The readers have voted, and Forbes.com recently announced the five finalists in its “Boost Your Business” contest, including Earthborn Studios of Leeds, Ala.

The readers have voted, and Forbes.com recently announced the five finalists in its “Boost Your Business” contest, available online at www.forbes.com/byb. Voting is now open to select the grand-prize winner, who will be announced in early December. The five finalists are:

• Earthborn Studios, Inc. (Leeds, AL)
• Audissey Guides (Boston, MA)
• Ksplice (Cambridge, MA)
• Naturally Bamboo (Mankato, MN)
• NuBarter, Inc. (Savannah, GA)

The finalists were flown to New York City to give live presentations to an expert panel of judges. Their videotaped presentations are posted on Forbes.com for further reader voting, which ends on November 30, 2009. The grand-prize winner will receive $100,000 in cash and advertising.

“When the klieg lights go on, the stress level is high, especially during the question-and-answer sessions,” said Brett Nelson, entrepreneur editor at Forbes. “But all five finalists prepared well and performed admirably. I am proud of them all, and they will be better fortified when stumping for capital in the real world.”

In the first phase of the contest, small business owners submitted 500-word business plans; 20 semi-finalists survived. Forbes.com users had the opportunity to review the plans and self-recorded 30-second “elevator pitch” videos before voting for their top five.

Links

• Boost Your Business