patience. Thank you for voting

1:00:16on the perfect pitch prize. We're so

1:00:18excited to continue through the night

1:00:19and wrap get things kind of wrapping up.

1:00:21But before we do that, we have an

1:00:23incredible guest with us tonight. I'd

1:00:25like to introduce with you Mayor Mattie

1:00:27Parker. She's going to come up and just

1:00:29say a COUPLE OF WORDS.

1:00:32>> [applause]

1:00:35>> GOOD EVENING. HOW WE DOING?

1:00:37SO I guess the jitters out for our

1:00:39amazing final competition. I'm just

1:00:41always so impressed with this event. I

1:00:43was very bummed I did not get to sit and

1:00:44listen to the pitches. I had a very

1:00:46important JV football game that got

1:00:47moved up. So otherwise, I would have

1:00:49been here with you. But now I get to be

1:00:51part of the fun part, which is our

1:00:52prizes. First to Frost Bank for always

1:00:54showing up. Hadley, you and your team

1:00:56are incredible. Really appreciate you.

1:00:58For 15 years we've had this competition.

1:01:00And as folks in this audience can tell

1:01:02you, people like Robert Stearns, it's

1:01:03not uncommon for you to run across some

1:01:05of our business winners that are still

1:01:07doing business here in Fort Worth. I

1:01:10would be remiss. This city continues to

1:01:12grow and thrive. I use the statistic a

1:01:13lot. We're the 10th largest city in the

1:01:15country, over a million people, but the

1:01:18bedrock of our city are small

1:01:20businesses, period, end of story. And

1:01:22I'm always so impressed by the

1:01:24entrepreneurship. Yes, clap for

1:01:25yourselves, FOR SURE.

1:01:27>> [applause]

1:01:29>> I'M ALWAYS incredibly humbled to learn

1:01:31the stories of people that are taking a

1:01:33chance on themselves to build a business

1:01:36and importantly to choose Fort Worth.

1:01:37So, thank you very much for

1:01:39participating tonight. Importantly,

1:01:41thank you to the Modern for hosting us

1:01:43in this beautiful space. It really does

1:01:45remind you how lucky we are here in Fort

1:01:47Worth to have such amazing cultural

1:01:48district as well. I know I'm going to

1:01:50bring Hadley up in a minute, but I also

1:01:52want to thank our economic development

1:01:53team and all of our judges that took the

1:01:55time to be a part of tonight's scoring

1:01:57process. It is always incredibly

1:01:58difficult to choose our winners because

1:02:01there are so many fantastic people in

1:02:03Fort Worth doing great business.

1:02:05At this time, I'm going to ask my friend

1:02:06Hadley to come up. I think you're going

1:02:08to you're going to bring things home, is

1:02:09that right?

1:02:11What's in your envelope? Do you have

1:02:12something? It's like the Academy Awards

1:02:14here, y'all.

1:02:16Okay, look forward to it. Thank you,

1:02:17Hadley.

1:02:19>> [applause]

1:02:24>> Thank you, Mayor. And I'm Hadley Warner,

1:02:26regional president for Frost here in

1:02:28Fort Worth. We've enjoyed the incredible

1:02:30partnership that we've had with the city

1:02:32of Fort Worth for many, many years.

1:02:34It is awesome to watch this develop

1:02:37through the years, but I really want to

1:02:39take a moment here to thank and

1:02:42congratulate

1:02:43the participants in this year's

1:02:45competition.

1:02:47Um

1:02:48Participants, you spent countless hours

1:02:50working on your plan,

1:02:52working through running your businesses

1:02:55while sitting through classes, um having

1:02:59a family,

1:03:00managing all those aspects of what it

1:03:03means to run a small business and be an

1:03:05entrepreneur, but yet still striving to

1:03:07get better and learn what it takes to

1:03:11to reach the pinnacle of success. And

1:03:13you spent so many hours working on that.

1:03:17Um you are the true champions tonight

1:03:18and while some did not make the finals,

1:03:21you all were very very successful in

1:03:24completing the task and completing

1:03:27the competition plan and working through

1:03:30that. And so, we would like to recognize

1:03:34all of those that completed the

1:03:37business plan competition with just a

1:03:39little bit extra for everyone tonight.

