We created the Get Started program to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit. Each month, we award one small business, and the great idea behind it, with $5,000 start-up capital and a MAXIFY MB5320 printer. March's winner, Schedulock, and its co-founders, Alexander Poon, Shane Lattanzio, and Irfan Ajanovic, are the perfect embodiment of that spirit.

Their great idea, like many others before it, came from a creative solution to an everyday problem. The problem, in this case, was the lack of a secure, efficient, and convenient method for real estate agents to gain access to listed property. Alexander, Shane, and Irfan saw this problem and created a solution – Schedulock. Schedulock provides real estate agents with a secure, codeless, and electronic lockbox that eliminates the use of combination codes during property showings.

Using low-energy Bluetooth® technology, agents can easily gain access to the key and the listed house via their smartphone. At the same time, their booking system allows agents to quickly list and book showings via the app, which can alert the homeowner as well. With this two-part system in place, Schedulock virtually eliminates costly and time-consuming miscommunication and mistakes.

The owners of Schedulock plan to use the $5,000 Get Started start-up capital to help make significant progress toward completing their working prototype and launching their new software.

Co-founder Poon is very exited about winning, "I think the Canon Get Started program is a great way for entrepreneurs to get the assistance they need to grow their businesses. At the same time, the site provides very useful articles on the fundamentals of starting a business and touched on many hurdles that a small business may face."

Be sure to follow Schedulock's journey as they put their $5,000 start-up capital to work at Schedulock.com. It’s stories like this that inspired us to create this program.

Used With Permission

• February 2015 Winner
• April 2015 Winner