Sharon Ricci and Influence Magazine Hoist Gold at Women's Entrepreneurship Quick Pitch

HAMILTON, Ontario - May 30, 2013 - PRLog -- Sharon Ricci, owner and publisher of Influence Publishing House earned first place in the Women’s Entrepreneurship Quick Pitch contest. The event took place at the McMaster Innovation Park on Monday. The Quick Pitch, Dragon’s Den style contest was sponsored by TD Canada Trust, Innovation Factory, Mohawk College, McMaster University, McKeil and the Centre for Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Innovation plus many others.


A field of eight contestants was shortlisted earlier in May. Each business owner was required to present a 5-minute “Quick Pitch” that outlined their business idea as well as an overview of sustainability, market and growth. No props or PowerPoint presentations were allowed. Business ventures were required to be less than 2 years old and only one business idea could be pitched during the contest. Influence Magazine launched in April 2013 under the sole ownership of Ricci.


Ricci came away with gold based on the strength of her pitch for her recently launched company, Influence Magazine. Influence Magazine is a weekly, online business magazine that appeals to a broad business audience and showcases entrepreneurs from all across North America. The motto of the magazine is Business, Balance, Bottom Line and Brilliance. But according to Ricci, what the magazine does very well is create buzz for entrepreneurs.

When asked about her win, Ricci says, “I am incredibly happy to win. Preparing a 5-minute Quick Pitch was a great exercise in itself, you really have to peel away what’s not essential and stick to only the most important, relevant facts. I have decades of experience working with and pitching to clients so this wasn’t a new venue for me. Over the years I’ve worked on Pepsi, Honda, Union Gas, Grant Thornton LLP, Ryerson University, Alterna Bank and many other top shelf brands so I was in my element.

Ricci had something to say about the competition she faced in the contest, “In this particular contest, there were many strong business plans presented so in the end I crossed my fingers and hoped my business idea and presentation were strong enough to come out on top. I got the prize money but am most excited about the opportunity to receive services from the judges and their companies over the next month. Having more voices around the table at Influence is certain to have a positive impact.”

Judges of the contest were Shelley McQuaid (Cypress Strategies), Serena Lee (Simpson, Wigle LLP) and Laura Babcock (Powergroup Communications) and in addition to the $1000 prize money, they are offering complimentary services to the winners.

Following up on her win at the Quick Pitch, Ricci is launching a Brand of You, personal brand event in June. Details will be available at the company website, influencepublishinghouse.com


About Sharon Ricci and Influence Publishing House
Influence Publishing House is committed to helping North American entrepreneurs build strong personal brands so their audience knows now only what they sell, but why they sell it. Influence Magazine gives them an affordable and accessible stage to tell their story from. The magazine is the first product launched by Influence. Sharon Ricci also owns Pop Shop, a marketing agency based in Hamilton, Ontario.


Media Contact
Sharon Ricci
905.719.8804
editor@influencepublishinghouse.com