RecycleSmart Solutions Inc. helps companies in Canada and the United States be more environmentally sensitive. The firm has developed technology that uses ultrasonic sensors to gauge the content level of a waste or recycling bin. This ensures that trucks will carry away only full bins, which makes the collection process more efficient. Pictured is Colin Bell, co-founder and managing partner.DARRYL DYCK/The Globe and Mail
Ready to be a contender in this year's Challenge Contest? Here's some advice from Ross Thurston, president of 2013's winning business, Calgary-based Livestock Water Recycling Inc., and Colin Bell, managing partner for business development at RecycleSmart Solutions Inc., one of four semi-finalists in 2013.
Show your passion
Make sure the strong conviction you feel for your business shows through in your application and, if you make it as a semi-finalist, in the in-person pitch session. "We're not the best presenters, but we really believe our business can make a fundamental difference, and the judges saw that," Mr. Thurston says.
Make it short, sweet and high-impact
A good idea, says Mr. Bell, is to craft your elevator pitch and then use it to build your application. "Doing this will help you think about your message and distill it down to what information is really important and what isn't," he says.
Have a clear and specific challenge
Mr. Bell suggests looking at your business strategy and figuring out what you need to do to break through to the next growth stage, what it will cost, and what results it will yield. "You need to be able to say, 'If you give me this money, I will do X, which will result in Y," he says.