EntrepreneurshipPresentationTeam Event

Business Growth Plan

For students who already own and run a business: write a plan of up to 20 pages to grow it and pitch it to a judge playing a source of capital in 15 minutes. Proof of ownership is required. No exam.

About this event

Business Growth Plan (event code EBG) is for one to three chapter members who are documented owners or operators of an existing business and want to grow it, whether by franchising, new markets, a second location, licensing, a merger or acquisition, new product lines, alliances or moving online. Every participant must be a documented owner; a parent's business does not qualify. Acceptable proof includes a notarized affidavit of ownership, business licenses, insurance certificates, tax filings or local permits; webpages, business cards and promotional materials are not enough. The proof of ownership pages are submitted with the entry but do not count toward the page limit. The written entry follows a fixed outline: executive summary, introduction (current state of the business), SWOT analysis, five-year plan to grow and expand, financing plan (current financials, overhead and operating costs, capital needed, and the path to profitability with a timeline), conclusion, bibliography and optional appendix. You present as the owners; the judge plays a potential source of capital. The written entry is capped at 20 numbered pages (appendix included, title page and table of contents excluded), must follow the published outline with every section titled, and must have the signed Statement of Assurances in front; penalty points come off for formatting violations. ICDC qualifiers upload the entry through DECA's online submission system in the weeks before the conference (DECA posts each year's window on its ICDC page; the 2026 window ran March 25 to April 8) and the chapter advisor must log in to verify it. The presentation is up to 15 minutes including the judge's questions, every team member must take part, and only hand-carried visual aids are allowed. Written entry and presentation are each scored out of 100 for a 200-point total before penalties.

What judges score

Current Business Understanding (15)Business Analysis (15)Growth and Expansion Strategy (15)Implementation Feasibility (15)Financial Impact and Sustainability (15)Presentation Technique: Organization (5)Presentation Technique: Persuasion (5)Presentation Technique: Delivery (5)Presentation Technique: Presentation Design (5)Presentation Technique: Overall Impression (5)

What judges score

Executive Summary: summarizes the growth plan, key strategies and the value of the expansion (10)Introduction: current operations, products or services and what makes the business unique (9)Introduction: understanding of the business's current market position (9)SWOT Analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (10)SWOT Analysis: how those factors inform growth decisions (10)Growth and Expansion Strategy: opportunities, expansion strategies and marketing approach (10)Growth and Expansion Strategy: how the strategy supports long-term growth (10)Financing Plan: current financial situation, costs and capital needed (10)Financing Plan: how growth is funded and sustained, with a timeline to profitability (10)Conclusion: why the proposed strategy will successfully expand the business (6)Professional Standards: professional layout, business language and correct grammar (6)

Study resources

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