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Corsicana one step closer to $500,000 and a TV series

Posted at 6:46 PM, Jan 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-07 20:05:44-05

The Small Business Revolution is eying Corsicana to see if it's the right fit for its TV series and a fat check.

Deluxe, a marketing and financial services company, created Small Business Revolution as a way to help out small towns.

Each season, they search for one lucky town and a handful of its businesses to win $500,000. They then documented the transformation in an original series. Season 3 is streaming now on Hulu.

Rachel McNeel owns The Pink Peony in downtown Corsicana. She opened her shop in 2017. 

"Just to be finally living that dream, it's a great feeling," McNeel said.

She takes great pride in her shop, but as you can imagine, achieving her dream didn't come cheap. 

"Inventory is expensive. Some setbacks along the way, so financially it's been a rough start," McNeel said.

The bills are starting to add up and she could use some help starting a website that will generate more sales.

Lucky for her, relief could soon be on the way.

Corsicana Main Street Director Karie Denny said the city is one step closer to winning the Small Business Revolution competition.

The competition has been going on for months. In December, it was announced that Corsicana made the top 10.

"I mean it really has the capacity to change everything in Corsicana," Denny said. "They're visiting 10 towns right now, they're making their stop in Corsicana next week."

Corsicana is the only City in Texas in the running. If it's chosen as the winner, the money will go toward different business projects across the town of nearly 25,000 people.

"They want to reinvest into those businesses, so they're looking for ultimately their top six businesses that would benefit from this if we win," Denny said.

McNeel has lived in Corsicana for about 12 years. She's happy to see her little town is getting the attention it deserves.

"Just in the years I've been here, it's come such a long way," McNeel said.

And it wouldn't hurt to have some guidance from the experts along with a few extra bucks in her pocket.

"The marketing thing is something I struggle with, so I would definitely appreciate help with that," McNeel said. "That would be a game changer, I think, for us."

Denny said the Small Business Revolution will announce its top five cities mid-February, then the nation will have a hand in deciding which city wins it all.

"When they make that announcement, voting starts that day," Denny said. "You can vote each day, on each device with a valid email address. So we're going to be on every day!"

Denny hopes other Texans see the value in this competition and help bring her city to victory.

The Small Business Revolution will stop in Corsicana on Jan. 14 to tour the town and meet with small business owners.

There's a community rally happening on Thursday to get folks prepared for the big day.

You do not have to be a resident of Corsicana to vote for it in the competition. You can sign up to receive text updates and notifications throughout the remainder of the competition by texting CORSICANA to 55222. 

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