Miller Lite brought its Tap The Future competition to the Dallas City Performance Hall in Dallas on Tuesday July 14, 2015. Lucky-OH Horchata was the best of the four competitors, taking home $20,000, which allows the trio to advance to the Business Idea Competition in September. The Business Idea Competition will feature the winners from Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia and Dallas going head-to-head for a grand prize of $200,000.
Lucky-Oh Horchata is a liquid enhancer to make an instant Horchata, which is a traditional Mexican beverage containing rice, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. The company’s founders, Joe Valaquez, Nick Lang and Kristin Lang, expressed their appreciation to Miller Lite.
The event was hosted by the SVP of Revolt TV, Kenny Burns, and the panel of judges consisted of “Shark Tank ” investor and founder of FUBU, Daymond John; director of digital content and social media at Success magazine, Shelby Skrhak; and the co-owners of tech fundraising company WeDidIt, Ben Lawson and Sulaiman Sanni.
Four audience members were randomly selected give a two-minute pitch to win $500. Dee Cox won over the judges and crowd with her captivating pitch about her star-up, Move Dallas Reality, where she plans to “make the block hot,” and improve and sell homes in a neighborhood.
After the event was completed, MillerCoors’ head of community affairs, Steve Canal, gave a few pointers to entrepreneurs and their business endeavors, as well as what he hopes Tap The Future is providing to contestants.
How important is the business pitch to startup businesses?
It’s more than just the pitch, you know. Without small business, there is no America. Having an opportunity for these businesses to come out and get a feel from the crowd and from the judges of where they stand, it in valuable. When you have folks like Daymond John, Ben and Su from “We Did It”, and then you have folks that we have from Success Magazine, you’re getting a well-rounded response of what your business is right now.
Besides the money, what do you hope the audience as well as the contestants will take from this competition?
Hopefully, they can understand that Miller Lite is here to support small business and entrepreneurs. Before becoming a big business you have to start small, we’re fortunate enough that Miller Lite is the original Lite beer and be where it is today, but we understand what it needs to get to that point so we’re here to support that in the community.
What are some things you want an entrepreneur to ask themselves before they start their business?
First and foremost you need to understand your business and know your business to the T. You have to study your craft, you have to be a true professional and understand the nitty- gritty, the nuts and bolts and know everything about your business before you get in front of an opportunity like this for the professionals to be able to ask those right questions and also to be able to receive. A lot of people are over confident and don’t that the time to listen, so have an open mind and be able to listen when people are giving you a different perspective of what direction can go.
–jamisha daniels
