Hi everyone,

It’s been four and a half months since we launched the Race to a Million. There’s six months to go and we are entering an exciting new year for 2011.

With incredibly talented  and dedicated staff, the amazing entrepreneurs on the Race to a Million teams, several business leaders from the community, our business partners, and most importantly you the fans… we’ve accomplished some great things already in 2010.

Here are our top 8 accomplishments for 2010!

1. Together, we’ve created a reality television show that is positive not negative and that has started to demonstrate that incredible things are possible when everyone works together.
2. Over a half a million dollars has been invested into the Race to a Million in order to create this unique opportunity for the public, entrepreneurs, business people, and non-profit groups to work together and to create further success.
3. We’ve provided masterminding support and mentoring to a total of 37 entrepreneurs who in turn have started no less that 16 new business ventures in 2010 which otherwise wouldn’t have happened. These same people have formed the teams of the Race to a Million and they’re working on additional ideas together to benefit their teams, their charities and their community.
4. We’ve already achieved over 3000 registered fans and supporters for the Race to a Million from over 20 countries through the www.racetoamillion.ca website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google Buzz. WOW
5. We’ve helped to shine a spotlight on the great city of Kamloops. We’ve put the city of Kamloops on a world stage and brought attention to the fun, innovative and exciting business climate and the great people in our city that help make it all happen. Over 2000 of the show’s registered fans are outside of Canada!
6. We’ve inspired people across the nation, into the United States and around the world to start their own mastermind groups and work as a team to start entrepreneurial businesses which can make a difference in the world while at the same time become profitable and fun!
7. We’ve brought some exposure and awareness to some important charities that deserve our support and we’re finding new ways to benefit even more non-profit groups and worthwhile causes.
8. We’ve shown that it is possible to produce a quality TV show from this region that deserves to be broadcast into other markets and continue into a second season with the possibility of expanding the teams to as many as one hundred is as many cities.

Now, more than ever we need you!

Have you ever heard of a TV show created by the fans? Here’s your opportunity to stand up and be counted. You have the opportunity to be part of this exciting effort. We want your help… your creativity… your passion… your involvement… your advice… your influence. Without you there is no “we”. WE can do amazing things together!

Here are some ideas that we hope may appeal to you.

1. If you are not already a registered fan, PLEASE become one today. This shows the TV networks that people care enough to be involved! It shows the contestants that you support them and what they are trying to do! When you become a fan it shows potential corporate partners and sponsors for the show that it is worth their while to get involved. Please become a Facebook fan, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our channel on YouTube and register as a user on our website.
2. After you become a fan please share the link to the Race to a Million website with as many people as you can and tell them to do the same! If you have a website we’d love to have you provide a link to us and encourage your readers to follow along.
3. We’re also looking for people that would like to become a contributor.  Would you like to write articles for us that contain strong business tips, ideas and entrepreneurial advice?
4. Do you know someone who would consider becoming a sponsor, advertiser, or partner for the show? We would sure appreciate an introduction to them and an opportunity to come up with some creative ideas for how we could work together to benefit their business while creating more value for our fans.
5. Have you considered buying a Thanks a Million card and making a difference to someone else in your life?  The Thanks a Million card purchases help support the Race To A Million and everything we are attempting to do.
6. Would you like to work with one of the teams to help them out with advice or mentoring?
7. Please consider submitting your business ideas for making money. Perhaps you could brainstorm some ideas with your friends or family and submit them together. When we publish your ideas on the Race to a Million website you’ll get a great t-shirt and you’ll be entered for a chance to win $10,000. You get an entry into the contest for every idea you submit that we publish.
8. You can also submit ideas for what you’d like to see on the show.  It could be an idea for a new segment or an improvement for something we have already done? Do you know someone we should interview? How about something you’ve always wanted to learn?

What can you offer? We’d love to hear. Please consider sending Dean and I an email at info@racetoamillion.ca or reach us through the contact form on this website.

