Are you a high school student interested in joining SAGE Cup Philippines 2009? Follow these instructions and you’re on your way to winning the Cup!

Form a SAGE Team!

First, you must organize a team among your classmates. Each SAGE Team must be composed of a MINIMUM of THREE (3) and a MAXIMUM of FIVE (5) students.

Second, you must have an Adviser. Talk to your favorite teacher or your professor in business planning or home economics (or anyone in your faculty who is interested) to have them coach you. This is important. No SAGE Team can be successful with their business if there is no one to guide them.

Third, you have to have a Mentor to help you and your Adviser with your business. A Mentor can be a College student, an Entrepreneur (can be your mom or your dad) you know, or a school or government official. You can ask anyone whom you think will greatly help you in putting up your business. SAGE Philippines is also recruiting mentors in order to help you. There is no limit to how many Mentors you can have.

TIP: Students or Entrepreneurs who are good at finance and accounting make great Mentors. But don’t limit your options to that! Mentors who can also help you with your presentation skills are also worth asking for help.

Name your company!

Now that you have your teammates, your Adviser, and your Mentor working with you, you must have a catchy company name. All successful companies have cool names to make them memorable. Google, for instance, has become a household name and it’s one of the biggest internet companies in the world. Your company name must mean something about your company and most of all, must not be easily forgotten by your clients.

Send us your INTENT TO JOIN.

We want to know who you are and how we can contact you. Download and fill up the form, INTENT TO JOIN (113), and email it to info@sagephilippines.org

The moment we acknowledge your intent, you have successfully entered the Cup!

Think of a great business idea!

Of course, your team would not be able to win the Cup without a business! So you must have a great business idea to implement. Remember, your business must create profit. Aside from that, it must have a social impact or cause. We recommend that you study the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals for inspiration. The goals listed on the UN site can serve as your checklist. Do you want to raise awareness about universal education through your business? Do you want to help a local health center provide better care to mothers? The possibilities are endless, and best of all, they’re within your grasp. Take a look around your community and see how you can make it better through your business.

If you need a little more inspiration, visit the page where we feature the different SAGE Teams that joined the competition in the past. They have come up with some wonderful ideas with helping the world be a better place and making their business sustainable at the same time.

Your idea can be simple or it can be grand depending on your team’s capabilities. Just make sure you record everything you do and build up your business.

Answer the Entry Questions.

Now that you have let us know who you are and you have come up with a business, let us know about it! Answer the Entry Questions we’ve come up according to the criteria. This is where you explain your business idea and how it can help the community you and your school reside in.

Download SAGE ENTRY QUESTIONS (137)

To upload your entry, click on the right side of this page.   Remember, you have to be an online member of SAGE Philippines to upload an entry.  This way, we can communicate with you easily.

TIP: You must have written a business plan for your business. This way you know the ins and outs of your business process and concept. SAGE Teams that won in the past have relied on detailed business plans for their success. SAGE Philippines will not require a copy of your business plan or proposal but we recommend you have one for your team.

Put up your business

The reason why we recommend you have a business plan, is because you have to implement this and show us the results on January 24, 2009 at the Cup. This is easier said, than done but we know you and your team are up to the challenge! Take note of your transactions. Every little thing you do (buy your raw materials, for example, if you’re creating a product), must be documented. This way, it will be easier for you to present it to us on the day of the competition. If you’re offering a service, take note of how many clients you have and how much they have paid in the next few months.

Finally present your business on January 24th, 2009!

This is the day that will spell out all the hard work you have done in the past few months. In front of a panel of SAGE Judges (there will be more than ten), you will present your business through a media presentation and Annual Report. After your TWENTY (20) minute presentation, you will answer the questions our SAGE Judges will have based on the materials you have given.

Your presentation must be outlined according to the Criteria:

1. Business overview

2. A Global Dimension

3. Civic Engagement

4. Environment Responsibility

5. Use of Mentors

6. Use of Business Advisory Board

7. Use of Media

8. Measured Results

Good luck!