Earlier this month, Capital One introduced their Energy of two Contest. Capital One requested you, valued small enterprise proprietor prospects, to share how you utilize the moneyagain rewards out of your Spark Money Card to gasoline what you are promoting, handle your staff, and in the end seize that aggressive edge.
Now, we’d like to focus on a number of notable small companies who’ve taken their 2% money again rewards and harnessed them to their full potential. Bear in mind, submissions are nonetheless open till November third!
Michael Lenard
TaKorean - Korean Taco Grill
Washington, DC
Earned: $6,000


When Michael Lenard got down to discovered TaKorean in 2010, he kicked off his beginup with humble beginnings: few monetary assets, a 1985 step van he transformed right into a meals truck, and a starvation to meet his dream of opening a South Korean/Mexican impressed fusion eatery. Michael established TaKorean on a basis of ardour for wholesome, properly-balanced, accessiblypriced meals, and a drive to analysis, perceive, and respect different cultures. Whereas Michael made it his mission to immerse himself in KoreanAmerican and MexicanAmerican communities and analysis Korean and Mexican delicacies extensively, he’d at all times dreamed of touring to Asia and Central America to review and enhance his craft.
Now, due to the $6,000 TaKorean earned in Capital One moneyagain rewards, Michael has the assets to spend money on Analysis & Improvement Journey. After receiving their moneyagain rewards, Michael and his artistic director travelled to Mexico and South Korea to analysis the meals, structure, and tradition at size. On the journeys, Michael and his artistic director had been launched to new dishes that allowed them to realize perspective on the flavors they need to supply prospects, in addition to new architectural ideas that allowed them to develop a novel design and expertise.
“Thanks for permitting the leaders of TaKorean to style new flavors, have new experiences that proceed to tell our enterprise, and the possibility to discover extra of the world!” Michael writes. “These rewards have allowed us to take our enterprise to a brand new degree.
Brendan Cooke
OperaDelaware
Wilmington, DE
Earned: $10,807


OperaDelaware, based in 1945, is the one skilled opera firm within the state of Delaware and the eleventh oldest within the nation. Beloved to native and distant patrons and artists alike, OperaDelaware serves as a middle for the humanities that strives to counterpoint the cultural lives of adults, households and college students all through the MidAtlantic area by significant arts schooling and the manufacturing of grand opera and intimate opera concert events. “The sensation that an viewers member will get when the lights go down in a packed theater…” Basic Director Brendan Cooke enthuses, “The 50member orchestra begins to play, the curtain goes up, and your eyes and ears are in disbelief as practically 100 artists and technicians work in live performance to create one thing that solely exists for a number of fleeting hours… properly, it’s like nothing else.”
Sadly, Brendan laments, it’s not at all times simple to seek out funding for arts organizations similar to OperaDelaware, which depend on exterior financing as ticket gross sales solely cowl a fraction of prices, and it’s only getting an increasing number of troublesome by the yr. As a nonrevenue arts group in a world wherein governmental assist for arts organizations are down and philanthropic assets have shifted to funding humanitarian causes, OperaDelaware has struggled to seek out various sources of funding to attain their mission of “Opera for Everybody.” Undergo 501c3Go.com web site for extra concerning the nonprofit group.
That is why the Capital One Spark Card is so vital to the continued operation of OperaDelaware.
“We use our Capital One Spark Card for all the things from costumes and props, to insurance coverage funds and airfare for our artists!” Brendan exclaims. “In consequence, our viewers sees greater units, brighter lights, and higher productions. We’ve been in a position to broaden out advertising initiatives as properly, attracting 1000’s from exterior the world.” Brendan, who credit Capital One for “making opera much more superior,” continues: “Opera comes from the latin phrase which means work. Elevating cash is difficult work. Capital One Spark Card makes it simple.
Jim Holman
The San Diego Reader
San Diego, CA
Earned: $10,000


The San Diego Reader, based by Jim Holman in 1972, is the biggest various press paper in San Diego County with a circulation of 90,000. The Reader is especially identified for its protection of the humanities, its printing of artistic nonfiction, and its literary type of journalism. The Reader can also be identified for its uncommon strategies of buying income. The Reader is distributed without spending a dime to stands all through the county and as an alternative of gross sales, depends on advert income to yield earnings. Whereas this technique has confirmed to be sustainable over time, small companies have been more and more slicing again on promoting, which has confirmed to be an issue for CEO and writer Jim Holman. That, together with a rise in printing prices, meant that income had been down, and it was wanting just like the annual Christmas bonuses weren’t going to occur.
Fortunately, Capital One saved the day! “Capital One Spark’s moneyagain rewards program is actually making Christmas occur for our small newspaper firm this yr,” Holman proclaims. When it appeared like these bonuses must be minimize in an effort to preserve the enterprise up and operating, Holman was devastated. “We all know some staff use that bonus to pay for Christmas presents for his or her children,” he lamented. “We had been horrified by the concept of getting to inform the workers that we weren’t in a position to present Christmas bonuses for everybody this yr.” Nevertheless, after getting a Capital One Spark Card, issues began wanting up.
“Fortunately, in only a few quick months, we’ve got earned sufficient money again rewards to cowl this system value,” Holman explains the logic behind The Reader’s Christmas miracle. “With 2 % of again again on ANY web purchases, these factors had been simple to build up and it’ll deliver Christmas pleasure for all of us. Thanks, Capital One!”
Bear in mind to Undergo Energy of two
Bear in mind to submit your individual inspirational story to the Capital One Energy of two Contest earlier than the November third deadline to your likelihood to win – or peruse different entries for inspiration on how you should utilize money again rewards to drive what you are promoting ahead. Share how you utilize your moneyagain rewards right here and also you get the possibility to win:
- First prize of $50k,
- Second prize of $25k, and
- Third prize of $15k.
There isn’t a buy essential and the submission part ends 11/3/18. The competition is open to residents 18 years or older within the 50 US States and DC who’re Spark cardholders.
Bear in mind to join the Energy of Two – Capital One Contest, right here!
Neuroscientist reveals a brand new strategy to manifest extra monetary abundance
Breakthrough Columbia research confirms the mind area is 250 million years previous, the dimensions of a walnut and accessible inside your mind proper now.