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Making the "Ultimate Connection"

It's your last chance to enter the contest that could bring your small business $25K in clicks, mentoring from a search marketing expert, and a "power lunch" 17 stories above New York City

It's not who you are, it's who you know. While hard work, inspiration, dedication and passion are also vital, making the right connections can make the difference between "making it there" and "making it anywhere." And it's as true for small businesspeople as it is for major corporate execs.

If you're dying to attend the ultimate power lunch with a table of up-and-coming entrepreneurs like yourself, you need to act fast: This is your final call to enter the Yahoo! Ultimate Connection Contest.

Like School, but with a Bigger Pay-off
For a chance to win the contest, you'll need to submit a 500-word essay focusing on what your business needs to be successful, and how winning the "Ultimate Connection" contest can help you achieve that success. The deadline to submit essay entries is May 30, 2007, so don't delay!

With the help of Ivanka Trump, Trump Organization development leader and daughter of Donald Trump, Yahoo! will select five finalists from among all the entries. Members of the Yahoo! community will be invited to vote for their favorites beginning on June 11, and contest winners will be announced in July.

What's in it for you? Glad you asked. The three winners will receive the following prize package:

• An "Ultimate Connection" power lunch in New York City with the up-and-coming entrepreneur winners and top-ranking marketing stars
• A $25,000 budget from Yahoo! Search Marketing to use toward a keyword ad campaign
• Mentoring from a legendary marketing expert throughout the year
• Access to a Yahoo! Search Marketing expert throughout the year
• A website makeover, courtesy of Yahoo! Small Business and Web site development firm FastPivot.

For more information and to submit your entry, go to the Ultimate Connection Contest web site.