Contest will connect a Cleveland small business to LeBron James

As part of the promotion for his new CNBC show, Cleveland Hustles, LeBron James is hosting a contest for Cleveland small businesses.

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To help promote his new show on CNBC, Cleveland Hustles, LeBron James is launching a contest offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for small businesses.

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Until August 18th, small-business owners are encouraged to create a 23-second video and post it to Twitter and/or Instagram with the hashtag #PitchLeBronContest. After that, a judging panel will sort through the entries and pick one lucky business for James to endorse to his 32 million Twitter and 23 million Facebook followers.

For startups deciding whether to enter this contest, James and his team have come up with the following criteria:

• Must be a brick-and-mortar location.
• Have a maximum of 250 employees.
• Cannot be a franchise.
• Cannot service customers outside of its immediate area (no online store or mail-order).

The videos will be judged on originality, creativity and must answer this question: “How would my business uniquely benefit from a LeBron James social media endorsement?” The winner will be announced on Aug. 23.

James’s CNBC show will “give four aspiring local entrepreneurs the chance to realize their dreams while also helping to revitalize a neighborhood in Cleveland.” The show is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.