Cheers

Peter Cameron-Inglis

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Idea to everyone!

In this BIG Ideas Video Peter and Dean discuss submitting to the BIG IDEAS form on Race To A Million and some feedback (AND IDEAS) from Peter’s daughter Heather Cameron-Inglis. Are there people out there that seem a little reluctant to submit their ideas?  You bet there are! Are they holding onto their ideas? Yes! Why might that be? Heather Cameron-Inglis shed a little light on why this might be for us to share.

Some of the ideas might be from more than one person… can people submit ideas as groups or couples? The answer is yes! Please do! Perhaps you have a team of your own and are following along with the show trying to create some masterminding and entrepreneurial business yourselves. That would be great and we’d love you to submit on behalf of a group or even if you’re doing it with a friend!

Some people might also be thinking … If I submit my idea I might win $10,000 but if I keep my idea to myself then I won’t have to share it with anyone and I could make millions … to that we say … If you don’t submit your idea and you never get around to doing it … you’ll have nothing BUT even if you’re scared of losing it … email Dean and Peter at info@racetoamillion.ca with your thoughts and maybe we can help … that’s what we are here for!

Watch the video to hear a couple of ideas from Peter’s daughter, Heather, which include an iPhone application for “breaking the ice” in a conversation and an expansion of Team Alpha and Team TRU’s mosaic project idea to help with a problem that high school graduates are currently facing.

Fast Tube by Casper

She’s an idea machine. She’s submitted more ideas to the Race To A Million than anyone. She’s got a collection of RTAM t-shirts that would make Smurfet proud! Amanda Blyth one of our biggest and most prolific fans joins us in the studio where we talk about some of her big ideas and what she thinks of the Race To A Million.

Fast Tube by Casper

We got out on the streets of Kamloops in this video segment of “Feet in the Street” and asked some fans in Kamloops a few questions.   Is it possible to turn $500 into $1 Million?  How would you do it? Is being a nice person good for business? What’s your big idea?

Fast Tube by Casper

No one likes germs so keep them to yourself!! Well that idea isn’t always how it happens in reality, this idea however is about germ prevention. Lets take a look at what Amanda Blyth has on her mind about shopping, and germs! Thanks again Amanda for everything you’ve submitted we love the input, ideas and intelligence!

Idea Title:
Germ-Free Handle Covers

From:

Amanda Blyth, Kamloops BC

Idea Summary:
Disposable shopping cart handle covers!

Idea Description:

Ever take a moment to think about how incredibly dirty the handle on a shopping cart is from people touching them all day? Children even put their mouths on them!

Some sort of cover needs to be made for these handles. I think the easiest most convenient design would be similar to the lint rolls. Have a cover that you place on the handle that last for a certain number of uses (100-500? – the amount of uses would depend on how thick you can make the cover before it being too thick to hold).

When you go to the store you grab your buggy, peal off the top layer of the cover and use the next one! Therefore you’re limiting the amount of germs on the handle by taking away each person’s as it’s used.

It would be the best to use a material that is not harmful to the human body just in case children to still put their mouths on the handles (parents should be watching this!). Therefore i don’t think using a hand sanitizer sheeting would be best.

One of the teams could create a prototype and sell it to any and all stores in town with carts.

CMDC Comments:
Good thinking Amanda! No body wants their children licking anything let alone the germs from the shopping carts. However we found a small problem. Unless these throw away sheets are recyclable, grocery stores would be leaving a large environmental footprint with all of these sheets let alone the plastic grocery bags they already produce. So here’s our spin on a Germ Free Handle Cover! We thought instead of plastic covers, it would be great if this prototype was designed as a machine washable, Velcro secured cover that consumers can purchase. This way we stick with the values of being environmentally friendly and socially responsible! The material could be a anti-bacterial type of fabric such as a microfiber cloth with Silvercare woven into it to eliminate germs.

We’d love to hear if anyone would consider using such a product? Perhaps it’s something that the teams could have made. There is also the added value to businesses who would want to use the space on the length of the product to advertise their company or at least their domain name. Something like … “Safeway – We handle your groceries with care – www.safeway.ca”. Perhaps a little corny but what a great fund-raising or partnering opportunity for a grocery store to do with a charitable organization. It could have the slogan, logo and website of both the store chain as well as an important charity. They could be sold at the check out with the money going to the chosen charity. The slip cover for the bar on the shopping cart would be machine washable, and easy to put on and take off.

It could be used in another “competitors” store or wherever that person shops on any cart they use.  And, it would be small enough to easily store in a purse. What a great promotional program for a store that latched onto this.

Cheers Amanda – you rock!

SPECIAL MESSAGE:
Do you have an idea that you think could make money? Submit your money-making ideas using the form located here.  If any of the teams use your idea or if we publish your idea to our website we’ll give you credit, automatically send you a cool Race To A Million T-Shirt AND enter you for a chance to win your choice of either…

1. A Trip for 2 with all expenses paid to Kamloops, BC, Canada for the season finale;  or
2. $10,000 … That’s ONE MILLION cents in exchange for your 2 cents … A great return on investment that makes cents … as well as sense! (Don’t worry we won’t pay out in pennies… we promise.)

Pete & Dean

Here’s a video recap in video of a couple of BIG ideas which have been submitted by even BIGGER fans! Please keep those ideas coming. When you do… you will not only be helping us to create this great resource for everyone to use … you could also get one of our great t-shirts and a chance to WIN $10,000.

Fast Tube by Casper

Dean Pierson:

And as we get this edition of the race to a million up and running; you know last week we told you how to submit ideas to qualify to win ten thousand dollars. We thought that this week we’d give you a couple of very clear examples of how those ideas look. By submitting an idea to racetoamillion.ca you can qualify to win ten thousand dollars and of course a great race to million t-shirt too!

Peter Cameron-Inglis:

Okay our first idea this week comes from Gene Bernier in Kelowna BC. A man after our own hearts  because he’s identifying definitely the value of masterminding. Gene writes his basic idea is to sell packages of mastermind sessions to a company or entrepreneur to help them with new ideas or issues they are facing. The team can sell 3 sessions for $250.00 or build any package that they could conceive. This way they get to give to others in the business community and further proving the mastermind concept. Now these people don’t have to be located in Kamloops, the sessions could happen remotely using tools such as skype or other video conferencing tools. Not sure if this would be in the rules, if it goes against Peter and Deans mastermind corporation but it could be a valuable service, could be like an extended dragons den. Well Gene definitely not against the rules we’d love to see it.

Dean Pierson:

Pete you know I know that a lot of the teams in the race to million have already considered selling mastermind sessions in the expertise that they bring to different businesses and entrepreneurs. I’m not too sure though, as of the time of the shooting, if any of the teams have actually implemented it as one of the strategies. We’ll see which of the teams is the first to take this great idea from Gene Bernier to heart and to the bank.

Alright time for another idea. This one comes from a local contributor her name is Shannon Gatsby. She’s from right here in Kamloops British Columbia Canada eh! And she brings to mind a project that many of you may have already heard about, that trading up project back in 2005 right Shanon. There was a project that some of you may remember called one red paper clip. This is the one where that guy started with one red paper clip and started trading up, at the end of the entire exercise he ended up with a brand new house in only about fourteen or fifteen trades. Shanon figures that this would be an absolutely terrific idea for some of the teams in the race to a million and I’ve got to agree, thanks for contributing Shanon. She also inlcuded the URL if you want to check out what this guy did with one red paper clip its really quite amazing. http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com it was really an amazing entrepreneurial journey and I wonder if any of the race to a million teams are going to take up that strategy too, great way to exponentially grow a small investment into a big one.

Peter Cameron-Inglis:

And thanks to Gene and Shanon for sending in those great ideas, don’t forget to send in your good ideas too. If we post them to racetoamillion.ca you’ll not only get a great race to a million t-shirt; you’ll also be entered in for that chance to win ten thousand dollars.

Dean Pierson:

That’s a million cents just for giving us your two cents at www.racetoamillion.ca woo! Jumpsies what do you think!

He’s already established himself as one of the Race To A Million’s BIGGEST Fans, let’s get magical with Mr. Bill Jackson in this Race To A Million Fan Profile. He’s A Hypnotist, Performer and Owner of Cuz I’m Magic at 240 3rd Avenue (accross from McDonald’s on third).

Here’s a little bit about Bill, his business, what he thinks of the Race To A Million AND a review of his submitted idea which garnered him an awesome Race To A Million Nice People Can Finish First T-Shirt and got him enterred to win $10,000.

Fast Tube by Casper

WE HAVE LOVED EVERYONE’S FEEDBACK SO FAR! We told you this was an experiment and so it is.  As such we have made some changes to the recipe of success for The Race To A Million and as Emeril Lagasse would say “BAM”.  Some of our friends and followers have suggested that they were not too clear on what this was all about or what they should do when they got to the website.  We also have heard a few “locals” from Kamloops say that winning an all expenses paid trip to Kamloops wasn’t all that motivating. So we listened and here is our reaction

Check out the home page of Race To A Million to see some new content at www.racetoamillion.ca

We’ve altered the contest for our fans to get involved… we’re now going to have 2 contests for our fans and followers … one for the BIGGEST fan … and one for submitting ideas … The winner of the Biggest Fan will still be getting a trip for two (with some other gifts) BUT for submitting ideas fans and website followers now have a chance to WIN a trip for 2 OR $10,000 … which coincidentally equals 1 million cents … all that for just offering us their “2 cents”! We’ve altered the process slightly though.  Instead of sending the ideas to the teams through the contact page we’re asking fans to now fill out the form on the site for submitting ideas.  Ideas will be published on the website and when an idea is published the fan will automatically get their choice of a Race To A Million T-shirt regardless of whether a team uses their idea or not … AND They’ll be entered for a chance to win their choice of the trip for 2 OR $10,000.

To find out more about submitting ideas go to http://www.racetoamillion.ca/contact-us/submit-an-idea/

Okay, so now you’ve met all of the teams… Have you formed an idea of who you like and why?  We’d love to hear about it.  Watch this video to find out what you can do next and what you’ll see next! Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel… click on the “thumbs up” like button for each video… and, you can also watch it directly on YouTube by going here.  We’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts … don’t be reserved… don’t be afraid… don’t be shy … post your comments, suggestions, predictions, favourite moments so far, and of course … your money-making ideas for the teams!

Fast Tube by Casper

Our fourth YouTube video is up… check it out and subscribe!  Subscribe and watch it on YouTube directly by going here. don’t forget to check in next week when we cover the kick off event for the contestants!

Fast Tube by Casper

Canada’s Mastermind Development Corporation (CMDC) will be announcing it’s choice for awarding the Race To A Million BIGGEST Fan prize on June 6, 2011 for Season One.  Winners will travel to (and stay in) beautiful Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada with all expenses paid for the wrap up celebrations of the Race To A Million on July 1, 2011. These winners will have the opportunity to participate in the celebrations and receive additional prize packages containing many items from the beautiful Thompson / Okanagan region of British Columbia. To enter just keep doing what great fans do … become a Facebook Fan, Follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our YouTube Channel, subscribe to the blog on www.racetoamillion.ca, post comments and replys on the website and Facebook Fan page, post fan photos on the RTAM Facebook Fan page, tweet and retweet about RTAM, post videos and video replies to the RTAM YouTube channel … follow the principals that we adhere to for our contestants… be responsible both socially and environmentally, get creative … AND, have fun … we’ll notice you we promise!