1:03:41And for all of those participants in the

1:03:43plan, Frost Bank is offering and

1:03:46providing a $5,000

1:03:485-year term loan to you to help you with

1:03:51your business as well as a $200 Visa

1:03:54gift card just as a thank you for

1:03:57sitting through [cheering and applause]

1:03:57that.

1:04:02So, congratulations to all of you who

1:04:04participated on your accomplishment.

1:04:06Your entrepreneurial spirit is what

1:04:09makes this mayor the absolute best city

1:04:11in America. Frost and the city of Fort

1:04:15Worth thank you for your entrepreneurial

1:04:17spirit and we can't wait to see what

1:04:19your companies will become. So again,

1:04:21THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

1:04:23>> [applause]

1:04:28>> TRULY, THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT IS

1:04:30alive and well in Fort Worth. So, we are

1:04:33going to

1:04:35kind of wrap up the night. I want to say

1:04:37congratulations to our top eight

1:04:39candidates for making it this far.

1:04:41Thank you to everyone who has come out

1:04:44tonight. And then for our

1:04:48um

1:04:48Oh, okay.

1:04:50Do you want to do this one first? The

1:04:51perfect pitch first? Okay, perfect.

1:04:53Perfect. We're going to do the perfect

1:04:55pitch prize

1:04:58which is going to be presented BY

1:04:59PRINTED THREADS.

1:05:02>> [applause]

1:05:08>> HEY, HOW'S IT GOING?

1:05:09MY NAME IS BRETT. I've seen some of you

1:05:11guys before.

1:05:13Um and I want to say first of all, it's

1:05:15devastating that this room is not

1:05:16packed. So, everybody

1:05:19that is here, tell everyone that you

1:05:21know next year

1:05:22you have to be here because it's one of

1:05:24the most exciting nights of the year for

1:05:27me. I think it's it's super fun. This is

1:05:29like our own local Shark Tank, right?

1:05:32>> [snorts]

1:05:32>> And we have a good friend down the

1:05:33street, Mark Cuban, that should be here,

1:05:35too. Shouldn't he be? Let's all call

1:05:37him.

1:05:38You know his email is

1:05:40[email protected].

1:05:41I'm just saying. Just just email him.

1:05:46That's real. I'm giving out secrets.

1:05:48Okay.

1:05:49So, I started a business 16 years ago in

1:05:52my garage, you know, and um

1:05:55Being an entrepreneur is really hard.

1:05:57You're going to face a lot of adversity

1:05:58and you're going to almost go out of

1:06:01business a bunch of times. There's a

1:06:02book called Shoe Dog that you should

1:06:04read about Nike.

1:06:06He almost went out of business like 12

1:06:08times, right? And we all know who he is.

1:06:11So,

1:06:12um

1:06:13I think it's really important to to

1:06:15acknowledge how how hard it is. And and

1:06:19I face a lot of it and

1:06:21um

1:06:22I had a talk with the group this this

1:06:25I was going to say this morning and then

1:06:27this afternoon, but it was at lunch

1:06:29time, which is in the middle of those

1:06:31two. And we we had a talk about

1:06:33vulnerability. And the reality is like

1:06:37um you can't be a successful anything

1:06:41without being really vulnerable. And so,

1:06:44the people that got up here today, these

1:06:47eight

1:06:48businesses that got up here and spoke,

1:06:50some of them not great at public

1:06:52speaking because like how could you be

1:06:55everything to anyone, right? And the

1:06:58fact that you got up here and you gave

1:07:00it your all and you

1:07:02I mean, it's it's great. Right? And so,

1:07:06um

1:07:07Here's two things I'm going to

1:07:08recommend.

1:07:10One,

1:07:11uh

1:07:13I've failed at a lot of things. I've

1:07:15started a lot of businesses and I've put

1:07:17a few of them out of business.

1:07:20So, the one

1:07:21It's hilarious, isn't it, when you lose

1:07:23hundreds of thousands of dollars, it's

1:07:24so funny.

