Competing for cash instead of financing had students pitching business plans at the University of Mary Thursday.

The fifth annual entrepreneurial fair has students present business plans to a panel of judges for critique. The winning presentation receives $2,000 cash, a crystal trophy and moves on to the state entrepreneurial competition in Fargo.

The money could have helped Amy Schmidt invest in equipment for her videography company, Digital Creations by Amy. She provides DVDs of special events, converts older forms of media onto DVD and other services.

It's a service she started this year for extra income and wants to expand into a full-time job.

Instead she ended up with a business contact to refine her business plan. The winner of the entrepreneurial fair was Roughriders Therapeutic Riding. Second place went to Expert Solutions and third went to Pay at Ease.

Some of the entries were for businesses students already started. Ryan Deichart, who also worked on the Digital Creations presentation, has the payroll company Pay at Ease. He started the company after trying to find an easier way to do payroll for a company in Flasher instead of driving down on weekends.

Other companies are expansions on ideas from last year. Charles Hager expanded his technology business, Expert Technology Solutions, into selling a technology solution for banks to meet a compliance regulation.

Another student created a device that could be useful in the ranching industry to help breed bulls with injured hooves.

One at a time, students presented to the judges. Then the judges critiqued the plan and presentation.

"Our task is to go,'Yes, now think about this, this and this,'" said judge Pamela Schmidt.

Schmidt is owner of Schmidt Insurance and SIA Marketing. It is her third year judging presentations at the entrepreneurial fair. She likes seeing the ideas the students create, she said.

Among the presentation tips the judges gave: eye contact, good grammar and public speaking skills.

For the business plans, spell check and use the same tense.

As for the businesses themselves, proprietors need to keep prices competitive without being perceived as cheap, find and define their niche and remember salesmanship skills.

In addition to monetary awards, students were recognized for best presentation, presenter and business plan. The best presentation and business plan was Rough Riders Theraputic Riding and the best presenter was Charles Hager.

@$: (Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)