Bizy Dips wins inaugural event

The coffee and bakery business is going to get a bit more bizy.

The inaugural Launch Jay entrepreneurial pitch competition Saturday hosted by Jay County Development Corporation and Jay County Chamber of Commerce at Jay County High School named Bizy Dips as its champion.

As the winner among the five contests, the coffee shop and bakery that opened last summer in John Jay Center for Learning will receive $7,500 to go toward expenses to help expand its business. Bizy Dips also gets $1,000 for winning the fan favorite vote.

Altered Syle, a design and do-it-yourself business, was the runner-up and will receive $4,000. Grandma-N-Me Quiltin’ took third place and will get $2,000.

About 50 were in attendance for the first “Shark Tank”-style competition in the school’s auditorium. Participants signed up in August and then had the opportunity to attend seminars with East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center. On Saturday, each of the five entrepreneurs made a three-minute pitch and then fielded questions from a panel of judges made up of area business professionals.

“It feels really good to win,” said Hannah Long, who operates and co-owns Bizy Dips were her husband Patrick. “We spent about 15 hours just on our business plan … And then our pitch competition, I’m definitely not a public speaker so it was a little bit out of my comfort zone, but it was definitely worth it. We’re really thankful for our community for holding this event.”

Bizy Dips plans to expand its business with a mobile trailer that will allow it to cater weddings and visit special events. The Longs already have the trailer and plan to use the funds from Launch Jay to equip it with a new espresso machine, refrigeration equipment, cabinets and various other items.

“We’re hoping to have that up and running this fall,” Long said.

She said they hope to have their trailer set up at Pennville Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 16.

Altered Style, owned by Angie Clark, plans to use its funding to expand the do-it-yourself side of its business by purchasing additional equipment and tools. Plans call for added to its selection of classes and workshops through which participants are taught skills to handle their own projects.

Grandma-N-Me, owned by granddaughter/grandmother duo by Gentry Clark and Viola Cline, will use its funding to purchase sewing machines and other equipment to expand its quilting business. Clark explained that there are few businesses that sell and supply sewing machines and she and her grandmother believe they can fill that niche for Jay County and the surrounding communities.

Other businesses participating in Saturday’s inaugural event were Vino, a proposed wine and craft beer bar, and AR15, an online gun accessory store.

Travis Richards, executive director of JCDC, explained the competition was intended to “create an opportunity for small businesses in the community with a focus on entrepreneurship.”

He and Tabby Sprunger of the chamber of commerce said they hope to continue the event in years to come.