1:07:26Uh but uh

1:07:28But uh peer groups are really good,

1:07:32right? Um so going to peer groups,

1:07:34whether that's I'm in a group called

1:07:36Vistage. There's smaller groups uh for

1:07:38smaller businesses, but join one.

1:07:40Second, therapy

1:07:43in general, great. I was at my therapist

1:07:46at 8:00 a.m. this morning. It's the

1:07:47earliest meeting I've had in months. Uh

1:07:50and uh it was it's really really good

1:07:52and really important. So, I recommend

1:07:54those things to all of you because

1:07:56this is hard. And um

1:08:00while uh things are going really well

1:08:03for me now, they haven't always. And uh

1:08:05that's that's real.

1:08:07So, I own a company called Print on

1:08:08Threads. It's right there. Uh we're on

1:08:11I-35. Come and see us. And if anyone is

1:08:14in this room

1:08:15and you want uh some

1:08:18some cool made for your business,

1:08:21call me and you'll get 10% off. And

1:08:24while

1:08:25I've been waiting for this this

1:08:27beautiful envelope to be handed to me,

1:08:29and which is why I've said all this

1:08:30crazy stuff, this is not the right

1:08:32envelope.

1:08:40>> [cheering]

1:08:42[applause]

1:08:45>> I want to give $500 to the perfect pitch

1:08:49uh

1:08:51what do we call it? Candidate?

1:08:52>> Yeah.

1:08:54The perfect pitch.

1:08:55>> The perfect pitch winner?

1:08:58And uh we're going to make you a bunch

1:09:00of cool stuff, right?

1:09:02And uh you're going to be it we're going

1:09:04to put these logos on shirts or hats or

1:09:08aprons or

1:09:10uh

1:09:11>> Anything.

1:09:12>> What do you call the doctor thing?

1:09:14>> A stethoscope.

1:09:15>> Not a stethoscope.

1:09:17>> [laughter]

1:09:17>> Those would be good branding, though.

1:09:20>> But it's going to go to a company called

1:09:22Panther City EYE CARE. YEAH.

1:09:27>> [applause and cheering]

1:09:34[applause]

1:09:41>> YES. YAY.

1:09:50PERFECT. YAY.

1:09:52>> [applause]

1:09:58>> WELL, ANTICIPATION IS USUALLY THE BEST

1:10:00part of most relationships, and so

1:10:02that's where we're at at the end of the

1:10:03night, the anticipation.

1:10:05All right. So, just a couple of

1:10:07reminders before I read out the winners.

1:10:09If you are a winner, please stand Where

1:10:12do you want them? On the side over here?

1:10:14Kind of You're going to come over here.

1:10:16You're going to get your prize, but then

1:10:17don't go too far because we want lots

1:10:19and lots of pictures. So.

1:10:22All right. So, we're going to start with

1:10:23our third placed winner. This is a

1:10:26$4,000

1:10:28prize. Drum roll.

1:10:31Our third place winner is Open Minded

1:10:34Counseling.

1:10:35>> [cheering]

1:10:38[applause]

1:10:44[cheering]

1:10:46[applause]

1:10:52[applause]

1:10:59>> All right. So, for our next second place

1:11:03winner, this is going to be the winner

1:11:05of the $6,000 cash prize.

1:11:09Drum roll.

1:11:11Our winner is going to be Panther CITY

1:11:13EYE CARE.

1:11:14>> [cheering]

1:11:15[applause]

1:11:32[applause]

1:11:42[applause]

1:11:45>> PERFECT, AND I KNOW THEY'RE GETTING THAT

1:11:47check ready.

1:11:49The big check that one of you guys gets

1:11:50to take home and put on your wall for

1:11:52the rest of eternity.

1:11:55Okay. [clears throat] Perfect. All

1:11:56right, and I need the biggest drum roll

1:11:58that you have in you for our grand prize

1:12:01$10,000

1:12:03winner IS ICONAIR.

1:12:10>> [applause]

1:12:18[cheering]

1:12:21[applause]

1:12:25[applause]

1:12:31>> THANK YOU EVERYONE SO MUCH FOR COMING.

1:12:32We hope you enjoyed this evening, and we

1:12:35will see you next year at the 2027

1:12:37Business Plan Competition.

1:12:39>> [cheering and applause]