OPEN by American Express - 
National TV, Radio, Print and Web ad campaign

In 2006, SmartsCo founders Julie Legrand and Jennifer Elias were featured in a national TV, radio, print and web advertising campaign for OPEN by American Express.

Check out the TV spot we were in that was directed by Jesse Dylan, considered by Fast Company as one of the "Top 100 Creative People in Business"

December 11, 2007

Business-Plan Contests Become 'American Idol Meets Trump' Entrepreneurs Whose Pitches are Persuasive Can Receive Loans, Credit Lines, Advice

In 2005, Julie Legrand and Jennifer Elias were running low on cash for their fledgling trivia-game business. So the San Francisco entrepreneurs devised what turned out to be a winning plan.

They spent several weeks revising the business plan they had written for their company, SmartsCo., and entered the 50-page document in the Make Mine A Million $ Business competition hosted by Count Me In, a New York nonprofit that provides resources for female entrepreneurs.

Making it to the finals in Long Beach, Calif. -- where they gave a three-minute pitch to judges and an audience -- they took home the top prize: a $45,000 loan from Count Me In and a $10,000 credit line from American Express Co.

"It's like American Idol meets Trump," says Ms. Tucker Legrand.

Entrepreneur Magazine

February, 2006

In an article entitled "Up to the challenge? Are you ready to take the next big step?", Julie Legrand was one of three entrepreneurs who were featured who discussed various business challenges. In the article Julie discussed the challenges of self-distributing in the book and gift world. Shortly thereafter, SmartsCo signed a distribution deal with Quirk Books / Chronicle Books.

September, 2006

The special supplement about The Bay Area’s 100 Largest Women-Owned Businesses honored women who have built strong enterprises and accomplished many challenges. Editor Sarah Duxbury talked with Julie Tucker and Jennifer Elias about how receiving the Make Mine a $Million award changed their business prospects dramatically. "Tucker and Elias are among legions of women business owners for whom small bits of capital pave the route to big business. There are many reasons -- some cultural, some market-driven -- why women are likely to go the microfinance route rather than turn to traditional sources, such as banks."

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2005 Awardee

Make Mine a Million $ Business™ is a program of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence — and founding partner, OPEN from American Express®. Count Me In introduced the program to help women entrepreneurs grow and build sustainable enterprises, create jobs and develop innovative products and services. 
The Make Mine a Million $ Business Award provides a combination of coaching, financing and marketing tools that women entrepreneurs need to help grow their businesses from micro to millions.

Learn more

Reuters-Entrepreneur Column

April 7, 2008

“A contest to support women to make a million in business"

Julie Tucker Legrand, and early "Million" winner and co-owner of San Francisco-based SmartsCo, which produces games for adults centered on themes such as wine and travel, applied because she and her business partner, Jennifer Elias, needed financing. But the former Silicon Valley techie says she walked away with the confidence to make smart decisions, a sense of healthy competition and accountability to others in the group."

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SmartMoney

October, 2006

Julie Tucker and Jennifer Elias won the business contest "Make Mine a Million" sponsored by American Express and nonprofit Count Me In.

"Voted a winner, she and Elias ultimately netted mentoring, coaching and $45,000 in financing — plus a star-turn in the AmEx campaign, which included a television commercial. Now, they're developing three new trivia products — about cocktails, dogs and babies — and they expect to hit $1 million in revenues next year."