'Make Mine a $Million Business'(TM) Aims to Propel Atlanta Area Women-Owned Businesses Past the Million-Dollar Barrier; Winners to be Announced at Women's Leadership Exchange Conference September 21.NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of -- Although women-owned businesses are the fastest growing segment of the nation's small business sector, many lack access to mentoring, money and marketing resources needed to become million-dollar businesses. Only 3% of women-owned companies generate $1 million in annual revenues.(1) To develop those resources, two powerhouses for women entrepreneurs have teamed with OPEN(SM), the small business division of American Express American Express (NYSE: AXP), sometimes known as "AmEx" or "Amex", is a diversified global financial services company, headquartered in New York City. The company is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler's cheque businesses. , to launch the Make Mine a $Million Business program. The pilot award program is designed to help women in the Atlanta area and across the country build million-dollar enterprises by equipping them with a variety of resources. September 7 is the deadline for entries at www.count-me-in.org. To be eligible for the program - which delivers a combination of business loans and mentoring to awardees - candidate businesses must be woman-owned and have been operational during the previous two years. A panel of successful local entrepreneurs will field business pitches from six Atlanta area finalists during the Women's Leadership Exchange conference on September 21st at the Cobb Galleria Cobb Galleria is a large office park with six skyscrapers located in the Cumberland/Vinings district of Cobb and sandwiched between Marietta, Smyrna, Sandy Springs and Atlanta. in Atlanta. Award recipients will be announced at the conclusion of the conference. Make Mine a $Million Business is a collaboration among Count-Me-In for Women's Economic Independence, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing women's access to credit and capital; Women's Leadership Exchange (WLE WLE Weblogic Enterprise WLE Wide Local Excision WLE Wing Leading Edge (NASA) WLE Wet Low Emissions WLE Weighted Likelihood Estimator WLE Wavelength-Link Edge WLE Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway Company WLE Widely Linear Estimation ), an educational and networking company that conducts conferences for women business owners Many online and offline organizations have been created to collect information about businesses around the world owned and operated by women. Many other organizations have been created to assist the women that own and operate those businesses. across the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. ; and OPEN from American Express(SM). "This program helps create clear pathways to move high-growth-potential women entrepreneurs from micro- to million-dollar enterprises," said Nell Merlino, co-founder, president and chief executive officer, Count-Me-In. "Women continue to face tremendous challenges in securing financing for business growth. Sixty-six percent of women who come to the Count-Me-In web site have been turned down by three to five banks in the past year." How the Make Mine a $Million Business Program Works The Make Mine a $Million Business program offers a combination of one-on-one business coaching Introduction to Business Coaching Business Coaching is a business support service industry aimed at helping owners plan, start, grow & even remove themselves from business. , networking opportunities and loans to awardees. A "Dream Team" of mentors and business advisors will counsel each award recipient for one year. One of the local Atlanta advisors will be Dresdene Flynn-White, a business coach with Action International. Together, the advisors and awardees will craft a specific plan for growth, and will mentor the award recipients on issues ranging from operations to marketing to financing. "To break through the million-dollar barrier, women business owners need not just the money, but also the mentors and contacts who will guide them, encourage them and help them thrive," said Lexi Reese, director, Advocacy Marketing, OPEN from American Express. "The Make Mine a $Million Business program represents an incredible growth opportunity for ambitious women entrepreneurs, and OPEN from American Express is committed to their success." This national pilot program will continue to roll out across the United States until 18 of the country's most promising women business owners receive an OPEN from American Express Make Mine a $Million Business Award, which includes a business loan of up to $45,000 from Count-Me-In and a year of focused business mentoring. Twelve runners-up will receive loans of up to $20,000. Six awardees were named at the WLE conferences in Dallas and Chicago this spring. Six more awardees were chosen in Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city located in southern Los Angeles County, California, USA, on the Pacific coast. It borders Orange County on its southeast edge. It is about 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown Los Angeles. , earlier this month. Following the WLE conference in Atlanta, the Make Mine A $Million Business program will culminate culminate, in astronomy, the maximum height in the sky reached by a celestial body on a given day. At the culminate the body is crossing the observer's celestial meridian and is said to be in upper transit. at a New York event, which will be announced at a later time. To apply or learn more, log on to www.count-me-in.org. September 7 is the deadline for entries in the Atlanta area. Women who participate in the Make Mine a $Million Business program will be able to network with their peers and connect with established, successful women entrepreneurs who want to share their business insights as part of the WLE conference. Pernille Spiers-Lopez, President, IKEA IKEA Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (Swedish home furnishings retailer founder's initials and location) North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. will be honored along with actresses Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter (born May 25, 1939 in McLemoresville, Tennessee) is an American Emmy Award winning actress. and Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist. Early life She was born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Harlem, New York. at the full-day Women's Leadership Exchange conference in Atlanta. A variety of conference seminars can help attendees jump-start the growth of their businesses - including a session that will teach Make Mine a $Million applicants how to best present their business cases when seeking loans. For more information about the WLE conference, or to find information and applications for Make Mine a $Million Business, visit www.womensleadershipexchange.com and click on the Make Mine a $Million button. About Count-Me-In Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence designed, produces and administers the new Make Mine a $Million Business (TM) program. A nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. 501(c)3 organization, Count Me In champions women's entrepreneurship and economic independence. Dedicated to increasing access to credit and capital, the organization provides online nationwide access to micro business loans, business consultation and education to women who have been turned down by the system. We are changing the way women do business! For more information, visit www.count-me-in.org. About Women's Leadership Exchange The Women's Leadership Exchange (WLE) is a New York City-based multimedia company founded by and for female entrepreneurs that features educational conferences in five cities annually (Atlanta, New York, Dallas, Chicago and Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, ) for already established businesses with revenues from $500,000 to $25 million. The WLE offers women entrepreneurs access to the tools and connections that drive business growth. The WLE mission is to help develop more women leaders in business and other areas of human endeavor by connecting women with top business experts, corporate leaders and with each other. The WLE also offers its e-newsletter, "The Exchange," its online New Women's Network Directory, its women's business spa retreats and topic-specific seminars on such issues as finances. The WLE presenting sponsor is OPEN from American Express. For more information, visit www.womensleadershipexchange.com or call 1-888-937-5800. About OPEN from American Express OPEN from American Express provides small business owners access to an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings designed to help meet their evolving needs, including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working capital, robust online account management capabilities and savings on business services from an expanded lineup A criminal investigation technique in which the police arrange a number of individuals in a row before a witness to a crime and ask the witness to identify which, if any, of the individuals committed the crime. of partners. To obtain more information about OPEN from American Express, visit OPEN.americanexpress.com/women, or call 1-800-471-0028 to apply for a Card or loan. Terms and conditions apply. American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company founded in 1850. It is a world leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, financial planning Financial planning Evaluating the investing and financing options available to a firm. Planning includes attempting to make optimal decisions, projecting the consequences of these decisions for the firm in the form of a financial plan, and then comparing future performance against , business services, insurance and international banking. 1. Source: Center for Women's Business Research, 2005 |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion