Almost three years have gone by since starting Dorm Room Biz way back in the day of December 2005. So now here we are in 2008 and it is time to kick up the dust a little bit and run what will hopefully turn out to be a cool contest. The idea is simple: help promote and grow Dorm Room Biz in anyway you can (posting, commenting, subscribing, emailing, etc). For your efforts, you have the opportunity to win some cool prizes. I’ll outline all the details below.
How To Enter
As with most of the contests that go on around the blogosphere, there are a few different ways to enter and earn chances to win a prize. Here they are:
- Comment on this post and you will get one entry
- Comment on other posts throughout the course of the contest and get one entry for each comment. Comments need to be worthwhile and not just a “nice post” type of comment. Have some substance people!
- Write about the contest on your blog and receive 5 entries into the contest. Please provide a trackback to this post or leave a comment with a link to your post.
- Subscribe to the email feed and get another 5 entries for the contest.
Everyone who participates will be entered into a random generator and names will be pulled for the winners randomly.
Contest Timeline
The contest starts…TODAY and runs until September 19th. On the 20th I will run the names and announce the winners.
The Prizes
I know this is the section you guys have been waiting for, so here is a list of the prizes that are up for grabs.
- $50 via PayPal – 1st place
- The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur book by Mike Michalowicz, signed copy – 1st place
- 1 Month of advertising on Blogtrepreneur, 125×125 ad spot ($50 value) – 1st place
- 1,000 EntreCard Credits – 2nd place
- You Call The Shots book by Cameron Johnson, signed copy – 2nd place
- 1 Month of advertising on Young Entrepreneur Blog, 125×125 ad spot – 3rd place
- The Student Success Manifesto book by Michael Simmons, signed copy
- Zero to One Million book by Ryan Allis
- Great Failures of the Extremely Successful by Steve Young
- Ten Minutes To The Job Interview by Rachel Ingegneri
You can see the prizes listed for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. The other books and any other prizes that get sponsored will be given at random!
There are still lots of opportunities for contest sponsors and I am constantly searching and talking with people to get more prizes for this!
“Nice post Chris”!
Haha joking. Hopefully some more people will enter this, but any one of those books sounds pretty cool.
@ Everyone Else – Get your comments and posts and trackbacks in!
Damn it!!! I am going for it. I am a T P E. So this is exactly how I roll. I am going to take it ALL (except for my book of course… I have more than enough of those).
Chris… check the toilet paper blog tomorrow. I will be announcing your contest.
– Mike Michalowicz
Thanks for the comments guys, any link love you can send this way would be great! And also thanks for sponsoring the contest!
Some great prizes there – count me in!
Hi! I’ve just found your contest, and I think I’ll write a post on my contest blog in the next few days…Only one information: is it open worldwide, for the books delivery? or are you gaing to give alternative prizes?
Thanks!
Crap, I hadn’t even thought about the international aspect – I’ll have to get in touch with the sponsors and see if they are willing to ship overseas. If not, I’ll probably try to come up with another prize. However, the non-book items are definitely available to international viewers. Thanks for the comment and look forward to the post gLf!
Rock on man. Going to include in my roundup today.
Ha! What in the world is a toilet paper entrepreneur?? I guess it’s time to find out. 🙂
I love your contest rules and ways to enter! I’ve blogged about your contest at my blog Out of Debt Again. I think I would like to use your contest rules for my upcoming 1 year anniversary contest on my blog if you wouldn’t mind! And like Shannan, I want to know – what is a Toilet Paper Entrepreneur?
One more question – clicking on the Feed or Subscribe by Email links above takes me to the very same place. There doesn’t seem to be an option to subscribe by email by clicking that link – it just asks me which feed I want to use to subscribe. Help?!
Sorry about any confusion – you can subscribe via email here: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=237053&loc=en_US. I’ll get that link updated.
As for what a TPE is everyone, I’ll let the TPE himself, Mike Michalowicz explain and you can also check http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com.
Thanks for offering the contest. I found you by way of No Debt Plan and really like what I’ve read so far. Thanks!
Here’s one entry. How about tweeting?
I clicked on your link on No Debt Plan! Looks like my kind of reading. I’ll definitely be back to check out more! Oh, and I subscribed via email. 😉
Great idea!
Hey Chris,
I saw your HARO request. Looks like a cool contest. I am in baby! I am in!
– Mike
This is an innovative way to get the word out about your blog. I’ve already shared the link with several people.
Hey,
Cool contest. I’m a coach for entrepreneurs so good luck!
Trish
hmmm … the toilet paper entrepeneur – what’s the book printed on???
Best of Luck
Nice contest…found you via HARO- I am sure the first of many more 🙂
Mike,
Why must you be LOUD and EVERYWHERE, lol. I also saw the query on HARO this afternoon.
I will try to get some posts going here as well. We endorsers and supporters of young entrepreneurs have to work together!
Cheers.
Shonika
Saw this on HARO too. Nice idea.
We’re entrepreneurs, too. It’s good to see the spirit alive and well.
I saw this on HARO and had to come visit. This contest is a great idea to get more visitors and frequent readers!
Nice idea on the contest, great way to get some link love and readers. Heard about you on HARO, we’re a couple of young entrepreneurs too here at 40cozy.com, designers with a dream of greatness.
Great idea, and nice site. I work for a company that was started by entrepreneurs, and I have a secret desire to be an entrepreneur myself, so any of those books would be great to win (let’s be honest, so would the $50 :)) Good luck with the contest and with the site!
PS-I totally stumbled across this via HARO. Gotta love Peter Shankman!
Saw this on HARO – here’s my entry. Cheers!
Wish I would have had something like this when I was starting out. Kudos to you for giving back!
I’d be happy to offer a FREE PR Consultation to anyone.
Todd Brabender
Spread The News PR, Inc.
Generating media exposure for
innovative products, services and experts.
785.842.8909
todd@spreadthenewspr.com
http://www.spreadthenewspr.com
Check out Spread The News PR’s recent front-page feature in the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119800161598537205.html
By the way….you should pitch this to the thousands of college newpapers in the U.S. & Canada now gearing up for the fall sememster. Perfect media market for you!
Todd Brabender
Spread The News PR, Inc.
Generating media exposure for
innovative products, services and experts.
785.842.8909
todd@spreadthenewspr.com
http://www.spreadthenewspr.com
Check out Spread The News PR’s recent front-page feature in the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119800161598537205.html
I saw your contest on HARO, what a great idea.
Hey, saw you on HARO too! I’m an entrepeneur, but the title of this blog makes me feel, well, OLD! I want to win the advertising!!! Count me in!!!!
As a fellow entrepreneur, I LOVE your approach! I may even explore our own version of a contest at http://www.parkingspots.com – maybe I could have people submit their funniest parking story or pic…hmmm…you’ve got me thinking!
I have to say thanks for the contest as I’d never heard of many of those books…I have a few entrepreneur and business titles gracing my shelf but it’s time for some new blood!
Good luck with getting loads of people here and checking out your site…which I am off to do right now!
Tamara
Head Honcho, ModernGearTV
Just to let y’all now this is totally possible. I started my business 27 years ago, with total startup cost of $200 ($12 of that went for marketing). I’m still in business, and still home-based. Only now I have clients as far away as Japan and Cyprus. And I’ve assembled hundreds of resources for TPEs on the FrugalMarketing.com site.
What a great idea! I can’t wait to learn who the winners of your contest are.
Saw you on HARO too! I’m a college intern, not looking to start-up a biz, but always looking to support!
I love all things entrepreneur. This site is great…and right my alley! I’ll be back.
Beth Cochran
Wired PR
beth@wiredprgroup.com
Hi Chris,
Found out about the contest from HARO. I started my own marketing/advertising consulting biz as a way to generate income, do something I love and still have time to spend with my family. Thanks for some great info on the site. I’ll be posting a link back to the contest from my blog at http://www.advertisingmomentum.com later today.
Hilary
What a creative viral marketing campaign!
Hi/Hola –
I am a HARO member – found out about this contest through there! Great marketing amigo – well done. Count Boca Beth in!
Solid idea. And for the record, on two occasions, I’ve put 19 grapes in my mouth and briefly held the world’s-record for a paper-airplane’s sustained indoor flight (but didn’t make the book, unfortunately). I also have a website, http://www.jumpintotomorrow.com that lists and honors breakthrough technology and innovative thinking. We update it everyday, and everyday we hand out an award for the Technology of the Day. Looking forward to seeing who emerges at the top of the pack.
I came to your blog through HARO (www.helpareporter.com to all the PR people out there, subscribe to this email list, you will get tons of leads). I must say that I like your honesty. You wanted people to come to your blog, so you posted a note on HARO. Your blog entry was straightforward too. More organizations should be like you. Tell it straight with no B.S. Keep up the great work.
Nice book selection! I just found this blog, so I’m going to have a look around at your other posts now.
Hi Chris,
Congrats on your site! As Co-founder of Cocoon, an entry-level recruiting firm, I would love to find out what made you decide to enter cubicle-life for a few years before returning to the world of entrepreneurs.
Best,
natalia
Cocoon invests in you.
http://www.gococoon.com
Hi and sorry for the delay. My post:
http://aboutblogcontest.blogspot.com/2008/09/win-cash-and-books-at-dorm-room-biz.html
Also subscribed and dug.
Thanks a lot!
Have subscribed to your feeds, here’s my comment and here is my blog post too:
http://actiwiz.com/index.php/2008/09/dorm-room-biz-contest/
Thanks!
Subscribed and blogged here:
http://www.homebiz.bukiki.com/one-time-contest-cash-and-various-prizes-from-dorm-room-bizcom/
Hi!
I’ve subscribed using the same email to comment and blogged here: http://www.cahkontes.com/50-dari-dorm-room-bizcom/
Cah
Thanks
Nice Contest.
Blogged at:
http://www.indocontest.com/the-first-ever-contest-at-dorm-room-biz/
I’ve done the following:
1. Comment on this post
2. subscribed via email (using this current gmail)
3. blog it here:
http://wiehannecontest.blogspot.com/2008/09/first-contest-from-dorm-room-biz.html
joining here. subscribed rss, made a blog post, and this comment. thanks! and more power to Dorm Room Biz
Found this on Indocontest and I would love to participate in an easy contest such as this one. All the best to you!
I’ve done the following:
1. Comment on this post
2. Subscribed via email (using this email)
3. Blogged at http://themelib.com/contests/2008/09/15/the-first-ever-dorm-room-biz-contest/
Total = 11 entries.
Cheers 🙂
Awesome contest you’re having! And great prizes too! 🙂 I’ve subscribed and here’s my comment! lol XD
Thanks!
Subscribed with this email
I’ll blog about this contest later.
Good luck everyone! 😀
nice contest, I am taking part for sure 🙂
my entry for the contest http://iluvcontest.blogspot.com/2008/09/first-ever-dorm-room-biz-contest.html
I have subscribed using sherrygo at hotmail dot com
hmmm…I am the last contestan?
nice…
I have subscribed with this email and posted http://paco83.co.cc/2008/09/contest-from-dorm-room-biz/
1. Commented on this post
2. Subscribed via email (using this email)
3. Blogged at http://goodieshunter.blogspot.com/2008/09/dorm-room-biz-first-ever-contest.html
I subscribed to your blog and wrote about your contest here: http://www.dailydollarreport.com/the-first-ever-dorm-room-biz-contest/
Here’s my comment for you 🙂
Hi,
I’ve subscribed via email (dotskier[at]gmail[dot]com and this is my comment 🙂
hi. aspiring entrepreneur here. I subscribed using this email and made a post about it at Contest Love
Shebadoo
Aha Mama
A Zone for Digiscraps
I just signed up by email (glad you got your link fixed)!
Hi,
I have subscribed to your feed allblogcontests[at]gmail.com
I have blogged about your contest here
http://allblogcontests.blogspot.com/2008/09/win-50-from-dorm-room-biz.html
Thanks
Hello,
I have done the following things:
1) Comment on this post – 1 entry
2) Blog about this contest and link back – http://thecontestblogger.com/2008/09/18/dorm-room-biz-2008-first-contest/ – 5 entries
3) Subscribe to your feed via email and verified my subscription – email is thecontestblogger.
Great contest by the way, good luck everyone 🙂
I’ve blogged and linked my direct post.
Commenting!
Subscribed (using the email as filled in the form).
I came back with a blog post 🙂
http://www.se7enize.com/nice/contests.html
this is one sure way to promote the site as well..
I’m in!! thanks!!