On December 2, Ben Stucker met with students in the IEI Lab for a special presentation on how he won the 2015 BYOBB. With the winnings from the BYOBB, Ben further developed his company. RatesForUs, Inc. is a financial marketplace that helps consumers find the best deals on their mortgages. In order to best help students learn from his experience, Ben took them through his BYOBB presentation slide by slide and gave his best advice and tips: At the end, he emphasized these three points:

1. Play by the rules to win the game. Ben shared that the BYOBB rules are very specific. If you want a real shot at winning, take the guidelines seriously and deliver exactly what is asked of you.
2. You are allowed to not have all the answers. As long as you have the “meat and potatoes” of your business plan, it is okay to not have all the “sides.” Included in this should be validation that your idea is legitimate. This is a key component for undergrad competitors!
3. Practice makes perfect. Come the day of, it is very obvious to judges and audience members who rehearsed their presentation and who didn’t. Preparing and practicing your presentation will only help you in the long run!

For more information on how you can compete in the BYOBB 2016, please click here.