The producers and stars of ABC’s “Shark Tank” weren’t in town Friday, but a contest emulating the popular show took place Friday at the St. James Hotel.

The contest gave entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges with the winning group taking home $2,500.

The winners Friday were Tri Lam and Jeremiah Huynh, who pitched their E-Tick Et, which is a paper substitution that would make it easier for nail salons to record information on their customers.

The top three winners took home prize money to help grow their ideas into full-blown businesses and we cannot wait to see what the future looks like for those individuals. We’re even more excited about what contests like Friday’s could mean for the future of the Queen City.

Among citizens biggest complaints is that there isn’t enough businesses in Selma, which leads right into a conversation about the lack of jobs available. It’s events like Friday’s that will begin to change that conversation.

Who knows what will come of E-Tick Et, but both students attend college right here in Selma and have grown up in a nail salon in the Queen City. Lam attends Wallace Community College Selma and Huynh goes to Concordia College Alabama, so it’s easy to cheer for them on their future endeavors.

Perhaps one day their idea could prosper right here in Selma, creating jobs and making a big difference across the globe. Then again, maybe it won’t. Either way, the contest gave them a way of getting some funding and advice on what their next step should be. Sometimes all it takes is a little push.