Calling all Asian American entrepreneurs: Sometimes creativity and great ideas aren’t the hardest part of starting a new business.  Getting the funding necessary to start and sustain your business is nearly always a source of stress for entrepreneurs.  Whether it’s a bank loan or venture capital, startup funding almost always comes with many strings attached, making entrepreneurs wonder if the funds are worth the headaches.

MillerCoors hopes to make things easier for aspiring and new entrepreneurs with their Urban Entrepreneurs Series and business plan competition.  According to their website, MillerCoors has invested over $1.7 million towards entrepreneurship since 1999.  This year, the program plans to dole out $150,000 to business owners (over the age of 21) in urban communities.  Judges include representatives from Inc. Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, IW Group, and representatives from private industry.  So if money was an issue, consider this a grand opportunity.

Deadline is October 26, 2012.

Press Release after the break. 

MILLERCOORS RECOGNIZES NATIONAL URBAN ENTREPRENEURS WEEK

AND REINFORCES SUPPORT OF SMALL BUSINESSES

MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series and Business Plan Competition Picks Up

 Steam with Education Series

CHICAGO (August XX, 2012) – MillerCoors salutes urban entrepreneurs and their continued economic impact, with its annual National Urban Entrepreneurs Week on August 20-24.  The week includes interactive online business forums and an audio series featuring small business tools and strategies, that are designed to fuel economic continued growth. According to www.creditdonkey.com , small businesses generated 64% of new jobs within a fifteen-year period and employ over half of all private sector employees.  With the support of programs like the MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series (MUES) and Business Plan Competition, small businesses will continue to emerge and create new jobs for the economy.

“As a business enterprise with solid entrepreneurial roots, we hold small business owners in high regard,” says Larry Waters, senior director Community Commerce and Partnerships, MillerCoors.  “We are committed to providing tangible resources, to help today’s entrepreneurs grow.”

National Urban Entrepreneurs Week will officially begin Monday, August 20 and consists of two online business forums via Twitter, hosted by Black Enterprise Magazine Senior Vice-President, Alfred Edmond and Chicago’s “Money Smart Guy,” Matt Sapaula. Followers can tweet questions to Edmond or Sapaula at @millercoorsmues #mues and they will answer questions and advise entrepreneurs on topics ranging from cash flow strategies, to business plan development.

National Urban Entrepreneurs Week is in support of the MUES Business Plan Competition and is now open for entries. Since the competition’s inception in 1999, MillerCoors has invested nearly $2 million to small businesses across America and will grant up to $150,000 in business grants this year. For more information, resources for developing business plans, as well as the official rules and requirements of the MUES Business Plan Competition, visit www.MillerCoorsMUES.com.

About  MillerCoors

Built on a foundation of great beer brands and nearly 300 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers.  MillerCoors is the second-largest beer company in the United States, capturing nearly 30 percent of beer sales in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of brands across every major industry segment.  The portfolio is led by the company’s premium light brands: Coors Light, Miller Lite and Miller64.  Coors Light, the World’s Most Refreshing Beer, offers consumers refreshment as cold as the Rockies.  Miller Lite established the American light beer category in 1975, offering beer drinkers a light beer that tastes like beer should.  Miller64 is 64 calories of crisp, light taste that complements a balanced lifestyle. MillerCoors brews premium beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft, and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light.  Tenth and Blake Beer Company, MillerCoors craft and import division, imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch and features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company.  MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel’s craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisc. and two microbreweries, the  Tenth Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver.  MillerCoors vision is to create the best beer company in America through great people changing the way America enjoys beer. MillerCoors builds its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and sustainable environmental and community impact.  MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company. Learn more at MillerCoors.com, at facebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter through @MillerCoors.